Island Witch
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4.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
"Every once in a while, a book comes along that drops you into another world and takes you places you never could imagine. This is that book. An astounding accomplishment!"
—R. L. Stine, author of Goosebumps
Set in nineteenth-century Sri Lanka and inspired by local folklore, Island Witch follows the daughter of a traditional demon-priest—relentlessly bullied by peers and accused of witchcraft herself—tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been terrorizing her coastal village.
Being the daughter of the village Capuwa, or demon-priest, Amara is used to keeping mostly to herself. Influenced by the new religious practices brought in by the British Colonizers, the villagers who once respected her father’s craft have turned on the family. Yet, they all still seem to call on him whenever supernatural disturbances arise.
Now someone—or something—is viciously seizing upon men in the jungle. But instead of enlisting Amara’s father’s help, the villages have accused him of carrying out the attacks himself.
As she tries to clear her father’s name, Amara finds herself haunted by dreams that eerily predict the dark forces on her island. And she can’t shake the feeling that it’s all connected to the night she was recovering from a strange illness, and woke up, scared and confused, to hear her mother’s frantic cries: No one can find out what happened.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jayatissa (You're Invited) goes gothic in her third book, a glacially paced but grim and gristly tale of demonic possession and secret violence against women in 19th-century Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka). Amara Akki is the only daughter of Thaththa, the local Capuwa, a spirit worker who is "mostly called upon to bless houses, cut limes to ward off the evil eye, administer tonics." However, the British have introduced the idea of witchcraft to Ceylon, and allying with them means adapting to their ideas and converting to Christianity. So when a series of men are attacked in the jungle, Amara's father is branded a "demon worshiper" and becomes the chief suspect. Amara can't believe her father is guilty and instead suspects that one of the aides to the village headman may have a personal axe to grind against Thaththa. With the help of her new friend Bhagya, Amara sets out to investigate. Meanwhile, her sleepwalking grows increasingly out of hand and she begins to have horrifying dreams of a "demoness" who bears a striking resemblance to the being said to have attacked the men. Jayatissa successfully conjures a spooky atmosphere, but the central mystery is lacking and the plot twists are telegraphed too early. The non-European setting is a welcome break from the norm, however, and the slow, eerie revenge plot offers some chills. It's not perfect, but this will likely find its fans.
