Butter Cookies and Demon Claws: A Demon Cycle Novella

The Demon Cycle

by Peter V. Brett

When local businessman Rusco Hog is found dead out on the old Tanner farm, it appears to be a demon attack. But for Selia Barren, the Town Speaker, the evidence doesn’t add up. She suspects foul play, but Rusco didn’t become the richest man in town by making friends, and it seems everyone in Tibbet’s Brook has a motive.

A cozy mystery set in internationally bestselling author Peter V. Brett’s Demon Cycle universe.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery

107 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 4, 2025

About the author

Peter V. Brett is the internationally bestselling author of the Demon Cycle series, which has sold over four million copies in 27 languages worldwide. Novels include The Warded Man, The Desert Spear, The Daylight War, The Skull Throne, and The Core. Other works include the Red Sonja: Unchained graphic novel and the Demon Cycle novellas The Great Bazaar, Brayan's Gold, Messenger's Legacy, and Barren. The Desert Prince, the first installment of his Nightfall Saga, published in August 2021. The sequel, The Hidden Queen, is due early 2024. He lives in Brooklyn.

www.petervbrett.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/PVBrett
Instagram: https://instagram.com/pvbrett/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PVBrett/
TikTok: @PVBrett

Reviews

[Robin Hobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The usual caveat. Maybe. Peter V Brett and I have been friends for a long time. And I got a free copy of this book from Grim Oak Press, because, uh, I filched it off the shelf at Shawn Speakman's warehouse. Yes. Book theft.

But on to the review! This novella is set in Brett's Demon Cycle world. And this edition is a lovely edition to any book shelf. Grim Oak Press knows how to make a very pretty book! This is a lovely hardback.

Have you read Brett's Demon Cycle books? If not, you should leave this review immediately and go order some or take a break and go to your nearest bookstore. You will thank me for this advice. Start with The Warded Man. OR this is actually a pretty nice entry into the Demon Cycle world.

If you are familiar with the Demon Cycle books, then you will be delighted to find many old friends in this short tale of a strange death and those seeking to solve the mystery of it. It's cozy, in the sense that readers get a nice glimpse into the homes and day to day lives of the characters. At the same time, the magic looms as strong and dangerous as ever.

This is a very nice short read, one to read in your comfy clothes on a couch or in a bed. A great start to your 2026 reading.

[Kat in Stacks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Harper Collins and Netgalley for the Arc!

Set in the Demon Cycle Universe where we find protagonist, Selia, as she uncovers a mystery within the town of Tibbett Brook. One part cottagecore and another part feeling like Nancy Drew, this novella was a wonderful thing to read.

I highly enjoyed the way this was set with only one POV instead of the multiple POV's we had in the Demon Cycle, while sometimes it's not bad, I am not a fan of 2+ POV's to tell a story. So i was highly surprised and elated upon reading the first chapter and realizing we will be staying in Selia's POV throughout.

[Sapphyre Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly cosy novella set in a decided uncosy world. Having read both The Demon Cycle series and The Nightfall Saga (at least the ones that have been published), this had a very different vibe to it. But I am here for it!
This little novella has definitely given me the bug because I feel a reread Of the Demon Cycle series calling.

[Duarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

[…] She could have kept enough ichor to stay young for decades more. Enough to heal the sick and injured.
But not enough to keep everyone young. Not enough to heal everyone. And who was she, or the Tenders or Herb Gatherer or the town council itself to decide who was worth breaking the laws of nature?
[…]
It was one thing to farm demons like livestock chasing eternal life, and another to keep a bit of magic hidden in case of emergency. […]

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when an author decides to try a 'cosy' novella in their existing (not cosy) fantasy world? Well, if this novella is anything to go by - good things! The demons may have been vanquished, cookies may abound, but there's still a mystery - and a murder! - to be solved!!

And it was great! I've been vaguely meaning to read some Peter V Brett for the longest time, so the chance to try out the Demon Cycle in this (albeit probably not too typical) novella seemed ideal. And it worked: I enjoyed the read immensely, and will be sliding the main Demon Cycle books rapidly up the TBR list!

