The House of the Witch

• Author: Clare Marchant
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Publication Date: August 9, 2024
• Publisher: Boldwood Books

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: ableism, domestic violence, mention of child abuse, murder, parental abandonment, threat of rape, gaslighting, violence, torture, blood, abusive relationship, misogyny

Now: When Adrianna arrives at the small, run-down cottage, near the sea in rural Norfolk, she can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Here she can forget her life in the city, and the problems she’s left behind there, at least for a while.

But – like Adrianna herself – the cottage holds secrets. And when Adrianna finds a mysterious bundle of notes hidden under a floorboard, she can’t shake the idea that they’ve been waiting for her. Especially when – in the rambling, overgrown garden – she then finds a strangely-carved stone, drawing her into a centuries-old mystery…

1646: Between her work as the village midwife and the medicines she sells from her cottage, Ursula has no need for a man. But this ideal leaves her unprotected in a world where just one accusation of witchcraft can mean certain death. So when she catches the eye of a powerful new local doctor, she must use every part of her cunning, or risk becoming his prisoner…

Can the two women – their paths bound by place and history – each find the keys to their own destiny?

I’m always intrigued by stories featuring witch trials, and this one also featured a dual timeline. They usually feature strong-minded women who are ahead of their times, and it is always fascinating to read about how constrained they truly were, and how free we are today. Reading books like these always leaves me with a sense of gratitude to the women (and men) who fought for women to have equal freedoms as men. 

We first meet Adrianna, who is on a performance-related sabbatical from work. She’s really enjoying her time out in the country renting a cottage, and has taken to gardening and getting back to nature now that she’s away from the fast-paced life in London. Rick, her boyfriend, seems superficially supportive, but over the course of the story, it becomes more and more clear that he’s anything but. I picked up on the red flags very early on, and found it frustrating how passive Adrianna is, making excuses to herself and constantly second-guessing herself. But what kept me reading her timeline was her interest in the carved stone she found in her backyard, drawing her into a mystery connected to the other timeline.

Hundreds of years in the past, Ursula lives in the same cottage, and maintains her independent living status by working as a midwife and folk healer. She loves living alone and has no desire to change that, but when a new doctor moves to town and sets his sights on Ursula, it threatens everything she values. I really liked Ursula’s character and timeline. She isn’t just smart, she’s savvy. There’s nothing more appealing than a character who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself. Unfortunately, Ursula was designed more for present day than the 17th century—after repeatedly refusing the doctor, she realizes that she’s in a dangerous position and has nowhere to turn. 

It’s common knowledge that healers, midwives, and wise women were often the first to be denounced as witches. Followed by women who had resources that others felt entitled to, those who lived alone, or were outsiders in the community. So when Ursula continues to spurn the doctor, she comes ever closer to being accused of witchcraft. 

This was a really beautifully done story. Although I really didn’t like Adrianna’s character for a lot of the story, I was able to admire her tenacity in digging up (pun intended!) the mystery in the backyard of the cottage. It was really cool to see how everything was revealed slowly, and then in Ursula’s next chapter, the actual events are described. I was especially impressed with how Ursula handled everything that was happening to her; rather than spend all of her energy fighting a system that was designed to ignore her she put her efforts into figuring out a solution that worked for her. 

Overall, this was a fantastic story, and it was done really well. The pacing was consistent, and the story pulled me in quickly and didn’t let go. I was just as intrigued by the mystery of the stone as Adrianna, but I made the connection a little faster, probably because I read the summary of the book and Adrianna didn’t. Several of the plot twists were obvious, but we all know how witchcraft accusations go, but there were a few that got me, including the big reveal. This was a truly enjoyable book, and I’m happy to report that Adrianna showed a lot of character growth—all she needed was fresh air, a garden, some country air, and a good mystery to focus on. I especially loved how the two timelines eventually found some common ground as well. I’d recommend this if you like historical fiction, dual timelines, historical mysteries and/or stories about witch trials.

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