The Animals We Became

by Finn Longman

You exist because of a crime, because of a curse, and because of a trick.

Blodeuedd never asked to be made.

Created from flowers of oak, broom, and meadowsweet to marry a man cursed never to have a human wife, Blodeuedd has no knowledge of the world, no family outside the marriage, and no power to choose. But a caged animal still has claws, and Blodeuedd will find a way to be free, whatever the cost.

Gwydion knows what it is to be unmade.

Haunted by the years he served in animal form as punishment for his brother's crimes, Gwydion has turned his tricks to his nephew's happiness - and the creation of Blodeuedd is the greatest trick of them all. But his creation asks questions he cannot answer and drags from the depths of the forest the past he has been trying so hard to forget. Now they both must face their unmaking.

From the author of The Wolf and His King comes a spellbinding new medieval fantasy standalone retelling the story of Blodeuedd from Welsh mythology in a profound exploration of cyclical trauma and transformation. As angry as it is hopeful, this visionary novel is unmissable for readers of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik, and Samantha Shannon.

PRAISE FOR THE WOLF AND HIS KING

'Howlingly good' THE BOOKSELLER
'Quiet, meditative, powerful' LOCUS
'A beautiful, lyrical tale of love, betrayal and above all, yearning' SFX
'With prose that flows off the page like honey' CRISTIN WILLIAMS
'Will sink its teeth into you' V. V. JAMES
'Filled with loyalty and betrayal, dark secrets, and oh, so much yearning' KIMBERLY BEA
'Finn Longman is a master of their craft' WREN JAMES

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, LGBT

Kindle Edition

Expected publication November 26, 2026

About the author

Finn Longman is an author and medievalist, originally from London. They write young adult and adult fiction, with a particular interest in genre-bending stories about identity, friendship, and monstrosity – of the metaphorical or the literal sort. They've spent most of their adult life either working as a library assistant or studying for increasingly niche degrees in medieval literature, but when they don't have their head in a book they can usually be found playing folk music in a local pub.

Finn is currently a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, researching friendship and affection in the later Ulster Cycle.