In the 17th century being different from your fellow villagers, and being a woman, was a dangerous combination. 14 year old Mary Newbury lives a quiet life on the outskirts of a village in England with her healer grandmother. Until the day when the townsfolk turn against them, the witchhunters “try” her grandmother, convict her of being a witch, and hang the old woman. Mary is rescued by a cloaked woman who takes her to join a group of Puritans set to sail for the new world and the religious freedom the colonies offer.
Thus opens the long lost journal of Mary Newbury and Celia Rees’ captivating and thrilling tale, Witch Child. We follow Mary on the weeks long crossing of the Atlantic with her fellow passengers and the strange occurrences that plague the ship. Once they reach the new world, the group leaves Salem for the outpost, far into the dark forbidding forest, where the other faithful of their congregation have settled. Once at the village, however, Mary’s past continues to plague her as strange signs and portents appear; the other village girls mock her and dally in sorcery; the Puritanical leader of the settlement focuses on her as both an outsider and a dangerous element; and Mary is drawn into the woods again and again.
This historical tale is full of fear, foreboding and slowly building tension. Mary tries to be a good Puritan girl and escape the notice of the town elders but her character, which will be enjoyed by readers of the Gemma Doyletrilogy, and the natural gifts she possesses, are too strong for that. She’s an interesting mix of her time and ours and that makes it easy for readers to latch onto her story and connect with her from the first pages through the witch trial she faces at the abrupt end of the journal. Captivatingly written, suspenseful, and engrossing, Witch Child is a great way to spend a dark and stormy night.
- Posted by Cori