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Melanie Harding-Shaw
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Against the Grain: A Contemporary Witchy Fiction Novella Kindle Edition

by Melanie Harding-Shaw (Author), Contemporary Witchy Fiction (Preface) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 85 ratings
It’s bad enough when your own body tries to attack you, but when dark powers want to as well, running is the only option. Until you can’t.

After another casual fling goes horribly wrong, coeliac witch Trinity moves down New Zealand to start over, yet again, in the bush-clad suburb of Karori. On the surface, it seems like the perfect place: from the local bistro below her flat with its gluten-free baking (and its handsome owner) to the mountain bike trails she can escape to.

But her fresh start takes a dark turn when she discovers something is trapping her familiar, Saifa, in the suburb. He might take the shape of a pūriri moth as a passive-aggressive joke, but whatever power can hold the ancient demon captive is no laughing matter. If Trinity can’t find and break the anchors of his invisible cage, she could lose everything—her power, her freedom, and her only friend in the world.
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  1. Print length
    140 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    June 7, 2021
  4. File size
    4.0 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Melanie Harding-Shaw is a speculative fiction writer, policy geek, and mother-of-three from Wellington, New Zealand. Her house is nestled near the Mākara Peak Mountain Bike Park, and she can often be found jogging up the Salvation trail at Wrights Hill Reserve. Her short fiction has appeared in a range of local and international publications and her debut short story collection Alternate: A Collection of 37 Stories is available from online retailers now. Melanie is part of the 40 percent of her household who has coeliac disease and she's been known to drive 30 minutes just for gluten-free dumplings and donuts. She'd prefer a cure to living gluten-freely ever after, but you take what you can get. Contaminate her toaster at your peril. You can find Mel at https: //www.melaniehardingshaw.com/ or on Twitter as @MelHardingShaw.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0946SCQ8Q
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Melanie Harding-Shaw (June 7, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 7, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 140 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 85 ratings

About the author

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Melanie Harding-Shaw

Melanie Harding-Shaw

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Melanie Harding-Shaw is a speculative fiction writer from Wellington, New Zealand. Her short fiction has been widely published, including in Strange Horizons, Analog, Daily Science Fiction, and The Best of British Fantasy.

You can follow her on Twitter: @MelHardingShaw, Instagram @MelHardingShaw and Facebook: @MelanieHardingShawWriter

Her website is: www.MelanieHardingShaw.com

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
85 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the novella's romance engaging, with one noting how the local geography weaves through the story. The book receives positive feedback for its readability, with customers describing it as a great comfort read. They appreciate the character development, with one review specifically mentioning a well-written character with coeliac disease.

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10 customers mention "Romance"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the romance in this novella, finding it sweet and cute, with one customer highlighting how the local geography weaves through the narrative.

"...treats. I thought the magic portion was interesting enough, though it was pretty easy to figure out who the villain was...." Read more

"Absolutely loved this adventure story. Magic and a disabled character made it really fun to read. Look forward to other books by this author" Read more

"The story was cute, and I found the celiac bits relatable and well written...." Read more

"...combining a couple of delightful characters with romance, magic, and suspense. Just the recipe for a relaxing weekend read...." Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read, describing it as a great comfort read, with one customer noting it's best enjoyed with a cup of their favorite hot beverage.

"...Overall, this is a delightfully fun and quick read, and I’m definitely hoping for more of Trinity and Saifa!" Read more

"...Magic and a disabled character made it really fun to read. Look forward to other books by this author" Read more

"The story was cute, and I found the celiac bits relatable and well written...." Read more

"This is a great little comfort read, best enjoyed with a cup of your favourite hot beverage (hot chocolate for me) and a plate of warm baked goods..." Read more

7 customers mention "Character development"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the characters in the book, with one review specifically mentioning a well-written character with coeliac disease.

"...Trinity’s a fun character, but my absolute favorite was Saifa...." Read more

"Absolutely loved this adventure story. Magic and a disabled character made it really fun to read. Look forward to other books by this author" Read more

"...(see witchyfiction.com), it is a novella combining a couple of delightful characters with romance, magic, and suspense...." Read more

"...The book was full of mystery, magic, and more. I really enjoyed reading about a character who had health issues too...." Read more

Great little tale
5 out of 5 stars
Great little tale
The books short but really good and refreshing. I enjoyed that it was set in Wellington, New Zealand - my hometown. The author weaves native animals into the story line by having Trinity's demon familiar turn into different animals.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Lauren S.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully fun and cozy
    Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I somehow ended up on a mailing list for a bunch of “witchy fiction” written by authors from New Zealand, and when I saw this novella was about a witch with celiac disease? I absolutely couldn’t resist. This was a fun and relatively light cozy mystery with tons of Kiwi flavor.

    Trinity has a set of immunity disorders: celiac’s, an overabundance of magic that basically would make her a battery to an unscrupulous witch, and one she jokingly says makes anyone she dates eventually act like a jerk to her. After her latest boyfriend trashes her apartment, Trinity’s moves on to the Wellington suburb of Karori. The newest place is an apartment above a bistro. When she tells the owner (and her new landlord) she has celiacs, he offers to bake her some gluten-free goodies, if she’ll taste test them. While Trinity would also like to possibly taste test the hot baking guy, she doesn’t want to up and leave town so soon, especially when she’s barely had time to explore the mountain bike trails here. But that might not even be a choice, as she discovers her demon familiar Saifa is seemingly trapped within the town. Is it a trap for any witch, or specifically for her?

