This is the story of Bea and her sister Ulrika; two children who mourn the loss of their mother who died while giving birth to Bea. It is this void that is at the center of their lives around which all their hopes and aspirations revolve. The remote island somewhere in Scandinavia is ruled by a patriarchy which used to burn witches at the stake, when women were deemed to become too powerful. In the wake of these women, Bea and Ulrika search their way in life using their mother's notebook as their guide in the natural world that surrounds them.

The prose is excellent, and the style very reminiscent of early magic-realistic works, but leaning more towards hallucinatory realism as reality and dreamlike states of both Bea and Ulrika mingle and flow into each other. I loved how the consciousness of both girls seems to expand to create multitudes and then they come back together as one again, as in sync with the tides and seasons of the island.

Within this beautifully crafted world, the author manages to depict characters that are hard to grasp. Certainly not one-dimensional, both exactly drawn and ephemeral at the same time. The girl's father Silas is a good example; as the pastor of the island he is capable of saying the right things to keep his god fearing flock in check but gives his girls all the freedom they want; he loves them but cannot show it to them; he is tormented by the loss of his wife but cannot speak about her. And all the characters in the book are detailed and layered like this.

It is a tour de force that the author managed to capture so much narrative, atmosphere and beauty in so few pages. If anything that would be my only point of critique: this book could have gone on for many more chapters as every page is just a delight to read.

Bravo !

I wish to express a sincere thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book.

I ended up not finishing this book unfortunately (page 150). I felt that I was not going to be able to push through any further. I found the story slow, and often times found myself just picking up something else to read instead.

I was excited to read the novel because of the cover, description and blub written on NetGalley. In terms of its chilling, gothic sort of ambience, this was well written. I enjoyed the description atmosphere of the writing and felt that I was part of the island as I read on. But I was continually confused by the story line. I was hoping and waiting for more connection to and between the characters and found the story fell flat.

The writing was beautiful and the descriptiveness of the prose narrative was wonderful but for me it just didn't work.

I'm really not sure how to rate this title. The prose is lovely—to the extent that one can separate prose from narrative—but the narrative was fully of so many painful moments, both big and small, that had to stop reading. I would definitely look for other work by this writer, but the sorrow in this title was too deep for me to make it all the way through.

"The Blue Maiden" transports readers to the 1800s with its meticulously crafted Nordic Gothic atmosphere, blending subtle hints of magic and myth throughout the narrative. The prologue hauntingly recounts the witch hunts on Berggrund Island, setting the stage for a story that follows sisters Ulrika and Bea as they navigate a motherless childhood under the guidance of their priest father. Reminiscent of Stephen King's prose, the narrative unfolds with a steady, unsettling tone, gradually revealing layers of horror and mystery. Character development unfolds gradually, keeping readers on edge as they reinterpret their perceptions until the final pages. Despite a relatively light plot, the book captivates with its immersive atmosphere and character-driven storytelling, leaving lingering questions and a sense of unease. "The Blue Maiden" is a timeless tale that resonates with lovers of Gothic fiction and historical intrigue, offering a glimpse into a world where religion and witchcraft collide.

The Blue Maiden is a Nordic Gothic tale that instantly transports you to the 1800s. The atmosphere is incredibly well crafted and the story is very subtly steeped in magic and myth, to the point where you're always left wondering - am I reading about something mundane or was that magical?

The prologue tells the tale of witch hunts on the island of Berggrund generations before our story takes place, when all but 5 women on the small island were accused of witchcraft and murdered. The main story then follows sisters Ulrika and Bea from childhood to adulthood as they grow up motherless, with their priest father. This book is an understated kind of horror, and this is where I started to understand the comparison to Stephen King's prose. The tone of the narrator is even and constant, even while it tells of terrifying events and revelations. I love this style, because it adds to the reader's feeling of unease or terror once it finally clicks, and it lets you connect your own dots most of the time. The characters are built the same, with bits and pieces being revealed very slowly until the final few pages, so that you're constantly rethinking your image of them. This kept my attention throughout, despite the plot not being very heavy and leaving a lot more unanswered questions than I expected by the end of the story.

