The Witches' Song - Book 1

1483, in the Vercors mountains.

Not far from Sassenage Castle, young Algonde, the steward's daughter, struggles in vain to escape the torrent into which she has fallen.

Despite her efforts, she is carried away under the mountain said to be haunted by the fairy Mélusine. Everyone believes her lost, and yet, the torrent casts her onto a bank, white and frozen, but alive.

How she survived, no one knows. In shock, Algonde admits she would have... seen Mélusine, then refuses to say more. But she now seems elsewhere. What is happening around this young girl whose beauty blossoms a little more each day? What oath did she swear to the fairy in exchange for her life?

Forced into silence to protect the man she loves, Algonde will try to thwart the trap set long before her birth.

Her love for Mathieu, her complicit friendship with the young baroness, Hélène de Sassenage, give her the will to live and overcome.

Will she be able to face, almost alone, the malevolent powers that have devised a destiny for her that she rejects with all her might?

📖 Review from Librairie du Grimoire Ancien

By our editorial & librarian committee

Mireille Calmel, master of the French historical novel, delivers a captivating fresco with Le chant des sorcières, published by XO, blending medieval history, Alpine legends, and ancestral magic. This first volume plunges us into the Vercors of 1483, where the legend of the fairy Mélusine meets the destiny of an extraordinary young woman.

The strength of this novel lies in its grounding in the legend of Mélusine, an archetypal serpent-fairy figure present throughout European folklore. Calmel reactivates this ancient mythology by weaving it with the history of Sassenage Castle and the popular beliefs of the Vercors. Algonde, carried away under the mountain and miraculously saved, becomes the vessel for a mysterious pact with the fairy.

The author excels at creating an atmosphere where the supernatural constantly surfaces: the secret oath, the beauty that blossoms "a little more each day," the malevolent powers that have been weaving their web for generations. Algonde embodies this heroine who refuses the destiny imposed upon her, armed with her love for Mathieu and her friendship with Hélène de Sassenage.

We recommend this novel to fans of historical novels tinged with fantasy, enthusiasts of medieval legends, and all those who love heroines who defy dark powers. An addictive read that awakens the ancient magic of the Vercors.

Our rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — A historical and fantasy fresco that brilliantly reactivates the legend of Mélusine.