I had no idea this was a retelling of The Scarlet Letter!! It might be more of a prequel-type story but it was very interesting. I think the title of the book threw me off but I should not go into books blind. haha. Regardless, it was a beautiful cover that pulled me in.

Now onto the story…

This was such an imaginative story that is wrapped in some magic. I think that Albanese did such a fantastic job writing this story. Sometimes it’s hard to read about the past and how women showing any type of interest in medicine/midwifery is a witch. It’s sometimes hard to believe but it’s not, especially now. I think the way that she wove the past and present was very interesting and a little sad. It did sometimes pull me out of the current story and the past was a little bit harder to follow. Regardless, I did enjoy learning about her ancestors. I’m not quite sure if this was magical realism or straight-up magic when it comes to Isobel. Oh my gosh, was her story so touching and heart-breaking! The crazy thing is that her story isn’t the worst from that time.

Not only did Albanese tackle sexism but also racism. I loved how she had both stories woven into Isobel’s. I didn’t know how this story would end up and it kept me intrigued and turning the pages. Even though this is a feminist story, I didn’t quite agree with how quickly she turned on all the men. Not all men are the problem and I don’t want to get into that. There’s one man that was just amazing in this book and she makes us doubt that. I struggled with that a bit.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this. I’m not sure that I’m getting my thoughts out coherently. If you liked the Scarlet Letter or are intrigued at all, give this one a go. I really enjoyed this story and the history that’s woven in.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for an e-arc to review.