Overall, The Blue Maiden is a book that doesn't feel like it was published in 2024. The atmosphere is great and it's mainly character-driven rather than relying on the plot. If you're into Gothic tales verging on horror and enjoy reading about religion-driven witch hunts several centuries ago then you might enjoy this one.

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

mother (Angelique) who died while giving birth to Beata. Their absent and aloof father keeps their mother’s room, belongings, and memories locked up, never speaking about her. The girls hunger for a connection with their mother (from their father to Beata, “You might look a bit like her, but Ulrika behaves like her, time to time...a beast with Viking blood.”), and must search on their own to find it.

Despite their father’s admonitions, they explore Angelique’s room where they find a journal containing descriptions of poisonous and medicinal native plants. The writing is in their mother’s hand: can the book bring them closer to understanding and knowing their mother? Will the information in the journal awaken them to the possibilities of power and agency?

As they get older, Beata wants to separate herself from her sister. She wants to be adored and popular, and thinks her older sister is holding her back. Due to her father’s lack of affection, Beata craves male attention, and thinks she has found it when a man returns to Berggrund. When it appears he is there for Ulrika, Beata interjects herself into the man’s life. Will he cause a further rift in the girls’ relationship??

So, what is The Blue Maiden? It is a fictional island where the secluded and hidden Blockula can be found. According to lore, it is the place where witches/women go to commune with the devil. According to the male population, witches abduct children and fly them to Blockula where they include the innocents in sacrifices and lewd acts. By the end of a particular day in 1625, only five women are spared getting their throats cut.

As I read, I expected everything I read to have a surrealistic bend to it. I could not tell if dreams were dreams, actions were actions, or people just plain people (maybe this is what the author intended). I always had the witches of the first chapter in the back of my mind which clouded my take on events. I was waiting for the Blue Maiden to make an appearance, and possibly turn the lore into reality. Were the sisters tied to the Blue Maiden? Or was it their father who is a direct descendant of one of the five, spared women? Would he sacrifice his daughters like his ancestors did? I won’t tell.

I would like to thank Grove Park and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved the flow of the writing. It’s descriptive yet vague, and it really drew me into the story, wanting to know more about what happens. I like how the story comes together in pieces. Sometimes the plot was a little hard to follow, however I think later parts of the book helped me clarify some things I was confused on early in the book. Part of that is probably due to the characters being younger at the beginning and aging throughout the book. I really enjoyed it overall!

I'll be honest, I spent a lot of the time reading this with a frown on my face simply because I didn't know what I was supposed to deduce from the story.

We start with the story of the island's strange history where women were burned as witches and since then there appears always to have been suspicion that all or any of the women are evil. Certainly it is never clear whether sisters, Ulrika and Bea are practising witchcraft or not. They have a fascination with their mother's red book which may, or may not, contain spells -- or it might just be herbal remedies and poisons.

As I said I got very bogged down with trying to work out what the book was saying. There is an odd relationship between the sisters - rivalry, love, hatred, jealousy, dependency - all mixed up together. Their relationships with others are also all strange.

At times it felt like being in the middle of a Bosch painting - uncomfortable, disturbing and dangerous. Whether that was what Anna Noyes was attempting I may never know. I don't mind being a little confused at times but not for half the book. I'm sure cleverer people than I will appreciate the symbolism more.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advance review copy.

“Ghosts come in fog, the villagers have always said.”

