Red in Tooth and Claw, Lish McBride
Red in Tooth and Claw, Lish McBride
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Red in Tooth and Claw

Author: Lish McBride

Narrator: Emily Woo Zeller

Unabridged: 12 hr 5 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/08/2024


Synopsis

A dark young adult Western fantasy about a teen in a remote settlement full of monsters and secrets.

"In this eerie, blood-splashed Western, Lish McBride invokes a frontier that is harsh, cruel, and practical...A damned enjoyable novel." —Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns

Faolan Kelly’s grandfather is dead. She’s alone in the world and suddenly homeless, all because the local powers that be don’t think a young man of seventeen is mature enough to take over his grandfather’s homestead…and that’s with them thinking Faolan is a young man. If she revealed that her grandfather had been disguising her for years, they would marry her off at the first opportunity.

The mayor finds a solution that serves everyone but Faolan: He hires a gunslinger to ship her off to the Settlement, a remote fort where social outcasts live under the leadership of His Benevolence Gideon Dillard. It's a place rife with mystery, kept afloat by suspicious wealth. Dillard's absolute command over his staff just doesn't seem right. And neither do the strange noises that keep Faolan up at night.

When Faolan finds the body of a Settlement boarder, mangled by something that can’t possibly be human, it’s clear something vicious is stalking the palisades. And as Settlement boarders continue to drop like flies, Faolan knows she must escape to evade the creature’s wrath.

About The Author

Lish McBride is the author of funny and creepy young adult books such as Hold Me Closer, Necromancer; Necromancing the Stone; Firebug; Pyromantic; and Curses. She has published short stories on Tor.com, and in the anthologies Cornered, What to Read in the Rain, and Kisses & Curses. Her first book, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults title, a Morris Award finalist, and the winner of the Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award. Lish is a former indie bookseller, has a MFA from University of New Orleans, and prefers pie to cake. While she has no long term goals for world domination, she would like her own castle.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lorin on October 19, 2024

Sigh. Another case of mismarketing — this is NOT horror, it’s a western with a bit of magical realism and light fantasy. It’s fine. Characters a bit flat and rushed, and the “romance” shouldn’t be in it at all imo.......more

Goodreads review by Em on April 04, 2025

This book has been pure joy to read because it is so original and so blessedly unique! Red in Tooth and Claw is a fantasy/Western/Romance/Coming of Age/Murder Mystery about a 17 year old young woman who dresses and lives as a boy. Faolan is one of the most fascinating characters I've read about this......more

Goodreads review by Michael on December 16, 2024

A YA western horror fantasy magic novel. Reminded me a little too much of the book ‘Red Rabbitt’ but not necessarily in a good way. I get the feeling that part of the reason I was unsatisfied with the novel was because it is geared for Young Adults, and I am so far behind that audience that I can’t......more

Goodreads review by ❊ maddie kay ❊ on January 14, 2025

2.5 rounded to 3 "𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞, 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐱, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝." Honestly? I am kind of disappointed with this one. I know that it's labeled as a YA horror book, but it comes off as magical realism with murder. Just because it's for young adults does not mean it can't have truly scary......more

Goodreads review by Horror on October 04, 2024

If you like western horror filled with intricate characters, loads of heart, and as the title implies, blood and claws, this novel should be a must read. Faolin Kelley is seventeen years old and just lost her only relative, her grandfather. The mayor of the town sends her away to a settlement hours......more


Quotes

Praise for Red in Tooth and Claw
*A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection*
*An Amazon, B&N Reads, and Kobo Best Book of the Month*
*A Paste Magazine and Reactor Most Anticipated book*

“Readers will be hooked immediately, then rewarded with a plot that just keeps unfolding; cult problems, creature danger, magic, and mayhem abound… A definite purchase for most collections.” —School Library Journal

"A heart-fluttering romance develops alongside the spooky magic and gunslinging... Mysteriously spooky and ultimately heartwarming." —Kirkus Reviews

"McBride embraces the wild and absurd here, and the resulting genre swirl of fantasy, mystery, horror, romance, and Western is all the better for it." —BCCB

"With a unique setting, dark secrets, and terrifying creatures that go bump in the night, Lish McBride’s Red in Tooth and Claw is the perfect spooky read!" —The Honey POP

"In this eerie, blood-splashed Western, Lish McBride's prose invokes a frontier that is harsh, cruel, and practical, allowing moments of warmth to shine all the brighter. Every time I put it down I picked it right back up. Just a damned enjoyable novel." —Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns

Magic, murder, mystery, and mayhem, all set in against a wild, Western backdrop. I have never read anything like this. A terror and a true delight, all wrapped up in a gritty bow.” —Kristen Simmons, author of Article 5 and Find Him Where You Left Him Dead

"A stark, gritty horror set in an uncanny world, Red in Tooth and Claw transfixed me from the first line, pulling me in for a dark, tense, exhilarating ride." —Gretchen McNeil, author of Ten and #murdertrending

"Lish McBride captivates with a fresh take on YA horror. Part cult drama, part monster story, and all heart, Red in Tooth and Claw will keep you glued to the pages!" —Chelsea Mueller, author of Prom House