The King’s Witches – A Bewitching Feminist Historical Novel

About this book

As Independent Scottish booksellers, we write all of our descriptions personally, we hope you enjoy this one.

In 1589, Princess Anne of Denmark arrives in Scotland to marry King James VI under the sharp gaze of a court eager to test her worth. For one year, her place as queen is provisional, her conduct watched and judged. At her side, her maid Kirsten Sorenson understands how much depends on the marriage’s success, and how dangerous failure could be for them both.

Far from the court, in North Berwick, a young housemaid named Jura practices the healing charms taught by her mother. What has always been quiet knowledge soon becomes a liability, as fear hardens into accusation and neighbours turn on one another.

The King’s Witches moves between palace and village, listening closely to women whose lives are shaped by power they do not control. As witch trials take hold, survival depends on unlikely alliances and shared courage. Set against a Scotland gripped by suspicion and religious fervour, the novel explores how friendship and solidarity offer resistance when belief becomes weaponised and mercy is in short supply.