by Cathryn Kemp
First published 2026
Þuríður Jónsdóttir watches her father and brother practice rune magic in their Icelandic village. She has grown up honoring the old gods while the Protestant Reformation sweeps across the land of ice and fire. When witch hunting fever grips Iceland in 1655, the accused are not women but learned men. Her father and brother face condemnation as witches and burning at the stake. Þuríður cannot save them from their fate. Lutheran Pastor Jón Magnússon then sets his sights on her. Unlike other victims, Þuríður refuses to submit quietly to persecution. She prepares to fight the patriarchal forces closing in around her. The village must choose sides as religious and social upheaval transforms their world. This woman's battle against injustice unfolds during Iceland's most notorious witch trial.
Genres: biography, drama, historical-fiction, feminist-theory
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, defiant, intense, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-tragedy, resistance-against-injustice, strong-female-lead
Setting: Iceland
Period: 1655, Reformation
400 pages · Hardcover · Transworld Publishers
Content warnings: death, sexism, violence