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emkam's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
lalabeths's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Pace was a bit slow at times. Phrasing / grammar was a bit awkward. I didn’t know what to expect going into this but agree with others that this is more of a historic fiction definition of witch than the magical fantasy type. Great book but don’t go in with the hope of everything being wrapped up nicely in the end. The big events of the book didn’t happen until the end and I wish there had been a bit more pages in that bit to really send home the feelings and message. Felt rushed, never really got pulled in to experience that “movie as you’re reading” feeling. The end felt unresolved and made me ask “that’s it?” Made me want to throw it across the room because ugh the potential is there! Still worth a read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Vomit, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
elementarymydear's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Sarah Haworth, daughter of her village’s “cunning woman”, just wants to keep her family safe. The shadow of the Pendle Hill witch trials hangs over the village, and she and her family are ostracised by the other villagers for their perceived witchcraft. After Sarah strikes up a friendship with the son of a local farmer, however, she not only begins to fall in love, but starts planning a future beyond a lonely life in their rundown cottage.
I’ve read a few books set around this time and place, and this is a welcome addition to the sub-genre. The writing is so atmospheric, you can’t help but be drawn into the slightly unsettling day-to-day life of the village. It is, mostly, a very still book. For the majority of the story there are undertones of danger, the sense that something terrible might happen at any moment, making it all the more dramatic when something does happen. It’s a slow burn but the pay-off is worth it!
📚Find this and more reviews on my blog!📚
Something I really enjoyed about this book – and about similar books too – is that there is a certain ambiguity as to the magical element. You could read it as historical fiction, where the characters are convinced that there are magical forces at play to the point of near delusion. Alternatively, you could read it as a fantasy story of very real witches who are forced to hide their powers. This is a trope I really enjoy in historical fiction and it was done really well here, and I thought it added to the world-building and to the story.
The book deals with lots of very heavy topics (definitely check the content warnings if there are things you look out for). It was really interesting to see how the characters dealt with the consequences of their own and others’ actions, and the ramifications of that on the village as a whole. As is often the case with women accused of witchcraft, they did not commit the crimes they were accused of. It was an interesting twist to see this through the eyes of Daniel, the farmer’s son, as he comes to realise for himself the terrible way the Haworth family have been treated. There was a particularly touching moment towards the end where Sarah realises how much her mother has been through, and the difficult actions she has taken to keep her family safe.
That being said, I would have liked to see a little more at the end of the characters confronting their own actions. For spoiler reasons I won’t say who, but there was one character in particular who with the best intentions made a lot of decisions that had terrible consequences. While they began to face up to those consequences at the end, it didn’t quite follow through for me and the ending felt like a little bit of a let-down.
I do think it’s worth noting that the tag-line for this book – “A feminist tale of forbidden love after the witch trials” – felt quite misleading. While the story does centre women’s experiences at the time, I wouldn’t necessarily count it as a feminist novel, as it did little to examine or overcome the political, social and economic constraints on women. This is not necessarily a bad thing – I don’t think the book needed that – it does feel like the tag-line was added for buzzwords rather than for an accurate summary of the book.
Overall, this was an incredibly atmospheric historical fiction, with a touch of magic to leave you guessing right to the end.
Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve read a few books set around this time and place, and this is a welcome addition to the sub-genre. The writing is so atmospheric, you can’t help but be drawn into the slightly unsettling day-to-day life of the village. It is, mostly, a very still book. For the majority of the story there are undertones of danger, the sense that something terrible might happen at any moment, making it all the more dramatic when something does happen. It’s a slow burn but the pay-off is worth it!
📚Find this and more reviews on my blog!📚
Something I really enjoyed about this book – and about similar books too – is that there is a certain ambiguity as to the magical element. You could read it as historical fiction, where the characters are convinced that there are magical forces at play to the point of near delusion. Alternatively, you could read it as a fantasy story of very real witches who are forced to hide their powers. This is a trope I really enjoy in historical fiction and it was done really well here, and I thought it added to the world-building and to the story.
The book deals with lots of very heavy topics (definitely check the content warnings if there are things you look out for). It was really interesting to see how the characters dealt with the consequences of their own and others’ actions, and the ramifications of that on the village as a whole. As is often the case with women accused of witchcraft, they did not commit the crimes they were accused of. It was an interesting twist to see this through the eyes of Daniel, the farmer’s son, as he comes to realise for himself the terrible way the Haworth family have been treated. There was a particularly touching moment towards the end where Sarah realises how much her mother has been through, and the difficult actions she has taken to keep her family safe.
That being said, I would have liked to see a little more at the end of the characters confronting their own actions. For spoiler reasons I won’t say who, but there was one character in particular who with the best intentions made a lot of decisions that had terrible consequences. While they began to face up to those consequences at the end, it didn’t quite follow through for me and the ending felt like a little bit of a let-down.
I do think it’s worth noting that the tag-line for this book – “A feminist tale of forbidden love after the witch trials” – felt quite misleading. While the story does centre women’s experiences at the time, I wouldn’t necessarily count it as a feminist novel, as it did little to examine or overcome the political, social and economic constraints on women. This is not necessarily a bad thing – I don’t think the book needed that – it does feel like the tag-line was added for buzzwords rather than for an accurate summary of the book.
Overall, this was an incredibly atmospheric historical fiction, with a touch of magic to leave you guessing right to the end.
Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Child death and Abortion
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