Wrath Becomes Her

Aden Polydoros

Inkyard Press, 2023

Agent: Thao Le

Frankenstein meets Inglourious Basterds in this stunning Jewish historical horror novel from the award-winning author of The City Beautiful

Vera was made for vengeance.

Lithuania, 1943. A father drowns in the all-consuming grief of a daughter killed by the Nazis. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can use kishuf — an ancient and profane magic — to create a golem in her image. A Nazi killer, to avenge her death.

When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose thrumming within her. But she can also feel glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognizes the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets—or deserves—to have a life beyond what she was made for.

Vera’s strength feels limitless—until she learns that there are others who would channel kishuf for means far less noble than avenging a daughter’s death. As she confronts the very basest of humanity, Vera will need more than what her creator gave her: Not just a reason to fight, but a reason to live.

Reviews:

"In a world where those in power prefer civility to justice, Wrath Becomes Her is the perfect book for those who know the fight for truth will always be a brutal one. Haunting, exhilarating, and a howl of vengeance." —Andrew Joseph White, New York Times bestselling author of Hell Followed With Us


"Aden Polydoros' Wrath Becomes Her is intoxicating and visionary, a rare book that peels apart the idea of what personhood is, what our obligations are to those who made us who we are, and our obligations to the living and to the dead. Vera's story is riveting and compelling, and I could not put it down. I was blown away. No one's writing Jewish historical fantasy like Aden is. This is a tour de force." —Katherine Locke, author of This Rebel Heart

"A tale of power and agency that is just as timely now as it was during its setting 80 years ago, Aden Polydoros has once again proven himself to be a master of storytelling and a talent to watch. If you're looking for one novel to sate your horror hungers, this is the book to read. I'll be thinking about this one for months to come." —Kosoko Jackson, author of Yesterday Is History