The winter goddess

Megan Barnard

Book - 2025

"A goddess is cursed to endlessly live and die as a mortal until she understands the value of human life, in this inventive, moving reimagining of Gaelic mythology. Cailleach, goddess of winter, was not born to be a blight on humanity, but she became it. If anyone asked her, she would say with scorn that it was their own fault: humans were selfish, thoughtless, and destructive, bringing harm to each other and the Earth without cause or qualms. One day, Cailleach goes too far. Thousands die, lost to her brutal winter. In punishment, her mother Danu, the queen of the gods, strips the goddess of her powers and sends Cailleach to Earth, to live and die as the mortals she so despises, until she understands what it is to be a human. Though d...etermined to live in solitude, Cailleach finds that she cannot help but reach for the people she once held in such disdain. She loves and mourns in equal measure, and in opening herself to humanity, hears tales not meant for immortal ears-and a secret long-buried, that will redefine what it means to be a god. From the author of the "stunning...riveting" historical re-envisioning Jezebel (Library Journal), a vividly imagined and arresting story of a goddess punished--and a goddess reborn, as she discovers what it means to be alive and divines for herself a new purpose"-- more