Latest Reads: Her Kind Niamh Boyce.


1324, Kilkennie

A woman seeks refuge for herself and her daughter in the household of a childhood friend.

The friend, Alice Kytler, gives her former companion a new name, Petronelle, a job as a servant, and warns her to hide their old connection.

Before long Petronelle comes to understand that in the city pride, greed and envy are as dangerous as the wolves that prowl the savage countryside. And she realizes that Alice’s household is no place of safety.

Once again, Petronelle decides to flee. But this time she confronts forces greater than she could ever have imagined and she finds herself fighting for more than her freedom 

Her Kind was a beautifully written literary delight, an imagined tale of some very real events, as such it was riveting and hugely immersive.

I had no previous knowledge of the Kilkenny Witch Trial so this was a blind read for me but Niamh Boyce captures such a sense of the place and time, setting the reader firmly in the moment and examining the life and struggles of some very intriguing women. Descriptively speaking this is a wonderful read and emotionally speaking it is hugely resonant…an echo of time gone by.

There is a striking sense of menace running through the centre of the story, a story encompassing family, love, loss and madness. It is one that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.

Melancholy yet wonderful. Highly Recommended.

You can purchase Her Kind (penguin Ireland) Here.

Happy Reading!

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One Response to Latest Reads: Her Kind Niamh Boyce.

  1. Niamh Boyce says:

    thank you Liz, I am really glad you enjoyed Her Kind !

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