You can find my full review on my blog, LittleFrogScribbles.

[Chrys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love the origin story behind this novella (the author met queen of cosy fantasy Sarah Beth Durst and was inspired to write a cosy book within his not so cosy universe)
I’ve never read his work before, but am now intrigued. I love the way the magic system works and I enjoyed his characters greatly.
I’d have liked to spend more time with the characters, but this was two hours well spent. I’d definitely recommend this little novella.

[Sibil · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and the Editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The idea behind this novella is the best ever! The author wrote a note at the beginning of this story talking about the reasons for writing this cozy story (basically, he was inspired by Sarah Beth Durst), and I really appreciated it. It is such a nice touch!
And I appreciate the challenge of it. But I have some mixed feelings about the results. I know, it’s like lately I am a bit overcritical about everything, but really… I enjoyed this one, and I think that if you are a fan of the main series by this author (The Demon Cycle) you will have a blast with this one.

It’s like going back to a beloved (but really dangerous) world, with some characters that we already know. And it’s an interesting way to see something old (in a sense) with a new lens.
And this is a nice thing.

But if you aren’t already familiar with this world and this author, and you are going in, waiting for a cozy story, you should keep in mind some things. It is a cozy story, but first things first, it is more a cozy mystery than a cozy fantasy. It’s not that one excludes the other, obviously. Still, the vibes and the plot lines are a tad different, and this tends more toward the mystery than the fantasy (but it is a fantasy, too). It is a really cozy story compared to the other books set in this world, but compared to other cozy books… well, it still is cozy, but not as much. There are more moral dilemmas than the usual, for example, it has some heavy implications that we usually don’t find in other books of this genre, and it has more grit than usual.
So… if you are curious about this one, go for it, because I think that it is a good read (and it is also quite short, so it’s not a big investment of your time), but if you don’t have prior knowledge of this world, keep in mind what I said before!

[Miss Morningstar · Rating 5 out of 5]

You could give me Peter V. Brett's shopping list to read and I would rate it five stars... nothing else to add, I guess

[Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love The Demon Cycle series, and it was wonderful to return to this world and reconnect with some of my familiar and beloved characters. The note at the beginning, explaining the spark that inspired this novella, made me smile. If anyone can inspire a cosy story in a gritty and undeniably uncosy world, it's Sarah Beth Durst. Strangely it is a cosy story in a distinctive way, with a very different vibe from the main series, yet it remains the same at its heart. It leans more towards the mystery aspect and less on the fantasy and definitely, it hits different if you've already read the other books in the series.
Absolutely loved it!

[Baccata · Rating 4 out of 5]

The new novella from the Demon Cycle universe takes us to Tibbet's Brook: once a hotspot for brutal demon attacks, now seemingly a quieter place where Selia Barren, as town speaker, is primarily responsible for settling everyday disputes. But when a corpse turns up with injuries that look like they were caused by a demon attack, an unexpectedly captivating Cozy Mystery unfolds in the midst of a world that is anything but cozy.

The story behind the novella, inspired by a meeting between the author and Sarah Beth Durst (the spellshop), gives the book a special charm. This attempt to embed a warm, almost homely narrative in a traditionally dark setting is surprisingly successful - even if the story is ultimately more of a cozy mystery with fantasy elements than classic cozy fantasy. Moral dilemmas, a real murder case and the oppressive world in the background prevent an overly cozy feel-good atmosphere, but it is precisely this contrast that makes the novella so appealing.

Selia's perspective lends the plot coherence and depth and stands out pleasantly from the many POV changes in the main series. Added to this is an atmospheric mixture of village life, investigative work and magic. I haven't read the main series, Demon Cycle, yet and only know a few characters and storylines from reviews and talks with friends. However, I suspect that those in the know will enjoy reuniting with familiar characters and the subtle embedding in the larger lore. Newcomers like me can still easily understand this novella without any prior knowledge – and now I'm really looking forward to the main series.

