The Charismatic Girl #998045

In the isolated southern village of Meritano, fourteen-year-old Maria has grown up beneath the weight of a cruel inheritance. Branded the daughter of witches, rejected by the villagers, and mistreated by her mother and grandmother, she has never known tenderness or belonging. A job in an ancient tower overlooking the sea offers her a brief escape, new friendships, and the first fragile promise of affection.
But Maria’s family is bound to the Fetuso, a malevolent and seemingly immortal figure who has ruled generations through fear, secret rituals, and an ancient supernatural pact. When a terrible catastrophe devastates the coast and tears entire families apart, an unexpected act changes Maria’s destiny: the mark intended to bind her to evil becomes her protection against it.
Feared as “the Nera” because of her mysteriously blackened face, Maria discovers that the very difference that isolates her may also be the source of an extraordinary power. Surrounded by survivors, unexpected allies, and people searching for their lost loved ones, she undertakes a dangerous journey through ruined villages, hidden caves, enchanted forests, and the shadowy Isle of Mysteries. To free those enslaved by the Fetuso and confront the darker force behind him, Maria must learn to trust her courage, her compassion, and the charisma that inspires others to follow her.
A dark historical fantasy about prejudice, resilience, friendship, and the struggle between inherited evil and the freedom to choose one’s own path.
Content warning: This novel contains child abuse, violence, death, and supernatural themes.