The Maiden and Her Monster is the kind of book that stays with you long after you finish reading. The worldbuilding is intricately crafted, the characters are well-fleshed out and fascinating, and the relationships, which make up the true heart of the story, absolutely shine. Malka is a sister, a daughter, a friend, and a lover—sometimes wearing multiple roles at the same time—and her journey finding herself and her agency beyond her role in other people's life is incredible to watch.

Nimrah is a protector and a monster, a warrior and a servant, and her snarky, stoic, guilt-ridden and purpose-driven personality makes for such a delightful contrast with duty-bound Malka. I love how the author wove history, politics, religion, and magic together to create a world wholly original but still recognizably Jewish. I love the writing on a line-by-line level; it's the kind of gorgeous you want to highlight on kindle or maybe turn into a poster. I love the twisted creatures, human or otherwise, and I love how everything came together in the ending.

Basically, I love this book, and I'm so happy I got to read it early!

I have been craving a dark fantasy like this for so long and the fact that is sapphic makes it all the more better. I am amazed by how fantastic this novel is for a debut author and hope I’m lucky enough to read more of her work in the future. The story is so rich in culture and the characters are all so strong individually and compliment each other so well as a team. I found myself getting emotional over certain characters relationships often (especially Malka and Chaia’s love for each other) and the magic system tied to religion was very interesting to me. Overall this was a very enjoyable read with so many cool unique elements and I’m so happy I was given the chance to read it ahead of its release late this year!

4.5/5 stars

This started off as a bit of an information dump, specifically with the different phrases for the forest and time before the monster. However this world building was so elaborate if you just stick it out and put in the work it pays off significantly! This was so atmospheric and rooted in Jewish culture, I loved it. Sometimes I got quite uncomfortable thinking about how things look today and how tyrannically parallel it is in the book. this is what makes it so impactful, you can get lost in this absolutely stunning world but still connect it to today.

The pacing was fantastic, there was a bit of an information dump at the start but it leveled out really quickly to show off masterful world building. The character arcs were FANTASTIC and had you feeling so many things at once. I highly HIGHLY recommend this!

A dark and lyrical fairy tale grounded in Jewish history and mysticism that feels both timeless and timely, “The Maiden and Her Monster” explores queerness, duty, and the terrible cost of bigotry in an unforgettable way.

"Belief is not meant to be wielded as a political weapon."
"Then why is it the most powerful sword, and the sharpest knife?"
I am in debt to NetGalley for providing me with an opportunity to read this incredible debut novel. Realistically, it's more around a 4.25-4.3 star read for me, but it is so strong as a debut that I feel compelled to give Maddie Martinez her due. I don't think I've read a debut I liked so much since The Wolf and the Woodsman, and I am so excited to see what she does next.
This is a book with conflict that grows in scale and stakes in a very satisfying way, the romance subtly growing alongside it. It balances political and religious machinations with horror and emotional gut punches. My only complaint with the book is that you're truly only in the woods for about half of it, and I missed the lovely descriptions of eldritch creatures once we were in the city. I've seen a couple reviews saying that the words in different languages were hard to follow, but I had absolutely no problem with them, and the author has a helpful glossary here: https://www.maddiemartinez.com/books/the-maiden-and-her-monster/glossary.

This book is filled with grief and hope; Jewish folklore; sapphic romance, political intrigue; and some interesting magic. I very much enjoyed this read.


*Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the eARC.

I’m such a lover of lush folklore tales, and this did not disappoint! This is a book I know I can easily recommend to lovers of Ava Reid or A B Poranek.

Slow burn enemies to lovers romance set before the backdrop of a horror/fantasy. The writing was very beautiful, matching the exquisite cover.

This was such a highly anticipated story for me, as a huge fan of religious folklore and retellings. Maddie dives deep into the lush and beautiful mysticism with plenty of drama, sapphic romance, and history. Thank you so much to Netgalley for the eARC.

Atmospheric, heartbreaking and heartwarming, I LOVED THIS BOOK. The folklore was weaved in so beautiful and I'm not ashamed to admit I cried twice. Would give this ten stars if I could.

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 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

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.

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.

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.

Malka has grown up in her small village and has seen overtime the forest start to grow more terrifying and any girls who wander too late never return. When the Ozmini Church comes looking for their tithes a member of the clergy wanders too close to the woods and is murder. Malka's mother is then blamed for the murder. Malka decides to enter the forest, along with her close friend, to hunt the monster and save her mother. Turns out the "monster" is not what she expected.

This is a beautifully written and very atmospheric reimagining of the Jewish myth of The Golem. This book was a nice mix of magic, mysticism and folklore along with a sapphic, very slow burn, romance.

I enjoyed the magical system of this world, anyone can wield it as long as they have the faith and conviction to do so. The magic was beautifully written as more of a feeling/extension of person using it instead of as just a tool.

