What do you think?
Fawn
Hardcover
About the author
C.N. Vair
2 books126 followersC.N. Vair (she/her) is a horror and dark fantasy author living in Western New York. A former journalist, she’s interested in the history and haunted corners of small towns, the magic and malice of the natural world, and power in all its forms. When she’s not writing, you can find her wandering in woods and cemeteries, growing poisonous plants in her garden, or spending time with her husband and dogs.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 30, 2026
absolutely delicious. what started as a seemingly cosy read a about a witch cultivating her sanctuary very quickly turned into something much darker and compelling.
i bought this book today and devoured it one sitting. the perfect amalgamation of everything i love in a book 🦌🖤
i bought this book today and devoured it one sitting. the perfect amalgamation of everything i love in a book 🦌🖤
September 20, 2026
Wasn’t sure what to expect going into this, other then it sounded creepy! It was so much more than just creepy. Parts made me really rage at certain characters, parts made me shocked at the direction it went in. Really well written, the characters made me feel all kinds of things, and the fawn…well you’ll just have to read it yourself and form your own opinion on her!
September 10, 2026
absolutely phenomenal 😭 i don't have words right now for how this book made me feel but it was immaculate
September 8, 2026
If I could rate this 10 stars, I would. This consumed me, in the best sense. Tess is one of my all time favourite female main characters, ever. She’s incredible. She stands her ground and fights for what she wants, when men come in and try to take everything from her she doesn’t shy away.
I can’t talk about the story without writing page after page, just know that you need to read this book. Especially if you’re a woman. Absolute *chefs kiss* 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
I can’t talk about the story without writing page after page, just know that you need to read this book. Especially if you’re a woman. Absolute *chefs kiss* 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
September 12, 2026
There’s a scream of rage inside me. As a woman, I must muzzle it to be able to function in a world that expects women to behave a certain way; to fall in line to the status quo no matter how much it makes us bleed. Accept our boundaries only matter to us. The patriarchy finds our red lines amusing at best and inconvenient at worst.
To live daily with the dissonance of knowing our lives are not our own to live as we choose. We grow used to the noose around our necks. But the scream? It stays. It never leaves us. Sometimes it wakes us up in the dead of the night. It frightens the cats so much they scatter and hide under the bed.
“You sound like a banshee,” your partner says. Turns their back to you and huffs back to sleep while you lie there seething, eating, drinking, breathing pure, true, honest rage.
You touch your neck, sensing the chafe of the noose that reminds you that no matter how hard you resist, you will do what you are expected to eventually—that your agency is always an illusion. The amount of suffering you experience until you submit is, ironically, always your choice. A devil’s choice of agency where there is none and the hope that you might, this time, break free.
Fawn caught me from the first line and didn’t let me go. I’m still thinking about it, the feelings I felt as I read it. The anger. The rage. How I felt seen. How I felt vindicated. Understood. How brilliantly Vair excised the cruelty women face living in a world possessed by men and painted it across a billboard one hundred feet high.
Tess could be any of us. She could be you. She could be me. Fawn circles female rage and agency with a delicate touch through the steady disintegration of Tess’s sanctuary, of the loss of her decades-old garden of safety, serenity, abundance, beauty, healing, and calm.
Tess’s agelessness and her sanctuary are built on power drawn from the natural world . . . and on her connection with the devil with whom she made a deal to be able to live under horrifying circumstances. It asks us to consider how we might react to circumstances beyond the boundary of her control as they force her into a smaller and smaller crucible. Would you resort to her choices? Would I?
Through Tess, Vair takes us right to the edge of the patriarchal paradigm and gives us a glimpse of the other side, for now a fiction, perhaps, one day . . . a reality. The tension is exquisite and masterfully done. Tess’s loss of agency and the “choices” she is offered as her sanctuary is clawed away from her piece by piece are all equally repulsive.
Tess wanted very little. But even a little freedom for a woman is unbearable in a world driven by a system that sees women as second to the mandate of men. I could not put this book down. I read it in one sitting the day it arrived at my door. When I closed the book, I felt my scream had lessened. Just a little. But it was enough.
If you like Madeline Miller’s Circe and V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, you will love this book. Fawn bleeds with some of the most beautiful lyricism I have ever read. I eagerly await Vair’s next book.
Review of Waterstones special edition, signed copy.
To live daily with the dissonance of knowing our lives are not our own to live as we choose. We grow used to the noose around our necks. But the scream? It stays. It never leaves us. Sometimes it wakes us up in the dead of the night. It frightens the cats so much they scatter and hide under the bed.
