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Holly In The Woods
Paperback
Publisher: T. M. Julien
Published: Sep 10 2025
Pages: 282
Weight: 0.84
Height: 0.59 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Sixteen-year-old Holly Patterson lives a quiet life in Carlsbad, California, but she is haunted by recurring dreams of seeing her mother-whose name is Rowan in the visions-burned as a witch by masked men in a forest she has never visited. The dreams make no sense, but when she takes a summer job at a Bible camp in the Cascade Mountains, those nightmares come frighteningly close to reality.
Sent on a simple errand to search for a missing camper, Holly is ambushed by men in black ski masks-the same ones from her dream. She escapes only because a pack of wolves intervenes, speaking to her and urging her to run. Lost in the wilderness, Holly discovers she can understand animals and is led to Landes, a mysterious hermit who lives in a mountain cave. Landes reveals that her visions are not dreams but suppressed memories: Holly's true name is Holly Oaklore, daughter of Tristen and Rowan Oaklore, both murdered by witch-hunters. The couple who raised her, the Pattersons, were complicit in the abduction. Holly is the last heir of a druidic bloodline that traces back to Viviane of Avalon, making her the rightful High Priestess of Avalon.
As Holly's powers awaken-animal speech, shape-shifting, telekinesis, calling the mists-she begins rigorous training under Landes. With allies like François the fox, Theodore the bear, and other woodland creatures, she learns that her destiny is tied to the ancient struggle between druids and the witch-hunting order known as Directive 22:18 (from Exodus 22:18: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live). The order, once the authors of the Malleus Maleficarum, now uses modern technology-drones, mechanized units, and infiltrators hidden in plain sight-to eliminate magical bloodlines. Holly is their top-priority target, listed in their secret database, the Black Index.
Betrayal closes in from all sides. The camp counselors, including Roger, are revealed as embedded operatives. Even her foster parents, Dan and Ellen Patterson, are activated as assets against her. Holly must endure separation from her best friend Tammy, survive relentless hunts through the forest, and embrace her heritage as wolves, foxes, and even the wind itself rally to her defense.
The climax builds to a massive confrontation: Veyron, commander of Directive 22:18, mobilizes helicopters, armored vehicles, drones, and dozens of operatives for Holly's termination. The hunters believe the forest is their battlefield, but Holly learns to bend the living woods to her will. With Landes' guidance and the strength of her bloodline, she turns survival into resistance-merging compassion, cunning, and courage into the beginnings of true leadership.
By the end, Holly is no longer just a lost girl running from masked men-she is Holly Oaklore, High Priestess of Avalon, standing at the threshold of war between the reborn druids and the Order sworn to erase them. Her journey through fear, betrayal, and discovery has only begun, but she now knows who she is-and why the world will never be the same again.
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