Whoa...I have never read a book quit like this one and I absolutely loved it. It is unique, engaging, and downright terrifying. Amanda Jayatissa knows how to write about Sri Lankan folklore at its best. Drawing you into the small island town, where the British colonizers have set their roots. These roots twisting and turning, causing upheaval in the people's way of lives. Especially for Amara's family. Her father once a well-respected and sought out Capuwa or demon priest. Is now believed to be a demon worshipper. Amara's friends have turned away from her and call her a witch. All due to the British and how you must conform to their religious beliefs. Anything slightly different then their own is looked down upon. Her father is still sought out quietly, when the peoples need arises. If someone is possessed, something needs to be done.

The book begins with an exorcism and it takes off from there. There have been numerous horrifyingly gruesome attacks. All men and they all take place in the jungle. Of course, Amara's father is targeted as the doing the attacking. The question is why? Amara needs to know what is going on. She has been having horrible dreams and finds herself sleepwalking into the jungle. The one place she feels the most at home, but is at the time the most dangerous. She feels like someone is always watching her, that prickling feeling on the back of her neck, always present. She is determined to set the record straight no matter what happens.

This book took possession over me as I ripped through it. I needed to know what was going to happen and the mystery behind who and why they were getting attacked. The descriptions and details were spot on. Thank you to Amanda Jayatissa and Berkley Publishing for my gifted copy of this phenomenal read.

This book is filled with dark themes, supernatural elements, and lots of mythical folklore. I loved the richness of the culture, the language, and the landscape. Learning about different cultures is always so intriguing to me.

The whole novel is unsettling. The themes are deep, and my heart broke over and over for Amara. Her naivete and her love for her father clouded her judgment over and over. I think the way Jayatissa used folklore to help bring light to the tragedies that women fear and go through from the basically the beginning of their lives, was very raw. This is different than her other novels which I think shows her strengths as a writer. Oh, and this cover is absolutely fabulous!

Thank you to @netgalley for my advance copy!

Slow build with a gorgeous finale. Angry women - and I am totally here for it!
Amara lives on a small island - indigenous and colonists. The historical culture slowly disappears as the indigenous understand conversion means more money, opportunities for their children, social standing, etc. Amara's best friend abandoned her - likely due to family pressures.
Amara's dad is the cures his people of demons, provides protection spells and rites. He trained her to take over the family tradition - until something happened. Something Amara does not remember. And her parents keep hidden.
A dark, bitter angry spirit is killing local men - men who harm women. Somehow Amara must solve the mystery - hauntings invade her dreams, gory images of torn men.

This historical fiction horror book is a true gem that combines genres into a captivating and chilling tale.
Amara is the daughter of a demon priest. After several brutal attacks on men, people are blaming and pointing fingers at him. Amara’s parents have been treating her differently after she fell ill a few weeks ago and after these attacks she wants to get to the bottom of the mystery.
I love the atmospheric feel with the jungles and the slow burn to uncover the terrifying truth.
Amanda Jayatissa's masterful storytelling and ability to seamlessly blend genres make this book a must read.

This book contains dark elements and triggers so be sure to check the warnings.

Amara is the daughter of the village Capuwa, demon priest. The village once loved him, but since the British’s attempt to colonize the island, things have taken a turn. Now they only rarely call on him.

Someone is attacking men in the jungle, but instead of turning to Amara’s father, they are accusing him.

As Amara works to clear her father’s name, she finds herself haunted by dreams that are predicting the dark forces on the island. She also can’t seem to shake the feeling that this is all tied to the night she was ill.

I love horror and I love historical fiction. So, I was very excited to dive into this one. I was captivated from the get-go. The prologue sucked me in, and I was on the edge of my seat. This book did have strong gothic vibes, and the pacing to match, so it was on the slow side. The book was very interesting, but the middle was a little tough as the pacing was so slow. The middle wasn’t so slow that I wanted to give up, I just found my mind drifting a little at times and I was able to put the book down. Towards the end of the book the pacing really picked up and I was flying through the pages. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I loved it so much! This story was so complex and beautifully done, and I really enjoyed it.

