Published: February 24, 2026
Publisher: Tor Books
Series: N/A
Genre: Fantasy, Historical
Pages: 544 (Kindle)
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
A devastating love story. A bewitching twist on history. A blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power, and redemption.
In 1785, Professor Sebastian Grave receives the news he fears most: the terrible Beast of Gévaudan has returned, and the French countryside runs red in its wake.
Sebastian knows the Beast. A monster-slayer with centuries of experience, he joined the hunt for the creature twenty years ago and watched it slaughter its way through a long and bloody winter. Even with the help of his indwelling demon, Sarmodel – who takes payment in living hearts – it nearly cost him his life to bring the monster down.
Now, two decades later, Sebastian has been recalled to the hunt by Antoine Avenel d’Ocerne, an estranged lover who shares a dark history with the Beast and a terrible secret with Sebastian. Drawn by both the chance to finish the Beast for good and the promise of a reconciliation with Antoine, Sebastian cannot refuse.
But Gévaudan is not as he remembers it, and Sebastian’s unfinished business is everywhere he looks. Years of misery have driven the people to desperation, and France teeters on the edge of revolution. Sebastian’s arcane activities – not to mention his demonic counterpart – have also attracted the inquisitorial eye of the French clergy. And the Beast is poised to close his jaws around them all and plunge the continent into war.
Debut author Cameron Sullivan tears the heart out of history with this darkly entertaining retelling of the hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan. Lifting the veil on the hidden world behind our own, it reimagines the story of Europe, from Imperial Rome to Saint Jehanne d’Arc, the madness of Gilles de Rais and the first flickers of the French Revolution.
The Red Winter completely took me by surprise! I received this eARC way back in 2025, so other than recalling that it was a story of the original werewolf legend, I knew very little. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was a tale told by a demon-possessed immortal man reflecting upon this chapter of his past.
Sebastian Grave is already impossibly ancient when he is summoned to fulfill a contract in Gévaudan, France. A contract he thought he had already filled several decades ago. It seems that the Beast of Gévaudan is not quite as dead as he had hoped. This is how Sebastian and his ever-present demonic companion, Sarmodel, find themselves alongside the son of the man Sebastian once fell in love with and who he may have inadvertently destroyed with that love. During the inexorable journey in the cold and wet, Sebastian recounts his original hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan. What unfolds is a gruesome tale that spans not just decades but centuries, for the Beast is no mere werewolf, but a man twisted by a powerful spirit that Sarmodel wishes to devour.
This is a fascinating tale full of sorcery, love, and old grudges. The age-old demonic versus angelic rivalry is presented as merely two sides of the same coin, constantly striving to consume energy for their respective masters. There are three separate timelines in this tale, not counting the brief chapters set in 2013 at the beginning and end. There’s the 1785 timeline where Sebastian journeys back to Gévaudan, the 1766 timeline where he first travels there hunting the Beast, and then the 1425 timeline, which follows Jehanne D’Arc (Joan of Arc). It’s not clear at first what this last timeline has to do with the Beast of Gévaudan, but as the story unfolds it ties in quite beautifully.
I really loved this story and it absolutely took me by surprise, largely because I expected it to be a somewhat run-of-the-mill historical fantasy. Sebastian and Sarmodel make an intriguing pair and though some explanation is given to their origins, I wish I knew even more. I would love another book following these characters and their other notable exploits, especially during the height of the Roman Empire. Livia, the succubus Sebastian has contracted into his service, is also a hoot, mostly because every single one of her lines oozes resentment at her servitude. She’s a piece of work and I’d love to know how she came to be beholden to Sebastian and Sarmodel. The Red Winter was an excellent read and has earned a solid 4.5 stars. I debated on whether or not to give it the full 5 stars, but at times the plot floundered a bit, particularly while chasing down the Beast in 1766. Either way, The Red Winter was a spectacular debut from Cameron Sullivan and I can’t wait to get my hands on future work from this author (hopefully following more of these characters’ exploits!).
Powder & Page 
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