I was given this beautiful, lyrical book for Christmas, and although I’m pleased to have it in hardback as it takes up a lovely space on my shelf, it is also on Kindle Unlimited for anyone who might be running short on the space front.
Synopsis
Set in the 17th century, a breathtaking debut, and a potential prize-winner, about the power of women, witchcraft, fury, revenge and the ties that bind us.
After witnessing the brutal murder of her mother by witch-hunters, Evey vows to avenge her and track down the killers. Fury burns in her bright and strong. But she has promised her mother that she will keep Dill, her little sister, safe.
As the lust for blood and retribution rises to fever pitch, will Evey keep true to the bonds of sisterhood and to the magick that is her destiny?
Review
I was so excited to read this book based on the synopsis as it really sounded up my street. It was a bit of a disappointment, sadly, but I do have some good things to say about it.
The way it is written is both beautiful and clever, dancing somewhere between music and old fashioned conversation. The voice of Evey is so natural yet dated that it feels easy to warm to her, and watching her grow throughout the book is as endearing as watching a younger sibling grow. Watching her love for Dill is like watching your own love show for a child. It really is very beautiful.
The ‘powerful woman’ theme that runs through the book swings for both the positive and the negative characters that we meet, and is a reflection on the book in general. It’s an almost fictious essay on the power we hold within ourselves as women, and how we have been persecuted for it throughout history, and continue to be now. For as long as there are women, there will be women to hate.
That said, even with a plot that was well thought through and written in such a dancing way, there was something lacking about the book. There was just something missing. And it’s a real shame because, between what was written, and the beautiful illustrations, it could have been a lovely book. I did enjoy it but I wouldn’t be quick to recommend it to others.
It’s completely okay for books to not all be five star reads, I want to add. Three stars are sometimes seen as a negative review, but there’s nothing wrong in not liking a book.
Next review coming soon! If you’re looking for other books on witches and magic, maybe check out my review on These Witches Don’t Burn, Glimpsed, This Coven Won’t Break, City of Bones (the first Shadowhunters book), and Crescent City.
And On She Reads 