I Can’t Wait For….In the Heart of Hidden Things by Kit Whitfield

Posted 29th September 2021 by Sia in Can't-Wait Wednesday / 4 Comments

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about but haven’t yet read. Most of the time they’re books that have yet to be released, but not always. It’s based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme, which was originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

This week my Can’t-Wait-For is In the Heart of Hidden Things by Kit Whitfield!

In the Heart of Hidden Things by Kit Whitfield
Genres: Fantasy
Published on: 3rd March 2022
Goodreads

The inhabitants of the village of Gyrford live mostly in harmony with their neighbours in the Forest, and that is in large part down to the fairy-smiths, Jedediah, his son Matthew and grandson Johnny, for only fairy-smiths can intercede with the People when a problem arises - like when one of the fae - who, in fairness, does looks a lot like a thornbush with a blackberry for a head - is dug up and transplanted by someone who didn't know any better and is now determined to wreak vengeance on anyone it can.

That's not the only problem, for there's a skinflint landlord determined to sell the mill and kick out the family who've run it for untold generations. And a young boy who was clearly damaged by the People at birth is spending most of his time trying to get into the Forest, which is forbidden territory for all but a very few men.

There's even a rumour that Black Hal has been seen running - fire strikes from the great hound's heels, they said, and his eyes are the red of coals.

So one way or another, the Smiths have got a lot on their plate, and a lot of people depending on them . . .

It drives me a little nuts that no one seems to know Whitfield’s work, because she is an INCREDIBLE writer! Her book Bareback (retitled Benighted in the USA) is set in a mirror of our world, where werewolves are the norm and those who can’t shapeshift are a tiny and ill-used minority; In Great Waters, a historical fantasy where the royal houses of Europe are part-mermaid, is a book I love even more than Bareback. Both are masterpieces of worldbuilding and incredibly original, without sacrificing characters or plot.

So I shrieked MORE THAN A LITTLE when I discovered that she has a new novel coming out – and this one features the fae! Fairy smiths!!! Fairy smiths are SUCH an important (but often overlooked) part of faerie folklore, so that’s exciting all on its own – and I cannot WAIT to see what Whitfield does with the fae as a whole, after the amazing spin she put on werewolves and mer-people in her previous books!

Also, it’s out two days after my birthday. Hee! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR MY BIRTHDAY PRESENT, WHITFIELD!

All in all, you should definitely preorder this – and then you should go read Bareback and In Great Waters while you wait for it!

Update: the release date of In the Heart of Hidden Things changed after this post was made; the new publication date is scheduled for June 23rd, 2022.

Tags:

4 responses to “I Can’t Wait For….In the Heart of Hidden Things by Kit Whitfield

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.