Thank you Tor Publishing for this eARC. I am choosing to leave a voluntary review. All thoughts are my own.

The Maiden and Her Monster is a tale filled with harrowing moments, heartbreak, persecution, resilience, and most of all, hope. All Malka wants is to live a peaceful life with her family. Unfortunately, circumstances in her life make her unable to have this, even before her mother is accused of murdering a clergy member of the Ozmini Church. To save her beloved mother and help her family, Malka chooses to go into the woods to bring the Ozmini priest a forest monster. However, she realizes that the forest monster is not as it seems. While Malka strikes a deal with the forest monster, a golem, she learns more about the world, and she has to decide if she will follow what she's been taught, her duty, or her heart.

First of all, The Maiden and Her Monster's prose is beautiful! I love how Maddie Martinez is able to deftly describe the atmosphere, Malka's thoughts, and political machinations. The fact that this is the author's debut is even more impressive, at least to me! If this is what her debut is like, I can only imagine how much I'll love the prose in future books!

There are two main topics described in this book: the power of stories, and the resilience that comes with persecution. Stories have the power to shape lives, inspire hearts, and unfortunately, manipulate the truth. Readers will learn of many stories withing this world. Ultimately, stories are a powerful tool, and while they can be used for good, they can be used to spread ignorance and lies. The main character, Malka, is Yahadi. The Yahad is a stand-in for the Jewish ethnicity and religion in this tale. While there are antisemitic moments in this book, readers will see that the Yahadi people are very resilient. Even having faced discrimination, unfair laws, and persecution, the Yahadi people still live, thrive, and pass down traditions and stories.

As for the main character, Malka's journey was one of metamorphosis. She starts out as someone who sees herself as weak, she is a rule-follower, and she is prone to believing things in the way they have been taught. Throughout the story, Malka learns that her beliefs aren't always correct, and things are not always as black-and-white. Even if Malka doesn't quite believe it at first, I love seeing Malka's determination, love for her family, and her own desires shine through. I also loved seeing the various support characters, especially Nimrah, the golem.

Speaking of Nimrah, I love how Malka and Nimrah's relationship evolves from dislike, to respect, to caring, and to something more. This book really does have a degree in yearnalism. I love how the relationship change happens gradually for both characters. I for one think that this book has a Ph.D. in the art of yearnalism and slow-burns. I love how even with the plot, Malka and Nimrah have to work together, clash at first, and then start to slowly care about each other.

Overall, please check out this phenomenal, wonderful, and amazing book by Maddie Martinez! I had a feeling it would be a wonderful read, but I had no idea how much I would love this book!

I am a fanatic when it comes to folklore, storytelling, and sapphic romance, and this book gave me all of that. The way Maddie wove tradition, the power of stories, and the ease with which both are manipulated in this story was so comforting. I saved so many quotes that made me feel understood. (Or that I want to use in later arguments...)
As a debut book, I say this one is spectacular! It is not for the faint of heart, or the easily squeamish... but for all the despair and grief you read, it also contains so much joy, faith, and hope.
Plus... um... ITS SAPPHIC!!

This book was just not for me. I appreciate a book that covers tough topics but right now with the sensitivity and violence in our world around religion, and politics I just found it hard to get through and it was very very prevalent in the book. There wasn’t much of a plot.

I really wanted to like this I love the folklore influence especially with Jewish aspects. Was unique and I felt drawn to that

I just think this could have been done with a bit less our world political implications.

Wonderful prose and a solid story with fairytale elements. I liked the premise but the plot felt a little too flat and simple. 3.5 stars

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me at about 30%. I really wanted to like it and it had all the plot points for a fantasy book that I normally enjoy (folklore, sapphic, haunted woods), but for some reason I just couldn't get myself fully into the book. I think that Martinez did a good job with blending folklore with then narrative, I think some of the emotional depth was missing for me. I'm definitely open to reading more from this author, I think maybe this one was just not my cup of tea!

This wonderful book wraps up my reading for April. The emotions that I felt while reading this! This is a retelling of The Golem of Prague. This is a story that deals with some heavy themes. There is misogyny, imprisonment, torture, discrimination, religious persecution, abuse, noncon elements not heavily detailed, violence, murder, illness. There is also yearning, elements of forbidden romance, prayer magic, family ties, faith, hope, misunderstanding, miscommunication, second chances, female rage, and resilience.

