THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
An enthralling tale of modern witch Bess Hawksmith, a fiercely independent woman desperate to escape her cursed history who must confront the evil which has haunted her for centuries
My name is Elizabeth Anne Hawksmith, and my age is three hundred and eighty-four years. If you will listen, I will tell you a tale of witches. A tale of magic and love and loss. A story of how simple ignorance breeds fear, and how deadly that fear can be. Let me tell you what it means to be a witch.
In the spring of 1628, the Witchfinder of Wessex finds himself a true Witch. As Bess Hawksmith watches her mother swing from the Hanging Tree she knows that only one man can save her from the same fate: the Warlock Gideon Masters. Secluded at his cottage, Gideon instructs Bess, awakening formidable powers she didn't know she had. She couldn't have foreseen that even now, centuries later, he would be hunting her across time, determined to claim payment for saving her life.
In present-day England, Elizabeth has built a quiet life. She has spent the centuries in solitude, moving from place to place, surviving plagues, wars, and the heartbreak that comes with immortality. Her loneliness comes to an abrupt end when she is befriended by a teenage girl called Tegan. Against her better judgment, Elizabeth opens her heart to Tegan and begins teaching her the ways of the Hedge Witch. But will she be able to stand against Gideon—who will stop at nothing to reclaim her soul—in order to protect the girl who has become the daughter she never had?
Praise for The Witch's Daughter
"Brackston's first novel offers well-crafted characters in an absorbing plot and an altogether delicious blend of historical fiction and fantasy." --Booklist"This pleasantly romantic historical fantasy debut flips lightly between the past experiences of ageless witch Elizabeth Anne Hawksmith and her present-day life in Matravers, England... Bess's adventures are fascinating." --Publishers Weekly

Book Review ~ The Witch’s Daughter

I’ve had The Witch’s Daughter, by Paula Brackston on my TBR list for the longest time. I finally downloaded it from Audible a couple of days ago, and I still can’t figure out if I liked it or not! Since I read this book years after publication, it wasn’t easy avoiding other’s reviews, and those reviews were all over the board. And I mean, all over the board. I decided that a novel with such a pretty jacket couldn’t be anything less than awesome because I’m shallow the description’s really intriguing.

Honest to frog, I cannot decide if I liked this novel. I didn’t dislike it; that’s for sure. I thought this book was about something entirely different. I’ll start with that, and it doesn’t mean that’s bad, just different.  Like, when you’re offered a piece of red gum, and you’re expecting strawberry, but get cinnamon – it’s a surprise, but you don’t spit it out. Did that make any sense? Eh, just go with the metaphor.

Bess finds that her magic is borne of evil and the warlock responsible, Gideon, follows her throughout the centuries and attempts to take what’s his *nudge, nudge*. Bess meets Tegan, a teenaged girl in the present day, and teaches her how to become a witch – the end. Sorta… That’s the uber shortened summary. The big ole synopsis is above if you want to take a peek.

There were times that I thought maybe Gideon would get Bess in his clutches and bring her to the dark side of magic. Actually, now that I think about it, if Gideon had been able to get Bess, willingly or not, to see things his way, even for a short time, I think the story would have been more exciting. That’s just me, though, and my little ole opinion doesn’t mean much. You should read it and see if your thoughts head in the same direction as mine, and then come back here and tell me I was wrong (or right 🙂 ).

Click the Image for an Audio Clip of “The Witch’s Daughter”

In Short

Bess lacked something. I don’t know what that something was, but while the book is based on her life, I found myself wishing she had been more interesting. I liked her teenaged friend, Tegan, and would have loved to read more about her side of the story. Gideon was an arse. That’s putting it lightly. He had the creep factor down pat, and I kinda liked it *nodding*. He was interesting! An evil character, for sure, but I like that in my fictional characters: evil + entitled = so fun to read! He did some pretty awful crap that turned my stomach and had me pulling faces that I reserve for bad horror flicks, but more interesting than the main character.

In short, I’m still on the fence. I know, I know. I should have made up my mind by now on whether or not The Witch’s Daughter is a book series that I want to continue. I’ll say, it was OK. I may give another book in the series a shot, but if that one doesn’t grab me, then I don’t think I’d move on to the next in line – which, by the way, sucks because I don’t like having loose ends!

Take care & be kind☆彡

The Rating Breakdown
Plot
Characters
Writing
Pacing
Cover
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