Lena was destined to kill Oliver. She was never meant to fall in love with him. The End of the F***ing World meets Ninth House in this star-crossed horror-romance about a girl duty-bound to ritualistically sacrifice the boy she loves.

Lena Beaumont was raised to serve the Witness – a dark and ancient creature that grants her bloodline knowledge, money and power in exchange for a human sacrifice every ten years. When Lena is chosen to deliver the next sacrifice, the Lamb, to the Witness, she never expects it to be Oliver Vance – the infuriatingly charming, folklore-obsessed boy from her college class. But the Witness is not to be questioned. Lena’s task is simple: befriend Oliver, gain his trust and lead him to the altar where the Witness will claim what is owed. She will not falter.

Under the guise of a casual road trip, Lena begins steering Oliver towards their true destination – the dense and malevolent Barrow Woods. But Oliver isn’t what she expected. What begins as a calculated act of deception soon transforms into something heady and electric – midnight confessions in motel rooms, contagious laughter in babbling streams, hands brushing in old roadside diners – blurring the lines between duty and desire. Yet no matter how many distractions Lena seeks, the open road still carries them towards the inevitable.

For the Witness is waiting . . . and it’s hungry.

© Abby Dewsnup 2027 (P) Penguin Audio 2027