I really enjoyed this story overall. The witty banter between Malka and Nimrah was so good and direct. The political and religious aspects were realistic and speaks of a tumultuous history for the Jewish community. The discrimination and persecution that they have faced throughout time. The relationship between the Maharal and Nimrah was beautiful and heartbreaking.

I felt like the ending was satisfying. I think the author did a fantastic job for their debut novel! You should definitely check this book out. It officially releases on September 5th, 2025

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and while it was good, I didn't love it as much as expected. The writing style felt a bit slow to me and graphic/border lining on horror more than fantasy at times. I did like the sapphic romance and parts of Jewish mythology!

The premise of this book really drew me in and I was so excited to start this!! While I did enjoy the overall idea of the story, I had a bit of a hard time connecting with it the way I was hoping for. The unfamiliar terms personally made it challenging for me to follow along at first and I was just struggling to stay invested in this. I also didn’t really connect with the characters which made the story feel a little flat to me personally. Despite all this, I do believe this book will be enjoyed by so many other people, and I do want to revisit this story in the future and hope that I end up connecting with it more :’)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc!!

Love that it has foundations in Jewish myth. It is not something I am very familiar with, but the vibe overall shined through wonderfully. I love queer romance.

Maddie Martinez’s The Maiden and Her Monster is truly stunning debut from start to finish. I’d been highly anticipating this book ever since seeing its deal announcement on PM, and after reading it, I can definitively say that it will be a standout amongst 2025 fantasy releases. Martinez wove together the art of storytelling, religion, history, language, and folklore in a way that feels new and exciting, following her FMC’s (Malka) journey to save her mother and her hometown as she wrestles with her faith and attraction to a monster she should hate. The author delivers a story that is dark, lush, romantic, and above all, a moving tale about corruption, perseverance, love, and the power of words changes who we are at our cores, making it easy to root (punny, iykyk) for Malka and the triumph of the Yahadi people.

Read this book! I am eagerly looking forward to seeing what Martinez puts out next!

Thank you to NetGalley and TPG for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book caught my attention with the promise of sapphic yearning and I wasn't prepared for how beautiful and heartbreaking this story would be. It took my breath away so many times, and I literally forced myself to slow down while reading it so I could savor every moment.

Thank you to NetGalley and TOR publishing group for the digital advanced copy of The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez. This review reflects my own thoughts and opinions.

Malka lives with her family in the village of Eskravé, where the Yahadi people live in fear—both of the deadly Rayga, who hunts girls in the forest at night, and of the Ozmini Church, which suppresses their religion. When Malka steps forward to uncover the truth about the Rayga and save her mother, she sets off on a journey far greater than she imagined. The terrifying creature turns out to be Nimrah, a golem created through Kefesh—Yahadi magic that Malka has always been taught to fear. As she travels deeper into the mystery, Malka begins to question everything she’s been told. To protect her people and survive, she must embrace not only the truth, but also her emotions and the power of Kefesh.

This is an incredibly detailed and layered story, weaving together religious beliefs, Jewish mystical traditions, and history into a rich fictional world. Maddie Martinez does a masterful job of exploring the power of stories—and how they can be twisted to serve those in power. History is full of examples where religion has been used to justify actions, influence emotions, and villainize others and by placing this theme in a fictional context, Martinez allows readers to step back and clearly see those patterns. The result is a story that feels both timeless and timely, giving readers a lot to reflect on.

Malka, as a protagonist, can be a challenging character. She’s stubborn and deeply rooted in her beliefs, which sometimes made it hard for me to connect with her—especially as my own understanding of her world evolved faster than hers did. Her shift in feelings toward Nimrah, from fear to love, felt a bit sudden, and I wasn’t entirely convinced by that emotional turn. While I admired her strength, I also found myself frustrated by her resistance to change.

The book is heavier than I expected. From the description, I anticipated a more romantic or coming-of-age story, but the romance is secondary, and the narrative leans more into horror, trauma, and resistance. The first encounter with a monster was so intense that I initially thought it had to be a dream sequence—I actually had to reread it to be sure it was happening in real time. If you're not in the right headspace for a darker, more emotionally demanding read, this book might catch you off guard. But if you’re ready for it, it’s a bold and thought-provoking story that lingers long after the final page.

Show me a fantasy steeped in folklore, and I’ll get giddy at the thought. Therefore when I saw the synopsis for this, it sounded perfect, and after being fortunate enough to receive an early copy of this, I went into this ready to devour it and got much more than I expected.

