The Witches of Vardo

The Witches of Vardo
Author: Anya Bergman
Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre Ltd.
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2023-01-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1786581930

They will have justice. They will show their power. They will not burn. 'Three women's fight for survival in a time of madness' Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies Norway, 1662. A dangerous time to be a woman, when even dancing can lead to accusations of witchcraft. After recently widowed Zigri's affair with the local merchant is discovered, she is sent to the fortress at Vardø to be tried as a witch. Zigri's daughter Ingeborg sets off into the wilderness to try to bring her mother back home. Accompanying her on this quest is Maren - herself the daughter of a witch - whose wild nature and unconquerable spirit gives Ingeborg the courage to venture into the unknown, and to risk all she has to save her family. Also captive in the fortress is Anna Rhodius, once the King of Denmark's mistress, who has been sent in disgrace to the island of Vardø. What will she do - and who will she betray - to return to her privileged life at court? These Witches of Vardø are stronger than even the King. In an age weighted against them, they refuse to be victims. They will have their justice. All they need do is show their power. 'An intricately woven, timeless novel about prejudice, misogyny, freedom and the power and strength we can find within' - Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo 'A passionate indictment of the patriarchy ... a vibrant exaltation of the resilience of women ... Anya Bergman summons a historic witch trial with breathtaking detail and immediacy' Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites 'Brilliant and powerful. Haunting and beautifully written. A complex and gripping novel reclaiming and retelling the stories of the women accused of witchcraft in Norway. Hugely atmospheric. Read it!' - Liz Hyder, author of The Gifts

The Mercies

The Mercies
Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2020-02-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0316529222

The women in an Arctic village must survive a sinister threat after all the men are wiped out by a catastrophic storm in this "gripping novel inspired by a real-life witch hunt. . . . Beautiful and chilling" (Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe). When the women take over, is it sorcery or power? Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Magnusdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the skies break into a sudden and reckless storm. All forty of the village’s men were at sea, including Maren’s father and brother, and all forty are drowned in the otherworldly disaster. For the women left behind, survival means defying the strict rules of the island. They fish, hunt, and butcher reindeer—which they never did while the men were alive. But the foundation of this new feminine frontier begins to crack with the arrival of Absalom Cornet, a man sent from Scotland to root out alleged witchcraft. Cornet brings with him the threat of danger—and a pretty, young Norwegian wife named Ursa. As Maren and Ursa are drawn to one another in ways that surprise them both, the island begins to close in on them, with Absalom's iron rule threatening Vardø's very existence. "The Mercies has a pull as sure as the tide. It totally swept me away to Vardø, where grief struck islanders stand tall in the shadow of religious persecution and witch burnings. It's a beautifully intimate story of friendship, love and hope. A haunting ode to self-reliant and quietly defiant women." (Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize winning author of Shuggie Bain)

The Witches of Vardø

The Witches of Vardø
Author: Anya Bergman
Publisher: Manilla Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023-09
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781786581952

THE WITCHES ARE COMING! 'Glorious and vivid ... It swept me away...' - Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo

Climate, Catastrophe, and Faith

Climate, Catastrophe, and Faith
Author: Philip Jenkins
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2021
Genre: History
ISBN: 0197506216

"[The author] draws out the complex relationship between religion and climate change. He shows that the religious movements and ideas that emerge from climate shocks often last for many decades, and become a familiar part of the religious landscape, even though their origins in particular moments of crisis may be increasingly consigned to remote memory" -- From jacket flap.

The Witch of Bergen

The Witch of Bergen
Author: Meriam Wilhelm
Publisher: Meiam Wilhelm
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2022-08-24
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

Can two hearts really reconnect over time and space? Will love conquer all or will Carynn and her dreams be swallowed up in a cauldron of fear, deceit and murder? Carynn Cinnamon never imagined that purchasing a simple painting from a second-hand shop in Palm Springs would drag her back in time to the cobbled streets of Bergen, Norway in the 1600’s. Desperately trying to hold on to her present day life, Carynn is challenged by a jumbled collection of memories that may or may not be her own. Is her past truly steeped in witchcraft, magic and murder? And what of the handsome Norwegian who claims to be her husband from the past? Are both her mystical heritage and her heart really tied to this man? Carynn must fight for her life and the lives of witches everywhere as she searches for her place in this most unfamiliar world.

