The Witches of Vard??

“For it was easier to blame the Devil for the bruises on their wives and daughters, easier to blame witches for their emptied barrels of beer. Easier to brand the maids, heavy with unwanted pregnancies as followers of the Devil.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Lots of elements; historical, folklore and a tinge of fantasy, and as much as this book is about witches and witchcraft, it is also about the often brutal persecution of women in the 17th century by frightened men with tiny minds who somehow find themselves in positions of power (sounds terrifyingly familiar), all of which makes the ending feel beautifully triumphant.