The Witcher meets Howl’s Moving Castle in this debut original faerie tale of revenge, redemption, and friendship—for fans of T. Kingfisher, Naomi Novik, and cozy fantasy with a dash of gritty adventure.

The night Lyssa Cadogan's brother was murdered by a faerie-made monster known as the Beast, she made him a promise: she would find a way to destroy the immortal creature and avenge his death. For thirteen years, she has been hunting faeries and the abominations they created. But in all that time, the one Beast she is most desperate to find has never resurfaced.

Until she meets Alderic Casimir de Laurent, a melodramatic dandy with a coin purse bigger than his brain. Somehow, he has found the monster’s lair, and—even more surprising—retrieved one of its claws. A claw Lyssa needs in order to forge a sword that can kill the Beast.

Alderic is ill-equipped for a hunt and almost guaranteed to get himself killed. But as the two of them search for the rest of the materials that will be the Beast's undoing, Alderic reveals hidden depths: dark secrets that he guards as carefully as Lyssa guards hers. Before long, and against Lyssa's better judgment, an unlikely friendship begins to bloom—one that will either lead to the culmination of Lyssa's quest for vengeance, or spell doom for them both.

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Praise for this book

"I devoured this book! Full of revenge, monsters, and found family, Kill the Beast is riveting and thrilling!"—Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop

"Heartfelt, dark, and yet very fun, Kill the Beast is a fresh fairy tale that pulls apart old tropes and artfully reconstructs itself as a new story about friendship, grief, and forgiveness."—J.R. Dawson, the author of The First Bright Thing

"This cheerful, brawling adventure has everything you could want: bloody revenge, exquisite tailoring, and a very good dog."—Davinia Evans, author of Notorious Sorcerer

"A glorious adventure, filled with heart and heroics, friendship and redemption, monsters and hope. I love Lyssa and Alderic, and I loved this book."—H.G. Parry, author of A Far Better Thing

"I wholly adored this fun, bloody, and phenomenal fantasy debut. With a queer friendship story, a feral bisexual main character, and a lot of heart, this is definitely one you'll want to get your hands on!"— M. Stevenson, author of Behooved

"Swift’s novel falls in the twilight between melancholy and adventure, punctuated with brutality, occasional gore, and shocking moments of joy. The foreshadowing is excellent, stringing action scenes and a delightful berserker/sunshine dynamic on a thread of delicious tension.... An excellent recommendation for all fantasy readers."—Library Journal (starred review)

"Fans of folklore and fairy tales will enjoy pondering the tinges of "Beauty and the Beast" woven into Swift's debut."—Booklist

"A charming fairy tale."—Publishers Weekly

"Adventurous and warmhearted."—Shelf Awareness




About the AuthorSerra Swift lives in Southern California with her husband and their Boston Terrier, Waffles. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading or (let’s be honest) eating a snack. Kill the Beast is her first novel.
Title: Kill the Beast
Author(s): Serra Swift
ISBN: 9781250373793
Copyright 2025
Release Date: October 14, 2025
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: mobi,ePub | Learn More about our supported formats
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