A Spell for Drowning

By Rebecca Ferrier
** Publication Date 27 January 2026 **
​4 stars




Before modern medicine were healers, wise women, herbalists. People who understood what it took to care for others through injury and illness and even death. In Portscatho, Cornwall, a young girl is about to be chosen to become a wise woman.


Kensa is a strong-willed young girl. She is stubborn and wears the face of her father, a pirate executed for his crimes. Her half-sister, Elowen, is fair-haired and good-natured. Some in the town treat Kensa as though she is responsible for her father’s crimes. Kensa herself lives with a chip on her shoulder, brought on by the loss of her father. Not to mention living with her step-father who treats her as though she’s a burden.


One day when Kensa is supposed to be watching her sister, Elowen escapes and runs to the sea. When Kensa finds her, Elowen is standing with a giant sea creature. When the local wise women Isolde asks who found the creature first, Kensa says she did. Thus begins Kensa’s journey to become the next wise woman of Portscatho. 


Along the way, Kensa will encounter a lot of challenges, love, anger, and loss. 


The book dives into Cornish folklore, sea creatures, and mythology. Honestly I did struggle through the first part of the book, which details Kensa’s and Elowen’s childhood. I found the first part of the novel painfully slow, but understood that it was necessary to understand what was to come. The second part of the book flew by for me. While the first part was a slow burn, the second a raging wildfire. 


It’s a beautifully written novel. Loved the history of this part of England with its superstitions and traditions. 


Definitely a novel to be savored, not devoured.