I was so excited to get an A.R.C. of this book!
I have a new favourite book girlfriend in Nimrah, she can do no wrong in my eyes 😍
A lot of the words were in Hebrew (I believe?) I had to look up words like "rukávce" and how to pronounce it, which is fine, but took me out of the story a few times.
I got a little annoyed by Malka throughout the book, but she was a wonderful person.


But Nimrah🥵🤤🥰

You know those stories that feel like they were just made for you? This is one for me! What an absolute triumph. The world-building, the characters, the writing! I am a sucker for a story that weaves together folklore and history, and Martinez does this with an expert hand. I was amazed!

this was a very immersive story and i loved all the ties with folklore, that was what really drew me in. the concept was very memorable, i think the only part that lost me was that the characters weren’t.

3.5⭐️


El bosque se come a las chicas que deambulan después del anochecer.

Como hija del curandero, Malka ha visto cómo la maldición del bosque ha plagado su pueblo, pero la Iglesia Ozmini solo viene a cobrar su diezmo, no a proteger a los herejes con historias falsas de monstruos en los árboles. Así que cuando una niña del clero deambula demasiado cerca del bosque y la madre de Malka es acusada de su asesinato, Malka hace un trato imposible con un sacerdote incierto Ozmini. Si ella saca al monstruo, él evitará la ejecución de su madre.

Cuando se aventura en el bosque sombreado, Malka encuentra un monstruo, aunque no el que espera: un golem inescrutable y deshonrado que acepta involucrarse a sí misma, pero solo si Malka la ayuda a cumplir una promesa primero y libera al rabino encarcelado que la creó.

Pero un trato fácil de hacer no se mantiene fácilmente. Y a medida que su ganga comienza a desentrañar una amenaza mucho más siniestra, proteger a su pueblo puede obligar a Malka a poner en peligro a la única persona que dejó en casa para salvar, y enfrentar sus crecientes sentimientos por la misma criatura que le enseñaron a temer.



Gracias NetGalley por el ARC.

I was a little stop and start on this book, but I settled into it. There’s a hefty amount of world-building and politics, but I found the main character to be initially a bit frustrating. She definitely has some character development through the novel, which I appreciated! Overall, this was an interesting and slow-burny fantasy debut! I would recommend checking the trigger warnings!

I loved the atmosphere and vibe of this book- two of my favorite elements in a fantasy book. The world felt immersive and mysterious, filled with rich history, ancient magic, and haunting settings.

I did struggle a bit with the pacing. It felt slow at times and I struggled to stay engaged.

I also think a glossary of terms may be helpful.

DNF'd @ 30%.

I need to stop being such a sucker for good marketing, but also people need to stop comparing books to Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden unless they really mean it. This book is neither "gorgeous" or "atmospheric," and I'm feeling a bit duped.

"The Maiden and Her Monster" is a retelling of the legend of the Golem of Prague, and it had potential. I sincerely think that this would be a good book if it was the author's fifth, not her first. But right now the storytelling was deployed as a blunt force instrument. The bad guys were cartoonishly, mustache-twirlingly bad. They were approached without a discernible iota of nuance. And unfortunately the main character lacked the critical thinking skills necessary to make up for this. The decision that jumpstarted the plot, of her going into the forest to go after a monster, seemed to come out of nowhere. If she had sat and thought about it with the capacity of more than three brain cells, it wouldn't have happened. By 10% I was actively cranky about picking up this book. By 30% I gave up, and I don't regret it in the slightest.

The description and the first line, which is chilling, really drew me to this book-“The forest ate the girls who wandered out after dark”. I liked the dark and atmospheric vibes. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel connected to the MC at all, and the pacing was a bit off for me. It felt somewhat dense, and there were a lot of terms both real and made up and I couldn’t keep track, which kept taking me out of the story.

The Maiden and Her Monster is an exceptional debut. I enjoyed learning more about Jewish mysticism in such a well-developed fantastical setting. I was a little surprised that the forest did not play a larger role in the story, given that its in the premise so heavily, but I do like how the mystery and problem of the forest was resolved. In regard to the multiple languages presented, I did not struggle to understand anything. Some readers have suggested providing an index, but I don't quite feel that's necessary. The use of multiple languages didn't retract from the immersion or the plot, and I thought it felt authentic to the message Martinez was trying to craft within this novel. In addition, I very much enjoyed the slow burn romance between Malka and Nimrah. I felt like each woman mirrored the other well, and Nimrah emphasized Malka's own character development. The way they slowly began to trust and love each other was very subtle and cleverly crafted.

