This is my second exposure to Catherine Cavendish, and although The Garden of Bewitchment wasn’t for me, it gave me a pretty clear look at what the author does well - atmosphere and secluded seaside locales. Both of these elements are fully on display in The Malan Witch and I’m pleased to say I really enjoyed the story.

I can usually count on reading at least one Silver Shamrock book a month, but it feels like I’ve read three in fairly rapid succession - Curse of the Pigman, Slaves to Gravity, and now The Malan Witch. All four or five star reads and such a wide variety of horror subgenres and tropes on display is just one reason why Silver Shamrock is one of the best indie presses churning out quality horror right now.

Back to the story at hand - our story follows Robyn who opts to spend the summer in her sister’s cottage as a means to cope with the loss of her husband. She learns a bit about local folklore and the history of the cottage/the land the cottage was built on from a local woman who she befriends. At first the occurrences in and around the house are subtle and just a bit unsettling, but whenever the titular witch makes an appearance, the description sent chills running up my spine. Cavendish does an excellent job spreading events throughout the runtime of the novella and, as mentioned before, establishing the chilling atmosphere.

The final chapter wrapped up the story brilliantly. Any loose ends, allusions to future story, and even the motives and background of a particular character who figures prominently into the climax feel very blatant on the author’s part to add an air of mystery to the story. In my opinion, the creep factor wouldn’t have lingered quite so well if every little piece concluded with a neat bow on it.

I enjoyed this novella quite a bit and would recommend it to several groups of readers. If you enjoy the consistently good and varied output from Silver Shamrock, this won’t disappoint. Readers looking for a good witch story, and this is a trope I’d personally like to read more of, will enjoy the connections between modern-day happenings and the history of the house/land/town. Finally, despite the fact that it’s obviously a story about witches, this book hits a lot of my favorite beats found in haunted house stories - applying the new (to me, anyway - witches) to the familiar (ghosts). If you’re still not quite sold, Kealan Patrick Burke hits yet another homerun on this cover and it’s going to look incredible on your shelf.


I received a copy from the publisher for review consideration.