The Blight of Blackridge is a dark fantasy novel featuring dark secrets, powerful priestesses with nature-inspired magic, sweet sapphic romance, and heart-wrenching stakes.
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All Eleanor Payne wants is to live her life in peace.
But a war between the gods has cracked the world in two, and the Payne family pledged to the losing side.
The village of Blackridge has labeled them traitors. They’ve fallen far from grace and lost nearly everything.
With her mother desperate to convert to preserve the little they have left and her great-grandmother forbidding it, Eleanor has no choice but to pick a side.
She would rather starve than surrender.
On the hunt for another path, Eleanor uncovers powerful secrets that the Payne matriarchs buried in their past. And a condemning truth about the dark history of Blackridge. The more she uncovers, the more desperate the village becomes to silence her.
But Eleanor has come too far to turn back now. And when faced with the dangerous consequences of digging too deep, she unlocks a terrifying power within herself.
A power that will make Blackridge wish they hadn’t pushed her so far.
Reviews for The Blight of Blackridge:
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I went in to this book completely blind and then was blindsided! It’s different from my usual reads and I’m quite glad I took the time to read it! Excited for more.
Goodreads reviewer
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Eleanor is morally ambiguous at times, but it's always clear what drives her, which makes her a very engaging protagonist. Throughout the book, her confidence and strength grow, but the authors didn't make her overly powerful. Nell stays realistic and relatable, despite the darkness she has to deal with.
Goodreads reviewer
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This book left me gutted. I felt sadness, anguish, excitement, anger, devastation, and shock. Basically, the whole gamut of emotions.
Goodreads reviewer
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The Blight of Blackridge is a hugely enjoyable read. It has me hooked from the first page. Full of rich detail and well developed characters, the Book of Payne delivers a mesmerising first instalment of the trilogy.
Goodreads reviewer
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In my opinion, this novel is one of the best at having its main character make realistic decisions, not just ones that advance the plot. And with that, the decisions that Nell has to make pain her. It was **chef's kiss**.
Amazon reviewer
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The Blight of Blackridge does with a Coming-of-Age story what it often feels like so many others don't quite attain. Often, it seems authors forget the mercurial, inpulsive nature of teenagers, or how quickly feelings can shift without losing depth or intensity. The co-authors here haven't forgotten that at all, and it's part of what makes Nell an incredibly frustrating, and also lovable, protagonist.
Amazon reviewer
Trigger Warnings
Though nothing is explicitly described (published as YA), The Blight of Blackridge comes with a few trigger warnings:
Bullying
Death
Religious trauma
Religious Persecution
Animal sacrifice
**What we DO NOT have is any bullying, persecution, or hate based on a character’s sexual orientation. Our worlds will always be queer normative.