The Kings Witches by Kate Foster. I didn’t think I would like this as much as I did but I bloody loved it. Anne of Denmark is coming over to Scotland to marry a James and the world has gone a bit mad witch burning. There is a serving girl and a stroppy wife and I loved it. Everyone is very interesting and the fear of being accused of being a witch really hits home. It also highlights the utter madness of men when massive hysteria got hold of them back in the day. Very much recommend.

I discovered this book to be quite captivating. It is a brilliantly written historical fiction novel that delves into the North Berwick Witch Trials. The story is narrated from the perspectives of three women who were involved in the trial, one of whom is Princess Anna of Denmark, who later became the Queen of Scotland. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it to enthusiasts of historical fiction, particularly those who appreciate a touch of witchcraft in their reading material

It is well documented that King James VI of Scotland had a dangerous obsession for witchcraft which led, in part, to the persecution of witches throughout Scotland. Later when he became King James I of England this determination to be rid of witches continued. This fascinating story looks at the very beginnings of this obsession with the arrival of Princess Anne of Denmark who is betrothed to James and whose journey to Scotland from Stockholm was delayed due to a great storm which is attributed to the work of witchcraft. With emotions running high in Edinburgh a young housemaid called Jura, who has inherited her mother's skill at healing, becomes caught up in in this deadly hysteria and so we start to feel the full force of witchcraft mania and how it affected those women who had little chance of escaping it.

The King's Witches is an interesting look at Scottish court intrigue and the demands placed upon the young Danish Princess who arrived in a strange country already betrothed to a man she had never met and with the added stipulation that Anne was to be on a years trial to determine her suitability to be Queen of Scotland. James I's suitability to be her husband was, of course, never questioned but he doesn't come across well and history continues to judge him harshly for his persecution of innocent women. There is a definite emotional pull to the story which focuses on the fear and superstition of living through a volatile and dangerous time.

Imaginatively written, filled with an authentic historical feel, the story moves along well and I was soon caught up in the fear and politics of sixteenth century Scotland.

This book follows three women, Anna Queen of Scots before she is queen of scots, her ladies maid, Kirsten and a maid from North Berwick, Jura.

I absolutely love the way the book starts, the setting is set immediately and the atmosphere created is both intense and exciting.

The three women's stories are interwoven so well, with each women having distinct voices and their own secrets. I learned so much about the scottish witch trials, which I admit I don't know a huge amount about.

This book had everything, with atmosphere, interesting characters and historical feminism, I loved it.

I've read my fair share of Witchlit and October seems a perfect month to explore this area. Some books use an historical event upon which to base their story and the Kings Witches by Kater Foster takes that approach.

This grips you right from the very start with the emotional scene of the main characters forced to watch the burning of a witch, followed by a cursed sea voyage for Princess Anna of Denmark on her journey to wed King James in Scotland. What follows is a cleverly plotted story filled with unexpected twists and turns. The book has a claustrophobic feel for all the main characters - the Princess on trial to prove herself worthy to unite Denmark and Scotland under the union of marriage, Kirsten who holds a closely guarded secret and Jura who discovers the injustice of her word against that of a privileged landowner and employer resulting in claims of witchcraft.

It is beautifully written and once you start you won't want to put it down. The characters are written with empathy and each of their stories told vividly. The one line that will stay with me is: 'Women whisper secrets to each other; it is how we survive.' Although it relates within the historical context of the story, it feels relevant in a world where women's rights and their voices continue to be eroded.

Having adored this author’s previous novel, I was very excited to read this work of historical fiction based on the real-life witch trials that swept through Scotland in the sixteenth century.

The novel follows the perspectives of three different women – Princess Anna of Denmark, who is betrothed to King James, but in love with one of his courtiers, her lady’s maid Kirsten, who has a connection with Scotland and fears the mania around witchcraft starting to sweep the Scottish court, and a young cunning woman named Jura, who uses her knowledge to help residents in her Scottish village, but whose life will change forever once the King’s fear of witches begins to sweep the country.

As with the author’s previous work, this is meticulously well researched and provides a wonderful sense of the time and place. The characters, some real and some fictitious, are well rounded and their mounting sense of fear and dread is palpable. I loved each storyline, although Jura’s was probably my favourite, and I would highly recommend this work to any fans of historical fiction. I can’t wait for more by this author!

