Released: 26th August 2025. From the Sunday Times bestselling author ofWild and Wicked Things comes a dark gothic fantasy about intoxication, obsession and a desperate hunger for knowledge, whatever the cost.
'A queer fairy tale of toxic romance that echoes with longing' Tanya Pell, author of Her Wicked Roots
Thora Grieve finds herself destitute and an outcast after the sudden death of her husband, but a glimmer of hope arrives when a family friend offers her the chance to study botany under a famed professor. Once at the university, Thora becomes entranced by a mysterious young woman, Olea, who emerges each night to tend to the plants in the private garden below her window.
Hungry for connection, Thora befriends Olea through the garden gate and their relationship quickly and intensely blossoms. Intoxicated, Thora throws herself into finding a cure for Olea's ailment and sinks deeper into a world of beauty, poison and obsession. She's finally found the freedom to pursue her darkest desires, but will it be worth the price?
'This Vicious Hunger will consume you like a sweet poison. May deftly unfurls the dark, dangerous underbelly of science, obsession and desire through the lens of three morally grey women that will keep you turning the pages long into the night'
Maddie Martinez, author of The Maiden and Her Monster
'The dark, romantic gothic fantasy of my dreams! The atmosphere is truly luscious, the intrigue takes root in you and won't let go, and the payoff is absolutely delicious. I devoured it'
Hannah Mathewson, author of Witherward
Praise for Francesca May:
'Brimming with romance and gilded with danger, Wild and Wicked Things is a heady, lyrical gem of a book' Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf
'Haunting, immersive, and seething with dark magic, Wild and Wicked Things cast its spell on me'
Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching
'Wild and Wicked Things ticked all my boxes . . . I couldn't put it down'
Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart
Readers are loving This Vicious Hunger:
'I absolutely loved every second'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
WOOOW. This book was such a fantastic read. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, it was so intense and beautiful, and mysterious and romantic'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'The atmosphere and intrigue have you turning pages like there's no tomorrow!'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'If you looked up the definition of gothic fantasy, it would just be a picture of this book.
add in slow burn and this is a feast fit for a king'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Haunting and seething with dark desires'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This Vicious Hunger delivers everything I want from a gothic fantasy . . . moody, claustrophobic, and full of dangerous beauty'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
432 pages
