#BookReview – The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox #TheWitchOfWillowHall #NetGalley

Synopsis from NetGalley

“Years after the Salem witch trials one witch remains. She just doesn’t know it… yet.
Growing up Lydia Montrose knew she was descended from the legendary witches of Salem but was warned to never show the world what she could do and so slowly forgot her legacy. But Willow Hall has awoken something inside her…
1821: Having fled family scandal in Boston Willow Hall seems an idyllic refuge from the world, especially when Lydia meets the previous owner of the house, John Barrett.
But a subtle menace haunts the grounds of Willow Hall, with strange voices and ghostly apparitions in the night, calling to Lydia’s secret inheritance and leading to a greater tragedy than she could ever imagine.
Can Lydia confront her inner witch and harness her powers or is it too late to save herself and her family from the deadly fate of Willow Hall?”

 

My Review

What a tense atmospheric story this was, full of foreboding and mystery right from the first page.

The story starts in 1811 but moves quickly on to 1821, ten years later when the family have moved from Boston to Willow Hall. Straight away there’s a mystery as to why the family have moved, and what exactly the family scandal was that brought about this great upheaval.

The story is told from Lydia’s point of view which I really enjoyed and felt like I was very much part of the story as I was reading. I felt like I was discovering secrets about the family and the house at the same time as Lydia. I was never too sure what was going on with the family, especially with her sister Catherine, not a nice character at all.

There are lots of strange goings on throughout that even Lydia isn’t sure whether she’s imagining or not, so perfect for reading at this time of year.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollinsUk for my digital copy