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

The witch trials in Scotland is a moment of history I find so fascinating because it is one of the moral panic events where a certain group is demonized and killed because of the incompetence of the elites. The writing was beautiful and compelling, Foster managed to create a very atmospheric story and I just loved everything about this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

I am a big nerd for history, and particularly the history of witchcraft and witch trials so this book sounded right up my street. Whilst I think the author did a fantastic job bringing the hysteria behind the witch hunts as well as the torture that these poor people were put under to get 'confessions', it was the over all plot and characterisation that led to this book not being so great in my eyes.
The plot was a little boring, and the over all twist just seemed so unbelievable that I almost lost interest. The characters of Anna of Denmark and Jura were bland and Anna in particular was just boring to read the POV from. Kirsten was the only interesting one until the plot twist.

Overall, an underwhelming historical fiction that could have been so much more with a stronger plot.

✦The King’s Witches ~ Kate Foster

👑 Interweaves Princess Anna of Denmark‘s travelling to Scotland to become James Stuart’s bride in 16th Century with the panic over witchcraft. Anna’s story conencts with that of a secretive lady in waiting and a young girl escaping her employer in Berwick.

💭 really enjoyed this- a good mix of historical detail and female courage, with a dose of court intrigue. It is fast paced and Foster’s use of 3 distinct voices doesn’t detract. Would recommend!

Thank you to @panmacmillan @netgalley for my ARC ❤️

Not a part of history I venture back into often, if at all. However there seems to be a glut of books about witches and I chose this one, by pure chance. I am so glad I did.

I learnt about the witches of course, but I was transported across the North Sea to Denmark. To 1589, Princess Anne, chosen to be betrothed to James VI of Scotland, has to pass the test of being worthy of being a Queen. The workings of court, the power of politics and the people on both sides of the sea. The worry of the power of witches.

North Berwick, as far removed from the Scottish or Danish Court a young housemaid wants better. She has healing powers which some relish and others see as suspicious. Could she be curse people, could she be a witch? And how does this nobody suddenly be within the court of the potential new Queen.

A fascinating book, which led me to learn more about the real people within and also how much witchcraft had a hold of what could be seen as the most powerful of people. How the slightest thing could sweep a epidemic across a nation, across a sea, across the population. Sadly having some resonance with events of today.

Enjoyed it, not as much as The Maiden, but it covered history I knew little about and I felt enriched by expanding my knowledge even if it is through a piece of well written fiction.

Historical novels based on real-life witch trials seem to be very popular at the moment; I can think of several I’ve read just in the last two or three years. The King’s Witches is another and takes the slightly different approach of telling the story not only of the so-called witches, but also of the woman married to the man behind the witch hunts, King James VI of Scotland.

The novel opens in Denmark in 1589, where Anna, daughter of King Frederick II, is preparing for the arrival of the Scottish ambassador who will escort her across the sea to her new life in Scotland. Anna is betrothed to James VI and before leaving Denmark, they undergo a handfasting ceremony by proxy, with the Earl Marischal standing in for James. Setting sail for Scotland a few days later, Anna’s ship is hit by violent storms and is forced to turn back several times. Witches are blamed for summoning the winds in an attempt to stop the new queen from reaching her destination and by the time Anna eventually arrives in Scotland the fear of witchcraft is becoming widespread.

In the town of North Berwick, another young woman, Jura, is working as a maid in the Kincaid household. Jura has inherited her mother’s skills as a healer and knowledge of herbs and charms, but when the whispers of witchcraft grow louder – and the unwanted attentions of her master become more difficult to avoid – she is forced to flee to Edinburgh. However, escaping both the witch hunts and the Kincaids is not going to be easy…

The King’s Witches is narrated by both Anna and Jura, as well as a third woman, Kirsten, who is Anna’s lady-in-waiting and accompanies her on the journey from Denmark. Kirsten has been to Scotland before, but is very secretive regarding what happened during her previous visit and we will have to wait until later in the book for her full story to emerge. Kirsten and Jura are both fictional characters, but Anna (usually known as Anne of Denmark) was obviously a real person. However, Kate Foster doesn’t stick entirely to historical fact; for example, the real Anna was only fourteen years old when she married James VI, but Foster makes her slightly older at seventeen. She also uses the Celtic tradition of handfasting, which expires after a year, to introduce the idea that Anna was ‘on trial’ and the marriage would only go ahead if she managed to please James. I didn’t feel that this – or the fictional lover Foster creates for Anna – was really necessary or added much to the book and I would have preferred Anna’s story to follow the facts, considering we already had two other entirely fictional viewpoint characters.

