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book cover for The Witch of Benbar's Cross

The Witch of Benbar's Cross

What would you sacrifice for a sister?

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Pub Date 24 Mar 2026 | Archive Date 27 May 2026


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Description

Morgan Cadogen’s twin sister, Juliet, has disappeared in a desert town at the far end of the world.

All Morgan knows for certain is that Juliet went to Benbar’s Cross chasing a theory about shamanism.

But when she arrives in the near-deserted settlement, she makes an unsettling discovery: not only is there no sign of Juliet, but according to the last few locals, she was never there.

With nothing to go on but her intuition and a few shreds of evidence, Morgan follows the crumbs that lead her to the horrifying truth about Juliet’s disappearance—and what she will have to sacrifice to get her sister back.

The Witch of Benbar’s Cross is a paranormal mystery, a ghost story maybe with a touch of horror, about women and magic, grief and rage. It’s about the different forms of sisterhood and belonging; about the worlds seen and unseen. It’s a heroine’s journey into sacrifice and bravery, connection, community and love. There are spells and blood magic and psychics and rituals, there’s death and birth. Shit goes up in flames, treasures are lost and retrieved from dark places.

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Hey there :) The Witch of Benbar's Cross is already available so if you do read it and do like it (and I hope you do), it would be awesome if you could cross post your review to Goodreads or Amazon. Thanks so much! Tanya

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Morgan Cadogen’s twin sister, Juliet, has disappeared in a desert town at the far end of the world.

All Morgan knows for certain is that Juliet went to Benbar’s Cross chasing a theory about shamanism.
...


A Note From the Publisher

Tanya Meeson lives in Cape Town, South Africa, and writes literary spec fic. Her books include "The Witch of Benbar’s Cross” (2026), “The Akashic Records of The Last People as Written by Neko” (2024), and “The Fulcrum” (2022), which was a finalist in the NIEA Awards.
Tanya is an editor, author coach, and the creator and co-organiser of Otherworld, a gathering for writers and readers of speculative fiction.

Tanya Meeson lives in Cape Town, South Africa, and writes literary spec fic. Her books include "The Witch of Benbar’s Cross” (2026), “The Akashic Records of The Last People as Written by Neko”...


Advance Praise

Loved this read.. it was beautiful and surprising. The characters drew me in and took me on a wonderful journey. Not quite a traditional witch story, not quite a ghost story but this amazing mix of humans and witches and old stories and things not quite what you think they are. I can highly recommend it. – Jo, Goodreads

Riveting and unpredictable! The suspense was palpable: the characters - including the landscape - were fascinating and relatable. Another goodie from Tanya Meeson! – Jenny, Goodreads

A terrific fantasy novel, set in the real world, that has more than a hint of horror about it. Morgan arrives in the middle-of-nowhere town of Benbar's Cross to try to track down her missing twin sister, Juliet. What she uncovers may demand an immense sacrifice from her, and in doing so she unveils some frightening truths about the town where her sister was last seen. It zips along at a tremendous pace, touches on themes of women's rage and loss, and there are strange, surreal scenes and ideas that will linger long in the memory. A terrific novel, well worth your time. – David, Goodreads

At the risk of sounding cliche, I could not put this down, because I could not figure out what the hell had happened to Juliet ... Morgan was irritable, frustrated and totally relatable ... The town, landscape and tangible atmosphere were characters in the story themselves ... There were moments when I had to slam the book shut and remind myself to breath as I was so scared for Morgan … I absolutely loved the two different timelines, the strong female characters (this is a story about women, strong women, angry women ) in each, facing different yet equally frustrating realities ... So often magical elements in this kind of book can end up feeling shallow or hum drum. That was not the case here, it felt like a lived experience… It was believable, terrifying and beautiful in its way and called on ancient and what felt like very feminine magics to make sense of the world – Sherry, Goodreads



Loved this read.. it was beautiful and surprising. The characters drew me in and took me on a wonderful journey. Not quite a traditional witch story, not quite a ghost story but this amazing mix of...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9798250114547
PRICE $7.73 (USD)
PAGES 292

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