After the Forest

Almost twenty years have passed since Greta and her brother Hans
escaped the old woman's cottage in the Black Forest, but there was
no living happily ever after for them. The war has taken its toll on
these lands, husbands and sons lost, a country impoverished.
When the local Baron dies, his cruel, young and beautiful wife
raises taxes and a Blood Tithe, ensuring that those who can't pay
off their debts, pay through servitude.
Wolves are gathering around the village and a group of
mercenaries stalk the streets. A black bear has been sighted in the
forest, but an encounter with it leaves Greta puzzled by its gentle
and peaceful demeanour. Then there are the deaths; bodies have
been found in the woods, their blood taken, their hearts removed.
As the villagers become more desperate, whispers of witchcraft
abound. With Hans' gambling debts forcing him to take the Blood
Tithe, only the addictively-delicious gingerbread Greta makes -
created with the help of a book stolen when they escaped their
childhood captor - can offer a way out. But there's a price to pay for
using this blood skill, Tattermagic...and it could cost Greta
everything, unless she can find another way to beat the horrors.