“You sound like a banshee,” your partner says. Turns their back to you and huffs back to sleep while you lie there seething, eating, drinking, breathing pure, true, honest rage.
You touch your neck, sensing the chafe of the noose that reminds you that no matter how hard you resist, you will do what you are expected to eventually—that your agency is always an illusion. The amount of suffering you experience until you submit is, ironically, always your choice. A devil’s choice of agency where there is none and the hope that you might, this time, break free.
Fawn caught me from the first line and didn’t let me go. I’m still thinking about it, the feelings I felt as I read it. The anger. The rage. How I felt seen. How I felt vindicated. Understood. How brilliantly Vair excised the cruelty women face living in a world possessed by men and painted it across a billboard one hundred feet high.
Tess could be any of us. She could be you. She could be me. Fawn circles female rage and agency with a delicate touch through the steady disintegration of Tess’s sanctuary, of the loss of her decades-old garden of safety, serenity, abundance, beauty, healing, and calm.
Tess’s agelessness and her sanctuary are built on power drawn from the natural world . . . and on her connection with the devil with whom she made a deal to be able to live under horrifying circumstances. It asks us to consider how we might react to circumstances beyond the boundary of her control as they force her into a smaller and smaller crucible. Would you resort to her choices? Would I?
Through Tess, Vair takes us right to the edge of the patriarchal paradigm and gives us a glimpse of the other side, for now a fiction, perhaps, one day . . . a reality. The tension is exquisite and masterfully done. Tess’s loss of agency and the “choices” she is offered as her sanctuary is clawed away from her piece by piece are all equally repulsive.
Tess wanted very little. But even a little freedom for a woman is unbearable in a world driven by a system that sees women as second to the mandate of men. I could not put this book down. I read it in one sitting the day it arrived at my door. When I closed the book, I felt my scream had lessened. Just a little. But it was enough.
If you like Madeline Miller’s Circe and V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, you will love this book. Fawn bleeds with some of the most beautiful lyricism I have ever read. I eagerly await Vair’s next book.
Review of Waterstones special edition, signed copy.
October 2, 2026
such a lush little witchy tale and absolutely PERFECT for an october read 🍂🦌
i absolutely loved how this explored the isolation of ‘otherness’, particularly the kind that comes from simply existing authentically in a world that’s already decided there’s something sus about you. being watched, whispered about and treated as something strange because you don’t quite fit neatly into the shape society has made for you.
beneath the actual witchiness there’s also a lovely thread running through this about womanhood and sacrifice, and the ways we are cornered and expected not to bare teeth. the things women surrender to survive, to belong, to protect themselves and others, and what happens when we start questioning exactly how much of ourselves we should really be expected to give away.
this didn’t need to scream its themes at you, or have any gratuitousness. and sometimes being considered strange says much more about the people doing the ostracising than the person standing on the outside. 🤍
oh there was also a surprisingly spicy lil thread around the devil but I’ll leave that to be discovered 👀
lush, atmospheric and a feral around the edges. basically exactly what i want to be reading on dark nights.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅
🦌 witchcraft as a backdrop
🍂 PERFECT october reading
🔮 otherness + the suspicion of women who refuse to conform
🖤 womanhood, sacrifice + belonging
🌙 tender, strange + beautifully atmospheric
── ⊹ ࣪ ˖♡˖ ࣪ ⊹ ──
4.5 stars from me.
loved this. soft at times, biting at others and sometimes strange in all the right places 💖
i absolutely loved how this explored the isolation of ‘otherness’, particularly the kind that comes from simply existing authentically in a world that’s already decided there’s something sus about you. being watched, whispered about and treated as something strange because you don’t quite fit neatly into the shape society has made for you.
beneath the actual witchiness there’s also a lovely thread running through this about womanhood and sacrifice, and the ways we are cornered and expected not to bare teeth. the things women surrender to survive, to belong, to protect themselves and others, and what happens when we start questioning exactly how much of ourselves we should really be expected to give away.
this didn’t need to scream its themes at you, or have any gratuitousness. and sometimes being considered strange says much more about the people doing the ostracising than the person standing on the outside. 🤍
oh there was also a surprisingly spicy lil thread around the devil but I’ll leave that to be discovered 👀
lush, atmospheric and a feral around the edges. basically exactly what i want to be reading on dark nights.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅
🦌 witchcraft as a backdrop
🍂 PERFECT october reading
🔮 otherness + the suspicion of women who refuse to conform
🖤 womanhood, sacrifice + belonging
🌙 tender, strange + beautifully atmospheric
── ⊹ ࣪ ˖♡˖ ࣪ ⊹ ──
4.5 stars from me.
