#24 in Romance
The Red Winter
- 536
- Pages
- about 10 h
- Reading time
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About the book
A devastating love story. A bewitching twist on history. A blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power, and redemption. In 1785, Professor Sebastian Grave receives the news he fears most: the terrible Beast of Gévaudan has returned, and the French countryside runs red in its wake. Sebastian knows the Beast. A monster-slayer with centuries of experience, he joined the hunt for the creature twenty years ago and watched it slaughter its way through a long and bloody winter. Even with the help of his indwelling demon, Sarmodel – who takes payment in living hearts – it nearly cost him his life to bring the monster down. Now, two decades later, Sebastian has been recalled to the hunt by Antoine Avenel d’Ocerne, an estranged lover who shares a dark history with the Beast and a terrible secret with Sebastian. Drawn by both the chance to finish the Beast for good and the promise of a reconciliation with Antoine, Sebastian cannot refuse. But Gévaudan is not as he remembers it, and Sebastian’s unfinished business is everywhere he looks. Years of misery have driven the people to desperation, and France teeters on the edge of revolution. Sebastian’s arcane activities – not to mention his demonic counterpart – have also attracted the inquisitorial eye of the French clergy. And the Beast is poised to close his jaws around them all and plunge the continent into war. Debut author Cameron Sullivan tears the heart out of history with this darkly entertaining retelling of the hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan. Lifting the veil on the hidden world behind our own, it reimagines the story of Europe, from Imperial Rome to Saint Jehanne d’Arc, the madness of Gilles de Rais and the first flickers of the French Revolution. “An absolute feast of a book: rich, red, sinfully delicious. I've rarely been this satisfied—or this hungry for more.” —Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House “So bloody good. The Red Winter is absolute ripper entertainment—miss it at your peril!” —Shelley Parker-Chan, bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun “A gorgeous tangle of history and fresh-made myth. You'll eat this one up.” —Cassandra Khaw, bestselling author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth “Charming, haunting, ambitious, and a great deal of fun.” —T. Kingfisher, New York Times bestselling author of A Sorceress Comes to Call At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.3 across 50 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 21% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Romance average of 7.6. That is how 8.1 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 8.3 | 50 | 100% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“The Red Winter is a far reaching tale of love, terror, and the consequences of making deals with beings unknown. A retelling of the tale of the Beast of Gévaudan, one of the original werewolf myths, this book is so much more than just a rehashing of a familiar story. Told in retrospective, there are 3 main storylines where you follow our MC, Professor Sebastian Graves, his own personal demon, Sarmodel, and a succubus contracted to serve him for more than a thousand years (and who tries to murder him every chance she gets), as they attempt to once and for all rid the world of The Beast, a bei…”
“Brilliant novel, and for the whole time reading, I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for what happens next (or before, given that the book has 2 timelines in the past). I loved the romance part, to the point that it was very difficult to read the last part knowing that it would inevitably end... Although some characters initially annoyed me, in the end I appreciate all of them and hope that the author will mention them in his new works. I would say the only critique / personal reading preference is the enormous amount of (almost) self-monologues, so if you're really not into that, it may …”
“Loved the beginning and ending of this book. The middle dragged a bit though. It is a gory and humorous tale of a man and his demons, of love and violence; adventure and debts to repay. ”
Frequently asked
What is The Red Winter rated?
8.1 out of 10, from 50 reader ratings across 1 independent sources.
Is The Red Winter worth reading?
Readers give it 8.1/10 from 50 ratings, which puts it ahead of 82 % of the Romance shelf.
How long does it take to read The Red Winter?
About 10 hours at an average reading pace — 536 pages.
Where does The Red Winter rank?
#24 in Romance on the current snapshot.
How long is The Red Winter?
It has 536 pages — longer than 58% of the ranked books in Romance.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Romance — and a score of 8.1, the closest to this book.