Evoked

Evoked
Author: Olivia Martinez
Publisher: Olivia Martinez
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2021-10-30
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780578256757

Four feuding magical factions, two forbidden lovers, and one empty coffin... a potentially deadly combination. Valerie just wants a "normal" life like anyone else. But when her younger brother dies and his body goes missing, her life feels far from ordinary. After being dragged into a lake by a mysterious force and entering a world of paranormal magical forces, she realizes her life has truly twisted upside down. In this new world, Valerie discovers that four groups of 'Elementals' have the power to control the elements: the Icis control water, the Ignis control fire, the Ventus control wind, and the Natura control earth. As if this isn't confusing enough, Valerie discovers that she not only has powers herself, but she is a mix between two elements - a rare and forbidden attribute in the magical world. However, her powers need to be evoked before she can use them to defend herself from certain death, and no one is keen to help her. When Valerie meets the enigmatic Levi, a mixed elemental himself, the lines between emotions and loyalties become blurred, and she finds herself in an even more dangerous position than before. In order to stop a full-scale war from breaking out, the pair must learn to get along and evoke Valerie's powers before it's too late. The pair's enemies soon start to mount up, determined to stop the "half breeds" from realizing their true powers. When a mole within their ranks starts to leak information to the enemy, Valerie and Levi need to find out who it is. And perhaps the mole is closer to home than any of them know... Will Valerie finally get the powers that have been hidden from her since birth? And will she and Levi be able to put their feelings for each other aside, so they can save the world and themselves from destruction? "Evoked" is book 1 in the Ethos Series of paranormal romance books that will leave you on the edge of your seat, eager to flip the pages to find out what happens next. Full of twists, turns, shocks, and secrets, this story will be sure to hook you in from the very first page and spark your imagination. Join Valerie on the adventure of a lifetime - full of magic, love... and danger. Content warning: This book is for adults 18+ and contains themes that some readers may find distressing.

Plain Kate

Plain Kate
Author: Erin Bow
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2010-09-01
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0545328764

A debut novel that's as sharp as a knife's point. Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden charms are so fine that some even call her "witch-blade" -- a dangerous nickname in a town where witches are hunted and burned in the square.

Beheld

Beheld
Author: TaraShea Nesbit
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2020-03-17
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1635573238

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year A Publishers Weekly Best Fiction Book of 2020 Most Anticipated Books of 2020 - Vogue, Medium, LitHub Honoree for the 2021 Society of Midland Authors Prize Finalist for the 2021 Ohioana Book Award in fiction A Massachusetts Book Awards “Must Read Book” From the bestselling author of The Wives of Los Alamos comes the riveting story of a stranger's arrival in the fledgling colony of Plymouth, Massachusetts-and a crime that shakes the divided community to its core. Ten years after the Mayflower pilgrims arrived on rocky, unfamiliar soil, Plymouth is not the land its residents had imagined. Seemingly established on a dream of religious freedom, in reality the town is led by fervent puritans who prohibit the residents from living, trading, and worshipping as they choose. By the time an unfamiliar ship, bearing new colonists, appears on the horizon one summer morning, Anglican outsiders have had enough. With gripping, immersive details and exquisite prose, TaraShea Nesbit reframes the story of the pilgrims in the previously unheard voices of two women of very different status and means. She evokes a vivid, ominous Plymouth, populated by famous and unknown characters alike, each with conflicting desires and questionable behavior. Suspenseful and beautifully wrought, Beheld is about a murder and a trial, and the motivations-personal and political-that cause people to act in unsavory ways. It is also an intimate portrait of love, motherhood, and friendship that asks: Whose stories get told over time, who gets believed-and subsequently, who gets punished?

Cunning Women

Cunning Women
Author: Elizabeth Lee
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2021-04-22
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1473581370

ONE OF GRAZIA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2021 'I loved it. Atmospheric and so good' MARIAN KEYES 'A dark, bewitching and captivating read that had my heart in my mouth by the ending' JENNIFER SAINT, author of ARIADNE Lancashire, 1620. Young Sarah Haworth and her family live as outcasts. They are 'cunning folk', feared by the local villagers by day, but called upon under cover of darkness for healing balms and spells. Against the odds, love blossoms when Sarah meets Daniel, the local farmer's son. But when a new magistrate arrives to investigate a spate of strange deaths, his gaze inevitably turns to Sarah and her family. In a world where cunning women are forced into darkness by powerful men, can Sarah reckon with her fate to protect all she holds dear? 'Fans of intensely atmospheric historical fiction will love this' STYLIST 'Elizabeth Lee's debut novel is timely in its depiction of hysteria and persecution, and beautifully evokes a historical period poised between dark ignorance and long-overdue enlightenment' OBSERVER 'Wonderfully original . . . devastating . . . and fabulously atmospheric' ELODIE HARPER, author of THE WOLF DEN