THE WREN HUNT
Every winter, Wren Silke is chased through the forest in a warped version of a childhood game. The boys who haunt her are judges, powerful and frightening pursuers, who know nothing of her true identity. If they knew she was an augur, their sworn enemy, the game would turn deadly.
But Wren is on the hunt, too. Sent undercover as an intern to the Harkness Foundation - enemy headquarters - her family's survival rests on finding a secret meant to stay hidden. As the enmity between two ancient magics reaches breaking point, Wren is torn between old loyalties and new lies. And trapped in the most dangerous game of her life.
Part thriller, part love story, this captivating debut novel will leave readers spellbound.
Bloomsbury 2018
Praise for The Wren Hunt
The most superb collection of character and fantasy and love and landscape I have read since Phillip Pullman's Northern Lights -Hilary McKay
A modern day fairy tale. Throwing romance, magical visions and gruesome rituals into the pot, this is a thrilling and otherworldly depiction of Irish culture - Sunday Times Magazine
The Wren Hunt rings with ancient, subtle magic, masterfully transmuted into words. A tale that gets into your bones - Samantha Shannon
Beautiful, eerie, dark and dreamy ... An absolutely stunning mix of myth and legend and family saga. I haven't stopped thinking about it - Melinda Salisbury
Beautiful ... This YA novel draws on folktale and myth to weave a story that melds reality and fantasy almost perfectly . Heartfelt, deeply spiritual; we look forward to seeing more books from Mary Watson in the years to come -SFX
The Wren Hunt occupies an eerie, in-between place, where fantasy and reality meet in contemporary Ireland infused with ancient magic . Variously described as folklore, fantasy and mystery, The Wren Hunt wears its labels lightly, shedding one genre for another with a sort of slippery grace ... Engaging contemporary storytelling that rings with ancient resonances. - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
The tentacles of this story reach deep into Ireland's mythological past, in a haunting tale. The story is riveting, set in a modern country town but at all times laced with reminders of more violent but intriguing times - Irish Examiner
In this moody magical thriller, a girl with a secret identity and a talent that doubles as a curse has to outwit her enemies, survive her own damaging power, and follow her heart. For fans of The Call and The Shannara Chronicles - Buzzfeed
Gripping and romantic, it shares the idea of violent adolescent initiation into adult life - New Statesman
The Wren Hunt has a dreamy folk-horror sense about it from the outset: the drubbing of an underlying war drum . A story that unfurls and peels apart like a flower-human hybrid, bleeding as it blooms - Times Literary Supplement
Reminiscent of Maggie Stiefvater's "Raven Cycle" . . . Watson brings a deep and visceral voice to old stories as well as an authentic and modern urban sensibility, making this a highly stylized read. - School Library Journal
A beautifully written story and unlike anything I have read… Magical and real -Jenny Mclachlan
Folklore, secrets, betrayal, magic, forbidden love and dark discoveries. Eerie, atmospheric, seductive and completely captivating (Katherine WebberA beautiful mix of myth and magic and discovering the path you want to tread - Karen Gregory