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wordsofclover 's review for:
The Age of Witches
by Louisa Morgan
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Harriet Bishop is born from a long line of witches, and now practices her art of magic as a herbalist in New York City in 1890. Harriet has no children, and is keeping an eye on her great-niece Annis, who doesn't know Harriet exists for signs of power. But Annis is under the control of her stepmother Frances who practices a much darker kind of magic and has plans to use Annis for her own selfish needs, meaning Harriet may have to step up and do battle against a particular brand of evil.
This was a wonderfully written book that completely captured me from the start and swiftly carried me through the entire story, and I didn't want to let the characters go. Louisa Morgan's type of witchcraft that she hones in her novels, and I previously read about in A Secret History of Witches, is absolutely fascinating and focuses a lot more on herbs and cantrips than sparks and explosions. I really love the methodical parts of this novel when Harriet would explain what type of herbs and plants she was using in her medicines and why she was using them. I think Louisa Morgan should bring out her own special herb/potions book as it would be fascinating.
I loved the character of Annis as she was a horse girl after my own heart - she stood up for what she wanted, and was hard pressed to allow Frances or her father into forcing her into a marriage she didn't want. The relationship between Annis and James turned from sour to sweet in a very compelling way, and I enjoyed how Annis's character really grew during her stay in Rosefield Hall and how we, as readers, could see how much she fit in even if she didn't see it herself.
There were some bits in this book that felt a little bit unfinished. We heard about Bridget Bishop who was burned for witchcraft in Salem at the start of the novel, and who is the witch Harriet, Annis and Frances are all descended from. Harriet mentions Bridget once or twice but then that's it. I was expecting more from Bridget's spirit at some point - particularly with Frances's brand of magic as it turned more potently evil.
I also would have liked to see more from Frances as I felt her storyline kind of dwindled into nothing, and I really felt like there was so much more her character could give. I just didn't believe that that was all there was left of Frances.
Harriet Bishop is born from a long line of witches, and now practices her art of magic as a herbalist in New York City in 1890. Harriet has no children, and is keeping an eye on her great-niece Annis, who doesn't know Harriet exists for signs of power. But Annis is under the control of her stepmother Frances who practices a much darker kind of magic and has plans to use Annis for her own selfish needs, meaning Harriet may have to step up and do battle against a particular brand of evil.
This was a wonderfully written book that completely captured me from the start and swiftly carried me through the entire story, and I didn't want to let the characters go. Louisa Morgan's type of witchcraft that she hones in her novels, and I previously read about in A Secret History of Witches, is absolutely fascinating and focuses a lot more on herbs and cantrips than sparks and explosions. I really love the methodical parts of this novel when Harriet would explain what type of herbs and plants she was using in her medicines and why she was using them. I think Louisa Morgan should bring out her own special herb/potions book as it would be fascinating.
I loved the character of Annis as she was a horse girl after my own heart - she stood up for what she wanted, and was hard pressed to allow Frances or her father into forcing her into a marriage she didn't want. The relationship between Annis and James turned from sour to sweet in a very compelling way, and I enjoyed how Annis's character really grew during her stay in Rosefield Hall and how we, as readers, could see how much she fit in even if she didn't see it herself.
There were some bits in this book that felt a little bit unfinished. We heard about Bridget Bishop who was burned for witchcraft in Salem at the start of the novel, and who is the witch Harriet, Annis and Frances are all descended from. Harriet mentions Bridget once or twice but then that's it. I was expecting more from Bridget's spirit at some point - particularly with Frances's brand of magic as it turned more potently evil.
I also would have liked to see more from Frances as I felt her storyline kind of dwindled into nothing, and I really felt like there was so much more her character could give. I just didn't believe that that was all there was left of Frances.