The Blue Maiden was a very different book, between reality and visions. Walking on a tight rope, it interrogates us on our humanity, our bestiality, our relationship with Nature and the World. After a heavy and long prologue, the use of present tense doesn’t dynamise the story. On the contrary, it suspends the action, freezing it in place in a blurry incertitude. It adds tension.
We can’t say what is true, what is from the sisters’ imagination, if they invent it, if Bea has visions or if we are trapped in a magical –or cursed– world. That’s the beauty of this book, we glide in that uncertainty, wave in the melancholy created by the flawless writing, making us sure that bad things are coming, ready to knock at the door.
Who is the crazy one here? Who acts good? Who misbehaves? We never know as religion and naturalism contront in turn, then wave with each other.
None of the characters are black, or white, they are all subtle shades of grey, and the author leaves to us the task to taste, think, judge, and choose. The magnificent descriptions of Nature are a counterpart to the Human’s craziness, and also contribute to freeze the story. In this regards (and –of course– because the sisterhood links), it reminded me a bit of The Virgin Suicides, where beauty announces the darkness to come. It’s a beautiful reflexion about Humans, Nature, and Bestiality, about what it means and feels to grow up, to become an adult and find yourself.
If you look for an escape through Fantasy and a magical world, this probably isn’t the right book. On the other hand, if you want to live an experience (I don’t have a better world), to feel that island, to get lost and wander in a fog full of discoveries, then plough into this short read. I loved that strange but fascinating immersion.
Rate 4.5/5

Thank you NetGalley, Anna Noyes and Atlantic Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"From the author of Indie Next Pick and New York Times Editors' Choice Goodnight, Beautiful Women comes a transportive and chilling debut novel of two sisters growing up on an isolated Northern European island in the shadow of their late mother and the Devil.

It's 1825, four generations after Berggrund Island's women stood accused of witchcraft under the eye of their priest, now long dead. In his place is Pastor Silas, a widower with two wild young daughters, Beata and Ulrika. The sisters are outcasts: imaginative, oppositional, increasingly obsessed with the lore and legend of the island's dark past and their absent mother, whom their father refuses to speak of.

As the girls come of age, and the strictures of the community shift but never wane, their rebellions twist and sharpen. Ever capable Ulrika shoulders the burden of keeping house, while Bea, alone with unsettling visions and impulses, hungers for companionship and attention. When an enigmatic outsider arrives at their door, his presence threatens their family bond and unearths - piece by piece - a buried history to shocking ends. All the while Berggrund's neighboring island The Blue Maiden beckons, storied home of the Witches' Sabbath and Satan's realm, its misted shore veiling truths the sisters have spent their lives searching for.

A Nordic Gothic laced with the horrors of life in a patriarchy both hostile to and reliant on its women, The Blue Maiden is a starkly beautiful depiction of lost lineage and resilience."

Nordic Gothic, yes please!

I wanted witches! Where are the witches?! What a disappointment. I struggled all the way through this only to be let down once again at that terrible ending.

Anna Noyes’s The Blue Maiden is a strange book, about a strange pair of sisters. Before we meet the Silasdottir sisters, Noyes shows us the darkest chapter in the history of Berggrund Island. In 1675, a priest manufactured a witch hunt, leading to the death of dozens of women. One of the few survivors only avoided being murdered because she was pregnant. Her descendant is Silas, the father of Ulrika and Beata Silasdottir.

The extended prologue casts a sinister atmosphere over the rest of the novel, set in the 1820s. Ulrika and Beata are odd. Even if they weren’t the daughters of the island’s priest, they still wouldn’t fit in. They love to roam the island and create their own elaborate games. They also pester their neglectful father for any information about their mother, who died giving birth to Beata. Their few attempts to interact with the other children on the island go awry, much to Bea’s disappointment.

The Blue Maiden follows Bea, for the most part, from when she was a young child to her first years as wife to an islander who left for the mainland for years before returning. As Ulrika grows less willing to conform to convention—especially after a head injury—Bea longs for a more normal life. Except Bea’s reputation is tainted not only by her heritage, but also by her desperate longing to be loved. I saw Beata pushed and pulled by expectation and desire and deep uncertainty about who she really is.

