There's a little more than a week to go until the launch of Corinne Hoebers's Tethered Spirits—Wiaqtaqne’wasultijik na Kjijaqmijinaq on October 18th and available for pre-order now. We're excited for the launch party that will take place at the Halifax Central Library, and to have an opportunity to recognize and celebrate Mi'kmaw History Month, (visit our event page for more details). All are invited!
Tethered Spirits
Against the violent backdrop of the French and Indian (Seven Years) War, two German siblings come to learn about and understand the Mi'kmaq. Christian, now named Bear Cub, lives with the ancient People and develops a deep bond with his chosen brother, Eagle Feather, while his new family’s way of life is increasingly threatened. On the outskirts of Lunenburg, Hanna, his younger sister, befriends a Mi’kmaw Elder and questions her papa’s ownership of the land they are settling. Christian immerses himself in the Mi’kmaw language and the ways of the land, prepared to defend the People alongside Eagle Feather. Christian’s father and older sister, Elisabeth, refuse to accept his new way of life; nor will they recognize the humanity of their perceived enemy. Christian is caught between two diverse families and cultures—the one to which he was born and to whom he feels obligated, and the one he has grown to love and respect. Settlers and Mi'kmaq alike struggle on land that is the ancestral home to one and promised to the other, a struggle that resonates to this day.
I'd like to thank those who have shared pre-launch reviews (see below) and those who are joining our virtual book tour with reviews, author Q&As, spotlights and more.
Here's the line-up so far:
Historical Fiction Company - book listing posted
Interviews with Authors - Author Q&A, September
Dartmouth Book Exchange - Author Spotlight, October 14-20
The Author Journey - Interview, October 14
The IndieView - Author Q&A, October 26
Atlantic Books Today - fall 2025 issue (coming soon!)
Seaboard Review - book review date TBD
Armed With a Book - book review date TBD
Lana Shupe's Atlantic Book Reviews - book review date TBD
Midwest Book Review - book review date TBD
Schatje's Shelves - book review date TBD
We will update the line-up as new reviewers come on board and update links as reviews, interviews and spotlights are posted. If you'd like to learn more about Corinne and her books visit her website or her author page on the OC Publishing website. If you are a reviewer who loves historical fiction and would like an advance review copy of the book, email us your request.
Here's what advance readers are saying about Tethered Spirits—Wiaqtaqne’wasultijik na Kjijaqmijinaq:
"As moving and profound as the people at the core of her story, Corinne Hoebers's Tethered Spirits brings to vivid life the dual histories of Nova Scotia in the mid-1700s: that of the Mi'kmaq who were here since time immemorial and that of the new arrivals, especially German settlers attracted by land grants and failing to question whose land was being granted. Hoebers sensitively and realistically portrays women and men from both of those intersecting histories and the violent brutality of ensuing conflicts. She weaves a complicated cast of three-dimensional characters, including Europeans who embraced the Mi'kmaq and their teachings and in the rarest cases resisted and struggled against European encroachment and violence. The result is an engaging work of historical fiction, engrossing and enlightening."
– Chris Benjamin, author of Indian School Road: Legacies of the Shubenacadie Residential School
"Tethered Spirits is a deeply moving novel set in eighteenth-century Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia), tracing the story of Bear Cub, a young German settler who is taken in by a Mi’kmaw family and gradually comes to see their land, language, and ways as his own. As someone who values stories of reconciliation and belonging, I found Bear Cub’s inner struggle between two identities—colonial and Indigenous—both heartbreaking and profoundly resonant. The novel doesn’t shy away from the brutal realities of displacement, violence, and cultural loss, but it also celebrates kinship, resilience, and the enduring wisdom of the land and its First Peoples. Tethered Spirits is not just an historical account—it’s a spiritual journey that lingers long after the final page."
– Honourable Leah Martin, member of Millbrook First Nation, Minister of L’nu Affairs for the Province of Nova Scotia
“It’s fiction, but it still teaches. We need more books like this."
– Matthew Connolly, Speaking Wolf of the Qalipu Band in Corner Brook, NL
“The most important work of historical fiction is to bring to life the parts of our history that are not often taught or told. In imagining the lives of and connections between German settlers and Mi'kmaq people in eighteenth-century Nova Scotia, Tethered Spirits vividly illuminates this little-known aspect of Atlantic Canadian history and offers a powerful and necessary reminder of whose land we live on. Hoebers's deep knowledge of and care for this history is evident on every page."
– Trudy Morgan Cole, author of The Cupids Trilogy
Corinne Hoebers
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