Her Children

by Irina Shuranova

For readers who enjoy the lyrical darkness of Catherynne M. Valente, the mythic intimacy of Madeline Miller, the quiet enchantment of Erin Morgenstern, and the folk-horror beauty of old fairy tales in the spirit of Angela Carter.

A fisherman's daughter flees into the cliffs during a Viking raid. She wakes in a world that should not exist.
The sea is gone. The screams are gone. Around her lies a forest of mist, ancient stone, and strange living things. There she meets Fíadan, a gentle immortal youth who calls himself a child of the Goddess, and Epos, his silver, horned brother.
Aeris wants only one thing: to return home.
But in this otherworld, no one seems to know the way back. Those who came before her have stayed, forgotten, or chosen silence. The Children of the Goddess live carelessly in the love of their Mother, wandering beneath old trees and older stones, certain that the world is kind because it has always held them.
As Aeris and Fíadan follow traces of old portals, petroglyphs, and half-buried rites, hope begins to bloom between them. So does something more dangerous. Because the path home is real.
And some doors were never meant to be opened.

Her Children is a dark mythic fantasy about love, exile, ancient hunger, and the terrible price of longing for what was lost.

103 pages, ebook

Published July 27, 2026

About the author

Irina Shuranova is a Ukrainian author based in the UAE, writing in English. Her work explores identity under pressure - the ways love, fear, power, and longing alter the self. Rooted in psychological depth, dark lyricism, and symbolic design, her fiction is drawn to attachment, shadow work, and inner transformation.

She writes for readers who are drawn to emotionally precise prose, psychologically layered characters, and stories where beauty and darkness move together. She holds a Master’s degree in Psychology and is the author of Petals And The Locked Sky.

Reviews

[Ruslana Pidsadiuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC reader, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read it early.

This is already my third book by this author, and I was eagerly waiting for it because I absolutely love Iryna’s writing style.

The story immerses you in the dark yet beautiful atmosphere of Ireland—its seashores, forests, and a fascinating otherworldly realm.

I really enjoyed the concept, the characters, and the themes explored throughout the book. The final twist was unexpected and heartbreaking, but at the same time it felt like the right ending for this story.

[Astraeus Rambles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an arc of this book and am giving an honest review!

Somehow irina Shuranova mixes short sentences with descriptions that bring a new world to light. The world feels huge and unfamiliar as Aeris explores a word so completely foreign to her and the core understandings of society and relationships as we as humans know it to be.

This was my first book by the author and I completely devoured it. Her children got me attached to the characters and then slapped my hopes in the face with the amazing ending! It’s also a book I would consider having eminence value in rereading! And then rereading again. And again… did I mention I really loved this book yet?

[Hila Jonker · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I would like to thank Irina for giving me the opportunity to read this as an ARC.

I loved the idea behind this story. It's a different world that seems ideal at first, but soon, you discover that not all that is green is good.

I wanted to love the book, but for me, the writing felt robotic. It could be that the author was trying to convey a feeling of myths and fables, but it missed the mark.

For such a short story, there were too many characters to follow, so you did not really become attached to any, and so for me, the ending fell flat.

[Samantha Benton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say my favorite part of Her Children was the author’s note at the end. Irina Shuranova discussed the beauty and darkness of the book themes in such a great way. Her discussion of the deep impacts of both of the worlds was beautifully haunting. The world and character descriptions were detailed and really highlighted the settings. I was not prepared for the ending but what a great ending. I enjoyed Irina’s choice in how it was ended and how not everything that comes off as picturesque and perfect truly is. I would have liked to see more detail for the last quarter of the book or so it moved so quick!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I may have missed the point of Her Children. As I read it, it felt like a violent short story. The author includes an extensive note explaining what the story means to her, but unfortunately, none of that came through for me while I was reading.

