The Bloody Branch

Brought to you by Penguin. Three powerful heroines – a queen, a sorceress and woman made of flowers – plot revenge against the villain who wronged them. A gorgeously dark debut novel inspired by Celtic Britain’s first fantasy fiction. Man is cruel, but the flowers will take their revenge. Three great heroines – slave queen Goewin, the reclusive sorceress Arianrhod, and Blodeuwedd, a woman conjured from flowers – unite to avenge themselves on the most dangerous man in ancient legend. Gwydion is a powerful sorcerer, whose ambition and cruelty wreak havoc across the kingdom. When at last the earth itself is put at stake, Goewin, Arianrhod and Blodeuwedd each unleash their uncanny powers to challenge him. In this vital and visceral retelling of one of the oldest stories in British literature and precursor of modern fantasy fiction, Brigid Lowe casts ancient light on desire, sex and our relationship with nature to bring Celtic myth to explosive, sensuous, blossoming new life. © Brigid Lowe 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026