This book leaves a lot of gaps for the reader’s imagination to speculate about the characters’ motivations and goals. Until a few key pieces of information are revealed late in the novel, it feels like a lot of the characters are acting purely on instinct or just in reaction to what is done to them. One of the few things that is clear in The Blue Maiden are the plants that cover the island, which Ulrika, her friend the healer Bruna, and their female ancestors used to heal the islanders or to work magic (maybe) out of the sight of the church. The names of the plant names and their uses hint at a long, self-sufficient culture that I wish I could know more about. Readers who don’t like a spare, almost fairy-tale-like style of writing will be frustrated. Readers who like to let their imaginations loose on subtext, however, will have a blast.

Fascinating story of an isolated, tightly structured people and their intense need to identify and punish those they consider witches. Did accusations and confessions come from young people only because they were convinced of what they saw, or was it all real? I fell deeply into the gripping tale of two sisters who experience the bullying and the unnerving potentially true (or not) coming accusation that they were somehow “marked” by the Devil, who is awaiting them in a horrifying place, the family and all who know them shudder in fear and intense dread. I read this novel in a remarkably short time as each trouble kept me in the world Noyes created.

Wow! This book is steeped in incredible atmosphere … I was transported to a tiny island off the coast of Finland, 1825, and felt, smelled, and tasted every inch of it:

In silty stretches of loam, purple orchids shiver, their blossoms like tongues.

Blue dust covers every surface. Her mouth is packed with wool and gnats sip at her eyes.

… the farmhouse seems possessed by Ulrika, daises shivering in their vase when she props her elbows on the table, chairs creaking, ceilings lowering, grease from her lips printed on the rim of each glass.

The author did an incredible job of keeping the reader off-kilter, making us wonder how reliable – and how emotionally stable – our narrator, Beata, really was. The sentence structure, the observations – I’m not sure I can even explain the genius of the way this is written.

Will you be confused by parts of it? Probably. But I think that’s part of the experience … feeling Beata’s confusion as she wrestles with an unknown past, an absent mother, and a father so mired in religion, he is fanatical (and to me, he felt precipitously close to repeating the same warped beliefs about women that led to the murder of half the island's females years earlier, based on accusations of witchcraft).

I was going to give this a 4 for the somewhat abrupt ending, and the open-endedness of it, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot, marveling at it, and decided the ending was, again, nothing short of brilliant. The story begs the question: where do we draw the line between fable and fate, story and life, the real and the imagined, and possibly between sanity and madness?

For readers who like to dig deep, there is much to unearth in this novel, thematically and even emotionally. It is a story of motherless daughters and an island so filled with life and female inequity… For readers who like a straightforward story with a standard three-acts and obvious plot, this one may not be for you. However, I wouldn’t let that stop you from reading. It’s only 240 pages and certainly worth a try. You might surprise yourself and be swept away by the mystery of this book.

I want to pull out my shovel and excavate all the hidden meanings and nuance of this incredible literary book!

Unfortunately for me this one wasn’t quite what i expected and I was fairly disappointed. It wasn’t that it was a bad read, because it was ok but it definitely wasn’t what i hoped for after reading the blurb for the novel! It was hard to follow and quite slow at times!

While I enjoyed this read I think it was a right book wrong time situation and I feel like I can’t give the best review off of that but I still recommend giving this book a read

I went into the book with good intentions, especially considering the book description. I felt as if I wer missing something, or perhaps many areas of the book I just couldn't understand. I want to that both Anna Noyes, and Groves Press for the opportunity the read this book.

I was very interested in the promising synopsis but I did not enjoy how it was written or the pace of the story. I was expecting a different story and lost throughout.

I couldn’t get into this book. The synopsis sounding promising, but the way it was written didn’t flow well and didn’t grab my attention.

There is something very special about this book. It was a little bit different than what I’m used too. But, I really enjoyed reading it so much. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to step out of their comfort zone.
10/10