Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by domi_krug
The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Another good fantasy thriller mixing folklore and feminism from C.J Cooke with multiple timelines and POVS.
I've read two other books by this author and I found this to be even more enjoyable. I really enjoyed the fact that this is based on true events that occurred in 16th century Orkney, Scotland, which tells the story of seventy-two women who were executed during the North Berwick witch trials.
The tale begins with Alyson (or Alison) Balfour, who was accused of assisting a man in a plot to kill his brother using witchcraft.
The book opens in the present day where we meet Clem, a fifty-year-old divorced mother, who works two jobs to care for her teenage daughter Erin, who recently went on a hiking trip with friends and her baby granddaughter Freya. When Clem gets a horrifying phone call informing her that Erin is hospitalized and in a medically induced coma in Orkney, she rushes to find out what's going on.
She discovers that Erin is unconscious, with several fingers amputated and suffering from serious burn marks. Erin's boyfriend Arlo, who was on the trip with her, is found dead with his body burned and hands bound. Her best friend Senna is missing. The police start an investigation and, based on text messages, suspect Erin might be responsible for Arlo's death and possibly harmed Senna, who has not contacted her parents.
Strangely, when Erin wakes from the coma, she doesn't recognize her parents and denies her name, insisting on being called "Nyx."
We also get to read Alison Balfour's POV, where she is asked to make a charm for an earl's bastard brother who wants to replace him using powerful magic. Even though she refused, she was still put on trial, tortured for a crime she didn't commit, and declared a witch.
I found the storyline really interesting and I did find that the timeline in Scotland in the 1500's which featured Alison Balfour was the most gripping to me as I felt invested in Alison's outcome and the way she was treated. Each time the chapters changed to current day I wanted to actually find out what was happening to Alison. The way they treated her and her loved ones to get her to confess was absolutely crazy to me! This book had me thinking back to the past and how women (and men) were accused of being witches and what befell them.
Knowing that this book was based on a real person made this book even better for me. I admire the amount of research that went into the writing of this book.
When I reached the end of the book read the author's note as well, I found it to be so informative and detailed the research that went into the writing of this book.
Wonderfully written, well thought out, terrifically paced, and hard to put down. I would recommend this for readers who are interested in witches and witch stories.
I've read two other books by this author and I found this to be even more enjoyable. I really enjoyed the fact that this is based on true events that occurred in 16th century Orkney, Scotland, which tells the story of seventy-two women who were executed during the North Berwick witch trials.
The tale begins with Alyson (or Alison) Balfour, who was accused of assisting a man in a plot to kill his brother using witchcraft.
The book opens in the present day where we meet Clem, a fifty-year-old divorced mother, who works two jobs to care for her teenage daughter Erin, who recently went on a hiking trip with friends and her baby granddaughter Freya. When Clem gets a horrifying phone call informing her that Erin is hospitalized and in a medically induced coma in Orkney, she rushes to find out what's going on.
She discovers that Erin is unconscious, with several fingers amputated and suffering from serious burn marks. Erin's boyfriend Arlo, who was on the trip with her, is found dead with his body burned and hands bound. Her best friend Senna is missing. The police start an investigation and, based on text messages, suspect Erin might be responsible for Arlo's death and possibly harmed Senna, who has not contacted her parents.
Strangely, when Erin wakes from the coma, she doesn't recognize her parents and denies her name, insisting on being called "Nyx."
We also get to read Alison Balfour's POV, where she is asked to make a charm for an earl's bastard brother who wants to replace him using powerful magic. Even though she refused, she was still put on trial, tortured for a crime she didn't commit, and declared a witch.
I found the storyline really interesting and I did find that the timeline in Scotland in the 1500's which featured Alison Balfour was the most gripping to me as I felt invested in Alison's outcome and the way she was treated. Each time the chapters changed to current day I wanted to actually find out what was happening to Alison. The way they treated her and her loved ones to get her to confess was absolutely crazy to me! This book had me thinking back to the past and how women (and men) were accused of being witches and what befell them.
Knowing that this book was based on a real person made this book even better for me. I admire the amount of research that went into the writing of this book.
When I reached the end of the book read the author's note as well, I found it to be so informative and detailed the research that went into the writing of this book.
Wonderfully written, well thought out, terrifically paced, and hard to put down. I would recommend this for readers who are interested in witches and witch stories.