A Resistance of Witches

Morgan Ryan

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Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Bantam
11 November 2025

1940, and Hitler's armies are storming across Europe. The future looks bleak. In Britain, the Royal Academy of Witches emerges from the shadows to help the war effort. Its mission - to find an ancient magic artefact that, were it to fall into Nazi hands, could help Hitler fulfil his twisted Aryan dream . . .

'Prime Minister Churchill, the Witches of Britain are at your service . . .'

1940, and war rages across Europe. The future looks bleak. But now, emerging from the shadows, the Royal Academy of Witches offers its help. And so it is tasked with finding an ancient artefact that, were it to fall into Nazi hands, would help Hitler fulfil his twisted Aryan dream . . .

Stubborn, plain-spoken and from an unimpressive family, Lydia Polk never expected to be chosen to work under Isadora Goode, the Grand Mistress of the Royal Academy of Witches.

Now, three years into her apprenticeship, and with Hitler's armies rampaging across Europe, the Witches of Britain have joined the war effort - but not without some resistance from within, the British government having originally forced the witches into hiding.

As Lydia's power grows, she too joins the cause, tracking down magical relics in order to keep them out of Nazi hands. But a Nazi witch infiltrates the Academy with heart-breaking consequences and suddenly Lydia's mission becomes even more urgent . . . Somewhere out there, hidden amidst the chaos of war, is the Grimorium Bellum - an ancient book that Hitler craves, a book so steeped in dark magic that it has the power to wipe out civilisations - an artefact that Lydia must find and secure at all costs.

Dropped into the heart of Occupied France, Lydia finds allies in Rebecca Gagne, a French resistance fighter with a secret, and Henry Boudreaux, a Haitian-American art historian who seems to possess a little magic of his own. But tracking down this book is only half the battle - for the Grimorium Bellum seems to have a dark agenda all of its own . . .

By: Morgan Ryan
Imprint: Bantam
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 31mm
Weight: 503g
ISBN: 9780857506146
ISBN 10: 0857506145
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 11 November 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Morgan Ryan is the author of stories born from a lifelong love of magic, a fixation on historical minutiae that borders on the obsessive, and a tendency to fall down rabbit holes. She was raised in a family of writers in upstate New York and received her degree in theatre performance from Northeastern University. She now lives in Chicago with her husband. A Resistance of Witches is her first novel.

Reviews for A Resistance of Witches

Enchanting, immersive, and beautifully written. A Resistance of Witches is historical fantasy at its absolute best. -- ALEXIS HENDERSON, bestselling author of An Academy for Liars Morgan Ryan's historical fantasy debut is World War II meets A Discovery of Witches . . . a witchy war-time delight. -- KATE QUINN, bestselling author of The Briar Club An expertly woven story of fate, witchcraft, and war that will both thrill you and tug at your heartstrings, A Resistance of Witches is an enchanting and pulse-pounding debut. -- KRISTIN HARMEL, bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names A wonderful, sometimes terrifying, always exciting tale of courage and devotion and honour, and heart-rending sacrifices made for a great cause. Morgan Ryan has deftly explored the breadth of the power of the craft, for good and for ill. I feel sure every lover of witch literature will be enchanted. -- LOUISA MORGAN, author of A Secret History of Witches