Book Summary:

In Here Lyeth, Lexxie, feeling angry and heartbroken, leaves her home after learning that her biological father lives in a village called Vereiteln Dorf. There, she becomes intrigued by an unconsecrated graveyard and tries to uncover the truth, despite the locals’ reluctance to share information. As she digs deeper, she realizes her presence in the village is seen as a threat, and she starts hearing a mysterious voice from a pit of ashes. This leads her into a dangerous situation, especially with a witch hunt looming.

Years before, in the same village, a young man named Meginhardt is attacked and taken on a spiritual journey to confront his feelings of unworthiness. However, when he learns that Lexxie is the one destined to carry on his family’s bloodline, he becomes consumed by jealousy and anger. As a ghost, Meginhardt tries to sabotage Lexxie’s future, delivering a cryptic warning to her.

Set in a 17th-century German village, the story explores themes of faith, jealousy, and destiny, with the backdrop of a witch trial era adding tension to Lexxie’s journey.

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Review:

The historical elements shine in Frank’s attention to period detail and social dynamics. Village life emerges through precise observations and vivid descriptions: “Rows of white dwellings also with red-tiled roofs surrounded the church in each direction. Several even planted halfway up the mountainside lodged in between groves of wild greenery.” The novel’s greatest strength lies in its complex characterizations. Even minor figures emerge as fully realized individuals with clear motivations. Lexxie’s adopted father Harmon, for instance, could have been portrayed as a villain or saint, but is instead a flawed man doing his best under impossible circumstances. And the local priest, despite his antagonistic role, maintains a consistent internal logic that makes his actions believable, if not sympathetic.

What works best in HERE LYETH are the characters and their relationships. Frank does a marvelous job of making readers care deeply about Lexxie’s and Meginhardt’s fates; Meginhardt’s progress from abused child to vengeful spirit to enlightened being is particularly moving. The pacing can at times be a bit uneven—the early chapters set in the physical world are so immersive and compelling that the metaphysical interludes with Meginhardt can feel sluggish in comparison—and the novel’s sprawling canvas can occasionally cause its intertwining storylines to lose focus. But Frank ultimately manages to tie up all the loose ends in a poignant and emotionally satisfying way while leaving room for interpretation.

Fans of mind-bending, metaphysical odysseys like Richard Matheson’s What Dreams May Come or Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones will find much to savor in this novel’s elements of historical fiction, fantasy, and horror.

With its vividly drawn characters and compelling blend of earthly drama and metaphysical intrigue, HERE LYETH by Johanna Frank is a compulsively readable entry in the historical fantasy genre—exploring profound themes of love, loss, betrayal, and redemption.

Edward Sung for IndieReader

About the Author:

Johanna Frank is a writer of meaningful fantasy fiction, driven by personal loss and a passion for imagination. With a master’s in business, she found her true calling in theology and creative writing. Johanna’s mantra is: “Even a little heavenly imagination can loosen the chains of life.”