The story was very creepy and kept me guessing. I loved the different historical elements that were interwoven throughout the book. The folklore and supernatural elements really shined and were forefront and center as well. I love learning about different cultural folklore, so this was rather interesting to me. This was such a fun way to learn.

I found the characters to be well thought out and developed. I really felt for Amara and my heart ached for her. The way her own mother treated her was so sad, even though as the story went on I did understand why her mom did this, I didn’t agree with it.

The author thanked someone at the end for helping her get certain historical elements correct, and I think that research really shined throughout the story. I always love it when authors put effort into getting their historical fiction works historically accurate.

If you are looking for a unique and suspenseful horror / historical fiction novel, then check this one out.

Do be aware that this book does strongly focus on violence against women, and has some gory moments, this could be unsettling to some.

Thank you to the publisher Berkley Publishing, @berkleypub, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review will be published on my blog, speedreadstagram.com on publication day.

I really enjoyed this story. It was creepy and atmospheric, as well as historical which was super interesting to read about. The themes in this book were important and explored well, and the characters and plot were compelling. I liked the way this book didn't shy away from heavier topics, and also covered some history of Sri Lanka (a place I didn't know much about at all). Overall, I loved this and I really hope to order physical copies for my branch because I definitely know some patrons who will love this book, too.

Island Witch is a creepy, bordering on horror. Set in 19th-Century Sri Lanka, it centers on 18-year-old Amara. Lately certain men of her village have been attacked. Amara has been having nightmares about the attacks. Her mother and father are also treating her differently. She decides to investigate the attacks herself with the aid of a newcomer to her village. What she discovers will upend her world.

I loved the gothic atmosphere and the slow, steady, scary unrolling of what is actually happening (and what actually happened in the past). It's important to note that there is a focus on violence against women in the book, along with the supernatural terror. It's also gory, but that violence is all perpetrated upon men. The book is powerful and unsettling. Recommended, but know what you're getting into.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

This book offers a refreshing spin on gothic horror with the right amount of social commentary, all within a historical setting. I liked how Amanda Jayatissa took the time with the world building and slowly submerged you into the depths of a nightmare.
Amara is a Sinhalese teenager who has spent years being called Witch by the other girls at the missionary school. The Christians have arrived in Sri Lanka with the British, and they are dead set on converting the savages from the old gods to the new. Most of Amara’s school mates’ families have converted to get better jobs and higher standings in society, but Amara’s family still survives on the old ways. Amara’s father is a demon priest and makes his living on blessing houses and expelling demons that have found human hosts. Work is getting harder for him to come by, and a series of attacks on men on the island have the community believing that her father has called forth a demon to punish the good Christians of the island. With things getting harder for her family and the risk of her father being arrested for crimes he didn’t commit rising; Amara decides to figure out the truth. As Amara digs around in the darkness for answers, she finds a truth more horrifying than she can imagine.
Despite all the dark undertones of the story, I enjoyed learning about the history of Sri Lanka though the course of this novel. Based on my past years reading I think I might have a “thing” for folkloric horror that slams colonizers. Like, “Yes, old gods! Destroy their evil corruption” and Island Witch takes it one step further and has some “down with the patriarchy” themes as well. Having an 18-year-old protagonist did give the book a young adult feel, but the subject matter is adult (please check trigger warnings before reading). The writing is top notch, and the story seems to flow perfectly across the pages. I was able to predict what was going to happen a little bit, but I don’t think that detracted from my enjoyment. I recommend this book for fans of historical fiction who maybe want to try to dip their toes into something spooky.

Being the daughter of the village Capuwa, or demon-priest, Amara is used to keeping mostly to herself. The British Colonizers have turned against them, but still need them when something supernatural happens. When something big and supernatural comes, will she and her family survive or will the whole thing implode?

