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kb_sherman's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
Moderate: Alcohol, Infertility, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal death, Colonisation, Incest, Infidelity, and Vomit
haileybones's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Hour of the Witch intrigued me from the moment I saw its cover in a pre-release promotional e-mail. The setting and premise called to mind a film that captivated my imagination - The Witch (2015) - and I was intrigued. With trials, historical setting, and religious themes? Sign me up!
But instead of a supernatural suspense, Hour of the Witch is part family drama, part procedural, and part crime solving with a bland (at best) main character whose values reflect the modern era more than Colonial Boston. The setting itself was underutilized and underdeveloped. There is little in the way of rich description or historical context, even though the novel is quite lengthy.
The main source of tension is between Mary and her husband, Thomas, who abuses her with enough plausible deniability that she is powerless to stop it. After asking for divorce and being accused of witchcraft on tenuous circumstantial evidence, she is forced to prove both her husband's guilt and her own innocence. Over two court proceedings, we follow Mary's many attempts to assert agency in her life.
Mary herself was a frustrating character to read. We are assured of her intelligence and kindness, but she constantly takes unnecessary risks with obvious, potentially life-ending consequences for herself and those associated with her. She schemes and plots carefully for months to kill Thomas , then backs out at the last minute and is suddenly careless with the evidence. Her romance with Henry Simmons is extremely underdeveloped and feels like a deus ex machina to get her out of the colony and have a long-desired baby .
The "twists" throughout were pretty predictable if you're familiar with abusive family systems and the time period. I was instantly suspicious that Thomas had killed his first wife and knew what was going on as soon as Peregrine's apples turned out to be poisoned . I mean, I guess I have serious Daddy Issues™ myself, so maybe I was more on the ball than your average reader?
By the end, each facet of the mystery has been neatly solved, its culprit given comeuppance, and the solution spoon fed to the reader, wrapped in a tidy bow by an all-too-happy epilogue that would have felt more at home in a romance novel than a historical thriller. Yawn.
The book is too long, the pacing is slow, and the cast and plot themselves could have been tightened significantly. I'd advise a library borrow before clicking "Add to Cart".
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Alcoholism, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Vomit, Rape, Sexual assault, and Miscarriage
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