Perhaps the only drawback was the pacing and the dialogue. At times, I struggled to get into the novel because it was advancing so slowly without reason. The long stories told between characters detracted focus from the plot, and didn't contribute much. At 1/3rd of the way through, I had to make myself read. This improved about 2/3rd's of the way through when the story picked up again, and climax had my attention entirely. The dialogue, early on, felt heavy handed and inauthentic; like the author wanted us to get the point of the novel and did so through the characters' conversations. This improved as the novel went on, too. Though it's listed as adult fantasy, it very much had a YA feel to it, and it's apparent it's a debut novel of an author still developing their writing style. That is to say, however, that overall despite its structural flaws, it is an excellent debut and I look forward to reading Martinez's future works.

I really wanted to love this book. It has all the elements I enjoy: folklore, a creepy forest filled with monsters, sapphic romance, slow burn enemies-to-lovers vibes. I enjoyed the first few chapters, and I thought the premise was great. However, I found it hard to feel invested in Malka’s and Nimrah’s romance. Malka’s consistent distrust of Nimrah was especially frustrating and made it difficult for me to enjoy their relationship when it began to change. Overall, I enjoyed parts of this book, but I did have to push through quite a bit of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.

The Maiden and Her Monster by @maddiesmartinez comes out in three months (September 9) and I was lucky enough to receive an eARC from @torbooks so that I could read early. This was a much more moody read and extremely atmospheric. Much of the story is based on Jewish folklore and part of its charm is incorporating myths into the story. It is fantasy with a sapphic romance subplot and the sapphic yearning does not disappoint. So much of this book’s core can be described as a conflict between who we are and what is our purpose.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC.

"’What are humans without stories, Malka? Do you think it won't take stories to shift the tide of war, to build nations up from the ground? Behind every tyrant is a story that justifies their means; behind every brutalized culture are stories that string generations together like emerald beads. Their stories will have meanings, and we will not forget them.’”

A naive village woman has to venture into a deadly forest that kills women to prove her mother’s innocence. Along the way, she has her beliefs and stories that shaped her world view challenged. Nimrah is the golem featured in nightmares children have been told about, but are those stories true? As they come together, there is pushback and conflict while understanding the role religion and politics play in the stories told throughout the kingdoms.

Malka was annoying, but in a way that I can give slight grace for. She was naive to basically anything outside of her bubble. It was a combination of small town/village thinking and having blind faith in her elders and religion. She fell prey to the stories she so cherished and she didn’t realize that stories can be altered by the whims of other people, religion, or governments. The stories she heard and held true came from her beloved Baba before he passed; however, he was a man who feared the unknown of the magic her people could wield and the religious implications. Malka found herself at times judging the way others chose to follow their faith simply because she was taught differently. She took any opportunity to figuratively spit on Nimrah and question the Maharal simply because she feared the negatives of their holy magic. She literally put all Kefesh into the negative category based off a couple of stories that she was told and treated them as law, even when she saw the good side of it.

As the story went on, Malka had her beliefs challenged daily and she fought against it hard. She wanted to stay in her comfort bubble and return home as soon as she could, everyone else be damned. How will her family survive if she doesn’t go back and continue to live for them? Malka rarely thought about her own wants and needs, she puts everyone before herself and thinks that’s the way it should be. Even when it came to her friend Amnon, she was willing to marry him after they save her mom, even though she never loved him in that way. It was just the way things were supposed to be. That poor man was desperate lol. The way he wasn’t giving up and playing protector (poorly) was extremely annoying.

The romance in this story didn’t really do anything for me in regard to the plot, so it was just something to sprinkle in the story.

I enjoyed this book with the rich and lush culture throughout the pages. I’ve never read a Jewish fantasy before or any works with golems so this was definitely a new experience.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I was very confused at the beginning. This is a reimagined version of a Jewish myth, so I was expecting there to be terms I wasn’t familiar with, but there are fictional terms that aren’t explained well. I think this book would be easier to read if it had a glossary for referencing. That would have been helpful, especially in the first few chapters. There is a sapphic romance element between reluctant allies; it is a slow-burn, but it is kinda an abrupt shift into lovers, there could have been a more organic transition. This book has all the dark and eerie vibes, monsters, and magic. It does get political and addresses antisemitism, which was well written. Overall, I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. The lack of a glossary and the romance element led to my rating on this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

I greatly enjoyed this book, and what a fantastic debut! It was a little hard to follow at the start. I wish that there had been a glossary of terms, as there was a lot to work through and it would have helped my understanding of the story, as it was a lot to read through, before any context was given. The atmosphere that Maddie created was by far my favorite part of the story, the sentient forest became a character itself, not just a backdrop. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to others.

