second_breakfasts 's review for:

The Familiars by Stacey Halls

3.75

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Took me a while to warm up to this but as others have mentioned it does ramp up towards the last quarter of the book. I would have liked a bit more information on the lives of the wise women, maybe more about Alice in particular. Even though Fleetwoods arc is fleshed out and has a satisfying ending, I did feel Alice didn't get as much time and I would have liked to unde stand her more. Overall, an interesting look at how women were affected in different classes by the witch trials, especially that none were safe from persecution no matter how rich.