What is your favorite book/movie/show featuring
witches? I always loved watching
Bewitched on reruns growing up.
Lilith has been having strange things happen to her
lately including a reoccurring nightmare about being burned at the stake. She feels called to visit Brackenmere Manor
in England. There she can see and
interact with the past. Her ancestress
Sybil has been accused of being a witch in 1645. She is an educated wealthy widow who helps others
with her herbal medicines. When she refuses
to marry the local magistrate who has used violence against her in the past, he
accuses her of witchcraft. Will Lilith be able to save Sybil?
My thoughts on this novel:
· I couldn’t put this book down – it was the most engaging book I’ve read in recent months.
· It is a dual timeline novel set in current day and 1645 England.
· I would classify this book as fantasy, historical fiction, historical fantasy, witches, Halloween, and magical realism.
· It was horrifying and scary to see how the women accused of witchcraft were treated. It seemed to be a way to punish women who wouldn’t do what a man wanted, a way to get your neighbors property, or just a way to punish a woman who used herbal remedies or was an old woman living on her own.
· I enjoyed the Last Bookshop in London by this author. I need to read more of her works.
· There is a wonderful author’s note at the end detailing the real witch trials. Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England was the site of witch trials in 1645.
· The romance between Lilith and Asher in the present timeline was nice. I liked how they seemed to be fated to be together.
· The women in prison in the past supported each other through the most difficult of times. I enjoyed their camaraderie.
· There was a bit of a twist at the end that I enjoyed.
· I loved the characters such as Lilith’s best friend Cassie, who is always there for her. She was also part of a plot point that reminded me of Back to the Future as Lilith seems to fade from the present as she can’t get past events changed.
Overall, A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin was a
very engaging dual timeline novel that is an especially perfect read for fall.
Book Source:
Thank-you @angelamelamud
and Hanover Square Press for the review copy.
