John Murray Press The Salt Bind (3, 2026) | Rebecca Ferrier

'An utterly mesmerising gothic fairytale and a love letter to all the women who are marked as witches simply for being different. Wild, darkly woven and overflowing with courage, this novel is an enchantment you cannot miss' LUCY ROSE, author of The Lamb Cornwall, 1779: On a late August evening Kensa comes across a dying sea monster under the light of a full moon. The first of its kind to grace the storm-torn shore of Portscatho in centuries, it is an omen . . . For scarlet-haired Kensa, daughter of the most feared smuggler to ever roam the Cornish coast, her destiny is sealed as apprentice to the local wise woman. Under the guidance of Isolde, Kensa learns secrets of the Old Ways, the ancient magic that binds the land and sea. But when Isolde sickens Kensa turns to the Bucka, the Father of Storms, a vengeful sea god chained to the ocean. Desperate to save her mentor, Kensa makes a deal with the deadly creature; a pact that risks everything she's sworn to protect. The Salt Bind is a n unputdownable and hypnotising historical fantasy page-turner steeped in salt, superstition and seafolk - a world of forgotten sirens, sea gods and the alchemy of the Old Ways. Perfect for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale and The Binding . 'A truly immersive read steeped in the living landscape of earth and sea. The Salt Bind is folkloric fantasy as it should be - pernicious, wild and beholden to no-one . A story of outcast women, defiance and loss, sisterhood and growth, the story lingered long after the final pages' Eliza Chan, author of Fathomfolk ' Thrilling and bewitching from the very first deliciously crafted paragraph . This story of sisterhood, magic, folklore and tradition sets Rebecca Ferrier up as a first-rate writer of this age ' Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ, author of Dazzling ' A fable of family ties and belonging, of outcasts and alchemy. Spellbinding and striking, The Salt Bind is a siren song of folklore and mystery, of Cornwall calling you home' Victoria Hawthorne, author of The Darkest Night