Overall, this short novella presents itself as a coherent, well-written and pleasantly independent mixture of fantasy and crime, which is as convincing for its warm-hearted tone as it is for its glimpse into the darker corners of the complex universe of the Demon Cycle. A highly recommended read!

[Sonia Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter V. Brett's Demon cycle series is magnificent, however one word that you would not use to describe it as is cosy. After a sitting on a panel with fellow author Sarah Beth Durst the author wondered if he could pull off writing a cosy Demon cycle fantasy - Butter cookies and Demon claws is the resulting novella.
The story is set after the first Demon cycle wars have ended and peace has been in place for years in Tibbit's Brook. Familiar characters return now in a more pastoral and less stressful setting - Selia Barren remains Town Speaker and is happily married to Leesa, Rusco Hog still runs the general store, and Selia bakes amazing cookies to hear all the whispers around town so she is ahead of any trouble or strife that may be brewing.
With demons gone and the regenerative power gained from slaying them the defenders of Tibbit's Brook, including Selia, are now starting to age - that is except for Rusco Hog. Selia and Rusco have mutual respect for each other but nothing more, or so Selia thinks until Rusco is murdered seemingly by a demon. The hunt is on for the truth and Selia will be the one to bring it to the light.
I would recommend particularly if you have read the Demon Cycle, on the darker side of cosy but cosy nonetheless.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for access to this ARC, all views are my own.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting to read with no context for the series it's part of, and in the author's note, Brett says it's basically an experiment in response to a panel he saw with Sarah Beth Durst discussing cosy fantasy. Honestly, even though he's aiming for the same cosiness as something like The Spellshop or The Enchanted Greenhouse, the darker tone of (I assume) the rest of the series this is from leaks through at the end in a delightfully grisly way. I love authors who aren't afraid to challenge themselves, but also have a distinct voice they don't easily shake off.

The setting was a distinctly USAmerican fantasy town: very specific type of small town America the fantasy world was pastiched onto. Not remotely a bad thing, and in a world where Europe is the default base layer for worldbuilding, variety can only be a good thing.

Ultimately I don't feel I know enough about the main series to fairly judge this novella, but what I did see was intriguing. The idea of someone being given their youth back and reaching old age a second time, but living differently so the wrinkles on their face are different. It's a small thought, but very imaginative and interesting.

Butter Cookies and Demon Claws is probably best read with a bit of Murder She Wrote energy, and the fact that the author was working outside his comfort zone is admirable.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting at 4:30am. I'd woken and due to a heavy cold was unable to sleep (or breathe) so reached for a book.

It's a short story, only 96 pages, and takes place fifteen years into the future after the Demon Cycle series. I like the idea that Brett wrote this after Durst told him that everything could be made cosy.

I enjoyed the story and, for Brett, I guess it is on the cosy side. Would a cosy reader enjoy it, maybe not.... Demons and murder..... Although the cookie element is cute.

Thanks go to Harper Collins and Netgalley for providing an e-arc. All opinions are my own under the influence of a head cold!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have done it again! I have read through the Demon Cycle and the Nightfall Saga multiple times, but it's the novellas that I am now thirsty for due to their short, yet intense insight into other characters that we didn't have time to explore during the original stories, despite being just as intriguing. Peter Brett continues to develop characters in a way that makes me want to know everything about them and to fight beside them as brothers in the night, which is why I continue to go back and reread the series.
While I felt the ending was a little rushed, it left me with the hope that the Mystery genre is just beginning for the people of Tibbet's Brook, whether past or future.

[Danny Pearman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, was expecting it to be two stories but its just the one and its fabulous, shame I cannot rate it higher or I would, and that is honest truth!!

Easy 5/5 and if you have not ready anything from the Demon Cycle book you are missing out, go and grab the first one....

[Clint Dilks · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining little story.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ This was very cozy fantasy, with a slight criminal mystery that I really enjoyed. The only thing I missed was I could have done with a bit more demon presence.