'I was blown away by this dark enchanting story of witchcraft power and injustice' Mary
Chamberlain In 1573 Countess Erzsébet Báthory gave birth to an illegitimate child. The infant
a girl was swiftly bundled up and handed to a local peasant family to be brought up in one of
the hamlets surrounding the Castle. Many years later 15-year-old Boróka reluctantly leaves the
safety of the only home she has ever known in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains.
Trusted members of the countess's household have been sent out to gather new serving girls and
the kindly old man who has taken care of Boróka for almost all her life knows that it is
dangerous to turn them away. Boróka struggles to find her place at Cachtice Castle: she is
frightened of the countess's reputation as an alleged murderer of young girls and the women
who run the castle are terrifyingly cruel. When plague comes into the heart of the castle a
tentative bond begins to form between Boróka and the Countess Báthory. But powerful forces are
moving against a woman whose wealth poses such a threat to the king: can the countess really
trust the women who are so close to her? 'Beautifully written skilfully plotted and a
fascinating exploration of women's struggle to have their truth heard' Louise O'Neil 'A
mesmerising combination of gothic horror and elegant restraint' Francesca Haig
