Four hundred years separate them.
One book binds them.
Glasgow 2024: Clem waits by her daughter's hospital bed. Erin was found on an idyllic beach in Fynhallow Bay, Orkney with catastrophic burns and only one memory: her name is Nyx.
But how did she get these burns? And how did her boyfriend end up burned alive?
Orkney 1594: accused of witchcraft, Alison Balfour awaits trial. The punishment? To be burned alive.
Separated by four hundred years but bound by the Book of Witching, two women stand imperilled. Can they unlock a centuries-old mystery? And will Fynhallow Bay give up its secrets before someone else dies?
***
***
To His Royal Highness and Majesty, King James VI, Most Glorious and Sacred of all God's Creatures, I beseech thee, cousin, to consider this letter when I know you remain displeased with the persistent matter of my debts - verily, these will be resolved swiftly - but a matter has arisen here upon the isles of Orkney that forces my hand, and which I trust may find you in a temper of compassion (21 AUGUST 1594).
***
(@HarperCollinsUK, 10 October 2024, 365 pages, copy from the publisher via @NetGalley)
***
I'm a huge fan of the author and really wanted to read The Book of Witching. I loved this book. I loved the fact the chapters alternate between 1594 and 2024 so you are gradually fed Erin and Alison's story and need to keep reading to find out what the connections between both stories is. Both narratives were compelling and I enjoyed them equally. I wanted to know if Alison would be found guilty of witchcraft and be burned or if the strange clan she belonged to would save her somehow. I also wanted to know what happened to Erin and her friends on the beach. This is well-written and engrossing. I'd highly recommend this book.