The witchcraft aspect of the book is interesting, particularly the connection between the North Berwick witch trials, in which Jura is involved, and previous trials in Germany and Denmark which inspired James VI to take similar action. The storms that delay Anna’s voyage to Scotland in the novel really happened and really were blamed on witches. The King’s paranoia increases until he decides that the town of North Berwick (not to be confused with Berwick-upon-Tweed, by the way) is a nest of witches plotting to kill him, possibly in league with the Earl of Bothwell, and eventually more than 70 people are implicated. Foster explores all of this not just from the perspective of Jura, who is directly affected as a suspected witch, but also Anna from her position close to the King, and Kirsten, who provides a sort of bridge between the two worlds.

Even with the addition of the Anna and James angle, this book felt a bit too similar to other books I’ve read about historical witches, but obviously that won’t be a problem if you haven’t read as many of them as I have! I did still find it enjoyable and will have to look for Kate Foster’s first book, The Maiden, which I haven’t read.

The King's Witches - A Bewitching Historical Novel by Kate Foster was on point in so many ways.

Princess Anne of Denmark is betrothed to King James I of Scotland. But in the dark times of strict theocracy, and a constant threat of being usurped by the nobles of the land, she has to prove herself as worthy of the role and her Lady in Waiting Kirsten Sorenson will do everything in her power to ensure her mistress passes that test

Things become increasingly tense in Scottish soceity as accusations of witchcraft increase, with no safe harbour for the accused. Jura, a housemaid from Berwick (Northumberland) flees to Edinburgh, her innocent healing charms being misconstrued as something darker. However, she is soon embroiled in the chaos erupting from the scrutiny of Anna of Denmark.

From the character profiles, to dialogue, to authenticity to the era, using Scottish witch trials instead of he more well known Salem trials. The intriguing, meticulously crafted plotline wrapped it all upinto a novel that had me absolutely rapt start to finish.


Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Kate Foster for this brilliant ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

“Women whisper secrets to each other; it is how we survive”
Gripping new novel on the fascinating infamous witch hunts, particularly focusing on the witch hunts in Denmark & Scotland
Told from the points of view of 3 different women from differing backgrounds, but all having a reason to fear the witch hysteria.
Quite an emotional read but well worth the investment
Thanks @katefosterwrites @panmacmillan & @netgalley for the fascinating read

I found it a bit slow to begin with but after a few chapters I was really enjoying it.
It's awful to believe how a lot of women were treated because they were believed to be witches! Great characters and a good historical read.
Will be looking out for more books by Kate Foster.
Thank you netgalley

Thank you to Panmacmillian, Book Break UK and Kate Foster for gifting me a digital copy of The King's Witches in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The King's Witches is an evocative novel inspired by real historical events revolving around the 16th-century witch hunts fuelled by fearful Puritan men threatened by women having a little knowledge more than they should and who refused to be biddable to a man's authority. Her writing enthralls you like a magic spell with its rich storytelling and atmospheric scene setting. She brings to life the voices of three women from different stations and circumstances embroiled and entwined during the events of the North Berwick Witch Trials. Foster breathes to life the paranoia, hysteria, and madness of the court and everyday village folk. You can feel the crackle in the air from her words for waiting for a whisper of witchcraft to spark the fear that drove the terrible injustices, torture, and doomed innocent people to horrific deaths, primarily women.

Kate Foster explores events through the perspective of the princess, Anna of Denmark, who is engaged to James the VI and must secure his favour to become his queen or face a future locked away in a convent. Her Scottish lady's maid, Kirsten, who hides secrets and must prepare Anna for life in Scottish court so her princess can succeed in securing the king's affection. Jura is a young, Scottish, cunning woman striving to survive in her community, where Puritan teachings twist minds with superstition and fear of the devil's ability to seduce weak minds and immoral souls. I love how Anna, Kirsten, and Jira are brought to life, showing their struggles, fears, and resilience as they endure in their treacherous and chaotic world.

I couldn't stop reading, even when the first chapter starts on such a harrowing scene – you can't look away any more than Anna, the Princess of Denmark, at the witch burnings. The Kings Witches pulls the reader into the tumultuous story, immersing you in the terror moment of the start of the witch-hunt mass hysteria movement, where you can hear the fearful whispers, see the fingers point, and feel the powerlessness of the women subjected to the exploitation and accusation. The themes of this story are relevant and poignant in our modern world as we struggle with the consequences of the powerful stoking fear and doubt, drumming up hysteria and modern-day witch-hunts for anyone who dares to think outside of the box or walk their path. An important reminder to never take our rights for granted and never allow our voices to be silenced.

🎧Audiobook Review🎧

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I want to thank NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book. Special shout out to my witchy coven for the buddy read.