⭐️⭐️⭐️

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.

Let me start off by saying this book is quite disturbing and has some dark themes I wasn’t expecting. If you’re wary of triggers, I would be cautious going into this one.

I read You’re Invited by this author last year and thought it was mediocre, however, this one just sounded so good - and I’m obsessed with the cover. I liked the concept of the book and had such high hopes, unfortunately, it just felt like a middle-of-the-road book… but honestly, I think it’s the writing that threw me off so I’m sure others will love this a lot more than I did.

I enjoyed the uniqueness of this book with the culture and folklore. I wasn’t expecting it to have darker themes, it was tough to read at times. Some of these characters were awful people - not that it affected my overall thoughts.

The story is full of Sri Lankan folklore and culture, which I thought was beautifully told. I loved the gothic vibes and supernatural elements scattered throughout the book.

The book definitely starts on an engaging note with a man being attacked in the jungle by some sort of supernatural entity. It immediately pulled me in, but I lost interest as the story went on. Again, there are some dark topics addressed so keep that in mind.

Overall, I loved the idea behind this book and Amara’s character, but the story as a whole just felt mediocre. It’s definitely a darker horror with supernatural elements, but the culture in this was fantastic.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

If you want a unique and exquisitely written horror novel, this is the one you've been looking for. I enjoyed the creativity of the writing and the inclusion of a culture I wasn't familiar with prior to reading.

Part way in I hit a lull and the story began to feel redundant causing my interest to wane, but it found its way back eventually and I had to see where the book would go in the end. Some portions were absolutely chilling and I know horror readers will appreciate this one. There are trigger warnings for rape and abuse and some gruesome portions. It's definitely not a happy book, but one rooted in female fury and revenge.

3.5/5 stars

Many thanks to a Netgalley for the complimentary ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Amanda Jayatissa’a previous books and I was excited for this one. However, it’s more of a slow burn than I enjoy. It reminded me of Mexican Gothic, in the way it meandered through the exposition without setting up the conflict to drive the action.

I DNFd at 20% because the story felt stalled out and I didn’t feel any affinity for the main character.

This book, unfortunately, was not for me. It just moved FAR to slowly. It was right up my alley in theory, as I love a good feminist gothic tale, but this just didn't pick up until the 80% mark. I don't want to spend 80% of a book being bored out of my mind only for things to get good in the last 20%. I was desperately interested in the Mohini myth, that this seems to be a retelling of, but the majority of the book is spent watching Amara deal with internal struggles in a repetitive and predictable manner. There were NO twists that I didn't see coming (except MAYBE the identity of the woman in Heen's shack) - I knew from the very beginning who the demoness in the woods was going to end up being. I just felt like this was an utter disappointment to me. I wanted there to be more than the predictable and repetitive.

Trigger warnings: mention of rape, questionable consent, spouse abuse, abuse of a teen at the hands of her family, kidnapping, forced medical procedures (without the consent of the one being treated).

Amara’s life is hard. Her mother seems to despise her and her father, a man who drives demons out of those possessed, has grown more and more distant. She has no friends, the boy she loves has numerous excuses for why their relationship cannot be acknowledged, and, oh yes, the word around their village is that she is a witch. Her life seems to be getting worse and it was never a picnic.
When men from the village start getting attacked, the blame falls on her father. The more Amara tries to figure out what is really going on, the worse her waking and sleeping hours become. Why does she have such awful and vivid dreams and why does everyone want her to be something she’s not.
The first chapter hooked me, but then I found it rather slow going until I hit the 30% mark. At that point it grabbed me yet again, and honestly that ending was, well rather unforgettable. Being a woman, Amara is supposed to bow down to her elders, and all men. I wound up feeling so so sad for her and the dread that surrounded her and what was happening in her village was creepy and horrifying. I definitely did not anticipate how it ended.

