The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I received a free e-galley of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Author: Hester Fox
Genre: Gothic Fiction
Publisher: Graydon House
Year of Publication: 2018
Main Character: Lydia Montrose (4/5)—a strong, driven character, determined to find a way for everything to work out, even if it means cementing her own heartbreak.
Secondary Characters: Enjoyably and disturbingly realistic, especially the Montrose girls’ suitors. The Montroses have a classic family dynamic that would fit just as easily into modern times as the book’s setting.
Pacing: The pacing of this book was comfortably quick without feeling rushed. I eventually reached a point when I couldn’t put it down, and that’s the tell-tale sign of a good read.
Accuracy of Publisher’s Synopsis: Definitely an accurate description, but I felt it could have been a bit more straightforward with the types of paranormlal occurrences you’ll encounter, like ghosts.
Resolution: I felt like the underlying mysterious quality of the plot got a bit lost toward the end, when Lydia and John’s romance came into full bloom and eclipsed some of the novel’s previous eeriness. The ending was not as dramatic as I would have liked, but still satisfying.
The Good: The plot was rife with drama and intrigue from the first few pages. The paranormal touches in the novel were perfectly placed, satisfyingly creepy, and integral to the development of the plot. Just when you think you have it all straight in your head, the author throws another well-timed monkey wrench into the action. This book touches on all of the classic tropes that make so many classics successful: quarrelling siblings, oblivious parents, family secrets, and forbidden love, to name a few. I identified well with Lydia and wasn’t ridiculously ahead of her in unweaving the web the author created, as I often am with other novels. I lived her heartbreak, her hope, her shock, and even more as though it were all my own, and I greatly enjoyed the ride.
The Not So Good: I knew there was some hush-hush secret that the Montroses were harboring, but…wow, I didn’t see one like that coming. Had I known just how twisted (and disturbingly true!) the rumors were, I’m not sure I would’ve signed up to read this one. But given how much I enjoyed the rest of the book, I’m glad I wasn’t fully enlightened beforehand, so I could give this book a chance.
I knew from the start that Catherine was trouble, but I didn’t know how right I was until she laid all of her secrets bare, rather smugly. The atrocities she commits, both before and after the novel starts, are beyond my understanding; however, they help her become the best foil character possible against Lydia. Something that struck me as odd was that we’re supposed to know Lydia is a witch, in spite of very few tell-tale displays of her power and no one actually proposing the idea (including Lydia herself) until the last third of the novel. The title of the book may include the word “witch”, but I found this novel lacking in the level of witchiness I expected.
Overall Impression: Despite a couple of disquieting plot points, this book served up surprise after heart-pounding surprise in a way that I’ve rarely seen outside of my college English courses. Overall, I’m quite impressed by not only Mrs. Fox’s quality of writing, but that this book was somehow not mainstream.
Would I recommend it? With only the slightest hesitation, due to some of the themes addressed, I most likely would. In fact, I already have! I see that Mrs. Fox has another book expected later this year, and I’m awaiting it with bated breath!
The Word Snob 