loved this. soft at times, biting at others and sometimes strange in all the right places 💖
September 30, 2026
"This yokel, this pig-eyed, tiny-minded fuck, wanted to question me? I'd been saving and treating animals since before he was a twinkle in his cross-burning father's eye, and he thought all that experience was worth less than some hillbilly suspicion? It didn't matter that he was right, that I myself had spent the past day wondering if the fawn had been born on the devil's whim; I understood the forces at play here, and he was just a man with a bruised ego."
Southern Gothic, or more appropriately in this case, Appalachian Noir, is a genre that is incredibly difficult to get right. There's far more to this ever expanding genre than simply writing a gothic novel cast against an Appalachian backdrop. The very best books in this genre understand how important their connection to the natural world is, the authors who write the very best books in this genre understand how vital the nature writing aspect of these stories are, how important it is to get that small town, rural living vibe just right. These are all things that Fawn does surprisingly well, actually. On top of that, this rage-y, snarky, narrator is a shocking tone shift from what is expected in this genre, and, somehow, it really, really works.
And, so, you might be thinking, that all sounds really rather good. It sounds like Fawn has earned its high praise, so, just why is this reviewer rating Fawn 3 stars and not... Say, 4? Well, it's because despite all of the very great things about Fawn, it commits a tragic, but massive sin. Fawn is kind of a little boring. There's just... Something lacking about Fawn. I feel that Fawn is trying desperately to be both a female rage novel and a Southern Gothic novel, and it just doesn't really commit to being either of those things. Don't get me wrong, this is a good book. But that's just it. It's just... Good. It's not great or groundbreaking. But that's fine, sometimes it's really okay for a book to just be a good book.
I think seeing the high praise and buzz this book was generating on social-media set me up to have higher expectations than I perhaps should have, because, when you take this book for what it is, it's pretty damn enjoyable, it's certainly more gnarly, and disgusting and gory than I had initially expected it to be, and it has some hilariously fantastic characterization too - it's just, a little dry in some places and you can just really tell, from the writing that this is a debut, it's overwritten in a way that only debut novels seem to be. Aside from the minor nitpicks I have though, Fawn does deliver an enjoyable, if ultimately forgettable experience.
"Last year, Paul had called me to his farm for a calf with an extra face. It was a wretched, rotten mask of flesh protruding from her shoulder, skin and fur sloughing off the bone, two lidless, nerveless eyeballs dangling from too-shallow sockets. Unwilling to touch it, Paul had used a stick to open the mouth and reveal a strangely thin pink tongue, which writhed like a hooked worm with every ripple of the calf's skin."
Southern Gothic, or more appropriately in this case, Appalachian Noir, is a genre that is incredibly difficult to get right. There's far more to this ever expanding genre than simply writing a gothic novel cast against an Appalachian backdrop. The very best books in this genre understand how important their connection to the natural world is, the authors who write the very best books in this genre understand how vital the nature writing aspect of these stories are, how important it is to get that small town, rural living vibe just right. These are all things that Fawn does surprisingly well, actually. On top of that, this rage-y, snarky, narrator is a shocking tone shift from what is expected in this genre, and, somehow, it really, really works.
And, so, you might be thinking, that all sounds really rather good. It sounds like Fawn has earned its high praise, so, just why is this reviewer rating Fawn 3 stars and not... Say, 4? Well, it's because despite all of the very great things about Fawn, it commits a tragic, but massive sin. Fawn is kind of a little boring. There's just... Something lacking about Fawn. I feel that Fawn is trying desperately to be both a female rage novel and a Southern Gothic novel, and it just doesn't really commit to being either of those things. Don't get me wrong, this is a good book. But that's just it. It's just... Good. It's not great or groundbreaking. But that's fine, sometimes it's really okay for a book to just be a good book.
"The Devil came on the autumn equinox, as he always did. I was in the cutting garden, a sharp pair of shears in one hand, a bucket of flower stems in the other. The toes of my boots were dark with dew and my sleeves were damp with it; I might have waited for the sun to dry the grass, but early morning was the best time to cut flowers. The dahlias were at their peak, each bloom larger than my splayed hand, and beside their bed my mother's rose rambled its luxurious way up the side of the house, slaughterous red blooms turned carmine by the light."