I've never read from Amanda Jayatissa but I've heard good things about her writing so I was excited to check out this new novel from her, but unfortunately it wasn't a good fit for me. Though this novel is labelled as an adult story, it read very young adult to me and I didn't enjoy that tone. I also struggled to get invested in the world building, which I think was a personal preference issue.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the pre-release copy of this novel. Below you'll find my honest review.

I really liked the story in this one. It was an interesting setting, an interesting cast, and a really cool way to learn about another culture through a tale involving their beliefs, mythologies, and religious practices.

But it did have some downfalls. Namely, all of the twists are predictable. I knew every reveal before it happened, and it was obvious leading up to it. In addition, the use of words specific to their language is really neat, but the constant "here's a word, here's the definition" got a little distracting. And the main character's non-stop "my dad is treating me differently, what happened to make this change, etc" got very repetitive when it was in almost every chapter for over half of the book.

It did have a strong protagonist, which I liked, and while the definitions did become tedious, I did like that the author put in actual words and historical references that were really part of history. I also loved that the story was about a part of the world and a history that we don't have a lot of published novels about. I'm really happy to see more diverse stories being published to share those things with the world of readers.

All in all, I really enjoyed it, but felt like it needed some tweaking.

"Island Witch" by Amanda Jayatissa takes place in 19th century Sri Lanka, telling a story rich with folklore and shrouded in mystery, particularly surrounding Amara, the Capuwa's (demon priest) 18-year-old daughter. Living in a village where her family's once-respected practices are now shunned, and finding herself and her family ostracized by the quickly colonizing islanders, Amara finds herself in the middle of village chaos when mysterious and violent attacks start occurring, with fingers pointing at her father.

The setting and backdrop are steeped in cultural heritage, the supernatural, and tales of societal exclusion and classism. The premise is intriguing, yet, as the story unfolds, it tends to drag, making some parts feel longer than necessary. The plot, while initially engaging with its hints of dark forces and family secrets, started to feel repetitive, and the twists that should have been surprising became somewhat predictable.

I ended up rating "Island Witch" 3 out of 5 stars. There's a lot to appreciate here, especially the effort to blend Sri Lankan folklore with feminist rage. However, the slow pacing and the story’s predictability dulled the excitement I originally had for the book's potential. The story had great ideas at its core, but it doesn't quite hit the mark in execution, and it left me wishing for what might have been.

Amara is known in town as the Towson’s demon priest’s daughter. As the town begins to become colonized by British settlers, they lose respect for the priest’s ways. Amara begins having violent dreams that seem to coincide with attacks in the village.

This book is a lot different than the others I read by the author. I loved the folklore and spirituality involved in the story. It was a nice addition of culture and really made the story unique. This was a feminist tale at heart and some moments are frustrating to read. If you enjoy magical realism woven into stories with culture folklore, you’ll enjoy this one.

Island Witch comes out 2/16.

This was a decidedly mixed bag for me, which was disappointing because I had really high hopes based on the description and the cover. But ISLAND WITCH by Amanda Jayatissa had some pitfalls and stumbles that made it fall a bit flat in some ways. The things that I did like (and REALLY liked) about this book was the way that Jayatissa explores misogyny, religious zealotry and hypocrisy, and colonialism with a horror story about a girl who is trying to clear her demon priest father's name when men in their community start being attacked and murdered in incredibly violent ways. I loved Amara starting to come to terms with community hypocrisy, family secrets, and the way that women are silenced and shamed until they comply with the group. All of this was great. But the problem was that Amara's voice, when trying to convey her coming of age innocence and naivete, comes off as very simplistic and stilted, and it was jarring and took me out of the story. It also made it so that plot points were projected and made upcoming twists pretty obvious.

ISLAND WITCH was fine, but I had such a huge expectation for it that when it didn't get there it was a little bit of a let down.

This book has a lot to like: a great plot centered around a twisty mystery, a spooky forest, a strong female lead and so much emotion. It's perfect for fans of V. Castro's work. Sometimes the plot threw me too much -- especially when things went south, but once I got back on track, I enjoyed the story.