The Witchwood Knot

Olivia Atwater returns to the world of Half a Soul with "a sharp and beautiful gothic romance" (Alix E. Harrow). Dive into The Witchwood Knot, and enjoy a dark faerie tale set in a magical version of Victorian England.

The faeries of Witchwood Manor have stolen its young lord. His governess intends to steal him back.

Victorian governess Winifred Hall knows a con when she sees one. When her bratty young charge transforms overnight into a perfectly behaved block of wood, she soon realises that the real boy has been abducted by the Fair Folk. Unfortunately, the lord of Witchwood Manor is the only man in England who doesn't believe in faeries—which leaves Winnie in the unenviable position of rescuing the young lord-to-be all by herself.

Witchwood Manor is bigger than its inhabitants realise, however, and full of otherworldly dangers. As Winnie delves deeper into the other side of the house, she enlists the aid of its dark and dubious faerie butler, Mr Quincy, who hides several awful secrets behind his charming smile. Winnie hopes to make her way to the centre of the Witchwood Knot through wit and cleverness… but when all of her usual tricks fail, who will she dare to trust?

Praise for The Witchwood Knot

"The Witchwood Knot is my favorite Atwater book yet—which is saying something. A sharp and beautiful gothic romance that understands exactly what I love best about both of those genres: that everyone gets what they deserve." —Alix E. Harrow, NYT-bestselling author of Starling House

"The Witchwood Knot is the gothic fantasy romance of my dreams. There aren't enough superlatives for me to convey how much I loved its uniquely elegant prose, eerie setting, clever heroine, gorgeously dangerous faerie butler, and basically every single thing about the entire book. It is an immediate addition to the list of My All-Time Favourite Books, upon which Atwater's Half A Soul also resides." —India Holton, author of The Secret Service of Tea and Treason

"The Witchwood Knot delivers the best kind of comfort—the kind that doesn't shy away from the world's injustices, but faces them with indignation, wit, courage and compassion. It will charm and affirm you in equal measure." —Shelley Parker-Chan, USA Today bestselling author

"Gothic perfection. Dark, frightening, romantic, and entrenched in myth and fairy magic. Just a stunning autumn read." —Quenby Olson, author of Miss Percy's Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons)

"The Witchwood Knot is stuffed with all the best Gothic Victorian haunted manor vibes, with unexpected love, ancient magic, and a truly bone-chilling monster. Winnie is a brave, hard-nosed, complex heroine you can't resist rooting for." —Jacquelyn Benson, author of Empire of Shadows

"An undead cat familiar, wicked faeries, and a woman who is sick of entitled men; what more could one want in a fantasy romance? I've read all of Atwater's full length romance novels and I've loved them all, but this might be my absolute favorite." —Virginia McClain, author of Sairō's Claw