Skip to main content

A Witchy Review

 

A historical record of witchcraft and it's survival over the centuries!

Louisa Morgan's, A Secret History of Witches, is a five-part novel circled around the

Orchiére female line--mothers and daughters who partake in the craft.

The novel begins in 1821, where the matriarch of the Orchiére line seals her familial line's fate

by using her powers in order to ensure their survival against those who persecuted their kind. 

A vision emerges for her family to travel to a farm at a new location and begin anew, putting

aside what  they've come to know in order to survive in a world where standing out means

burning at the stake.

The story line travels through five different generations of Orchiére women, mothers passed

knowledge down to their daughters, in some ways more constructive than others. The

relationships between both mothers and daughters were interesting to read due to the fact that

the typical relationship between a mother and daughter could be strained. However, adding a

historical obligation to witchcraft throws an entirely different riff into the mix.

An ancient scrying crystal accompanied by a family grimoire is essential to the women's line

and are crucial elements in order for their line to continue. Learning the process and faith put

into these two devices is another strain on the mother and daughter relationship that is

depicted throughout the five sections of the novel.

Morgan has a fluid writing style, paying particular attention to the details of each setting in

every chapter. As the story takes place over 200 years, between 5 generations of the Orchiére

line, Morgan does a fantastic job in relaying the changes between settings, time periods, and

lifestyles for readers. Romance is imminent within the novel, for most parts anyway,

as adding to the line means procreating for the women. Despite trust being an influential

factor in relationships, trust is something slim for Orchiére women when men come into play.

Secrets and discreet actions are vital for the Orchiére women to survive, as some tragedies

were implemented due to women deciding that love just might be enough. Although in true

form, judgement wreaks havoc on those who think love will conquer all.

I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in witchcraft or historical fiction. For those who

like to travel down the rabbit-hole of witchcraft's survival, I'd start with this novel and make

your way to Morgan's second novel, The Witch's Kind, and even her third novel

published this year, The Age of Witches.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We need to read AND write

So I went to Barnes & Noble the other night (needed some retail therapy) and ended up wandering aimlessly around the aisles for over an hour. I must have hit every section before I made my way over to the children’s corner. Not sure if I was feeling nostalgic or just curious as to what the youth of today was starting out to read. As I scoured shelves looking for old time Nancy Drew or Where the Sidewalk Ends , I heard this couple enter the area and couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.             “I just want to look for a book for her, just one. Can ya’ give me a minute?” The woman sounded exasperated, almost as if she couldn’t comprehend why her companion wasn’t understanding the need to look for the perfect book . It was his response that caught me, even though I shouldn’t have been so stung.             “You do realize kids today don’t read, right? What’...
3 comments
Read more

The Express Review

A known crime fiction novel by millions, Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express  is not only intriguing, but initially a thrilling ride that keeps readers in tune and guessing up until the very last page (no pun intended on the "thrilling ride" comment). With the infamous protagonist Hercule Poirot taking charge on leading the investigation, the entire plot was based around a single man being murdered by a suspect (or suspects) on a train traveling throughout Europe. It was interesting being introduced to Hercule Poirot for the first time reading this, considering I've never read any Agatha Christie crime novels before. I find the steps that Poirot takes when solving a crime very strategical and can be recognized as a specific method used initially by him and him alone. This novel is structured into 3 parts: The Facts, The Evidence, and Hercule Poirot Sits Back and Thinks. I feel a majority of people are intimidated by the intellect a detective can hold when s...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Witch-y Summary!

Shelby Mahurin's fantasy novel, Serpent and Dove, is one wild ride between two polar-opposite individuals, both coming from backgrounds that reveal they're more alike than most others they consort with. Both Louise (Lou) and Reid come from different lifestyles, Lou being the daughter of one of the most powerful witches known to men and Reid being the head captain of the Archbishop's team of witch-hunters. Both Lou and Reid collide (literally) in an unfortunate incident that causes a public conflict of interest. In the end, both Lou and Reid agree-to-disagree and are bound together as husband and wife. They have to learn how to co-exist with each other, along with surviving among fellow witches and hunters. Readers are shown the intimate details of both Lou's and Reid's lives. Friendships and past relationships are brought to light, familial boundaries are pushed and secrets are revealed. Both Lou and Reid become the ultimate husband-and-wife duo when fate cat...
Post a Comment
Read more