The book has barely made an impression on me. If a book is great, I am more than happy to sing its praises.

If a book is bad, I can write about that. This has to be the first time I genuinely struggled to write a review about a book. King James, I was obsessed with asserting power over the lawless countryside (even woodland creatures, or “familiars,” were suspected of dark magic) by capturing “witches”-in reality mostly poor and illiterate women. Rich and compelling, set against the frenzy of the real Pendle Hill Witch Trials, this novel explores the rights of 17th-century women and raises the question: Was witch-hunting really women-hunting? Fleetwood Shuttleworth, Alice Grey and the other characters are actual historical figures. Time is running out both their lives are at stake. As the two women’s lives become intertwined, the Witch Trials of 1612 loom.

Is there more to Alice than meets the eye? Fleetwood must risk everything to prove her innocence. But Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft. By chance, she meets a midwife named Alice Grey, who promises to help her deliver a healthy baby. Then Fleetwood discovers a hidden doctor’s letter that carries a dire prediction: she will not survive another birth. None of her previous pregnancies has borne fruit, and her husband, Richard, is anxious for an heir. Young Fleetwood Shuttleworth, a noblewoman, is with child again. It also helps that this book is about witches – of course. The tinges of recognition whenever a place is mentioned where I have been, a place that I might know off all create a closer bond with the characters I am reading about.

Now whenever I pick up a book that plays out near me, I feel a greater connection to it. Now that I live in the UK that is less of an issue and it’s strange. Growing up in the Netherlands it was extremely rare to find books that had a connection to where I am from. I picked up this particular book because it is actually set in the local area. Pair that with the fact we now live on the water, no really, our apartment literally hovers above a private dockland overlooking the river Mersey, and you’ve got the perfect combination in my opinion. So, to start this one off on a slightly more cheery note than the previous two posts – how fabulous is the weather we have been having in the UK? Whenever the sun even makes the slightest appearance I am ready to run outside with a book and a picnic blanket to make the most of it.

The familiars by stacey halls