Look at this stunner! The hardcover copy even has sprayed edges.
Thank you Gallery Books for the gifted copy
HER WICKED ROOTS – Tanya Pell (Released October 7th, 2025)
Book Description:
In this queer retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne classic gothic story, Rappaccini’s Daughter, a young woman is lured to a lush estate owned by a botanist who might be hiding dark secrets.
Cordelia Beecher is on the run. In search of her missing brother Edward, she has fled the oppressive charity school she was raised in, desperate to find the only family she knows. Using clues from his past letters, she sets off for the sleepy town of Farrow but everyone there claims to have never heard of Edward—not even the man he was supposedly working for as an apprentice.
With nowhere to go, Cordi turns to Lady Evangeline, a local botanist who owns the magnificent Edenfield estate. The benevolent lady of the manor has made it her mission to take young, often traumatized, women into her employ and protect them from man’s world of wicked desires and deceits. Hired as a maid and companion to her enigmatic daughters, Prim and Briar, Cordi quickly settles into Edenfield. Even as her relationship with Briar blossoms, Cordi can’t help but suspect that there are secrets in the estate…and when she stumbles across evidence that Edward was once there, she’s determined to find answers.
My Thoughts: 4/5 stars
They always say, don’t judge a book by its cover. Well, you won’t have to worry about that here. This book is as captivating and atmospheric as it is beautiful. “A queer retelling of Rappaccini’s Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne” was something I never knew I wanted. Gothic, mysterious, and botanical horror. I’ve been thriving on the variety of horror this year. A woman looking for her brother follows the clues left behind to the Farrow Estate. She finds herself ensnared by the lady of the manor and the lush scenery. I loved this. I couldn’t get enough and it was so unique and exciting.
Jessicamap Reviews 