Where the Dark Stands Still
A New York Times bestseller
A girl with dangerous magic makes a risky bargain with a demon to be free of her monstrous power in this “dark, devastating, and gothic” (Kirkus Reviews) young adult fantasy perfect for fans of An Enchantment of Ravens and House of Salt and Sorrows.
Liska knows that magic is monstrous, and its practitioners are monsters. She has done everything possible to suppress her own magic, to disastrous consequences. Desperate to be free of it, Liska flees her small village and delves into the dangerous, demon-inhabited spirit-wood to steal a mythical fern flower. If she plucks it, she can use its one wish to banish her powers. Everyone who has sought the fern flower has fallen prey to unknown horrors, so when Liska is caught by the demon warden of the wood—called The Leszy—a bargain seems better than death: one year of servitude in exchange for the fern flower and its wish.
Whisked away to The Leszy’s crumbling manor, Liska soon makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain, and all her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her taciturn host’s spool of secrets and face the ghosts—figurative and literal—of his past. Because something wakes in the woods, something deadly and without mercy. It frightens even The Leszy…and cannot be defeated unless Liska embraces the monster she’s always feared becoming.
- Pages
- 336
- First published
- February 27, 2024
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ebook
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Shelved by 13 Litcadians
Reviews
Finished March 25, 2024 · Read 2 times
"if only we could go back to that time when we were young and full of stories" i went into this expecting beauty and the beast meets howl's moving castle and OMG did it deliver! a sentient house, a deal with a demon, magic, monsters, and romance 💕 this is for sure one i want to buy and reread!
Finished June 28, 2025
Really loved this, it was such a cosy but entertaining read ❤️
Finished May 10, 2024
This book has been such a vibe with it's polish folklore. The author's writing had a way of bringing everything to life inside my mind which I really appreciate. It can be hard to imagine scenes in books at times, and she was perfectly descriptive without overdoing it. The MFC was naive and childlike at first but seemed to grow into herself and her role. Always love character development. The ending was initially sad but once I made it to the epilogue, my heart fluttered with hope and curiosity.
Finished May 5, 2025
Wow, just finished and I am absolutely floored! I previously thought Uprooted was so good, but after experiencing this masterpiece, I had to go back and revise my rating. Where the Dark Stands Still achieves everything I felt Uprooted aimed for but didn't quite reach. This made me feel a little creeped out but also completely entranced. It's got that folklore vibe mixed with suspense and some really touching moments. I totally didn't cry at the end, YOU did!! If you liked the idea of Uprooted but felt it needed something more, trust me, read this!
- cozydarkemotionalMedium-paced
Started October 5, 2026 · Finished October 8, 2026
Finished November 11, 2025
