In the Forests of Serre spins an atmospheric tale of grief and magic. After losing his wife and child, Prince Ronan wanders into the forest of Serre in despair, where he encounters the witch Brume. After he is cursed for accidentally killing one of her white hens, Ronan returns to the forest and encounters a firebird. Enchanted, he chases the elusive creature through the woods, losing pieces of his memory and sanity along the way.

Meanwhile, Princess Sidonie travels from Dacia to Serre for an arranged marriage meant to secure peace, though her journey is complicated by the wizard Gyre, whose motives are unclear. As Ronan and Sidonie’s paths cross in strange ways, each must grapple with the forces of fate, loyalty, and identity in this lyrical fantasy.

McKillip is new to me, but this will be far from the last book I read of hers. The storytelling here is the gentle, fairytale kind of magic, draped in a familiar atmosphere, and I loved it.