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amandasbookreview 's review for:
The Witchfinder's Sister
by Beth Underdown
I am slowly chipping away at my summer TBR pile. The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown is a historical fiction novel, though it leans more on the fictional side, about Alice Hopkins. Alice Hopkins is the sister of Matthew Hopkins, the infamous witch-hunter, who reigned terror during the English Civil War. Alice’s husband has died, leaving her with child. She has no choice but to return home to her brother. However, she has no idea of the man he has become in the years since she has been gone. Rumors and whispers consume the village. Alice soon has to come to terms with the monster her brother has become.
I really, really, wanted to love this book. I did love the added historical detail from Hopkin’s Discovery of Witches book. The main character, Alice, never actually existed. She is a fascinating character, even though she is completely fictional. She is torn between remembering the boy she knew growing up and facing the man he becomes. Matthew Hopkins is despicable, but we already knew that from English history. I was torn because the book didn’t frighten me. He was a horrible person, yeah–but yet he didn’t come across as terrifying. In fact, he felt rather bland. He had been betrayed by women so he blames women for the rest of his life. I wanted to see more depth in his character.
The pace is actually tedious. I was actually hoping for a little more suspense. Alice is not really an active participant in the events. Her narration pops back and forth from the present moment and to previous moments years before, ranging from childhood to adulthood. Those transitions weren’t always smooth. However, the author does a tremendous job of showing the reality for women in the 1640s. They did not have options and they were at the mercy of the men in their lives. It is truly heartbreaking and infuriating to read about what these women had to endure. They were persecuted and executed for no reason other than being a woman in a time of religious hysteria.
Now for my favorite part of the book…
*drum roll*
The last sentence. I won’t spoil it, but I found it wonderfully clever and I gasped. Bravo! Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars!
I really, really, wanted to love this book. I did love the added historical detail from Hopkin’s Discovery of Witches book. The main character, Alice, never actually existed. She is a fascinating character, even though she is completely fictional. She is torn between remembering the boy she knew growing up and facing the man he becomes. Matthew Hopkins is despicable, but we already knew that from English history. I was torn because the book didn’t frighten me. He was a horrible person, yeah–but yet he didn’t come across as terrifying. In fact, he felt rather bland. He had been betrayed by women so he blames women for the rest of his life. I wanted to see more depth in his character.
The pace is actually tedious. I was actually hoping for a little more suspense. Alice is not really an active participant in the events. Her narration pops back and forth from the present moment and to previous moments years before, ranging from childhood to adulthood. Those transitions weren’t always smooth. However, the author does a tremendous job of showing the reality for women in the 1640s. They did not have options and they were at the mercy of the men in their lives. It is truly heartbreaking and infuriating to read about what these women had to endure. They were persecuted and executed for no reason other than being a woman in a time of religious hysteria.
Now for my favorite part of the book…
*drum roll*
The last sentence. I won’t spoil it, but I found it wonderfully clever and I gasped. Bravo! Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars!