A powerful and fascinating book based on historical facts. The witch hunt happened all over Europe but it's the first time I read about SCandinavian countries.
The women in this book are strong, well plotted and pawns in a game of power and fear.
The author is a talented storyteller and delivered an excellent book.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This book grabbed me from the first few lines and did not let go until I was finished, wow .....
I do like stories about witches, especially those rooted in fact and history, and this was certainly one of the best I have read in a long time. Gritty and brutal in parts but fascinating to read.

Wow what a debut. Beautiful, emotional, haunting, powerful. This is as finely crafted a debut as I've had the pleasure to read in quite some time. The prose is immaculate, the pacing is perfectly balanced, and the characters are allowed time to breathe, to grow, to become the truest version of themselves. Nothing here is rushed, and it makes it all the more impactful for it.

This is a tale based on true events, with characters drawn from real people, and you can really feel it. It isn't a story for the faint of heart. It asks some harsh questions as it invites you to take a deeper look at these historic events, and to experience them for yourself. You'll sit in the dark, rancid squalor of the cells, you'll feel the cruelty and the torment, the pain of betrayal, of mistrust, of men's want of power and using any and every means to get it. Believe me you'll ache for these women, feel the pure brutality of their treatment, and you'll feel angry, so very angry.

The horrors of the witch trials are not shied away from. They are presented to you in a very real, very tangible way. You'll need a strong stomach, you'll want to turn away, to not see these events unfold; but it is your duty to these women to bear witness, to know their truth, and to always remember.

But along with such harsh brutality there is also a great deal of love, kindness, strength and loyalty to be found among these pages. It's a truly beautiful and magical read.

What a book to start the new year. This one will stay with me for a long time to come.

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

The setting of The Witches of Vardø, an isolated fishing community in a remote part of Norway in the latter half of the seventeenth century along with its subject matter, reminded me strongly of The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave which I read in 2021. And those who have read, as I have, books such as The Manningtree Witches by A. K. Blakemore or Widdershins by Helen Steadman will be familiar with accusations of witchcraft being levelled against women, especially those considered “different”, for instance women skilled in healing. Also how fear of association can turn a community against those accused, how natural events can be interpreted as portents of evil or how unconventional behaviour can be viewed as a sign of possession by the Devil.

We follow the story of Zigri’s arrest, imprisonment in the fortress at Vardø, and trial for witchcraft through the eyes of her eldest daughter, Ingeborg. Ingeborg is determined to rescue her mother and sets out to do so, placing herself and her younger sister in danger. She is accompanied by Maren, the daughter of a woman executed for witchcraft, who urges Ingeborg to trust in the power of women to resist the actions of men and seems able to harness the forces of nature in ways which introduce a supernatural element to the story.

Alongside this is the first person narrative of Anna Rhodius, former mistress of the King of Denmark, who has been banished to Vardø for reasons she does not understand, much like the unnamed queen in J. R. Thorp’s Learwife. She becomes convinced the way to restore her liberty is to assist the Governor of Finnmark in his mission to search out witches, viewed as a ‘blight’ on the kingdom of Denmark and held responsible for happenings such as storms, the loss of ships and the spread of disease. ‘Yes, yes, now I understand your intent because my exile was a ruse, a pretence, was it not? I am not prisoner but a soldier under your command.’ It results in her entering into an agreement with the Governor that is akin to ‘a pact with the Devil’. The dreadful consequences of the bargain she has made only become apparent much later, although as her own sad history is revealed we learn a little more about her motivation.

The chief male characters – Governor Christopher Orning and witch-hunter Bailiff Lockhert – are utterly vile. (A welcome contrast is provided by Zare, a young Sámi man, who plays a key role in Ingeborg’s endeavours, the Sámi themselves being a persecuted community.) Fuelled by a combination of lust for power, religious fanaticism and perverted misogyny, the cruelty and violence of Orning’s and Lockhert’s efforts to force the women accused of witchcraft to confess would be beyond belief were it not that they are based on historical fact, as the author explains in her fascinating afterword. There’s also a useful glossary to help with some of the Norwegian and Sámi words used in the book.

If a little slow-paced, The Witches of Vardø is a chilling story of prejudice, cruelty and ignorance with a great sense of time and place.

The Witches of Vardo by Anya Bergman 🔥

Ad-pr product: Thank you to Bonnier books for my advanced copy. What a powerful novel!

I absolutely adored The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave last year and this is set in a similar time and place. I was worried it would be a bit too similar but it was perfectly different and was a book I wanted to pick up again and again to find out what would happen to Ingeborg, the sixteen year old daughter of Zigri who has embarked on an affair with a local merchant and is accused of witchcraft. We also read the story of Anna who is writing letters to the king, as she finds herself imprisoned. She tries to help the women who plan for Zigri's escape.

There are some truly horrifying parts but I find the history of Vardo so fascinating, this was such a powerful read. You see the faults of the many women in the novel but you root for them, you hope that there will be an escape, you long for real justice. There is an epic ending with birds that I absolutely was there for!

I wouldn't say I was a fan of witchy reads in particular, I don't like the 'school of witches' trope but I am a fan of powerful women: women that break the norm, go against the patriarchy, even just by speaking out or contradicting a man, real women accused of witchcraft unjustly. I am definitely a fan of that!
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Content warnings: death by fire, stillbirth, rape.

The witching hour is upon us...

Norway, 1662. When recently widowed Zigri embarks on a doomed affair with the local merchant, she is inevitably sent to the fortress at Vardø to be tried and condemned as a witch.

Zigri's daughter Ingeborg sets off into the wilderness to try to bring her mother back home. Accompanying her on this quest is Maren - herself the daughter of a witch - whose wild nature and unconquerable spirit gives Ingeborg the courage to venture into the unknown, and to risk all she has to save her family.

Also captive in the fortress is Anna Rhodius, once the King of Denmark's mistress, who has been sent in disgrace to the island of Vardø. What will she do - and who will she betray - to return to her privileged life at court?

They will have justice. They will have power. They will not burn.

I loved this first novel and read it as fast as I could, it was so compelling. At first I was nervous as I had really adored 'the mercies' by Kiran Millwood Hargrave which covers similar ground but I need not have worried. The stories of Ingeborge, Maren, Anna and Kirsten each prisoners on the island of Vardo are passionate and powerful. The story weaves traditional tales along with a recreation of very real, horrific events at a time when all women were at risk of being accused of witchcraft. Lutheran doctrine gone mad.

I loved this. Please read it.

First of all I would like to thank the publishers Bonnier Books for such a captivating book

I love anything to do with the history of witchcraft this book did not Disappoint at all , oozed with magic heartbreak, love, and how women really needed to empower eachother in very hard times . The fact that this book is based on true events is fantastic

I really enjoyed the fact you see this story from two different points of view Anna and Ingeborg we follow them both are tortured and tormented being accused of witchcraft .ingeborg which her life turned upside down when she loses two of her family member her family really depends on here I think it's alot to deal with when you are having to fight to stay alive your self .

Anna I loved even tho she came across cold at times I think it's cause she was just trying to bloke everything out .I did enjoy learning about how Anna knew so much herbsand medicine she helped so many people yet she was looked apon as something unhuman .I did real feel for her the heartbreak she suffered

The book will have your head in a spin in the best way .you will rote for these amazing characters the book so fast paced .with such a great gothic feeling to it to . I highly recommend this if you love history of witchcraft.

Giving this 5 witchy stars 🌟

The Witches of Vardo is a gripping work of historical fiction set on the island of Vardo, Norway, during the witch trials that occurred in 1662 and 1663. Bergman has constructed a fascinating story that is full of suspense and mystery by drawing inspiration from genuine events and real characters. Zigri, a newly widowed woman, is the protagonist of this book. After a doomed affair with a local merchant, which results in her being brought to the stronghold of Vardo to be tried and sentenced, the tale follows Zigri on her journey.

At a time when even dancing could lead to accusations of witchcraft, the novel follows the story of Anna and Ingeborg, two very different women whose stories interweave together to form a complex and intricate tale. The novel is set in a time when even dancing could lead to accusations of witchcraft. Anna is a King's Prisoner who has been transported to the island of Vardo in order to stand trial for witchcraft, and Ingeborg is a local woman whose beliefs and morals are put to the test during the course of the story.

Bergman does an excellent job of evoking both the ambiance and the scenery of Norway, where the story is set. Even though it is an easy read, the facts of the witch trials and the allegations against women are disturbing and eye-opening. Bergman's descriptive language is evocative of the time period.

The Witches of Vardo is a book that takes readers back in time to some of the most historic witch trials that have ever taken place in Scandinavia. It is a fascinating and enlightening look into the beliefs and superstitions that were prevalent during that time period and the way in which they influenced the lives of people who were not responsible for their consequences. I found the pacing a bit glacial at times which brought my rating down a bit but overall a solid piece of work.

Based on real life events - the Norwegian witch trials in the 17th century, this is a reclamation of stories that deserve to be told.
I thoroughly enjoy reading this book, the author writes beautifully and the story just flows. I am a bit biased when the storyline involves Witches but I can say that this book will not let you down!
Although the story alternates between the main characters frequently, the reader easily understands all character's paths and their contribution at such a difficult time in history for women.


