First published 2026
Ava arrives at Radcliffe College from small-town Maine, where she meets Lauren, a rebellious daughter of Cambridge elite. The two young women seem opposites but share something deeper. Both get recruited into the Lilith Society, a clandestine group of witches that traces its roots to colonial times. Named for Adam's first wife who refused submission, the society carries forward the memory of women drowned as witches while Puritan crows watched from the trees. As Ava and Lauren master their newfound abilities, their friendship deepens into something more complex. But 1950s Cambridge harbors old dangers beneath its intellectual surface. McCarthyism threatens the creative community around them. Girls from the Lilith Society start vanishing without explanation. Ava and Lauren realize the witch hunts that once plagued Massachusetts never truly ended. They must navigate their growing power while protecting themselves and their sisterhood from forces that would destroy them.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, fantasy, contemporary, magic, academic
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, secret-society
Setting: Cambridge, Maine, Massachusetts, Radcliffe College
Period: 1950s
416 pages · Hardcover · Scribner
Content warnings: abuse, violence