A review by amothersmusings1
The Nightingale's Castle: A Novel of Erzabeth Báthory by Sonia Velton

3.0

Sonia Velton is a terrific author who instantly engages her readers with well written, researched and intriguing stories. I thought her previous novel “The Image of Her” was one of the best books I’ve ever read, so I was truly looking forward to reading this; “The Nightingale’s Castle”.  An historical retelling of the infamous ‘Blood Countess’ set in Hungary in the early 1600’s and using the author’s vivid imagination, we see Erzsébet Báthory’s life through her various servants and ladies, in particular Boróka who has her own personal reason for protecting the countess.  Although I found it difficult to pronounce in my head, some of the names and places mentioned, I still thought the story flowed with passion and emotion and the thought of over 600 peasant girls being murdered, kept my attention till the end. 

 

I’ve always had an interest in ‘witches’ in history and their unlawful persecution and it broke my heart to read yet again how terrifying it must have been to be a woman centuries ago, who was comfortable with her herbs and remedies, yet deemed to be a witch because of it. 

 

The characters were strong and a credit to the female race, in particular little Marta who I particularly loved, she truly had a good heart and was often overlooked. As a compelling character driven story, woven with betrayal, suspense and incredibly rich details, this book ticked all the boxes for a historical fiction novel.