Chantal Gadoury

Amanda Wright

This dark retelling of the classic Grimm Brothers fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, will leave fans of Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching and Krystal Sutherland's House of Hollow thirsting for more. "The Shrike and the Shadows is a disturbingly dazzling venture into the depths of not only the woods, but the dangers of human-townsfolk psyche--and the horrifying truth behind folklore. Readers (and most certainly fans of dark historical films "The Witch" and "The Village") will enjoy Gadoury and Wright's inventive take on Hansel & Gretel, and the bloodthirsty entity hunting them." - Brianna Sugalski, Bestselling Author of Disenchanted The village of Krume is plagued by a haunted wood and a hungry witch. It's been that way for as long as Hans and Greta can remember, though they have never seen the witch themselves. No one has. When men start to disappear in the cover of night, their bloody hearts turning up on doorsteps, the village falls into frenzied madness. Hans and Greta, two outcast orphans, find themselves facing accusations of witchcraft and are met with an ultimatum: burn at the stake, or leave the village forever. With nowhere else to go, they abandon their only home. As they venture into the strange forest, their path is fraught with horrific creatures, wild and vivid hallucinations, and a mysterious man tied to the witch's past. The Shrike is watching, just beyond the darkness of the woods.

The Shrike and the Shadows

'It's so strange how your life can dramatically change from just one event. I now see my life divided into two – before the tragedy and after. Now, the present, will always be after. This is after.' Amanda Wright was just four years old when she witnessed her mother’s brutal murder. John Dickinson, a family friend, strangled her mother to death in front of her and then he tried to do the same to Amanda. He laid their lifeless bodies out on their bed, set fire to it and left the house, hoping the fire would conceal the crime. It was the milkman who saved Amanda's life, though it was too late for mum Sue. Amanda spent weeks in hospital for painful skin graft operations on her burned legs before moving in with her grandparents. Yet, from the day of the tragedy she was haunted by flashbacks and nightmares. On her first day of school, Amanda watched other children crying for their mummies and suddenly realised that she would never see her own mother again. It was a painful adjustment for a little girl who, until that moment, had spent her whole life with her mum. More alone than ever before she was determined not to give in, finding strength in her memories of her mother. Without a Mother's Love is a sad, strange yet beautiful story about a girl who lost everything but found the strength inside herself to make her mother proud.

Amanda Wright

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