The King's Witches cover art

The King's Witches

A Bewitching Feminist Historical Novel from the Women's Prize Longlisted Author of The Maiden

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The King's Witches

By: Kate Foster
Narrated by: Rhianna McGreevy, Paula Masterton, Kristin Atherton
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About this listen

The King’s Witches by Kate Foster is a compelling and beautiful historical novel that gives voices to the women at the heart of the real-life witch trials in sixteenth-century 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 . . .

'Enthralling, compelling and at times chilling . . . An utterly timely tale' – D. V. Bishop, prize-winning author of Ritual of Fire

'A beautifully written tale of love and duty, fear and courage' – Jenny Ashcroft, bestselling author of The Echoes of Love

'A gripping, poignant novel that gives voices to those so often unheard in historical accounts' – Elizabeth Lee, author of Cunning Women

*The Maiden was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction on 05/03/2024

 Christian Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Medieval Royalty Women's Fiction World Literature Scotland Witchcraft Magic Magic Users Marriage

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Critic 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)
An utterly compelling novel that held me captive until I turned the last page (Marion Todd, author of Bridges to Burn)
Memorable and moving, The King’s Witches is a dramatically rich and absorbing tale
All stars
Most relevant
I loved this tale loosely based on historic events.. I could imagine the plotting and twists and these men judging. Woman persecuted for being just woman

For once justice seemed to be taken

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Brilliant historical fiction bringing to life the reality of peoples views of 16th witches and life, could not stop listening but now sad it has finished, great narrator

Could not stop listening new favourite author

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Author takes a piece of history and weaves it into a compelling, moving and fascinating story. Narration is excellent. Really opened my eyes to the historical struggle and oppression of witchcraft trials. Really, really excellent.

Another cracking read/listen from Kate Foster

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The book was very well narrated. The characters were interesting and varied, the plot well structured and the events around beliefs in witchcraft fascinating.

Absorbing storyline with interesting historical events

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I was engrossed by this story; I loved it. The characters are well-developed and I wasn’t sure until the end what would happen to Jura. Man’s treatment and beliefs around women in history, and the oppression caused as a result, were abhorrent.

Beautifully written and excellently narrated

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