Lute

by Jennifer Thorne · 2023

On the sun‑kissed island of Lute, life seems blessed—perfect weather, health, and prosperity shield its residents from the war raging beyond its shores. Yet every seventh summer a dark pact is fulfilled: exactly seven people must die on the Day of the Tithe. Nina Treadway, a Floridian turned lady by marriage, scoffs at the superstitions surrounding the ritual, but when the Day begins, the island is plunged into a nightmarish cascade of loss and terror. As the community confronts grief, they also discover fierce solidarity, raw love, and an unyielding will to survive. By the end, Nina and the island are irrevocably changed, leaving readers haunted by a folk‑horror tale where duty and devotion clash with an ancient, unforgiving curse.