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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Thanks Kensington and Between the Chapters for the gifted ARC book.
The synopsis for this one tells way more of the plot than I’d like. If you want to steer clear of any chance of spoiling the reading experience, here’s a generalized rundown of what’s in THE LAST WITCH IN EDINBURGH:
Edinburgh, alternate 1824 setting.
Witches.
Historical fiction.
Fantasy/paranormal.
Romance.
Queer representation.
Scottish folklore.
Feminism (inclusive of trans women).
This was an atmospheric and emotional read. It was impossible not to be thinking about misogyny in today’s patriarchal society while following the main character’s journey. I enjoyed the writing which included some beautiful passages, though the book felt a bit long overall. There is a great Historical Note at the end.
The synopsis for this one tells way more of the plot than I’d like. If you want to steer clear of any chance of spoiling the reading experience, here’s a generalized rundown of what’s in THE LAST WITCH IN EDINBURGH:
Edinburgh, alternate 1824 setting.
Witches.
Historical fiction.
Fantasy/paranormal.
Romance.
Queer representation.
Scottish folklore.
Feminism (inclusive of trans women).
This was an atmospheric and emotional read. It was impossible not to be thinking about misogyny in today’s patriarchal society while following the main character’s journey. I enjoyed the writing which included some beautiful passages, though the book felt a bit long overall. There is a great Historical Note at the end.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was hopeful that I would enjoy this book, but dang, did it blow all of my expectations out of the water. First of all, the writing was so good. I loved Thompson’s writing style, her use of metaphor and descriptive language, it was all so beautiful and evocative. For someone who seems to only have one other published work, I was blown away at how well done the writing was here.
I loved her characterization of Nellie. I appreciated how Nellie is so scared and acts upon her fear throughout most of the book. I think we all would like to believe that in the face of oppression and violence, we would be brave and stand up, but it felt so much more real to see how Nellie reacts and lets her fear drive her. Often, our protagonist in books is just expected to be fearless and defiant, so it was refreshing to see this portrayal. It makes it all much more powerful in the end when she finds her courage.
I also love Scotland, so I was already inclined to enjoy the setting of this book. Nevertheless, I feel that Thompson brings Scotland, and in particular, Edinburgh, to life. It was so interesting to see how it would have been in 1824 versus in 2022.
Finally, the messaging of this book was so powerful. It is in no way subtle that this is a book about feminism, and about the dangers of the patriarchy and misogyny. These are outright mentioned and debated throughout the book. I loved the treatment of this topic in the book and how Thompson tied it to how women were persecuted as witches in the past and are still pressured to fulfill “ typical feminine roles” nowadays. I loved that the feminism here was intersectional, addressing how the patriarchy affects women of color, women of lower socioeconomic status, and transwomen even more. At first, I was afraid that all the men in the novel were going to be portrayed as a holding the patriarchy, reinforcing the negative imaging of feminism as being anti-men, however, it is addressed directly that men can be allies too, and are just as much victims of the patriarchy, and that the initial fear of all men was Nellie’s fear taken too far. I I thought it was interesting how we even got ties between all of this and climate change. And most of all, I appreciated the messaging that it is by coming together as a community that we fight these seemingly invincible forces. Again, the book is not subtle about this, but I still found this treatment on the topic to be well done.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The descriptions and imagery are the best aspects of this book - especially when it comes to describing the gallows. I found the main character to be really frustrating, and saw little growth (even tho she’s like centuries old by the time the book ends?? 😭). I also found that the conflict between the two main love interests was solved too quickly… also Justice for Tommy omg why was he so important and then not important at all 😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual assault
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoyed the story well enough, (although it was a bit slow) but none of the characters were really distinguishable from each other, and the magic just didn’t really make a lot of sense, or it just didn’t wasn’t very explained. The apothecary also wasn’t very explained - like where the expertise came from, the legal issues of owning it, how it is that no men confronted them in it, etc.
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
3.5
Overall this novel tells a beautiful story about fighting the patriarchy and finding your own strength. The focus on beauty (especially this quote: “plain girls always want for beauty because they don’t know how dangerous it really is.”) rubbed me the wrong way. I also think it would have been benefited from being longer and fleshing out more of Nellie’s long life.
Overall this novel tells a beautiful story about fighting the patriarchy and finding your own strength. The focus on beauty (especially this quote: “plain girls always want for beauty because they don’t know how dangerous it really is.”) rubbed me the wrong way. I also think it would have been benefited from being longer and fleshing out more of Nellie’s long life.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes