Where the Dark Stands Still

' Where the Dark Stands Still is a triumph; a deeply romantic debut with spiralling, atmospheric prose that swept me up and away to the enchanted forests of Polish folklore. You'll never want to leave this beautiful, magical world'. Sarah Underwood, NYT Bestselling Author of Lies We Sing to the Sea A sweeping gothic fairytale romance for fans of Belladonna by Adalyn Grace and Gallant by V.E. Schwab. Raised in a small village near the spirit-wood, Liska Radost knows that Magic is monstrous, and its practitioners, monsters. After Liska unleashes her own powers with devastating consequences, she is caught by the demon warden of the wood - the Leszy - who offers her a bargain: one year of servitude in exchange for a wish. Whisked away to his crumbling manor, Liska makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain and all of her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her host's spool of secrets and face the ghosts of his past. Those who enter the wood do not always return . . . ‘Treading a tender line between unnerving and enchanting, Poranek’s writing is lyrical and atmospheric. With a beautiful grumpy/sunshine romance, Where The Dark Stands Still is a poignant and magical tale' Bea Fitzgerald, bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen 'An enchanting spell of a read, woven through with petal-soft romance and roots-deep self-acceptance. The dark, gothic fairy tale of my dreams' Kika Hatzopoulou, author of the Sunday Times Bestseller Threads that Bind 'Folkloric and beautiful, Where The Dark Stands Still invites you to stray from the safe paths into a darkly whimsical fairytale forest, where secrets and bargains lead to tentative hope' Lyndall Clipstone, author of Unholy Terrors and the World at the Lake's Edge duology.

' Where the Dark Stands Still is a triumph; a deeply romantic debut with spiralling, atmospheric prose that swept me up and away to the enchanted forests of Polish folklore. You'll never want to leave this beautiful, magical world'. Sarah Underwood, NYT Bestselling Author of Lies We Sing to the Sea A sweeping gothic fairytale romance for fans of Belladonna by Adalyn Grace and Gallant by V.E. Schwab. Raised in a small village near the spirit-wood, Liska Radost knows that Magic is monstrous, and its practitioners, monsters. After Liska unleashes her own powers with devastating consequences, she is caught by the demon warden of the wood - the Leszy - who offers her a bargain: one year of servitude in exchange for a wish. Whisked away to his crumbling manor, Liska makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain and all of her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her host's spool of secrets and face the ghosts of his past. Those who enter the wood do not always return . . . ‘Treading a tender line between unnerving and enchanting, Poranek’s writing is lyrical and atmospheric. With a beautiful grumpy/sunshine romance, Where The Dark Stands Still is a poignant and magical tale' Bea Fitzgerald, bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen 'An enchanting spell of a read, woven through with petal-soft romance and roots-deep self-acceptance. The dark, gothic fairy tale of my dreams' Kika Hatzopoulou, author of the Sunday Times Bestseller Threads that Bind 'Folkloric and beautiful, Where The Dark Stands Still invites you to stray from the safe paths into a darkly whimsical fairytale forest, where secrets and bargains lead to tentative hope' Lyndall Clipstone, author of Unholy Terrors and the World at the Lake's Edge duology.

A New York Times bestseller A girl with dangerous magic makes a risky bargain with a demon to be free of her monstrous power in this "dark, devastating, and gothic" ( Kirkus Reviews ) young adult fantasy perfect for fans of An Enchantment of Ravens and House of Salt and Sorrows . Liska knows that magic is monstrous, and its practitioners are monsters. She has done everything possible to suppress her own magic, to disastrous consequences. Desperate to be free of it, Liska flees her small village and delves into the dangerous, demon-inhabited spirit-wood to steal a mythical fern flower. If she plucks it, she can use its one wish to banish her powers. Everyone who has sought the fern flower has fallen prey to unknown horrors, so when Liska is caught by the demon warden of the wood--called The Leszy--a bargain seems better than death: one year of servitude in exchange for the fern flower and its wish. Whisked away to The Leszy's crumbling manor, Liska soon makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain, and all her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her taciturn host's spool of secrets and face the ghosts--figurative and literal--of his past. Because something wakes in the woods, something deadly and without mercy. It frightens even The Leszy...and cannot be defeated unless Liska embraces the monster she's always feared becoming.

A New York Times bestseller A girl with dangerous magic makes a risky bargain with a demon to be free of her monstrous power in this "dark, devastating, and gothic" ( Kirkus Reviews ) young adult fantasy perfect for fans of An Enchantment of Ravens and House of Salt and Sorrows . Liska knows that magic is monstrous, and its practitioners are monsters. She has done everything possible to suppress her own magic, to disastrous consequences. Desperate to be free of it, Liska flees her small village and delves into the dangerous, demon-inhabited spirit-wood to steal a mythical fern flower. If she plucks it, she can use its one wish to banish her powers. Everyone who has sought the fern flower has fallen prey to unknown horrors, so when Liska is caught by the demon warden of the wood--called The Leszy--a bargain seems better than death: one year of servitude in exchange for the fern flower and its wish. Whisked away to The Leszy's crumbling manor, Liska soon makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain, and all her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her taciturn host's spool of secrets and face the ghosts--figurative and literal--of his past. Because something wakes in the woods, something deadly and without mercy. It frightens even The Leszy...and cannot be defeated unless Liska embraces the monster she's always feared becoming.

A sweeping gothic fairytale romance for fans of A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer and Gallant by V.E. Schwab. Raised in a small village near the spirit-wood, Liska Radost knows that Magic is monstrous, and its practitioners, monsters. After Liska unleashes her own powers with devastating consequences, she is caught by the demon warden of the wood - the Leszy - who offers her a bargain: one year of servitude in exchange for a wish. Whisked away to his crumbling manor, Liska makes an unsettling discovery. She is not the first person to strike this bargain. And if she wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her host's spool of secrets and face the ghosts of his past. Those who enter the wood do not always return . . .

A sweeping gothic fairytale romance for fans of A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer and Gallant by V.E. Schwab. Raised in a small village near the spirit-wood, Liska Radost knows that Magic is monstrous, and its practitioners, monsters. After Liska unleashes her own powers with devastating consequences, she is caught by the demon warden of the wood - the Leszy - who offers her a bargain: one year of servitude in exchange for a wish. Whisked away to his crumbling manor, Liska makes an unsettling discovery. She is not the first person to strike this bargain. And if she wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her host's spool of secrets and face the ghosts of his past. Those who enter the wood do not always return . . .

A New York Times bestseller A girl with dangerous magic makes a risky bargain with a demon to be free of her monstrous power in this "dark, devastating, and gothic" ( Kirkus Reviews ) young adult fantasy perfect for fans of An Enchantment of Ravens and House of Salt and Sorrows . Liska knows that magic is monstrous, and its practitioners are monsters. She has done everything possible to suppress her own magic, to disastrous consequences. Desperate to be free of it, Liska flees her small village and delves into the dangerous, demon-inhabited spirit-wood to steal a mythical fern flower. If she plucks it, she can use its one wish to banish her powers. Everyone who has sought the fern flower has fallen prey to unknown horrors, so when Liska is caught by the demon warden of the wood--called The Leszy--a bargain seems better than death: one year of servitude in exchange for the fern flower and its wish. Whisked away to The Leszy's crumbling manor, Liska soon makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain, and all her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her taciturn host's spool of secrets and face the ghosts--figurative and literal--of his past. Because something wakes in the woods, something deadly and without mercy. It frightens even The Leszy...and cannot be defeated unless Liska embraces the monster she's always feared becoming.

A New York Times bestseller A girl with dangerous magic makes a risky bargain with a demon to be free of her monstrous power in this "dark, devastating, and gothic" ( Kirkus Reviews ) young adult fantasy perfect for fans of An Enchantment of Ravens and House of Salt and Sorrows . Liska knows that magic is monstrous, and its practitioners are monsters. She has done everything possible to suppress her own magic, to disastrous consequences. Desperate to be free of it, Liska flees her small village and delves into the dangerous, demon-inhabited spirit-wood to steal a mythical fern flower. If she plucks it, she can use its one wish to banish her powers. Everyone who has sought the fern flower has fallen prey to unknown horrors, so when Liska is caught by the demon warden of the wood--called The Leszy--a bargain seems better than death: one year of servitude in exchange for the fern flower and its wish. Whisked away to The Leszy's crumbling manor, Liska soon makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain, and all her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her taciturn host's spool of secrets and face the ghosts--figurative and literal--of his past. Because something wakes in the woods, something deadly and without mercy. It frightens even The Leszy...and cannot be defeated unless Liska embraces the monster she's always feared becoming.