It took a little while for me to get into this, the beginning of the story was a lot and I wasn’t fully sure at first, but I kept at it, and I’m so glad I did.

*folklore steeped in Jewish history
*incredible world building
*dark fantasy
*so well written
*terrific character arcs and evolution
*sapphic
*enemies to lovers
*slowburn

*The Maiden and Her Monster* kept my interest and kept me thinking about its vivid timeliness in today’s world.

A definite recommendation from me!



Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the DRC

If you're looking for a story that's exciting and emotional this is a good option. While it starts off a bit slow and confusing for the reader with all the terms being thrown around, the story will ultimately draw you in once Malka begins her journey. The plot is engaging, the characters are well described, and the romance, while not my favorite, still keeps you invested. I enjoyed the banter between Nimrah and Malka even if I wish they had spent more time together to flesh out their romance. The magical elements and world-building is entertaining and I loved that there were stories woven throughout the book. Overall, this novel will keep you turning pages and wondering about what will happen to Malka and her friends. 4.6/5 stars rounded up.

This book is astounding. Ms. Martinez did a glorious job with this. I was hooked from the first page and stayed hooked. I read most of the book in the past few days. This book never left my head as I was reading it.

It is a beautiful tale of overcoming obstacles surrounding faith. While I am not a religious person, it is lovely to read.

Thank you to Maddie Martinez, TOR, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early!

This is one of the tougher ARCS for me to review and here's why;

I didn't read the trigger warnings (my fault) and with the happenings of the world currently the religious and political discussions in the books could make it difficult for some.

As a visual person the world building was for me to imagine and that made it hard for me to get into this book.

That being said I could absolutely see someone loving this book. Reading is subjective just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean it'll be like that for someone else. This is incredible written.

An incredibly rich, heartbreakingly dark reimagining of the golem myth. Although this was much harsher of a story than I usually read, the characters were so well-written and the plot was so compelling that I was glued to the pages from the first to the last. Highly recommend for fantasy lovers who enjoy darker stories with strong feminine protagonists.

First off, let me just say thank you to Maddie Martinez, TOR, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early! When I first heard about “The Maiden and Her Monster”, I was immediately intrigued and the book didn’t let me down. It was an amazing reading experience for me. It has so many of the elements that I typically love in storytelling, a connection to folklore rooted in real world history, a examination of violence as a tool of dismantling oppression, and a sapphic romance that was woven throughout the story seamlessly.

I’ve often struggled with fantasy novels that contain elements of romance in the past, but I loved the way this book makes the romance relevant to the plot and allows their feelings to really develop over time, rather than expecting us to believe two people with complex interconnected history would be able to immediately disregard years of trauma. For me, the romantic elements of the story always provided meaningful context to the larger conflicts surrounding faith-based oppression and societal change rather than distracting from them or feeling out of place beside them. Truly, if you’re a fan of sapphic yearning with a side of religious trauma (I am), this book is for you!!

Martinez is able to write with impressive clarity and emotion about the power of belief and holding to the parts of your faith that are inherent to who you are, even while being able to criticize those who use the tenets of that faith to do harm. The story also looks at how when religion and politics become intertwined, it usually results in the worst possible outcomes being forced on religious and ethnic minorities. It’s an incredibly timely read, for more reasons than one.

While I had some minor quibbles with pacing and would’ve loved to have learned more specifically about the magic system, overall this book absolutely hit for me and I can think of a lot of people who I’d eagerly recommend it to.

Man I wanted to love this book but by the end it was just okay for me.

Will I be telling others about it and suggesting it? Absolutely because I know many people who will enjoy it far more than I.

The plot was there, there characters were there. The romance, which was a huge selling point for me, could have been more.

My main issue was the world building was there but also not. I would have liked more but more in a way that was easier to understand. My list of words to look up grew very quickly with this book.

Overall I respect that it was a retelling of an established story and the sapphic element was just lovely. It was well done. But the story of the golem in general I think is just not for me. So I leave this book as an okay.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book filled with religion, politics and culture. It deals with heavy topics of oppression and grief. And while I understand the importance of such topics, which were not lost on me, the main plot became quite maudlin for me personally and is not something I’d typically gravitate towards. That being said, I could not invest myself as wholly as I would have liked.

The best part came in the tumultuous relationship between Malka and Nimrah. Watching their interactions go from hatred to reluctance to an inevitable pull was truly magical. Had the story focused more and on that aspect during the main plot, then perhaps it would have sold it better for me.