👑Royalty
🗣️Multiple POV
⚓16th Century
✨Witch Hunt

Written from three women's POVs, this tale will grip its readers from start to finish. Betrayal, patriarchy and survival are at the centre of this story. Whether it's Kristen's strength, Jura's naivety or Anne's determination, you will find their stories both haunting and cunning.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A a beautiful retelling of the North Berwick witch trials with a woman’s voice this time at the forefront.
This story gripped me from the very beginning and I loved sharing my thoughts with my lovely book group.
Written in the voices of the three main female characters it was Kirsten’s tale I enjoyed most - strength and bravery throughout was to be admired in such a patriarchal world.
The panic over witchcraft around this time vividly comes across on every page and the horrific treatment of innocent women was brutally described. I wasn’t that aware of the court of King James and his involvement in the witchcraft trials, so this was an education as well as a thoroughly entertaining read.

Having read and enjoyed The Maiden by Kate Foster after it was long listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction I was excited to get a copy of her latest book from Netgalley.

Set in the 1500s, and inspired by the North Berwick Witch Trials this is the story of seventeen year old Princess Anna of Denmark, sent to Scotland for her handfasting to King James of Scotland. Believing she was cursed by Mistress Olsen, a suspected witch as she was burned at the stake, Anna is nervous about the journey and fears her marriage may be doomed. She seeks solace from Lord Henry, an envoy sent as a tutor by her future husband.

Were also told the story from the pov of Kirsten Sorenson, Anna’s lady in waiting is travelling with her and has her own reasons for getting to Scotland, and Jura a young maid in Berwick with healing abilities.

The fear of witches at that time put the women in danger of brutal, cruel, punishment or death. King James was particularly fearful of any danger to his crown from known or unknown enemy, and during his reign thousands of women were killed under witchcraft laws.

I love historical fiction, and this was just my cup of tea, it grabbed me and had me googling which is always a good sign.

I would highly recommend both of Kate Foster’s books and can’t wait for her next!

The year is 1589, Denmark is trying to secure a powerful marriage for 17 year old Princess Anna. It is hoped the handfasting, a trial marriage as such, between Anna, and James VI of Scotland is successful. The backdrop to Anna’s perilous sea journey, from Denmark to Scotland, is the rise of witchcraft within Europe.

Our story is told by three women, Jura, Anna and Kirsten. All trapped, strong and powerful, in their own individual ways. In this age of patriarchy and fear, it is dangerous to be a woman, whom men perceive to have strength. The only way a woman is able to possess any knowledge, is by a pact with the Devil, according to the supposed learned men.

The characterisation is superb, it is rich, deep and vivid. The women are remarkable, their fear being transmitted through the words on the page.
As for the male characters, I would need to use so many asterisks to adequately describe my feelings towards them. Suffice to say, I wasn’t their biggest fan, but there is no doubt how well written they were, to make me feel this way. The author skilfully blends historical fact with fiction, to create an engaging, gripping story.

Kate Foster, you have written a book that has completely fired me up. You made me so furious, raging with injustice and disgust, you made me feel so deeply. As a strong, independent woman, my heart goes out to the women who were victimised in this shameful period of our history.

Just in case you aren’t sure, it’s 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me. If you are looking to read a book from the witch trial era, or as it should be known, the era when insecure, barbaric men persecuted gentle, kind, healing women, The King’s Witches is the book for you.

Anna of Denmark is set to come to Scotland to marry James VI, assuming they are suited after a year's handfasting. However, her ship is fraught with a stormy passage and she has to land and regroup. The gossips begin to say that witches were summoning storms to prevent her arrival. Her Danish servant, Kirsten, has her own reasons for wanting to return to Scotland. Together they witness the burning of a witch that will haunt Anna.

Meanwhile in Berwick, Jura has lost her mother and left her drunkard father to be a servant to Baillie Kincaid, but he is a bully and abuser and she is not happy. Her mother was a cunning woman, and Jura learned some of her skills, which she uses to cure rashes and various complaints.

Jura, Anna and Kirsten's lives are to become intertwined as the prejudices and fears of the day draw them together and James becomes obsessive about rooting out witches.

The result is a really readable and interesting account of witch trials and the difficulties women of that time had in being heard, living their lives as they wished and not being taken advantage of by men. The various viewpoints make for an interesting read, as we see Anna, in love with another man, having to accept James as her mate (and he being equally unwilling as he loves another man); Jura just wants to survive and have a normal life and Kirsten has a secret she needs to protect.

Well researched, well written and a great read. Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.