Raven of Root and Thorn

by Becky Wright

Deep runs the blood of Midwinter's vine,
Bound to the earth by thorn and twine.

Amidst the roots and thorns of her ancestral home, Ivy Midwinter is bound by a curse that has trapped her bloodline for generations. The brambles claw at her path, and a Raven watches over her, a harbinger of truths Ivy cannot yet understand.

The land is alive, pulsing with an ancient hunger, its roots reaching for the heart of her past. It calls to her with a voice as old as time, luring her into a pact sealed in blood and bone, an oath her family could never break.

Raven of Root and Thorn is a haunting tale of ancestral ties, the pull of a restless curse, and the price of freedom. In this remote and unyielding corner of the countryside, Ivy must face the some bonds are eternal, and some fates can only be embraced. To escape, she may have to surrender.

187 pages, Paperback

Published October 30, 2025

About the author

Becky Wright is an author with a passion for Gothic literature, history, the supernatural and things that go bump in the night. She lives in the heart of the Suffolk countryside, surrounded by rolling fields, picturesque timber-framed villages, rural churches, and many haunted houses. With her inherent fascination for the macabre, her writing leans towards the dark side.

www.beckywrightauthor.com

Reviews

[G.R. Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished an ARC of this novella. Wow!!! Dark much? Sinister? Folksy? This story was like reading a gothic / folk horror poem of another era. I felt anxious whilst being carried away by Ivy’s story. Ancestors who made a dark pact wrought generational consequences upon the Midwinter line A haunting story of past deeds visiting upon the present. Brilliant gothic imagery, I could visualise it all so very intensely A beautiful gothic poetic immersion

[Danielle (Danni) Vinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raven of Root & Thorn is a unique story, told using beautiful, and vividly visual prose. It's a dark, tense, claustrophobic tale about a family's legacy to their ancestral grounds, and their deep and binding ties to keeping it alive. I loved the author's use of poetry, and the introductory lines to each chapter. This is gothic folklore at its most unnerving best.
You can never leave.....
Thank you for the eARC, Becky. 🖤

[Julia Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and lyrical read that twists through the reader’s mind like the brambles in the tale. The writing is menacingly lush with a bitter aftertaste like fine wine or the darkest of chocolate. The author gently takes the reader by the hand and leads them into the world of Ivy. Returning to her ancestral home, the pull of the land takes on a more sinister aspect as Ivy realises that old bargains still demand to be fulfilled.

Although a short read, this is a totally immersive experience that left me blinking back into reality after the last page was turned. Rather like awaking from a dream that quickly fades but leaves lingering emotions, I honestly could not recall specific details of Ivy’s story, but the way the book made me feel will stay with me for a very long time.

Becky Wright’s writing is always an exquisite treat, and Raven of Root and Thorn is no exception. A case of quality over quantity, this perfectly formed little novella delights the senses with its twisting plot and slow, measured pace that leisurely draws the reader into Ivy’s world of sinister shadows and memories of childhood.

The ending is an unexpected triumph and took me by surprise. I was left with a profound sense of having experienced something that far exceeded the usual reading experience. A highly recommended 5-star read from the Queen of Gothic horror.

[Steve Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again we are in the creepy, atmospheric world of Becky Wright. Raven of Root and Thorn is a short novel that oozes with dread. Ivy Midwinter returns to the empty family home. We don’t know much about her except that she’s been living in the city – all concrete and steel – and is recently divorced. But something has drawn her back to the place she was brought up, an old cottage surrounded by brambles and vines, patrolled by an uncanny raven. Before long, she finds herself led through dreams and discovered journals into the strange history of the place, its prowling, insistent curse, interwoven with the land and restless vegetation surrounding the cottage.

This is a downright creepy tale, full of rich description, ominous and claustrophobic. The raven, the vines, the land itself, all want something from Ivy and we suspect it’s bad. Can she escape the weight of past decisions, and where does true freedom lie?

I thoroughly enjoyed Raven of Root and Thorn which, with its interstitial passages between chapters, ill-fated heroine, and unsettling atmosphere, put me in mind of The Final Act of Mercy Dove, another favourite of mine by the author.

[Sherry Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raven of Root and Thorn by Becky Wright is a gothic, psychological thriller. It plays with your mind, casts a spell and keeps you entranced. This novella is moody in the best way, if you love that eerie, gothic vibe and like to be mesmerized by beautiful language. The atmosphere is intense in and around the remote ancestral cottage that Ivy Midwinter has returned to, after fleeing its pull and living in the city for several years. It is the home her grandmother, mother, and she as a child, grew up in. In fact, the family lineage goes even further back. The cottage is charged with memories and something more; a family curse; one that lures all members back. Is there escape? Can Ivy escape? Is there hope? Hope is scarce in this chilling tale that bends your mind and takes you on a spooky journey.