Belinda Carli

The Innocent Witch Belinda Carli

In a time where superstitions run rife, guilt is assumed and confessions are forced, there is no such thing as an innocent witch.

1604 Europe: the height of the witch craze.

Ella is a farmgirl skilled in herbal medicine, raised and taught by her beloved opa, in a quiet hinterland village. Her future changes forever when the mayor of the nearby town arrives at her door one night, his baby struggling to breathe. Ella saves the baby, but it quickly draws attention to her healing ways, and soon a variety of townspeople come seeking her assistance. Her sheltered upbringing on the farm means she is unaware of the danger she may face as she brushes aside warnings whilst unknowingly upsetting the wrong people. As word of her herbal healing grows, so does opposition from the town's pastor, physician and nobility.

When she is pursued by nobleman Conrad, she is forced to choose between the love of her lift or the life of a stranger, forsaking her own personal safety in the process as she stands accused of witchcraft.

Will her healing ways be seen as acts of kindness or the work of the devil? And what will she do to save the ones she loves?

Set amongst the charming backdrop of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Detwang, The Innocent Witch showcases the healing and deadly art of herbal medicine, how superstitions overrode sensibility, and exposes the truth of witch hunts and trials from a challenging time of history.

A fantastically written debut novel from a Degree trained Herbalist, The Innocent Witch tells the history of herbs and witch trials intertwined with the enduring power of human behaviour.