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andrewsweet's review against another edition
5.0
What a fantastic journey, and well-done. There were some bits that were a little over the top, but then, it's a book about the line of witches, so I'm definitely not complaining that much :). All in all, it kept my attention all the way through with fascinating and delightfully different characters. An examination into the consequences of our choices and an exploration of the nature of society and its impacts. This book covered so much ground, but in a highly entertaining way. Well worth the read :).
ruhelwamel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
suzea's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
2.0
A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan is a historical novel that starts in 1838 at Orchard Farm. The Orchierres families magic seemed to wither with the death of Grandmere Ursule. Her descendants keep following the practices she established that have been handed down from mother to daughter. They have Ursule’s magic crystal and grimoire. Some of them can do simple spells, simples and charms. Nanette, Ursule’s granddaughter, is the first one to blossom with real power. Magic, though, always comes at a price. Follow the magic through the generations to see what happens to the Orchierres line of witches.
A Secret History of Witches was a slow-paced novel that I found lacking in magic. The story had potential, but it was never achieved. Each generation seemed to make the same mistake (it seemed like the same story repeated over for each generation—the author just changed the clothes or words to fit the time period). I thought it would be a story about strong, female witches (instead we have women that grow up, get pregnant, pass on family history and repeat for the next generation). Unfortunately, the only strong person was Gradmere Ursule (and she was dead). The woman and men were stuck in their gender roles and they were conventional. The magic elements were uninspiring. For a book about witches and magic, it was deficient. The characters lacked development (they were flat). Some sections were more complete than others. I was disappointed in the ending (it was unsatisfying and felt unfinished). I did not understand why the author did not bring the book into modern times and bring the witches full circle. She could have shown them back in full power in modern times. The book needed some oomph. My rating for A Secret History of Witches is 2 out of 5 stars. There is some good writing and the author did her research for the historical periods featured. My favorite section the World War II with Veronica Selwyn. If you are looking for a magical novel, check out Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy (vampires too)!
A Secret History of Witches was a slow-paced novel that I found lacking in magic. The story had potential, but it was never achieved. Each generation seemed to make the same mistake (it seemed like the same story repeated over for each generation—the author just changed the clothes or words to fit the time period). I thought it would be a story about strong, female witches (instead we have women that grow up, get pregnant, pass on family history and repeat for the next generation). Unfortunately, the only strong person was Gradmere Ursule (and she was dead). The woman and men were stuck in their gender roles and they were conventional. The magic elements were uninspiring. For a book about witches and magic, it was deficient. The characters lacked development (they were flat). Some sections were more complete than others. I was disappointed in the ending (it was unsatisfying and felt unfinished). I did not understand why the author did not bring the book into modern times and bring the witches full circle. She could have shown them back in full power in modern times. The book needed some oomph. My rating for A Secret History of Witches is 2 out of 5 stars. There is some good writing and the author did her research for the historical periods featured. My favorite section the World War II with Veronica Selwyn. If you are looking for a magical novel, check out Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy (vampires too)!
shelbymoulton's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
samnotsoshort's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
stevens85183's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.5
lindzann's review against another edition
3.0
*Disclaimer: I read this as an audiobook and I’m not sure if that played a part in my attitude toward the book.
While I loved everything about the premise of the book I hadn’t expected it to be written in separate “books” told through the eyes of each witch/daughter as the magic moved through the generations. There was plenty of heartbreak and hope but it was very repetitive and at some points I was like “oh not again”. This was probably written on purpose but I found it extremely frustrating to read. When the story finally changed, it seemed the book was over and the part that I finally wanted to read about… didn’t exist.
Overall, it was okay.
While I loved everything about the premise of the book I hadn’t expected it to be written in separate “books” told through the eyes of each witch/daughter as the magic moved through the generations. There was plenty of heartbreak and hope but it was very repetitive and at some points I was like “oh not again”. This was probably written on purpose but I found it extremely frustrating to read. When the story finally changed, it seemed the book was over and the part that I finally wanted to read about… didn’t exist.
Overall, it was okay.