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kellyvandamme's review against another edition
5.0
The title intrigued me, I loved the cover and the blurb sealed the deal: I simply could not walk away from The Witch House. And my incapability to walk away paid off bigtime! The Witch House is a beautiful tale that has a little bit of everything, but always in a controlled fashion, the plot thickens quite a few times, but it never gets muddled.
Twenty-two year old Alice Hunter has just left the psychiatric ward only to come across the body of Harry, an acquaintance who might have become a dear friend if not for his untimely death and incidentally also the trustee of the estate her grandmother left her.
Alice clearly has issues, and that makes her the perfect narrator. On the one hand, she’s this vulnerable young woman you can’t help but feel for, seemingly innocent, called a Satanist mainly because her grandmother dabbled in Wicca, referred to as doolally. On the other hand, she’s not even sure she trusts herself, so how is the reader supposed to trust her? Is she a reliable narrator or an unreliable one? I was on the fence about that for quite some time!
Regardless, it soon becomes clear that when grandma died, she took a bunch of secrets with her to the grave, and one or two of those might even have contributed to Harry’s death. Although technically not even an actual character, she’s omnipresent, her past still reverberating through the lives of her offspring, and even the townsfolk.
The Witch House touches upon a few tough subjects, but Alice’s dry, dark and often self-deprecating sense of humour always manages to lighten to mood and even made me snort occasionally (yes, I’m quite the lady).
Mystery, family, police procedural, love and loss, history and mental health, The Witch House brings it all together in an atmospheric, bordering on Gothic, manner, weaving a riveting tale that captured my interest from the start, entertained me throughout and had me nailed to my seat for the super suspenseful finale. Recommended.
Twenty-two year old Alice Hunter has just left the psychiatric ward only to come across the body of Harry, an acquaintance who might have become a dear friend if not for his untimely death and incidentally also the trustee of the estate her grandmother left her.
Alice clearly has issues, and that makes her the perfect narrator. On the one hand, she’s this vulnerable young woman you can’t help but feel for, seemingly innocent, called a Satanist mainly because her grandmother dabbled in Wicca, referred to as doolally. On the other hand, she’s not even sure she trusts herself, so how is the reader supposed to trust her? Is she a reliable narrator or an unreliable one? I was on the fence about that for quite some time!
Regardless, it soon becomes clear that when grandma died, she took a bunch of secrets with her to the grave, and one or two of those might even have contributed to Harry’s death. Although technically not even an actual character, she’s omnipresent, her past still reverberating through the lives of her offspring, and even the townsfolk.
The Witch House touches upon a few tough subjects, but Alice’s dry, dark and often self-deprecating sense of humour always manages to lighten to mood and even made me snort occasionally (yes, I’m quite the lady).
Mystery, family, police procedural, love and loss, history and mental health, The Witch House brings it all together in an atmospheric, bordering on Gothic, manner, weaving a riveting tale that captured my interest from the start, entertained me throughout and had me nailed to my seat for the super suspenseful finale. Recommended.
elliemaiblogs's review against another edition
4.0
Why I Like This Book
“I thought one day I would grow out of my ugly duckling phase and turn into a swan.”
I was hooked from the very beginning of this book. It is quite rare that I get stuck into a story from the first few pages, but I did with this one! As a lover of mysteries and thrillers, I knew this book would be for me, and it didn’t disappoint. The plot was amazing and well thought out. All the characters seemed to have some significance to the storyline. Finally, the background of the characters who were involved in the coven wasn’t overdone or unrealistic, but I definitely would have liked to see more of it.
The Story
“There was blood, too. Just a little. And another sharp stick, piercing through his hand, his palm. Exactly like the one that skewered the rabbit.”
We follow Alice on her journey after her release from Brookfields Mental Facility, where straight away she comes across a dead body, her friend Harry Rook. We have dropped into the mystery straight away and of course, it gets more complicated before it gets better.
All aspects of Alice’s life all seem to play a role in the active murder investigation in Cuckmere. Her mental breakdown after her grandmother’s death is very important to the story, everyone around her either treats her like a fragile flower or completely disregard her. And according to the Police, she has more than one motive to kill Harry Rook. But with Alice’s past being dug up about the Cuckmere Coven, a stalker, an absent mother, caseworkers and no control over her inheritance she has all the motivation she needs to find the real killer and clear her name.
Alice’s Witch status, the Cuckmere Coven and who is associates with it seems to be brushed over. It seemed to be a big part of the families life and we rarely got to see and explore this properly.
The Characters
“And to think I was worried about coming across as posh and privileged. I laughed.”
