Red in Tooth and Claw By Lish McBride

In Settlement, a dark young adult Western fantasy, sixteen-year-old Faolan Kelly grapples with newfound loneliness and danger after her grandfather’s death. Orphaned and without a home, she faces a grim reality when local authorities deem her too young to inherit his homestead. To protect their interests, the mayor hires a gunslinger to take Faolan to the Settlement, a remote fort where outcasts live under the iron-fisted rule of His Benevolence Gideon Dillard.

For years, Faolan has disguised her identity, and revealing her true self would lead to a forced marriage, leaving her with no choices and no freedom. The Settlement is filled with unsettling secrets and a wealth that seems suspiciously acquired. As Faolan tries to navigate her new life, she is haunted by strange noises that disrupt her nights and an oppressive atmosphere that grows more sinister by the day.

When she stumbles upon the mangled body of a Settlement boarder, it becomes clear that something inhuman is stalking the palisades. With more residents mysteriously disappearing, Faolan realizes that to survive, she must escape before the creature claims her as its next victim. Set against a backdrop of a harsh frontier, Settlement combines elements of suspense, mystery, and horror, as Faolan fights not just for her life, but for her identity in a world filled with monsters—both human and otherwise. 📚❤️