Madelaine Before the Dawn

LONGLISTED: The Entente Littéraire Prize 2026A spellbinding tale of female defiance and rageIn a time outside time, in a world hemmed in by dark woods and silence, the villagers of Les Montées endure a life of hardship and submission. The land is stingy, the Lords are merciless, and for the village women, resistance is a futile dream. One day, a foundling appears at the edge of the forest. Madelaine grows up to be mysterious, magnetic, and shockingly adept with an axe. One day, she slaughters a stag in defiance of the Lord’s decrees. The land, the laws, and the lives of those around her tremble in response, and a new destiny begins to take root. Madelaine Before the Dawn is a wild, lyrical novel about the inheritance of silence and the fire of female defiance. Collette has created an electrifying vision of revolt and resilience at the edge of civilization.