I feel as all the characters played important roles throughout the book. Each taking it turn to have their story told and bring new information forward. The characters didn’t feel forced, they had relevance to the story and everything seemed to flow exceptionally well.
Alice has not had an easy life and she’s still paying for her family secrets. But as the strong female protagonist, she finds a way to cope with this unbelievably well, making her a likeable character even more. Even after Alice’s devastating disruption in her life.
Although we saw a lot of characters, it is nearly impossible to get to know every detail of a characters life. Daniel and his connection to the story felt a bit rushed towards the end and could do with more explanation. However, this could be entirely intentional of the author for setting up a sequel.
Overall Thoughts
“It was like poking a tiger with a sharp stick. Or perhaps more like climbing into the big cats’ enclosure at the zoo. Perhaps I was crazy, after all. ”
Overall, ‘The Witch House’ exceeds my expectations. If you are a lover of mystery, thriller and anything witchy, this is the perfect book for you. The well thought out plot and character always add something new to the story. It isn’t confusing or doesn’t feel forced. The reader is constantly trying to figure out the real killer throughout the book, hooking them from start to finish.
Rating: 4/5
“I thought one day I would grow out of my ugly duckling phase and turn into a swan.”
I was hooked from the very beginning of this book. It is quite rare that I get stuck into a story from the first few pages, but I did with this one! As a lover of mysteries and thrillers, I knew this book would be for me, and it didn’t disappoint. The plot was amazing and well thought out. All the characters seemed to have some significance to the storyline. Finally, the background of the characters who were involved in the coven wasn’t overdone or unrealistic, but I definitely would have liked to see more of it.
The Story
“There was blood, too. Just a little. And another sharp stick, piercing through his hand, his palm. Exactly like the one that skewered the rabbit.”
We follow Alice on her journey after her release from Brookfields Mental Facility, where straight away she comes across a dead body, her friend Harry Rook. We have dropped into the mystery straight away and of course, it gets more complicated before it gets better.
All aspects of Alice’s life all seem to play a role in the active murder investigation in Cuckmere. Her mental breakdown after her grandmother’s death is very important to the story, everyone around her either treats her like a fragile flower or completely disregard her. And according to the Police, she has more than one motive to kill Harry Rook. But with Alice’s past being dug up about the Cuckmere Coven, a stalker, an absent mother, caseworkers and no control over her inheritance she has all the motivation she needs to find the real killer and clear her name.
Alice’s Witch status, the Cuckmere Coven and who is associates with it seems to be brushed over. It seemed to be a big part of the families life and we rarely got to see and explore this properly.
The Characters
“And to think I was worried about coming across as posh and privileged. I laughed.”
I feel as all the characters played important roles throughout the book. Each taking it turn to have their story told and bring new information forward. The characters didn’t feel forced, they had relevance to the story and everything seemed to flow exceptionally well.
Alice has not had an easy life and she’s still paying for her family secrets. But as the strong female protagonist, she finds a way to cope with this unbelievably well, making her a likeable character even more. Even after Alice’s devastating disruption in her life.
Although we saw a lot of characters, it is nearly impossible to get to know every detail of a characters life. Daniel and his connection to the story felt a bit rushed towards the end and could do with more explanation. However, this could be entirely intentional of the author for setting up a sequel.
Overall Thoughts
“It was like poking a tiger with a sharp stick. Or perhaps more like climbing into the big cats’ enclosure at the zoo. Perhaps I was crazy, after all. ”
Overall, ‘The Witch House’ exceeds my expectations. If you are a lover of mystery, thriller and anything witchy, this is the perfect book for you. The well thought out plot and character always add something new to the story. It isn’t confusing or doesn’t feel forced. The reader is constantly trying to figure out the real killer throughout the book, hooking them from start to finish.
Rating: 4/5
bookoholic's review against another edition
5.0
The Witch House by Ann Rawson is a smart and enjoyable story!
Alice Hunter has a history of mental health issues, including a stay in the hospital. She lost her grandmother who raised her, she still has a mother who seems to hate her and her neighbour has just been killed.
Unlucky for her, she found the body and now she’s the main suspect.
I loved this story, especially that many of us have mental health problems nowadays. I can imagine that it’d be easy to not believe us even if we were innocent! The struggle was real and Alice with her limited funds and places where she was allowed to go was determined to prove that she’s not guilty.
A complexity of the story, a part with the witches, and the well-researched history of Romans on the British lands made this book perfect.
I’d love to see more of Alice in the future. How she deals with life and what new adventures lie ahead of her.
I highly recommend this book!
Alice Hunter has a history of mental health issues, including a stay in the hospital. She lost her grandmother who raised her, she still has a mother who seems to hate her and her neighbour has just been killed.
