Her greatest fear isn’t the past. It’s becoming her mother. Raya’s built a spiky shell growing up in foster care — it keeps her safe. But when strange powers begin to surface, she’s terrified. Her mother’s schizophrenia destroyed their family. She’s certain she’s next. Determined to live fiercely while she can, Raya runs away to London. Hunger, humiliation and defeat follow — until she finds refuge above a chaotic East End café and begins building something like independence. Then she believes she’s caused a friend’s tragic accident. Her guilt fractures the world. Raya finds herself in 1645 Essex, in the grip of England’s brutal witch persecutions. Her modern clothes and sharp tongue draw the attention of the notorious self-appointed ‘Witchfinder General’, Matthew Hopkins . And the sardonic talking cat who’s followed her through time doesn’t exactly help. In a century that weaponised fear of witches, suspicion alone can mean death. But Raya’s emotions are not finished with her. Still in 1645, she is flung into the glittering heart of the Ottoman Empire , where intuition and unseen forces shape daily life — and where a young witch with unstable power can be as dangerous as any political enemy. As her choices begin to ripple across centuries, Raya must decide what kind of witch she wants to be. To save the people she has come to love, she will be forced to choose between power and compassion — between altering history… or protecting her own soul. Spanning contemporary London, Civil War England and seventeenth-century Istanbul, Being a Witch and Other Things I Didn’t Ask For is an emotionally charged historical fantasy about guilt, found family and the courage to choose love — the truest power of all. Editorial Reviews Kirkus Reviews "A sensitive and nuanced exploration of foster care and mental health set against a dazzling backdrop of magic and history... The author's talent for balancing real-world issues with adrenaline-pumping exploits through time is impressive, as are her richly detailed descriptions of various people and places." The Sun, London "It's a rollercoaster plot with gorgeous historical detail and fabulous characters...I think people will really take to thoroughly modern Ratchet and her adventures. Magical." The US Review of Books "The story belongs to Raya... equal parts strong and insecure, and her awakening is perhaps the most humanizing part of Pascoe's tale...[It's] a marvelous read and should appeal to all ages." The Historical Novel Society "An imaginatively written time-slip novel... Its underlying message of love, loyalty and friendship is nicely explored and strongly focused... The historical element sits comfortably." "The story belongs to Raya who is a cross between Harry Potter and Lisbeth Salander ( The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ). She is equal parts strong and insecure, and her awakening is perhaps the most humanizing part of Pascoe's tale...[It's] a marvelous read and should appeal to all ages." U.S. Review of Books "It's a rollercoaster plot with gorgeous historical detail and fabulous characters...Magical." The Sun, London "[Raya] is a troubled fourteen-year-old who is tired of living in foster care and desperate to find her own way in the world. When she runs away to London, not only does she find that living her life without adult interference is quite different, but also she discovers she has started to develop rather unusual witch-like powers. This new skill is called into question when she is unexpectedly transported back in time to the seventeenth century, back to when life was very different. Testing her reserve to the limit, [Raya] must learn how to cope with her new powers whilst at the same time trying to save her friends from danger. [A]n imaginatively written timeslip novel... The mystery at the heart of the novel is well explained as is [Raya's] role, and even though the story appears quite light hearted in places, its underlying message of love, loyalty and friendship is nicely explored and strongly focused. The historical element sits comfortably alongside the modern-day setting and there is enough action to keep interest alive until the end." -The Historic Novel Society Mill City Press 2017 Awards Winner--2nd in Fantasy     This story lived in me as I worked as a psychologist with young people healing from their emotional wounds, as well as my continuing "journey" of healing from mine. The plight of foster children has always especially moved me as cumbersome, under-resourced systems try to provide what their first families couldn't, encapsulating the juncture between personal and societal healing. I let Raya travel back in time for fun. Then, delving into the history of mid-17th century England and Turkiye shone a light on a time when the majority Muslim Ottoman Empire was lightyears ahead in infrastructure, social norms and rights for different people including women, compared to the superstit