Two sisters set sail on a bride ship from Normandy hoping to leave a curse behind them and find better lives in the wilds of 17th-century Quebec, only to meet a mysterious witch who forces them to confront the truth about magic—and their past. For fans of Emilia Hart, Sarah Penner, Alix E. Harrow, Ami McKay, and Roberta Rich.
Élisabeth Jossard boards a bride ship to New France with her sister Marthe, forced to start a new life after a scandal in her village in Normandy. She’s harbouring a dark secret and hopes that by coming to Montreal—the holiest place in the world, she’s been told—the saints will hear her pleas and lift the curse that plagues her.
When Élisabeth’s prayers go unanswered and she is unable to banish the spirit she believes is tormenting her, Marthe encourages her to turn to a powerful witch for help, the enigmatic stowaway Jeanne Roy. But Jeanne has secrets of her own, and when she refuses to help, Élisabeth’s resentment kindles a dangerous fire.
Inspired by the tales of Canada’s Filles du Roi, The Winter Witch examines how lies, arrogance, and ignorance can lead to witch hunts in any society.
“Jennifer Chevalier writes the best kind of historical fiction—brimming with enticing details, sparkling dialogue, and unforgettable characters. I was utterly enchanted by The Winter Witch.”
— AMI MCKAY, #1 bestselling author of The Witches of New York
“A rollicking portrait of the filles du roi that centers these young vulnerable women and turns them into feisty, searching, transgressive heroines. Their superstitions make the book alive with magic and strangeness. It is surprising, disturbing, and triumphant. You will find yourself rooting for these young witches and their destinies until the very last page.”
— HEATHER O’NEILL, bestselling author of The Capital of Dreams
“This story pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. The Winter Witch is a deeply engaging tale about the importance of questioning the narratives we are taught and told, and the profound power of female bonds. A magical read.”
— TARA GEREAUX, author of Wild People Quiet
“A vivid and wonderful book. It is a great challenge for writers of historical fiction to recreate the past as a wholly imagined world, but Chevalier has met this challenge and created characters who are well realized and engaging.”
— ROBERTA RICH, bestselling author of The Jazz Club Spy