Once I read her note, I could clearly see what she intended. Through her explanation, what had seemed like a short story suddenly became an epic, large-scale fantasy in my mind. It’s a shame that she didn’t expand it into the sweeping fantasy saga it had the potential to become. Since the author is Ukrainian, perhaps other Ukrainians reading Her Children would have the requisite folklore background to inherently understand the themes Shuranova thought she was imparting.

Even though the deeper meaning didn’t fully reach me through the story alone, the writing was strong, the imagery was vivid, and the concept could certainly serve as the foundation for quite an extraordinary saga.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Chy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read. The author wrote descriptions so beautifully. I loved how she said,” The sun was still saying farewell to the water.It seemed one could hear the minutes dripping, like water in a cave.” Her writing was almost like a poem. The story made you think and made you feel, especially for Aeries, fiaden and Epos. The story was to short to me, I felt there was still so much that needed to be said. Also, to many characters that i wanted to know more about. The ending made you pause and think for sure.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[ReaderLiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I feel will stay with me for a long time. The way that Irina Shuranova writes is very unique. It feels a bit like reading poetry, the story moves quickly and steadily with so many hidden mysteries and meanings woven in. This is the second book I have read by this author, and I will definitely read more.

This book is a dark fantasy that at its core is about far deeper themes and experiences. The fantastical, haunting world the author has built is both beautiful and unnerving. The characters make you feel both warm and unsettled as more of their history or rather, lack thereof, is revealed. Under the surface this book contains depictions of grief, the pain of our choices, time as a facilitator of change, systems of control, and personal autonomy.

If you enjoy a haunting dark fantasy that may leave you thinking about it long after, I highly recommend this book. It is a fast read and absolutely captivating.

Thank you to Irina Shuranova for allowing me to read an ARC of your book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her Children is a beautiful tale of a fisherman’s daughter, Aeris, fleeing a Viking raid who finds a lush and verdant paradise during her escape. This other realm is a utopia, populated by people who are the children of a mystical Goddess. Her existence is ancient and although she is revered, you get the sense that not everything is as it seems. Underneath the surface this is a story about autonomy and having the freedom to be your own person, not being controlled by your parental figure for their own benefit.

The prose is enchanting and ethereal, creating a fairytale world, but with an underlying sinister edge. The relationship between Fíadan and Aeris also feels tender and beautiful. This is my second read from Shuranova now and they have such an exquisite way with words that I find enthralling. I look forward to checking out more of the author’s works.

I received an eARC from BookSirens and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Navidduh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

DNFed at Chapter 5

The plot is veryyy interesting and I wish I could get past the lack of spacing between the paragraphs and the writing style but I can't. It's a bit hard to understand what's being said sometimes and it honestly gave me a headache having to reread one sentence two-three times cause I was so confused.

The writing style is very stageplay-like. Which isn't really my thing, unfortunately.
I think anyone wanting to read this should check out the excerpt first.

[Brina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is well written and I can appreciate that. This author has a way with words. While this narrative is fresh and doesn't follow the same tired tropes, it moved a little slow for me. The plot was slightly impeded due to heavier dialogue, in my opinion. I'm aware that this dialogue was placed so we as readers can get questions answered, but it might've been more creative to let the protagonist explore the setting or get answers by observation.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, haunting, like a twisted fairy tale (the pre-Grimm, unsanitised kind). Whether intentional or not, the style of prose, with its short sentences and concise but descriptive language, paints the world as alien as it probably feels to the protagonist. It left me wanting more while being perfectly content with the finality of the story.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lara F · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book. It's beautiful when an author takes a myth and builds something entirely their own from it. I loved the toxic-family dynamic as a central theme. It makes me happy that even shorter novels like this can create such a deep, immersive atmosphere.
Review of advance copy received from Author.

[Mila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this author's book. I can tell it's inspired by the Irish myth of the Children of Danu, even though the plot itself is about something else entirely. To me, it reads like its own standalone take on the myth, and I especially love how subtly the characters are drawn.