Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The Familiars

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Familiars by Stacey Halls

22 reviews

malcccccolm's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-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

2.75

The premise and set up if good but everything compelling and all the driving force for the main character is undone in the last 15 pages. Also a notiable lack of familiars.

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anditsreal's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

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rangerwing75's review against another edition

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2.5

The plot wasn’t for me. The only thing I really liked was Alice and Fleetwood’s friendship.

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shonalikesreading's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? No

4.25

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kibiiiariii's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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mary_lake's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Really fantastic book. I picked it up because I'd already read The Foundling and Mrs England and loved them but, having exhausted the witch trials during my history class a few years ago, I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy it.

I was completely wrong.

This book has an utterly compelling narrative, intertwining together the lives of Fleetwood, mistress of the manor, and Alice, a poor girl who lives in the village a little way away. Both women were fascinating characters and I enjoyed reading them.

The mystery surrounding whether or not Alice was a witch

and what exactly the other Pendle Witches were doing was crafted really well and I thought it a good ending that many questions were left unanswered or only hinted it.

I knew of the Pendle Witches but my school had focused on the Matthew Hopkins period, during the English Civil War, so I really had no idea about this particular witch trial until reading this book. I was surprised to find out halfway through, by Google, that all the characters were real historical figures from 1612, all either involved in the witch trial or living near it when it happened. Of course, this story weaved from this figures is made up and there's no evidence the real Fleetwood and Alice knew it each other, but knowing the characters were based on real people, made this already fascinating story even more so.

Having read The Foundling and Mrs England now as well, I've noticed Halls has a habit of placing two very different, well developed female characters together (often where one is in a position of power over the other) in a historical setting and having that relationship, with its shifting dynamics, guide the story. There are also very strong themes of motherhood and the mother/mother figure's relationship to their children, as well as feminism and what it meant to be a woman at that time in history. All of this I love and I think Halls' portrays these themes and characters excellently.

I'm so glad I picked this book up in the end; I absolutely devoured it and anxiously await Halls' next novel!

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hattiefrankie's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I found the natural imagery and storyline interlaced with history interesting and enjoyable. However, I found the behaviour and language of the characters not typical of the time period in which the book is set.

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