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Island Witch
Amanda Jayatissa
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“Every once in a while, a book comes along that drops you into another world and takes you places you never could imagine. This is that book. An astounding accomplishment!” —R. L. Stine, author of Goosebumps.
Set in 19th century Sri Lanka and inspired by local folklore, the daughter of a traditional demon-priest—relentlessly bullied by peers and accused of witchcraft herself—tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been terrorizing her coastal village.
Being the daughter of the village Capuwa, or demon-priest, Amara is used to keeping mostly to herself. Influenced by the new religious practices brought in by the British Colonizers, the villagers who once respected her father’s craft have turned on the family. Yet, they all still seem to call on him whenever supernatural disturbances arise.
Now someone—or something—is viciously seizing upon men in the jungle. But instead of enlisting Amara’s father’s help, the villages have accused him of carrying out the attacks himself.
As she tries to clear her father’s name, Amara finds herself haunted by dreams that eerily predict the dark forces on her island. And she can’t shake the feeling that it’s all connected to the night she was recovering from a strange illness, and woke up, scared and confused, to hear her mother’s frantic cries:
No one can find out what happened.
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Posts about this title from Celestial
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 21 2025
it’s Wicked: For Good day!!! watch out world, I’m about to be super annoying!
here’s a little treat for the theatre kids.
📚 books mentioned: - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar - Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi - Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa - Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino - Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
👗💄: - dress is from For Love & Lemons, rented from Nuuly - eyeliner is from Kaleidos - eyeshadow is the Wicked: For Good Ozian Forest Palette from r.e.m. beauty - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)
thank you to Tordotcom, Avon, and Berkley for the gifted copies!
#bookrecsfrommusicals #ifyoulikethismusicalreadthisbook #wicked #wickedforgood #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #romancebooks #scifibooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #TorPartner #AvonPartner #BerkleyPartner @wickedmovie @wicked_musical @tordotcompub @avonbooks @harpercollins @berkleypub @fsgbooks @abramsbooks @forloveandlemons @nuuly @kaleidosmakeup @r.e.m.beauty
5 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 13 2025
recommending books using their opening lines!!
recommending books using their opening lines!!
📚 books mentioned: - Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase - The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei - The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs - Heavyweight by Solomon J. Brager - Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa - The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez - Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - When Among Crows by Veronica Roth - The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero
👗💄: - sweat set is from @comfrt - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)
thank you to Flatiron Books, Heartdrum, William Borrow, Berkley, Tor Books, and Peachtree Teen for the gifted copies!
#bookrecsfromfirstlines #bookfirstlines #firstlines #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #scifibooks #BerkleyPartner #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram @erewhonbooks @flatiron_books @harpercollins @williammorrowbooks @berkleypub @torbooks @marinerbooks @peachtreeteen
9 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Oct 21 2024
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK CRISIS! part 5. :) because everything i read involves terrible, terrible dangers.
6 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 21 2024
dark witchy books for dark witchy times (YAY FALL).
3 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 7 2024
you heard it here first (well probably not, but that’s fine) … it’s SEPTEMBER!!! the good part of the year starts NOW!!
so here’s an august reading wrap up - i read 9 books last month, and i’m sharing a speedy reaction to them all.
6 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 24 2024
book recs based on dance moms dances
i just realized these are all horror books 😱 it’s a dark new season of dance moms!!
📚 books mentioned: - Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury (paired with Telephone) - Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa (paired with Swamp Witch) - The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (paired with Medium) - Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros (paired with Bound Together)
4 books
Posts about this book from across Bindery
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 21 2025
it’s Wicked: For Good day!!! watch out world, I’m about to be super annoying!
here’s a little treat for the theatre kids.
thank you to Tordotcom, Avon, and Berkley for the gifted copies!
5 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 13 2025
recommending books using their opening lines!!
recommending books using their opening lines!!
👗💄: - sweat set is from @comfrt - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)
thank you to Flatiron Books, Heartdrum, William Borrow, Berkley, Tor Books, and Peachtree Teen for the gifted copies!
9 books
Kurryreads\ \ Kerry\ \ • Aug 14 2025
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Ultimate Guide to Spooky Season Reading v2
Replying to @Kerry | Booktok 📖 Ultimate Guide to Spooky Season Reading - Version 2 📚👻🔪 Timestamps: 00:28 Stranger Than Fiction 00:39 Witchy 00:47 Creature Feature 1:03 Dark Past-Potentially Paranormal 1:14 Possession 1:19 Slashers 1:32 Haunted House 1:42 Eco Horror/Plant Horror 1:48 Supernatural 1:57 Demonic/Occult 2:06 Cosmic 2:13 Folklore 2:26 Speculative 2:35 Young Adult 2:46 Paranormal 2:55 Psychological 3:03 Crime 3:13 Historical Fiction 3:29 Cult 3:43 Vampires 3:51 Weird Girl/Feminine Rage 4:00 Sci-Fi 4:08 Cannibalism #guidetospookyseasonreading #spookyreads #horrorbooks #cultbooks #paranormalbooks #hauntedhousebooks #possessionbooks #creaturefeature #booktok #booktoker #bookrecommendations #whattoread #vampirebooks #speculativehorror #youngadulthorror #folklorebooks #ecohorrorbooks #scifihorrorbooks #slasherbooks #scarybooks
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Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Nov 25 2024
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Notes From The Mixed Up Desk, Monday November 25, 2024
newsletter w/quiet time book club link, readathon info
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Oct 21 2024
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK CRISIS! part 5. :) because everything i read involves terrible, terrible dangers.
6 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 21 2024
dark witchy books for dark witchy times (YAY FALL).
3 books
Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Sep 18 2024
Join for free
Notes From The Mixedup Desk, Week of 9/16
What I've Been Up To, Readathon THIS WEEKEND, Quiet Time BookClub. Click on photo to read more
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 7 2024
you heard it here first (well probably not, but that’s fine) … it’s SEPTEMBER!!! the good part of the year starts NOW!!
so here’s an august reading wrap up - i read 9 books last month, and i’m sharing a speedy reaction to them all.
6 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 24 2024
book recs based on dance moms dances
i just realized these are all horror books 😱 it’s a dark new season of dance moms!!
4 books