The Passion of Dolssa

Harper Collins Publishers, Australia, 2016. Good secondhand copy.

'I must write this account, and when I have finished, I will burn it.' Buried deep within the archives of a convent in medieval France lies an untold story of love, loss and magic - and the two girls at the heart of it all. Dolssa is an upper-crust city girl with an uncanny gift. Branded a heretic, she's on the run from the monk who burned her mother at the stake and wants her executed. Botille is a matchmaker and a tavern-keeper, struggling to make a living and keep herself and her sisters in the good graces of their seaside town of Bajas. When their lives collide in the forest, Botille rescues Dolssa and shelters her in the tavern, where an unlikely friendship blooms. Botille does her best to nurse Dolssa back from the brink of death and hide her from those hunting her down. But all of Botille's tricks, tales, and cleverness can't protect them forever, and when the full wrath of the Church bears down upon Bajas, Botille's good intentions could destroy the entire village. From the author of the award-winning ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME comes a book that will make you wonder if miracles really are possible.

Ages: YA/crossover