Reviews with content warning for Murder - A Lullaby for Witches

Two dimensional poorly developed characters and foreshadowing that has all the subtlety of a slap to the face makes this book a flat predictable read. Points give for an interesting setting and context but there are undoubtedly books that do this blend of historical fiction and witchcraft better.

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bethsiekierawalker's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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amandasbookreview's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you, NetGalley, Hester Fox, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. This book will hit shelves everywhere on February 1st, 2022.

“Love is the centre of all we see, Love is the jewel that guides us true, No matter what, love, you’ll stay with me, No matter what, my love, I’ll stay with you.”

A LULLABY FOR WITCHES

I will always and forever read anything that Hester Fox writes. She always delivers with Gothic vibes. In previous books, she took inspiration from classic authors like Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shelley. A Lullaby for Witches brings in the lore of witches from the North-Eastern part of the United States, including Salem, Massachusetts. Augusta has been working tours in Salem and comes home to a dwindling relationship. So things begin to look up when she gets a job at a small museum in Tynemouth called Harlowe House. She immediately connects with the house and the woman who possibly lived there centuries before. Her name is Margaret Harlowe and she is known for being a wild one in a wealthy family. But soon, rumors begin that she practices witchcraft. She finds herself in trouble and then betrayed by those she loves and vengeance and a hunger for all that she has lost will span time itself.

Trigger Warnings: emotional and physical abuse, murder

I can honestly say I had no idea where this book was going in the beginning. The beginning gives the impression of time travel. Boy, was I wrong! I loved Augusta and I think many women and men can relate to her. She finds herself in a relationship and a job that puts her down and makes her invisible. She loses her self-confidence. When people show true concern and care, she doesn’t know how to respond. Those of us who have been in her shoes, know the emotional toll that takes on a person. Then add a ghost that is up to no good.

The pace does drag a bit. There is a lot of time spent on Augusta’s research about the Harlowe family and her search for Margaret. –But I actually enjoyed that part. It was one of my favorite things to do in college, so I may have a little bias there. Then there are the time-jumps and the switching of points-of-view which didn’t come together all that smoothly. But the tie to history is everything. The ghosts of the past and the people trying to study them are just fascinating, even if it is fiction. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars!

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sirissacgluten's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

A Lullaby for Witches is a great new twist on both haunted house stories and split-timeline historical fiction. It follows Augusta, a mild-mannered museum worker yearning for more meaning in her life, as she begins to unravel the secrets of her new workplace and finds herself entangled in a 150-year-old quest for revenge.

In 1870s Tynemouth, the beautiful and tempestuous Margaret Harlowe, the only daughter of a wealthy Massachusetts shipping dynasty, seeks solace in nature and hones her hidden skill for magic. She runs an underground operation distributing herbs, advice, and occasionally spells to local women, but longs for more meaningful companionship. She falls fast and hard for a local shopkeeper, but their love story is doomed from the start.

In the present-day, Augusta Podos finds herself stuck in a dead-end relationship and wasting away at a mind-numbing tour guide job in Salem. When the opportunity to work at a historic house in Tynemouth arises, she jumps at the chance. As she combs through the archives, pages through local history books, and wanders through the creaky house, she begins to glimpse flashes of the past. The longer Augusta spends in the house, the greater Margaret's power grows, and soon the two women are irreversibly intertwined.

4/5: A spooky story about women's agency, legacy, and tenacity. Would appeal to fans of classic witchy stories as well as those looking for a fresh take on the genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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