Thank you so much to @manilla_press and @anyabergmanwriter for the opportunity of reviewing and reading this great book!

This historical fiction set in the utmost north of Norway had me spellbound. The story is told by two voices, that of Anna who just arrives from Bergen, and Ingeborg, a daughter to a widow. It's 1662, and anything can get you accused of witchcraft, from dancing, a stillborn child, to too much knowledge of herbal remedies. Of course, someone is accused of witchcraft and it's up to these ladies to somehow get her freed again.

I enjoyed the short chapters, alternating the point of views, and the Sami folklore that was interspersed.

This was published just yesterday, but the early reviews are all praising this book. I really wonder if this will be a big book this year.

I absolutely inhaled this book, such beautiful writing, haunting settings (I now need to read more of Norways history) and fantastic characters, most of who we’re empowering in their own right/way.

This read shows perfectly what woman of those times faced, and the author has really brought this too life, I could envisage the characters and felt I was right their with them, especially the ‘dance’

A shoutout to the author for the glossary and fact/fiction at the end.

If you are looking to get into fiction, you won’t go wrong with this, and will fall in love with the genre

My thanks to Bonnier Books U.K. Manilla Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Witches of Vardø’ by Anya Bergman.

This powerful work of historical fiction draws on the records of the witch trials in 17th Century Norway, focusing on the lives of a number of women caught up in these events.

Norway, 1662. This is a dangerous time to be a woman, especially one who steps outside the prescribed roles of wife and mother. Even dancing can lead to lurid accusations of witchcraft.

Recently widowed Zigri Sigvaldsdatter is sent to the fortress at Vardø to be tried as a witch when her affair with a local merchant is discovered. Her daughter Ingeborg sets off into the wilderness to seek a way to bring her mother home. She is accompanied by Maren, herself the daughter of a condemned witch. Maren has a wild, unconquerable spirit and gives Ingeborg the courage to venture into the unknown and to risk all she has to save her family.

Anna Rhodius was once the King of Denmark's mistress and has been sent into exile on the island of Vardø. She is gifted in healing and the creation of potions. More than anything Anna wants to return to her privileged life at court; yet who will she be willing to betray to achieve this end? While of a higher social class to the other women she remains vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft.

Are the Witches of Vardø victims of the injustices of their age or do they possess powers that can set them free? Some of the accusations made against the women were so bizarre, clearly the product of fevered imaginations.

I found Bergman’s writing atmospheric and beautiful. Her chapters alternate between the perspectives of Anna and Ingeborg. I especially enjoyed the incorporation of various folktales into the narrative including those of the Sámi people. The visionary transformation of the witches into birds was very evocative and reminded me of the portrayal in Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ of the northern witches, who were also gifted with weather magic.

Following the main text in ‘On Fact and Fiction’, Anya Bergman shares details of the events on Vardø during 1662-3 and commemorates the names of the twenty women who died during those years as well as those who were acquitted. She also mentions the Steilneset Memorial completed in 2011 that honours all those who died during the witch trials. For those who wish to delve deeper she provides a number of nonfiction sources as well as an informative glossary.

Overall, ‘The Witches of Vardø’ is an incredible debut and a superb example of literary historical fiction. It is extremely engaging and meticulously researched. I had a real sense of the deep connection that Anya Bergman felt to her subject.

Highly recommended.

It's truly a dangerous time when a dance at Midsummer can lead you to imprisonment in a 'witch hole' and fighting for your life by Christmas- but this is the fate of a group of women from a tiny fishing village find themselves in. Another prisoner, exiled to Vardo for being too vocal a woman, is chosen as their interrogator. This is a story of what happens when you're a woman who just doesn't fit in- and how men will go to any length to suppress female power, whether real or imagined.

Based on a real spate of witch trials, we follow two of the women- Ingeborg, daughter of a troubled woman and accused witch, who finds herself imprisoned with her mother, and Anna, a woman exiled to Vardo for essentially being too opinionated. What follows is a breathtaking story of bravery, betrayal and resistance. I loved it.

What a beautiful story - full of emotion, magic and strength.
I loved Ingeborg and Maren - such strong female characters. So young but full of fight and life and with an inbuilt spirit for all the injustice women faced.
The switch between the chapters between Ingeborg and Anna gave an interesting different perspective to the story - both their history and life within the fortress.
I loved the folklore and magic within the story - stories told by the women gave hope and strength at times when all seemed lost and I loved the friendship and loyalty shown.
Anya Bergman doesn’t shy away from the horror of the witch trials and some of the descriptions of what these women endured were graphic and detailed.