I think seeing the high praise and buzz this book was generating on social-media set me up to have higher expectations than I perhaps should have, because, when you take this book for what it is, it's pretty damn enjoyable, it's certainly more gnarly, and disgusting and gory than I had initially expected it to be, and it has some hilariously fantastic characterization too - it's just, a little dry in some places and you can just really tell, from the writing that this is a debut, it's overwritten in a way that only debut novels seem to be. Aside from the minor nitpicks I have though, Fawn does deliver an enjoyable, if ultimately forgettable experience.
"Last year, Paul had called me to his farm for a calf with an extra face. It was a wretched, rotten mask of flesh protruding from her shoulder, skin and fur sloughing off the bone, two lidless, nerveless eyeballs dangling from too-shallow sockets. Unwilling to touch it, Paul had used a stick to open the mouth and reveal a strangely thin pink tongue, which writhed like a hooked worm with every ripple of the calf's skin."
September 15, 2026
Fawn is an unsettling folklore horror that kept me guessing from start to finish. The fawn itself was an intriguing addition, and I was constantly wondering what was really happening, why, and how the increasingly desperate situation would end.
The folklore atmosphere creates a strong sense of dread without relying on excessive gore, making it a great introduction to horror for readers who prefer creepy over gruesome. Although my gore meter is probably quite robust, I appreciated how the story focused more on mystery and unease.
There was some effective misdirection with several plot lines, and I particularly enjoyed the novel's take on the Devil, which felt fresh and interesting.
A creepy, atmospheric read that kept me invested throughout.
The folklore atmosphere creates a strong sense of dread without relying on excessive gore, making it a great introduction to horror for readers who prefer creepy over gruesome. Although my gore meter is probably quite robust, I appreciated how the story focused more on mystery and unease.
There was some effective misdirection with several plot lines, and I particularly enjoyed the novel's take on the Devil, which felt fresh and interesting.
A creepy, atmospheric read that kept me invested throughout.
September 30, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
I LOVED this. If I could give half stars, this would absolutely be a 4.5.
Dark, eerie, witchy and beautifully written without ever feeling over-the-top. The writing and atmosphere were incredible, and you can tell how much research went into it. Even when the protagonist was doing things I can only describe as what some might call evil, I was still completely on her side. I was even rooting for the Devil😂
It had exactly the right amount of darkness and eeriness, but also wholesomeness and I genuinely didn’t want it to end. I desperately need more books like this — the genre, the writing, the atmosphere, ALL of it.
Honestly, this book just made me want to go dance naked under the moon. 🌙
I LOVED this. If I could give half stars, this would absolutely be a 4.5.
Dark, eerie, witchy and beautifully written without ever feeling over-the-top. The writing and atmosphere were incredible, and you can tell how much research went into it. Even when the protagonist was doing things I can only describe as what some might call evil, I was still completely on her side. I was even rooting for the Devil😂
It had exactly the right amount of darkness and eeriness, but also wholesomeness and I genuinely didn’t want it to end. I desperately need more books like this — the genre, the writing, the atmosphere, ALL of it.
Honestly, this book just made me want to go dance naked under the moon. 🌙
September 5, 2026
difficult to put into words how much I adored this book, it’s truly something special. tess and the fawn’s relationship was beautiful and made me incredibly emotional 😭 I loved them and their development was written spectacularly. this is the type of story that will stick with me for a long time ❤️🦌
October 5, 2026
I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs.
Would’ve been 5 stars, but slightly soured the ending for me, which is unfortunate because I had loved every moment until that point.
Would’ve been 5 stars, but slightly soured the ending for me, which is unfortunate because I had loved every moment until that point.
September 5, 2026
Rooted in nature and deep magic Fawn, (The Devil knows her Name in the US), is outstanding!
My favourite book this year I absolutely loved it 🖤🦌🤎🧡
My favourite book this year I absolutely loved it 🖤🦌🤎🧡
September 17, 2026
More like a 4.5
Never fuck with a witch that’s for sure
Never fuck with a witch that’s for sure
September 19, 2026
6⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Incredible, gut wrenching , dark and bloody! One of the best books I’ve read all year!!!
September 19, 2026
I absolutely loved this, the atmosphere was perfect. Making the whole village its own character? Chefs kiss. Tess was such an amazing FMC, perfect read to start off spooky season.
September 27, 2026
A lot nastier than I was expecting (complimentary)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews