#Blogtour They Can't Burn Us All by Cathryn Kemp

From the award-winning author of  A Poisoner's Tale comes a powerful and moving examination of witchcraft in 17th century Iceland. They Can't Burn Us All by Cathryn Kemp. Published13th August 2026 by Bantam Books. Blogtour courtesy of Random Things Tours.

About the Author

Cathryn Kemp is an award-winning, bestselling author and ghostwriter of celebrity, true crime, addiction and nostalgia titles. Her personal memoir Coming Clean won the Big Red Read Prize for Non-Fiction.

Her debut novel, A Poisoner’s Tale won the Historical Writers Association’s Debut Crown Award. Praised for its complexity and power, she has channelled this and more into her second novel, They Can’t Burn Us All. 

Cathryn is based on the south coast and is available for interview, features and events throughout 2026. Follow @cathryn_kemp on Instagram.

About the book

Westfjords, Iceland. 1655 - Þuríður Jónsdóttir has grown up praying to the old gods and watching her father and brother practise rune magic.

But now, a witch-hunting craze is sweeping across the land of ice and fire, fuelled by the Protestant Reformation. Unlike elsewhere in Europe, those condemned as witches here are not women, but men of learning. And when Þuríður’s father and brother are accused of witchcraft and condemned to burn at the stake, she is helpless to save them.

As Lutheran Pastor Jón Magnússon's accusing gaze turns to Þuríður herself, the first woman to be called ‘witch’, he will find that she is no ordinary woman. She is prepared to fight back. But at what cost? And in an age of fear and persecution, whose side will the community take? Who will fight for justice?

Review

From the very beginning you are accompanied by the train of thought that although the title suggests they can't burn them all, you know that they can, will and certainly try to over and over again. It's the kind of resignation a woman or a girl sits with when you realise that the boot is always hovering somewhere over your neck in allegedly more progressive countries and just sits at various angles and depths in others. Same story no matter what era in history.

As the weaponry of witchcraft accusations evolves from country to country it's interesting to note how the patriarchal system realises that to put the predominant burden of blame on the men, in this case the men are only ones deemed worthy of learning the skills or reading and writing and of course wielding the power of magic, causes an error in their calculation. That miscalculation being the eradication of men, unless of course it suits the narrative - landgrab, moneygrab, powergrab and often the elimination of rivals - becomes a costly one and one less likely to succeed. Enter the women and girls stage left. 

It's much easier to create a powerbase of oppression, subjucation and control with fear and intimidation if you have a righteous cause and of course someone to blame. It's far easier to blame the people in society most likely to be skilled at using nature, plants, empathy and common sense to heal and help others. Soothing salve? Witchcraft!

Þuríður Jónsdóttir has already experienced the swift change in perception. One day her family is revered sometimes feared, then with a little push they become targets of a witchhunt. It's not a far stretch to realise that she might become the next on the list of targets. In fact her lack of voice since her mother's death might make people view her with more suspicion.

I was intrigued by my reaction to her trauma induced silence. Her inability to say her thoughts out loud, whilst we can read them, was frustrating. Tell them! Shout! Scream your outrage and anger! And then I realised the inability to speak becomes a physical and psychological representation of every single victim who was unfortunate to fall foul of these religious zealots, powerhungry egomaniacs and of course the willing enablers, the bloodthirsty crowds.

I really enjoyed the read. I would happily cast a spell or two after reading this, and despite what the title says it would be better to remember that they will happily try to burn us all if they are given the opportunity.

Buy They Can't Burn Us All at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Transworld Digital; Bantam books pub date 13 August 2026. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Bookshop org.