Reviews

It’s clear that the author has done a lot of research into the subject of witch trials. There is a vivid sense of realism to the narration, that makes you forget you aren’t actually living in the 16th century while reading.

We experience the story from the point of view of Martha, a servant, a complex character in conflict with her beliefs, while she witness the events that occur around her.

The ultimate question that we are asking ourselves while reading is: will Martha act, do anything to stop the events from happening?

The bewitching is, at his core, a reflection on the role of women in society, the power of fear, superstition, misogyny, and the toxic, oppressive influence of the patriarchy.

💬 “And he suddenly saw the ludicrousness of the notion that one human being was better than another, of the belief that a title […] and a subsequent accident of birth made one man more deserving respect than another. There was insanity in that concept and in the fact that it was so readily accepted by an immoral world.”

In conclusion, I’d recommend The bewitching to anyone interested in exploring the reality of witches trial, the brutal tribalism that can erupt in a closed society, and the conversations around gender gap still very relevant to this day.

This would also make a good pick for a book club.

sarahpopham's review

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dark sad tense

4.0

Content Warnings

jenreadsalot's review

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dark informative slow-paced

3.0

charlottesometimes's review

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dark emotional informative tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

maddieden's review against another edition

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sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

nerdyperfect's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

3.0

katiep84's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

xiggy's review against another edition

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The biggest issue I was having with reading this book was that there were no chapters or any regularly place breaks. This made the narrative a constant run which in turn made it difficult for me to stay focused or even follow at times. Having no break or Ouse for a reprieve made the read feel much like the story was in a hamster wheel that was constantly spinning with no stopping. It stressed me out. I also found it frustrating for when I wanted to stop reading because I would need to read until the page ended with an end of the sentence and the next page was the start of the next sentence otherwise I would not remember where I was on the page. The story it self seemed interesting enough but the formatting of the book was too much of an issue for me to continue. I’ll possibly try again in an audiobook format and see if that makes a difference…but that will be much further in the future.

Jill Dawson, there is a reason you have chapters or regularly placed breaks in longer stories.

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