The author of The Maiden delivers a deliciously dark tale of desire and duty set in 1589, as a young Danish princess must prove worthy of becoming the Queen for King James VI of Scotland.
'Women whisper secrets to each other; it is how we survive.'
1589. Princess Anna of Denmark is betrothed to King James VI of Scotland. Before they can wed, Anna must pass the trial period: one year of marriage to prove herself worthy of being Scotland's new Queen. Determined to fulfil her duties to King and country, Anna resolves to be the perfect royal bride. Until she meets Lord Henry . . .
By her side is Kirsten Sorenson, her loyal and pious lady-in-waiting. But, whilst tending to Anna's every need, Kirsten has her own secret motives for the royal marriage to succeed . . .
Meanwhile, in North Berwick, young housemaid Jura practises the healing charms taught to her by her mother. When she realizes she is no longer safe, she escapes to Edinburgh, only to find herself caught up in the witchcraft mania that has gripped not just the capital, but the new queen . . .
Will Anna, Kirsten and Jura be able to save each other and, in doing so, save themselves?
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781529091786
Number of pages: 336
Weight: 448 g
Dimensions: 227 x 145 x 30 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
Kate Foster is an exceptional writer and masterful storyteller with a resounding talent for making historical settings and characters exciting and relevant for today’s readers. Like her debut novel, The Maiden, The King's Witches is a masterpiece of the historical fiction genre - I literally didn’t look up from first page to last - Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal
The King's Witches is enthralling, compelling and at times chilling. Foster transports the reader back in time, bringing alive the forgotten and hidden voices of women in the past. An utterly timely tale that surpasses The Maiden, her rightly celebrated debut - D. V. Bishop, author of Ritual of Fire
With shades of The Familiars, this incredible tale of Princess Anna of Denmark's betrothal to King James VI, all set against the Scottish witch trials, had me absolutely gripped. Kate Foster has spun a beautifully written tale of love and duty, fear and courage, and I can't recommend it highly enough. I'm already beside myself to read her next! - Jenny Ashcroft, author of The Echoes of Love
Beautiful and brutal . . . a terrifyingly real story of how men control and fear us, and the extraordinary lengths some women have to go to in order to survive. - Claire Evans, author of The Graves of Whitechapel
A rich, compelling story of three women and their intersecting lives . . . I loved the combination of court intrigue and the Scottish witch trials, and how Foster skilfully uses both to explore the position of women at this point in time - Katie Lumsden, author of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
A gripping, poignant novel that gives voices to those so often unheard in historical accounts; the women caught up in seismic events. The stories of Anna, Kisten and Jura will stay with me long after I turned the last page - Elizabeth Lee, author of Cunning Women
I loved it! Each woman is totally relatable although also of their time. A book for cunning women with a cunning twist - Tina Baker, author of What We Did in the Storm
A tale of witchcraft, royal intrigue and, ultimately, the power women can wrest from men when they’re so minded. I loved it throughout, from the skilfully rendered characters to the granular descriptions of the women’s lives in 16th century Denmark and Scotland - Alison Belsham, author of The Innocent Angels
Rich in time and place, The King's Witches told through three distinctive female voices is an enchanting and compelling read which I could not put down. A lyrically beautiful page turner - Lin Anderson, author of The Wild Coast
Memorable and moving, The King’s Witches is a dramatically rich and absorbing tale - LoveReading.co.uk
The King’s Witches blends fact and fiction to bring the North Berwick witch trials to life in vivid, haunting detail - Culturefly
Using the perspectives of the three women . . . Foster cleverly weaves the three strands to create a compelling, page-turner of a story . . . The sights, smells and sounds of 16th-century Edinburgh are captured brilliantly. I was glued to this story from start to finish. - Historical Novel Society
You may also be interested in...
“Gripping historical novel”
A truly beautiful, shocking and gripping retelling of this historical story based around the North Berwick witch trials of 1590. It was interesting to read the perspective of the three main characters and how their... More
“Stunning!”
Witch. The very word can strike not only fear, but also biased misunderstanding, harmful thoughts, and even darker feelings, for we have always been told ever since the discovery of such beings to be afeared of such... More
“Refreshing take on our devastating history.”
#ad @netgalley eARC. But, I went on to buy the hardback myself!
What a fabulous read. I get it, for some, there may have been too many books on historical witch hunts. Some may wonder if we need another... but I...
More
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?