This book far exceeded all my expectations. It was so much more than I expected when I first heard about it. The prose was beautifully written, the characters well developed. I felt fully immersed in the world, and the blend of jewish folklore, political issues, and fantasy was perfectly done. As a queer, Jewish person I always am floored when I find books with that representation in them, and this one was one of the best I have read. I adored this book and cannot wait to see what other wonderful things come from Maddie Martinez.

I write in the context of who this book may be written best for as I feel the strength of this novel is best written in comparison, though it is it's own novel entirely.

Maddie Martinez's "The Maiden and Her Monster" walks in the same haunted forest path as Naomi Novik's Uprooted in terms of rich, darkly folkloric atmosphere, though they pull from different cultures - and readers will likely just be as divided in their reactions. It's a story steeped in dark fairytale aesthetic, where magic pulses with emotion, monsters may be unlikely saviors, and nothing is easily categorized as good or bad. For those who loved "Uprooted", Martinez offers a similarly immersive experience. The prose is lush, the world ethereal, and emotional stakes high. This author also crafts a deeply intuitive magic system, one that feels pulled from dreams and old folk songs rather than textbooks.

But readers who struggled with "Uprooted", particularly its pacing, romance, or vagueness, may find similar frustrations here. The plot drifts in places, more interested in mood than momentum. Moreover, the central romane flirts with power imbalance, and the magic system, while beautiful, often resists concrete understanding. Martinez's lyrical narration may enchant some, but to others, it will read as meandering or overly flowery purpose prose.

While "The Maiden and Her Monster" delivers a well-crafted folklore reimagined in a sensuous romance, readers unfamiliar with Jewish culture and its deep well of historical and mystical symbolism, the story's emotional and thematic impact may not resonate as powerfully. While the novel can still be appreciated for its gothic tone and narrative ambition, some of its most profound layers may remain just out of reach for those outside the cultural context it draws from. This novel could greatly benefit from having a page of definitions available as it is not clear that some of the more cultural definitions are in fact made up. This may be a significant deal breaker for some readers on the fence.

I'm feeling really lukewarm on this one. I adore the premise but just could not get into it even after restarting to make sure I didn't miss anything.
I think I'll give the audiobook a try when it's out, because this sounds like it should be made for me.

This book was not at all what I expected, but was a beautiful journey nonetheless. With blends of Jewish history and the golem story, wrapped up with a sapphic romance, I found myself enraptured. It’s a slower read, but the detail and journey you go on is fascinating. I always love a good dark forest as well. This story really tugs on your heart strings and I absolutely love Nimrah and Malka.

Lush, eerie, and emotionally resonant, this dark fantasy weaves folklore, faith, and forbidden magic into a captivating tale of sacrifice and survival. Malka is a fierce, flawed heroine whose desperate quest to save her mother leads her into a morally tangled alliance with a mysterious golem. The atmosphere is rich with dread and beauty, and the story explores themes of belief, otherness, and what it means to be monstrous. While some world-building elements could use more clarity, the character dynamics—especially the slow-burn connection between Malka and the golem—are powerful and affecting. A haunting and original tale that lingers long after the final page.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this early.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to review this ARC!

Sadly, this is a DNF for me at 26% (I’ve been wanting to DNF since 7%).

The first 2 chapters were actually alright and drew me in. But after this the writing became insanely chaotic. The main plot is set up - but then it’s just endless jumping through different stories and rumours, and different characters here and there. And quite frankly, I just couldn’t care about the characters… or the interactions. The plot was easily brushed aside and that hindered my reading experience.

The FMC was extremely ignorant. Instead of acknowledging her mistakes she just stays in her ways. When she decides to ask questions, she doesn’t reflect on her actions or the consequences of it. Combine an awful FMC with the chaotic writing and you just get a mess. And that part about her touching herself? I was just massively icked out. The entire interactions with Alexi & his brother with the FMC made me entirely uncomfortable. Also, please check the trigger warnings before reading this.

I will say that the author successfully set up a really dark, horror-like and grim world. Props for the atmosphere. The premise was SO interesting and I had never read anything inspired by those myths so I was curious about it. Sadly, it didn’t work for me.

As always, reading is subjective and you have to try it out to know if it’s for you!