Why am I passionate about this?

I am an art historian, curator, and speculative fiction writer from Croatia, and Iā€™ve always been in love with folklore, mythology, and all things ancient. In my work, I always try to blend real historical details with magic, and I adore secondary worlds that are immersive and solid enough to walk into yet different from our own.


I wrote

Dark Woods, Deep Water

By Jelena Dunato,

Book cover of Dark Woods, Deep Water

What is my book about?

In the depths of a remote forest, an enchanted castle preys on unwary travellers.

The servants of the Goddess Moranaā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Bear and the Nightingale

Jelena Dunato Why did I love this book?

This is a perfect wintry read for me: a book set in the dark, snow-laden forests filled with dangerous creatures who stepped right out of the Russian folk tales.

I love the main protagonist, Vasya, a brave, stubborn girl who fights to protect her family. I found the story immersive and unputdownable, filled with darkness and enchanting beauty, and I wholeheartedly recommend it, as well as its two sequels in the Winternight Trilogy.

By Katherine Arden,

Why should I read it?

14 authors picked The Bear and the Nightingale as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

_____________________________
Beware the evil in the woods...

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family, tales of old magic frowned upon by the church.

But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods. . .

Atmospheric and enchanting,ā€¦


Book cover of Sistersong

Jelena Dunato Why did I love this book?

This book is an enchanting, heartbreaking tale about three sisters in the ancient kingdom of Dumnonia, trapped in a web of a broken family, treachery, and lies.

I loved this book because the author took an ancient folk ballad, ā€œThe Twa Sisters,ā€ and turned it into a beautiful story. I was pulled in by the dreamy, poetic tone of the book, the underlying sadness and sense of loss, and the atmosphere of a disappearing world.

By Lucy Holland,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sistersong as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a magical ancient Britain, bards sing a story of treachery, love and death. This is that story. For fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, Lucy Holland's Sistersong retells the folk ballad 'The Twa Sisters.'

'A beautiful reimagining of an old British folklore ballad, Sistersong weaves a captivating spell of myth and magic' - Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

King Cador's children inherit a land abandoned by the Romans, torn by warring tribes. Riva can cure others, but can't heal her own scars. Keyne battles to be seen as the king's son, although born a daughter. And Sinne dreams of love,ā€¦


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Book cover of Stormwalker Series Connections In Time Bain's Story

Stormwalker Series Connections In Time Bain's Story by S.G. Boudreaux,

Finding Family, Discovery, Destiny. This is what nineteen-year-old Bain Brinley is searching for.

In his homeland, far in the mountains, he stepped into what he could only describe as a time-portal and landed in a strange land known as Egypt. Then he falls through another portal during a storm, onlyā€¦

Book cover of The Path of Thorns

Jelena Dunato Why did I love this book?

This book is a deliciously dark and devious story about a clever governess bent on revenge trapped in a haunted mansion.

The author plays with so many dark folklore elements, like witches, werewolves, and ghosts, in a masterful way. This was a page-turner for me; it was enchanting and entertaining, and it had a dark feminist bent, where women are just as bad as men.

By A.G. Slatter,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Path of Thorns as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A lush and twisted dark fairy tale suffused with witchcraft, dark secrets and bitter revenge from the award-winning author of All the Murmuring Bones. Exquisite, haunting and at times brutal, readers of Naomi Novik and Erin Morgenstern will be entranced.

Asher Todd comes to live with the mysterious Morwood family as a governess to their children. Asher knows little about being a governess but she is skilled in botany and herbcraft, and perhaps more than that. And she has secrets of her own, dark and terrible - and Morwood is a house that eats secrets. With a monstrous revenge inā€¦


Book cover of Juniper & Thorn

Jelena Dunato Why did I love this book?

This is a story of monsters and magic and a dark fantasy that isā€“finallyā€“properly dark.

It is not an easy read since it describes domestic violence, abuse, and other kinds of dark depravity. However, it is also a beautiful take on one of the most disturbing Grimm tales, with a heroine I rooted for from the beginning and a fractured, twisted romance I loved.

By Ava Reid,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Juniper & Thorn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A tale of fear and survival, hope and yearning and defiance, in timelessly elegant prose. It will enchant you, break your heart, and chill you to the very marrow.' Samantha Shannon on The Wolf and the Woodsman

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman comes a gothic retelling of The Juniper Tree, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her abusive wizard father. Perfect for fans of Angela Carter, Catherynne M. Valente and Shirley Jackson
_________________________________

A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.ā€¦


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Book cover of Changing Woman: A Novel of the Camp Grant Massacre

Changing Woman by Venetia Hobson Lewis,

Arizona Territory, 1871. Valeria ObregĆ³n and her ambitious husband, RaĆŗl, arrive in the raw frontier town of Tucson hoping to find prosperity. Changing Woman, an Apache spirit who represents the natural order of the world and its cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, welcomes Nest Feather, a twelve-year-old Apache girl,ā€¦

Book cover of The Valkyrie

Jelena Dunato Why did I love this book?

This is a beautiful retelling of the Norse myths, an enchanting story about Brynhild, a banished Valkyrie, and Gudrun, a Burgundian princess facing a deadly enemy.

I loved this book because it was thoroughly researched and yet managed to offer a new perspective and portray an intriguing bond between two brave and powerful women. I enjoyed the lyrical prose, beautiful descriptions, and clever historical details.

By Kate Heartfield,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Valkyrie as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Kate Heartfield comes a glorious, lyrical retelling of one of Norse mythology's greatest epics

Brynhild is a Valkyrie: shieldmaiden of the Allfather, chooser of the slain. But now she too has fallen, flightless in her exile.

Gudrun is a princess of Burgundy, a daughter of the Rhine, a prize for an invading king - a king whose brother Attila has other plans, and a dragon to call upon.

And in the songs to be sung, there is another hero: Sigurd, a warrior with a sword sharper than the new moon.

As the legends tell, theseā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Dark Woods, Deep Water

By Jelena Dunato,

Book cover of Dark Woods, Deep Water

What is my book about?

In the depths of a remote forest, an enchanted castle preys on unwary travellers.

The servants of the Goddess Morana sacrifice to their dark mistress every soul who crosses the castleā€™s threshold. One terrible night, three people who should never have met find themselves trapped there: a spoiled lady escaping an unwanted marriage, an ageing warrior-prince on a deadly mission, and a resourceful rogue caught up in a botched heist. As their destinies entwine and the dawn approaches, the solution to the castleā€™s riddle becomes clear: if they want to escape, one of them must die.                                                                           

Book cover of The Bear and the Nightingale
Book cover of Sistersong
Book cover of The Path of Thorns

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