Celia Rees's Sorceress is the bewitching sequel to Witch Child, which was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2001. In the first novel, a young English girl called Mary flees 17th-century England when her grandmother is hung, accused of being a witch. She sails across the seas to America where she begins a new life with a community of Puritans. But as the history books show, this was no safe place for a young witch, good or bad, and when Mary's past is exposed she is cast out into the wilderness. Her diary is abandoned and the reader is left not knowing how Mary's story ends but wanting more. Not one to disappoint fans, Rees returns with a sequel. In Part II, the story is taken over by a young modern-day historian called Alison Ellman and a Native American Indian called Agnes, who realises that there is a spiritual link between herself and the long-dead English girl. The pair track down the truth of what happened to Mary, each in their own way. But it is through Agnes that Mary's story truly unfolds as the girl goes on a spiritual journey of self-discovery. In a trance-like state, she becomes Mary. We learn of her marriage to the Indian warrior Jaybird, their children and the suffering of her people when war comes. Rees combines superb storytelling with factual history to enchanting effect, leaving you captivated until the very last page. --Nicola Perry

 

There are 354 pages in this book. This book was published 2010 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC .

Celia Rees lives in Leamington Spa where she writes her novels. She has been shortlisted for both the Guardian and the Whitbread Children's fiction awards. Her novels have been translated into over 20 languages.