The Binding Spell
When Morgan, a reluctant young carer, moves with her siblings to a remote village where her father is working on an archaeological dig, she hopes her nightmares are behind her – till supernatural encounters in the woods near Pouka Hill make her doubt her own sanity. Meeting the mysterious local boy, Joe Harper helps. But his secrets are as tangled as hers, and she starts to wonder if she can trust him.
Then Morgan's father uncovers artefacts in a hidden grave. With every relic he unearths, a creeping horror emerges – a spell that binds them all . . .
Published May 8th 2025 by Chicken House Books, ISBN 9781915947765
17-year-old Morgan believes she has finally outgrown the terrifying visions that haunted her after her mother’s death. But when her archaeologist father relocates the family to a village on the Welsh/English border, her nightmares return. Somehow her visions are connected to Pouka Hill, the prehistoric mound in the nearby woods. But what lies behind it? And who can Morgan trust? Probably not Joe Harper, the mysterious boy she’s drawn to, but whose secrets seem as tangled as hers.
Then her father uncovers artefacts hidden in an ancient burial site . . . and a creeping horror emerges that threatens Morgan and the people she loves.
The Binding Spell weaves ancient folklore into a creepily atmospheric tale of a world haunted by hidden magic; set against an earthy backdrop of young carers, early bereavement, sibling dynamics and rural poverty.
The Binding Spell won the prestigious 2023 Times/Chicken House writing competition.
“The Binding Spell is a dark, enchanting YA novel that weaves witchcraft, family secrets and ancient superstition into a compelling story.”
— Linda, school librarian, The Reading Zone