A Resistance of Witches
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  • Published: 11 November 2025
  • ISBN: 9780857506146
  • Imprint: Bantam
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 416
  • RRP: $34.99
Categories:

A Resistance of Witches

  • Morgan Ryan
Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
11 Nov 2025
EBook
17 Jul 2025
Audiobook
17 Jul 2025
Hardback
17 Aug 2025
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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 . . .
  • Published: 11 November 2025
  • ISBN: 9780857506146
  • Imprint: Bantam
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 416
  • RRP: $34.99
Categories:

Praise for A Resistance of Witches

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

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

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

With fascinating worldbuilding set against a rich and thoroughly researched moment in history, this debut novel is nothing short of wildly entertaining; it’s an excellent choice for anyone looking to dip their toes into historical fiction or fantasy, and its urgent pace will have readers in a white-knuckle grip from start to finish. An exciting, fast-paced blend of historical fiction, spy drama, fantasy, and romance.

KIRKUS *starred review

A thrilling, fast-paced and delightful adventure into the heart of witchy, war-torn London and occupied France. Wonderfully immersive and unputdownable—I was transported to a rich, alternate world where magic, secrets, and dark mysteries colour impossibly high stakes. Yet the heart of this book lies in its tender human relationships, where love, longing, and death entangle.

YANGSZE CHOO, bestselling author of The Fox Wife and The Night Tiger