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Portrait of a Witch Undone

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Pub Date Aug 25 2026 | Archive Date Sep 2 2026

Kensington Publishing | Erewhon Books


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Description

Thirteen stolen works of art. One haunted marsh.
And a Boston witch willing to risk everything for the friend she’s already failed.

An atmospheric, eerie debut for readers of Starling House and A Discovery of Witches, Isabella Stewart Gardner art heist aficionados, witchy girls, burnt-out former gifted kids, New England history buffs, the coven curious, ride-or-die friends, folklore fanatics, and anyone who’s ever wanted to wander through the looking glass.


Once, Maeve Ryan was the strongest witch of her generation. But Maeve messed up a spell to contact the Lady of the Fens, an eerie Revenant who lures the unwary to their deaths in the brackish marshlands of the North Shore. Maeve destroyed her reputation, hurt her best friend Ash, and tainted herself with unbound, wild magic that transforms witches into insane Revenants.

With unbound power eating away at Maeve’s mind, all she wants is to get rid of her magic. Forever. But Ash’s research into how the spell went awry leads in an unexpected direction: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and a link between the Lady and a decades-old art theft worth $500 million. When Ash disappears through a stolen painting’s empty frame, Maeve has to follow.

Inside is the Other Marsh, a haunting, deadly realm where only the Lady’s rules apply. Within this half-world lie secrets about North Shore’s history, Maeve’s failure, and the fate of the masterpieces that disappeared over three decades ago. But as Maeve fights toward the truth, she risks her friendship, her coven, and her life against enemies hiding in plain sight.
Thirteen stolen works of art. One haunted marsh.
And a Boston witch willing to risk everything for the friend she’s already failed.

An atmospheric, eerie debut for readers of Starling House and A...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781645662273
PRICE $28.00 (USD)
PAGES 400

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Average rating from 186 members


Featured Reviews

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Dark fantasy fans will want to check out Portrait of a Witch Undone, the new novel by Kate Shay, a suspenseful tale of a young witch who must discover her true power in order to save her best friend and the coven that has rejected her. 

Shay has created an intriguing alternate Boston, along with the surrounding marshes, that are painted with great verisimilitude with details such as the Gardner Museum, for those familiar with the real place. Having lived there for two years and recently revisited on my last summer vacation I loved seeing all the details that make Boston unique. Warning: you'll be looking for mysterious witch lights any wetlands after reading this since these real world details are infused with magical unique moments that set this apart from other witch fictions.

If you enjoyed A Discovery of Witches, Practical Magic, and Kim Harrison’s Shadow Age series, then Portrait of a Witch Undone will have you spellbound.

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