Amanda Jayatissa

"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 19th century Sri Lanka and inspired by local folklore, 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.

Island Witch

Lindsay

It’s simply a story, as many dark tales go, of fear and desperation, and of the limitless boundaries of female rage.

He moved through the jungle by himself, unbothered, perfectly confident in the way that only a man could be. Like he never had to worry about danger. Like he never had reason to be fearful for his life. Like the thought never even crossed his mind. It was the gift of his birth.

Fear is a woman’s burden. We are entrenched in it from the time we are born. Told to protect ourselves, especially our bodies. Heaven knows we’ve been told to value them more than our minds. We’ve been told to keep safe. Caution becomes our second nature from the time we are young girls, only blossoming deeper as we grow older. Our fathers, our neighbours, our villagers rally around to protect us, lest we, delicate little things, are unable to fend for ourselves. Be careful of strangers, they warned. Be careful of the jungle. Be careful even of your own thoughts. They say this, even though the fathers, the neighbours, the villagers are often the very ones we need protecting from.

Island Witch quotes

Join the club