    “Aren’t you bored of being a moth yet?”
    Aren’t you bored of mothballing your life yet?

    Trinity’s a fun character, but my absolute favorite was Saifa. He’s a demon bound by a contract to not harm anyone else, only to take just enough energy from Trinity to leave her at more normal levels. He typically takes the form of various New Zealand native animals, like the pūriri moth on the cover. He’s snarky and passive-agressive, but it’s obvious he cares about Trinity, despite, you know, the whole ability to suck her dry of magic. There’s also the hot baker love interest and lots of yummy (gluten-free!) treats. I thought the magic portion was interesting enough, though it was pretty easy to figure out who the villain was. I honestly was having so much fun reading this that I didn’t much care, though.

    Overall, this is a delightfully fun and quick read, and I’m definitely hoping for more of Trinity and Saifa!
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Kat
    5.0 out of 5 stars adventure
    Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Absolutely loved this adventure story. Magic and a disabled character made it really fun to read. Look forward to other books by this author
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  • Heather Heaton
    3.0 out of 5 stars felt a bit like fanfic
    Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    The story was cute, and I found the celiac bits relatable and well written. There weren’t enough characters to make this a real mystery, and I felt like the names alone gave things away early. It was a quick read, and I was thankful the book was on Kindle so I could look up the New Zealand flora and fauna easily, as well as the witchy vocab. This would be a fun airplane read.
    One person found this helpful
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  • B Howe
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great little comfort read
    Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great little comfort read, best enjoyed with a cup of your favourite hot beverage (hot chocolate for me) and a plate of warm baked goods close at hand. Part of the Witchy Fiction collection (see witchyfiction.com), it is a novella combining a couple of delightful characters with romance, magic, and suspense. Just the recipe for a relaxing weekend read.

    Powerful witch Trinity and her shape-shifting demon familiar, Saifa, have to keep moving. If they settle in any one place too long, bad things happen. So when she rents a flat over a bistro in the Wellington suburb of Karori, with an appealing baker (Charlie) for a landlord, she’s torn. She knows better than to get romantically involved, even with a man who is sympathetic to her physical ailments (coeliac disease) and who enlists her as a taste tester for all sorts of gluten-free goodies.

    But then she discovers she can’t leave Karori, even if she wanted to. Someone has built a magical barrier around the suburb, trapping Saifa, and by extension, her. Who would want to trap them, and why? Is the perpetrator after any witch who falls into the trap, or after her specifically? While they search for answers, her romantic life gets more complicated, and the danger mounts for her, Saifa, and her new friend, Charlie.

    The romance in this story was sweet, but underdeveloped. The real sparks were between Trinity and Saifa. Their relationship—intense, conflicted, and more than a little snarky—was the best part of the story.
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  • Claudia Rose
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Such a great read! 'Against the Grain' is something a bit different to what I have been reading, but I definitely enjoyed it.

    The book was full of mystery, magic, and more. I really enjoyed reading about a character who had health issues too. As someone with chronic health conditions, I felt seen in it. As well as this, it shows some very real realities one might face, and I liked that aspect.

    As well as this, I loved all the NZ language and references. Especially with thanks to Saifa! He was a great character and I loved his relationship with Trinity.

    The twists at the end were done well and I felt the tension in every sentence!

    Loved this book! Definitely recommend you give it a read.
    Helpful
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  • Amy Martin
    4.0 out of 5 stars Cosy mystery with a touch of romance
    Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I really liked the mystery in this story. The pace picked up as everything unravelled and I sped through the last couple of chapters. There's a slight creepiness to it too, though it's definitely more cosy than graphic. And the blend of romance gone wrong and gone right tied it all together. All the delicious food made me want a cronut <3
    One person found this helpful
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  • Hailey
    5.0 out of 5 stars Celiac disease representation
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Need I say more? Accurate and respectful Celiac disease representation. <3333
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  • Helen Vivienne Fletcher
    5.0 out of 5 stars Twisty gluten free magic
    Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Really enjoyed this one. So nice to see a well written character with coeliac disease, but even without that, the story kept me wanting to know more. Fun character and an engaging mystery.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Kayla
    5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful experience through and through.
    Reviewed in Australia on February 17, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A witchy novella set in Karori, New Zealand, gluten-free MC, sassy demon familiar, spells, wards, magic, betrayals, found family - what more could you want?
    Against The Grain was a 5-star read for me. I love everything about it, I am SO sad it's over and now I really want a sassy Pūriri moth friend. 
    I couldn't recommend this book enough
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, immersive and unique
    Reviewed in Australia on August 23, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    “Aren’t you bored of being a moth yet?” Aren’t you bored of mothballing your life yet?

    I don't wanna give away any spoilers, so I'll try keep this vague but this is a very unique spec fic - it is vivid and immersive, a paranormal experience based in NZ that gets up close and personal with elusive NZ wildlife in a way that I can pretty much guarantee you'll have never had before. (I want a moth shifter buddy so much now)
    VIVID descriptions of food like injected donuts that are delightful but also PURE TORTURE to read when hungry (and in a lockdown, unable to order any :( )
    Also a really unique and original presence of autoimmune disease symptoms.

    Totally recommend giving this book a try if you like new and original experiences.
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