Reviews

Widdershins by Helen Steadman

kristensreadingnook's review against another edition

4.0

Inspired by the real witch trials in England in the 1600’s, Widdershins is the perfect October read. The narrator is fantastic, although I did sometimes get confused on which POV I was listening to because it was one female narrator for multiple POV’s, a male and a female.

books_in_wales's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

mystikai's review against another edition

5.0

Widdershins is inspired around the 1650 Newcastle witch trials, the main characters are Jane Chandler, who has been using herbs along with her mother since childhood to cure the sick. Jane is accused of witchcraft and her mother was condemned, and John Sharpe and a man whose mother died during birth and his father blamed him and the “witch” who attended the birth and disowned him. John was an awful person, maybe because of the childhood he experienced but he was on a mission to expose all witches and put them to their death.

Witch trials have always fascinated me, what made townsfolk think the women were witches in the first place, the different ways they tortured these women to prove they were witches and how they put them to their death. The trials were pointless because the townsfolk had already made their minds up, without any real evidence.
This was an amazing book and audiobook; Helen Steadman wrote it so very well and the narrator Christine Mackie gave a great performance and she kept me wanted to listen to her.
There was a cliffhanger ending and I am excited to listen to the second book very soon.

thepageladies's review against another edition

4.0

Widdershins was a heartbreaking, fascinating & twisted read! The author did a great job taking a time in history & bringing it back to life for us! It didn't take long for this book to grab hold of me! The story is told from 2 POV’s Jane & the witchfinder which I really liked. It was nice being able to hear from both sides almost like listening to good & evil in one! Jane is the main character and you won't be able to stop the heartbreak you will feel for her! This really was a sad but great story! I cant wait to start Sunwise!

helenephoebe's review

4.0

Review - This was our book club pick for January 2020, and I really enjoyed reading it. It's based in my home town of Newcastle Upon Tyne, and based on a true story of 15 (or 16) witches executed on the Town Moor in 1650. Steadman's writing is engaging and swapping between the two different sides - one chapter from the view of a witch hunter and one from the view of an accused witch. It is a fictional portrayal of an event I knew very little about, though I have studied the European witch-craze as part of my degree. The book is very atmospheric and really brings to mind what life must have been like at that time.

Genre? - Historical

Characters? - Annie Chandler / Jane Chandler / Reverend Foster / Tom Verger / Andrew Driver / John Sharpe / Kirstie Slater / Dora

Setting? - Newcastle (England)

Series? - N/A

Recommend? – Yes

Rating - 16/20

For a full review see my blog at https://bookbloggerish.wordpress.com/2020/02/20/book-review-widdershins-by-helen-steadman/

kizzia's review against another edition

I didn't gel with the writing style.

mapscitiesandsongs's review against another edition

I sadly had to Dnf the book, which is unfortunate because from what I have read so far, it was actually pretty good. I just wasn't in the right headspace for it. It was really draining...obviously. I don't know why I always put myself through books like that when I am fully aware that I don't feel good while reading them.

hayhay321's review

3.0

This book was a little slow to start as the story focuses more on character development. I have not done any personal research into the events this book was inspired by, being (only slightly) more familiar with the witch trials that occurred here in the US, such as the Salem trials, etc. So it was interesting to hear about similar events occurring in other parts of the world at the same time. Though this was a work of fiction, it was interesting to hear how the author imagined characters such as John Sharp developing into the men who spearheaded such events. Some of the passages were infuriating to listen to as a modern woman, and the fear that must have been felt by women during this time was palpable. Steadman's research into the medicinal properties of various plants and herbs and the folklore surrounding them was clear and, personally, one of the parts of the story I enjoyed the most.

Spoiler

My primary complaint regarding the novel is that I wish some explanation had been given as to why/how John decided which individuals should be found guilty as witches. After the explanation of how the pricker worked and how he could determine the fate of such women simply by allowing the point to retract, therefore giving the impression she failed to bleed and leading to a guilty verdict, it would have been interesting to include some insight into his internal thought process regarding who he allowed to bleed and who he did not. The second pricking in which Jane bled, which led to her release and the discovery of John's deceit, it seems could have been avoided if he had simply let the blade retract. This specific instance, paired with the knowledge that John could influence the results, left me wishing Steadman had provided some kind of explanation regarding how John decided when to use the hidden switch in his device, and when he truly left the results "up to God".

I do plan on listening to the second book in this series and am curious to hear if it was also inspired by historical events, or is purely a fictional work to continue the story of the characters created for this novel.

I was given a promotional copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

esterterestrial's review against another edition

This has the bones of a great story - the characters could be full of life and depth and believability, if they weren’t written with such shallow, one-dimensional personalities. There’s no nuance or flow or reflection in the narrative, either; it’s incredibly basic, overly simple storytelling, with no real emotion and no bond-building between reader and protagonist(s). It feels like something you’d read early in primary school and I just cannot be bothered. 

cazxxx's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

3.0