The characters are interesting and I enjoy when characters aren't just good or bad but have shades of gray. It was interesting reading Malka leave her small town, meet different people and see more of the world along with learning more about magic.

The story really draws you in and the world building is amazing. As someone who is not religious I found the discussions of religion and faith interesting and though provoking.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 4.5 rounded up.

Malka has chutzpah, no doubt about that! So much beautiful imagery wrapped in wealth of Jewish folklore! The story of a healer and a Golem are bound to her. An interesting reimagining of the Golem of Prague with a sapphic twist.

This book has more depth then I expected. There are many layers to this story and it does deal with some major themes like, anti-semitism, religious persecution, sexism, queerness and trauma at least at a high level. Of course some are discussed more then others. Overall its a fantastic read.

Just a suggestion: This book could use a glossary of terms for those who are not versed in Jewish folklore or use to Jewish terminology.

Going down as one of my favorite reads of the year. This dark, sapphic fantasy was delicious. A must read.

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!

First of all, I would like to thank Tor Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this book early!

The biggest thanks should go, though, to Maddie Martinez for the masterpiece she wrote. I find it hard to believe this is a debut book, it is so incredibly well written and beautifully executed that truly left me longing for more. I will eagerly be waiting for more books from her!

It was my first time coming into contact with Jewish Folklore and Mythology, I was positively impressed and will definitely educate myself more on the topic.

The world building was phenomenally written, left me overly impressed and I got attached to characters pretty quickly.

My biggest problem when starting a book
is the writing style. I am very picky and I am hardly satisfied by it. This book left me positively delighted, it had everything I look for in a good quality book.


Will definitely recommend this to everyone I know (especially my girlfriend).

The Maiden and Her Monster feels like the kind of story you grow up hearing in fragments—half fairytale, half warning, and entirely unforgettable. It’s steeped in folklore, faith, and longing, with writing that’s lush and lyrical in a way that makes you want to slow down and sit with every line.

Malka is stubborn, scared, and fiercely loyal, and I loved her instantly. Her relationship with the golem is tender and strange in all the best ways. It builds slowly, layered with mistrust, quiet yearning, and that aching sense of being seen for the first time. It’s not showy, but it’s deeply felt, and I was fully invested in every moment between them.

The world is vividly drawn, from the cursed forest to the weight of generational trauma and myth. I loved how the story tangled with questions of belief, survival, and who gets to be called monstrous. It’s sharp, aching, and full of hard-won hope. I closed the final page feeling both gutted and held.

I’ll be reading whatever Maddie Martinez writes next without hesitation.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

"What are humans without stories, Malka?"

4.5/5 stars!

I honestly don't know how to start this review except to say that if you, too, had this on your list of most anticipated reads of 2025, you are not going to be disappointed. This is an absolutely beautiful fever dream of a fairytale, rich with folklore, beautiful prose, and so many incredible female relationships. As a certified Naomi Novik fangirl, this felt like Uprooted's little sister -- and I mean that in the best conceivable way possible.

I'm going to be honest -- this book took me a bit of time to get into, and for a second there, I was worried. The pacing was just a little bit unexpected; I was captured by village life, but felt things slow down as we entered the forest (me?? A forest loving girly???). Something about the forest felt fuzzy to me, a little underexplored and difficult to follow. I wonder if this was intentional, trying to mimic the way the forest seems to steal time and sanity from its visitors -- but the plot explodes about a 1/3 of the way in, and I read the last 2/3s feverishly, finding it difficult to do anything else!

This book does so much in its tender exploration of grief and hope, in its excavation of oppression and resilience, but it never preaches. The characters feel incredibly real, and I was abolutely in love with all the ways female relationships were explored here. For me, the romance was not even secondary, but tertiary -- I was so taken by Malka's love for her mother, her sisters, her best friends. These were the beating hearts of the story, though the romance did hook me in the end. I also love a magic system rooted (!) in nature, always, and the simplicity and sacredness of this one was just perfect. And can I just say how wonderful it was that MOST of the key players fighting back were women? There were fantastic male support characters, but Martinez really let women shine here! So many shades of what it means to be a strong female character.

I did find a few little langauge things challenging -- I really respect code-switching and pushing back against English translation, especially in a novel that is so clearly holding sacred specific religious linguists. But the slipping from real Hebrew words to fantastical ones was a bit jarring, and early in the book I felt like a lot of the info-dumping didn't make sense and needed more context. I also found myself taken out of the work a few times, which was so beautifully crafted, with colloquialisms like "let's touch base" or someone saying "it's tough" which felt distinctly out of place in this incredibly imagined world that spent such time building and lingering on details around the setting.

This book will live on my shelf next to Naomi Novik, Katherine Arden, and Ava Reid. What a stunning debut!