Upcoming Ya Fantasy Release, Elderwitch By Lucie Bowins, Is The Ultimate World Of Witches, Selkies, And Rival Clans

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, set against the 14th-century Welsh Marches, Lucie Bowins’ upcoming YA fantasy Elderwitch blends a slow-burn, Tristan-and-Iseult-inspired romance with a dangerous quest to defeat a terrifying shapeshifting entity.

Set against the atmospheric backdrop of the 14th-century Welsh Marches, Lucie Bowins’ upcoming novel, Elderwitch, transports readers into a lush medieval world brimming with ancient enchantments and rising danger.

The story follows sixteen-year-old Emeline de Gournay, the daughter of a wealthy Norman baron who longs for a life of adventure. Unfortunately, her path seems firmly set: she is expected to marry a stranger chosen by her parents and settle into a traditional life.

However, everything changes on the morning of her betrothal. When a terrifying, shapeshifting Elderwitch abducts her younger brother, Emeline’s carefully planned future shatters, pulling her headfirst into a dangerous mystical conflict.

An Unlikely Alliance and a Slow-Burn Romance

Left with no other choice, Emeline must team up with Owain ap Hywel—a young Welsh half-Hazelwitch to whom she feels an inexplicable attraction. Complicating matters further, Owain is the very person accused of kidnapping her brother.

Inspired by the classic romance of Tristan and Iseult, the relationship between Emeline and Owain develops into a gripping slow-burn dynamic. Together, they journey through the turbulent Welsh Marches into a hidden realm of mythical beasts and warring Treewitch clans.

As their quest unfolds, Emeline realizes that simply saving her brother will not suffice. To restore peace to both the human world and the domain of the Treewitches, they must face and destroy the Elderwitch once and for all. Fans of romantic fantasy will find plenty to love here, with comparisons drawing toward popular hits like Alex Aster’s Lightlark and Akwaeke Emezi’s Somadina.

Lucie Bowins

I began writing Elderwitch many years ago when my children were very young and I was also acting as carer for my elderly aunt who had Alzheimer’s. I spent many hours driving across the flat Fenns to see her and began imagining stories centred around the mythology relating to the Elder Mother. Elderwitch is the first of five other potential books and a little compendium of treewitches. I feel now is the time to share my world with a new young readership.

–Lucie Bowins

Behind this enchanting tale is author, poet, and memoirist Lucie Bowins. Bowins honed her craft through London’s CityLit writing for children course—where she was mentored by award-winning author Sophie McKenzie—before earning an MA in Creative Writing from Canterbury Christchurch University. She is currently pursuing a creative writing PhD.

Drawing from her personal background as a child of Deaf parents, Bowins infuses her work with authentic representation, bringing nuanced D/deaf characters to the forefront of the narrative.

Release Information

Mark your calendars: Elderwitch is scheduled to hit shelves on October 27, 2026.

Find more from Lucie Bowins now:

Kindle: https://amzn.to/4ihm0Fl

Paperback: https://amzn.to/4igTMuf

Instagram: @luciebowins

X: @luciebowins

TikTok: @luciebowinswriter