Like some kind of magic, it’ll weave its way into your head and swirl around for days after you finish reading. The Wren Hunt is a gorgeously written and lyrical tale of love and tested loyalties, of betrayal, sacrifice and surrender. The forbidden, star-crossed love element never feels overplayed or clichéd either – it’s irresistibly tender, passionate and tragic at the same time, making Wren and Tarc a couple you’ll automatically root for. Watson creates a dark and off-kilter atmosphere that lends itself perfectly to the rural village of Kilshamble where Wren lives. Whilst the story is set in contemporary Ireland, the old fables and ritualistic customs imbue it with history, nature and folklore. She’s very much a small fish swimming in a pool of sharks, and one wrong move or slip of the tongue will alert the judges to her true identity. From the moment she infiltrates enemy territory, there’s a constant undercurrent of tension and apprehension that she could be caught at any point. Wren finds herself caught between the two circles conflicted by her allegiance to her family and her growing feelings for Tarc. Like I was being woven into something and couldn’t work my way out.”
And it felt like something was forming around me. “We were always told: when something repeats, it gains significance.This is how a pattern is formed. Going undercover is hard enough when she has to contend with the village boys who are already suspicious of her, but then Wren meets head of security Tarc, and suddenly her covert mission gets even more complicated. As her family’s last hope, Wren gains an internship at the Harkness Foundation, otherwise known as judge HQ, in order to gain secret information that will aid the augars in their quest for survival. For one circle to gain full power, the other has to fall, and this is a battle neither intends to lose. The ancient feud between the judges and augars is at breaking point. And not just for Wren, but everyone she cares about. If the judges knew she was an augar – their sworn enemy hiding in plain sight – things would get deadly.
Wren hates the game but she knows it could be worse. These boys are judges, a privileged and powerful faction who don masks and delight in the pursuit of hunting a frightened girl in the dark. It’s part family drama, part eerie thriller and part Romeo and Juliet style romance, resulting in that rare kind of novel with the power to pull your heart apart and stitch it back together again.Įvery winter on St Stephen’s Day, Wren Silke is an unwilling participant in a twisted childhood game where village boys chase her through the forest. Steeped in folklore, rituals and Irish traditions, Mary Watson’s The Wren Hunt is a debut that envelops you with magic and myth.
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