Witch Daughter

by Tanaz Bhathena

In her adult debut, award-winning author Tanaz Bhathena expertly weaves a tale of love and loss in ancient Persia with her take on the timeless tragedy of Tahmineh, a temptress, a witch, a victim, or, perhaps, a woman trying her hardest to protect her loved ones.

Rumors of witchcraft follow Princess Tahmineh like a storm cloud, making it impossible for her to secure herself a marriage or any kind of future. With her father, the king’s, health in question, it becomes shockingly clear how desperate her situation will soon become in his absence. If she doesn’t act now, she will quickly find herself destitute and desperate.

Tahmineh seeks out a prophecy, from which she learns she will fall in love with a warrior of great renown named Rostam and bear him a son. However, she is warned this match is a dangerous one for her. Heedless of the warnings, Tahmineh boldly orchestrates a meeting with Rostam and the two develop a close friendship and ultimately fall in love and marry. At the peak of her joy, Tahmineh gives birth to Sohrab, Rostam’s son.

All too soon, Tahmineh learns the tragic second part of the prophecy. Father and son will meet as enemies in battle and one will die at the hand of the other. What follows is a mother’s desperate attempt to undo the threads of fate and try to protect her son at all costs.

Genres: Mythology, Fantasy, Retellings, Adult

320 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication September 22, 2026

About the author

Tanaz Bhathena is an award-winning Zoroastrian author of contemporary and fantasy fiction. Her young adult books include Hunted by the Sky, which won the White Pine Award and the Bapsi Sidhwa Literary Prize, and The Beauty of the Moment, which won the Nautilus Gold Award for Young Adult Fiction. Her acclaimed debut, A Girl Like That, was named a Best Book of the Year by numerous outlets including The Globe and Mail, Seventeen, and The Times of India. Her debut adult fantasy, Witch Daughter, will be published in fall 2026 by Grand Central.


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Reviews

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mythology retellings hook me every time, especially when told from the perspective of a character not originally taking center stage. Tanaz Bhathena gave voice to Tahmineh, who saw a heartbreaking prophecy about her husband and son and vowed to do all she could to prevent it from coming true. With incredible world building and desperate stakes, it was so easy to fall into Tahmineh’s life. To feel for her. To see the reasons she made the choices she did. Witch Daughter had me flipping the pages, every part of me tense as I neared the end. Such a beautifully told story, rich with mythology and magic, prophecies and love.