Norway, 1662. When recently widowed Zigri embarks on a doomed affair with the local merchant, she is inevitably sent to the fortress at Vardø to be tried and condemned as a witch.

Zigri's daughter Ingeborg sets off into the wilderness to try to bring her mother back home. Accompanying her on this quest is Maren - herself the daughter of a witch - whose wild nature and unconquerable spirit gives Ingeborg the courage to venture into the unknown, and to risk all she has to save her family.

Also captive in the fortress is Anna Rhodius, once the King of Denmark's mistress, who has been sent in disgrace to the island of Vardø. What will she do - and who will she betray - to return to her privileged life at court?

They will have justice. They will have power. They will not burn.

Thrilling and utterly compulsive! An incredible read, impossible to put down. Incredible storytelling! Recommend you read this book! A propulsive read that never let me go from start to finish!

Historical fiction and fable are weaved throughout this brilliant book, based on real events.

Anna is prisoner on the island of Vardo, betrayed by husband and former lover, King Frederick. She believes he has sent her as his missive, to help wipe out witchcraft, and offers to interview the imprisoned women in order to gain their confessions.

Ingeborg has left her home with Maren to search for her mother Zigri, accused and arrested for practising witchcraft.

A stark reminder of the truth of women's treatment at the hands of weak and callous men, this book is full of strong, amazing women who prove that the human spirit is strong, and that collectively women have immense strength. I loved the fables and wonderfully atmospheric description and was thoroughly immersed in this important story.

Based on the real life witch trials in Norway in the 17th Century, this story focuses on the lives of Anna, Ingeborg and Maren, all who are strong women who draw suspicion for not conforming to societal norms of the time. Each of the women comes to be imprisoned by the King and faces trial and execution unless they can prove their innocence.

This is a dark and densely packed story of the lives of women at the time, and the horrific way many were treated - beatings and rape, imprisonment and abandonment, shaming and torture. Despite this, the strength of the women sines through and ultimately this is an uplifting tale of female solidarity and empowerment (for those that survive).

A brutal, breathtaking book based on the persecution of witches in 17th century Norway. This read was chilling on an atmospheric and emotional level, and I could not put it down. I found Inge's narrative especially compelling as she navigates her own beliefs in a world that has brainwashed her into thinking she and all other women are essentially just waiting for the Devil to turn them into witches. Many passages in this book were harsh, brutal glimpses into women's realities that have not gone away over the years, just changed with progress of technology and patriarchy. The stark, cold lives all women in this book, not just the narrators or the witches, have been forced into is reflected in the winter world that Bergman describes so beautifully. The difference is that nature offers respite and release from the oppression of the men's world; in snow and ice the girls find the freedom they crave. This is the perfect winter read and a fascinating look into a little known piece of history.

The Witches of Vardø by Anya Bergman, is a violent story of misogyny at its absolute worst. It takes a very real look at the awful events which took place on the Island of Vardø between 1662 and 1663 when more than 90 people, Norwegian and Sami, were executed for the crime of witchcraft.

Ingeborg lives with her family in a fishing town on the Norwegian coast, but the tragedy of loosing both her father and her beloved brother, will cause Ingeborg’s mother to enter into a scandalous affair with the local Barons son which will ultimately have her accused of witchcraft and imprisoned on the Island of Vardø.

Anna Rhodius, one time mistress of The King is also sent to Vardø in disgrace. There she assumes the role of witch hunter in order to gain a pardon and return to her home in Denmark.

This was a very ambitious undertaking, to try to bring a fresh offering to what is now a hugely popular sub genre of historical fiction and I think the author does a solid job. She created interesting, multi-dimensional characters who were brawny and believable and I really enjoyed this strong powerful female narrative.

Knowing these characters are based off real women makes the persecution and torture difficult to read and it will tear open a witch wound in many readers, but all the violence aside, there is also a wonderful tale filled with storytelling, magic, myth and sisterhood. I appreciate that the author also includes some non-fiction resorces at the end for obsessive people like me 😁. If you’re interested in books relating to witch trials then you will enjoy this one. (Not sure if ENJOY is the appropriate verb 😬)

“…for it was easier to blame the Devil for the bruises on their wives and daughters; easier to blame witches for their emptied barrels of beer. Easier to brand the maids heavy with unwanted pregnancies as followers of the Devil”

Recently I took one of those DNA tests to see where my ancestors came from. Not too surprising 98% of my DNA comes from the Celtic origins of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but I did have a tiny percentage of Finnmark DNA in there, the very tip of Norway where the Island of Vardø lies!

Thank you @netgalley and @ for an advanced readers copy in return for an honest review

The Witches of Vardø is out January 5th, 2023