Unlucky for her, she found the body and now she’s the main suspect.
I loved this story, especially that many of us have mental health problems nowadays. I can imagine that it’d be easy to not believe us even if we were innocent! The struggle was real and Alice with her limited funds and places where she was allowed to go was determined to prove that she’s not guilty.
A complexity of the story, a part with the witches, and the well-researched history of Romans on the British lands made this book perfect.
I’d love to see more of Alice in the future. How she deals with life and what new adventures lie ahead of her.
I highly recommend this book!
armedwithabook's review against another edition
3.0
I haven’t read a psychological thriller in a while so when the opportunity to read one presented itself, I had to take it! The promise of some witch craft helped make that decision for me too and that lovely cover! Here are four things I liked about the story which might encourage you to pick it up too! Check out my review on Armed with A Book for details.
Reading Experience:
# 1 Relationships - I liked this deep dive into family values and structures, the things that mothers do to support their daughters and how circumstances and a person’s nature can act as a hindrance.
# 2 The Archeology - Frances, the grandmother, during her lifetime, collected a number of items that are museum worthy. Some are replicas that she herself commissioned to be made. How Frances came across so many of these items is a mystery. This added an additional mystery to the story, while at the same time, giving me, the reader, a glimpse into who Frances was and what her interests were.
# 3 - Coven and witches in a small town setting - Nowadays, so many stories are set in small towns as they are ripe for their own legends to play out in reality. I gravitate towards these kind of stories because of the setting and how integrated the people of the town and their perceptions are in the storyline. With a history of witches and covens, the murder mystery leads one down memory lane, presenting facts and information about rituals. Alice herself believes in these practices and uses them to feel safer.
# 4 - On Self Doubt - This story is Alice’s journey to grasp who she is. After being accused of Harry’s murder and the evidence pointing towards her, she starts reflecting on her history of mental health issues and if she is forgetting her own actions. Is her grief manifesting in dangerous ways? I liked this narrative around self-doubt, intermingled with the desire to persevere and start a new life, no matter what people say.
Overall, The Witch House was an interesting read. All the elements above kept me engaged in it. I had a lot going on while I was reading and I suspect that is why my immersion wasn’t as high (see below) but looking at the reviews I read, most people found it quite immersive which is great!
Many thanks to Red Dog Press for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reading Experience:
# 1 Relationships - I liked this deep dive into family values and structures, the things that mothers do to support their daughters and how circumstances and a person’s nature can act as a hindrance.
# 2 The Archeology - Frances, the grandmother, during her lifetime, collected a number of items that are museum worthy. Some are replicas that she herself commissioned to be made. How Frances came across so many of these items is a mystery. This added an additional mystery to the story, while at the same time, giving me, the reader, a glimpse into who Frances was and what her interests were.
# 3 - Coven and witches in a small town setting - Nowadays, so many stories are set in small towns as they are ripe for their own legends to play out in reality. I gravitate towards these kind of stories because of the setting and how integrated the people of the town and their perceptions are in the storyline. With a history of witches and covens, the murder mystery leads one down memory lane, presenting facts and information about rituals. Alice herself believes in these practices and uses them to feel safer.
# 4 - On Self Doubt - This story is Alice’s journey to grasp who she is. After being accused of Harry’s murder and the evidence pointing towards her, she starts reflecting on her history of mental health issues and if she is forgetting her own actions. Is her grief manifesting in dangerous ways? I liked this narrative around self-doubt, intermingled with the desire to persevere and start a new life, no matter what people say.
Overall, The Witch House was an interesting read. All the elements above kept me engaged in it. I had a lot going on while I was reading and I suspect that is why my immersion wasn’t as high (see below) but looking at the reviews I read, most people found it quite immersive which is great!
Many thanks to Red Dog Press for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
bookbeforeuleap's review
3.0
This was a brilliant suspense thriller/murder mystery with a setting. It was full of characters who you didn’t fully trust, we quickly find out that the narrator has recently been released from a psychiatric hospital and from there you constantly question everyone that meet.
I really enjoyed the dry, sarcastic humour of Alices character and the way that she brought a little bit of lightness to a rather creepy mystery.
This is perfect for anyone who loves a bit of gothic fiction and I will be keeping an eye out for more of Ann’s work!
Thank you to @red_dog_press for my #gifted copy in exchange for review.
I really enjoyed the dry, sarcastic humour of Alices character and the way that she brought a little bit of lightness to a rather creepy mystery.
This is perfect for anyone who loves a bit of gothic fiction and I will be keeping an eye out for more of Ann’s work!
Thank you to @red_dog_press for my #gifted copy in exchange for review.
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