The Witches of Moonshyne Manor
A Halloween novel
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- 29,00 kr
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- 29,00 kr
Utgivarens beskrivning
“Bianca Marais is a genius” — Ann Patchett, #1 New York Times bestselling author
A coven of modern-day witches. A magical heist-gone-wrong. A looming threat.
Five octogenarian witches gather as an angry mob threatens to demolish Moonshyne Manor. All eyes turn to the witch in charge, Queenie, who confesses they’ve fallen far behind on their mortgage payments. Still, there’s hope, since the imminent return of Ruby—one of the sisterhood who’s been gone for thirty-three years—will surely be their salvation.
But the mob is only the start of their troubles. One man is hellbent on avenging his family for the theft of a legacy he claims was rightfully his. In an act of desperation, Queenie makes a bargain with an evil far more powerful than anything they’ve ever faced. Then things take a turn for the worse when Ruby’s homecoming reveals a seemingly insurmountable obstacle instead of the solution to all their problems.
The witches are determined to save their home and themselves, but their aging powers are no match for increasingly malicious threats. Thankfully, they get a bit of help from Persephone, a feisty TikToker eager to smash the patriarchy. As the deadline to save the manor approaches, fractures among the sisterhood are revealed, and long-held secrets are exposed, culminating in a fiery confrontation with their enemies.
Funny, tender and uplifting, the novel explores the formidable power that can be discovered in aging, found family and unlikely friendships. Marais’ clever prose offers as much laughter as insight, delving deeply into feminism, identity and power dynamics while stirring up intrigue and drama through secrets, lies and sex. Heartbreaking and heart-mending, it will make you grateful for the amazing women in your life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Marais (Hum If You Don't Know the Words) entwines feminism and magic in this occasionally goofy contemporary fantasy about a coven of octogenarian witches who are targeted by men who want to turn their manor house into a recreation center called "Men's World." Everything changed for the coven 33 years earlier, when a magical heist gone wrong left one of their number unable to leave the manor and landed another in prison. Now all are past their prime and barely scraping by. Due to missed payments, they're on the brink of losing Moonshyne Manor, where they live and make magical booze that keeps the men of Critchley Hackle docile (and therefore less prone to witch hunts). When the townsmen arrive in an angry mob, it's only the intervention of the mayor's teenage daughter, Persephone, that prevents the early demolition of the manor. With the deadline for making up missed payments fast approaching—and another, darker consequence on the horizon—the witches must relocate the loot from that long-ago heist or lose everything. Nothing here is subtle, but Marais reins in the jokey exaggeration at just the right moments, punctuating the plot with genuine tenderness. With an abundance of sisterhood, witchcraft, and hijinks, this is sure to draw readers in.