Fear not the beasts in your stories - with a stout blade and a stouter heart, become the thing they fear.

When her sleepy village is raided by the Vulkari, the fearsome warrior women of the Ancient Wilds, only Zyntael Fairwinter is taken.

Claimed as a daughter by their infamous matriarch, Zyntael is trained to hunt, to fight, and to kill-all for a purpose, which remains ever out of her grasp.

In the company of their unruly young, she might find sisterhood. In their unique customs and beliefs, she might find beauty. And in the violence of their raids, she might even find glory.

But it is the reason for her capture that Zyntael truly seeks. It is a truth that must be earned from the very Spirits of the dead; a future paid for in the blood of those Zyntael once called her own. It is a purpose that promises the liberation of not just she, but of all the Ancient Wilds, from an evil far greater than any marauding warrior women.

The Vulkari, however, are not like other women. The Vulkari are monsters.

And sometimes, only the truly monstrous have what it takes to save the world.

Steeped in Slavic Myth, Daughter of the Beast is a rich and unique fantasy coming-of-age story. It is the first in an exciting debut trilogy by E C Greaves, which blends gritty action and adventure with themes of belonging, identity, destiny, and a girl's place in a harsh and uncaring world-built for and by men.

With a colourful cast of characters, and a bright thread of humour woven throughout its dark story and setting, Daughter of the Beast bears the distinct honour of being arguably the first book described as "grin-dark" to become a finalist in Mark Lawrence's 9th annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off competition!