Title: The Witch
Author: Freida McFadden
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Genre: Thriller, mystery
Pages: 352
My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️🖤
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The Witch
Julia Barlow has just lost her job and has nowhere to go, except for Pemberton, her family’s estate in Massachusetts, which belongs to her grandmother. She’s never been particulary fond of the place because she believes it might be haunted. When she was a child, she often heard strange noises throughout the house, leaving her convinced that something wasn’t quite right.
However, her grandmother isn’t doing well, so Julia decides to move in for a while. As she settles into life at Pemberton, she begins to uncovering more and more secrets about the estate, her family, and Caroline, the woman who once lived there. Three hundred years ago, Caroline was executed for witchcraft, and the more Julia learns about her story, the more questions she has.
But the mysteries surrounding Pemberton don’t end there. Julia soon discovers that not everyone is telling the truth, and there’s much more to her family’s history than she ever imagined.
Review
It is almost Halloween, and the days are getting colder and darker, which means it is the perfect time to pick up some spooky books and thrillers. And this was definitely one of them.
I love Freida McFadden’s books. They are so easy to read, the chapters are nice and short, and once you start reading it is very hard to put the book down. I discovered Freida about a year or two ago when I read her popular The Housemaid series, and I absolutely loved those books. I’ve also read another one of her novels, although that one wasn’t my favorite. But I think I liked the Witch.
This book definitely has a different vibe from The Housemaid. I would say it is much creepier, with haunted houses and hints of paranormal activity. But don’t worry if you are not a big horror fan. I wouldn’t say it gets particularly scary, and some things might not be quite what they seem. I am not the biggest fan of horror myself, and this book didn’t really scare me. Still, it had just enough spooky elements to make it perfect for the Halloween season, and I couldn’t stop reading it.
One thing I really loved was how the story follows both Julia in the present day and Caroline in the 17th century. While Julia uncovers more secrets about her family and Pemberton, we also get to follow Caroline’s story and discover what reeally happened to her. Why was she sentenced to death? Was she actually a witch? I have to admit that Caroline’s storyline was definitely the most interesting part of the book for me. I loved learning more about her past and seeing how her story connected to the mysteries Julia was uncovering.
As for the plot twists, I think I saw most of them coming. However, that didn’t really bother me, and I still enjoyed the reveals. Maybe I am a witch myself, or maybe the twists were simply a little predictable. Either way, I wasn’t as shocked by them as I was by the twists in The Housemaid. Those definitely caught me off guard more.
Overall, I thought this was a good book and a great choice for the spooky season. It has a different vibe from Freida McFadden’s other books, with a creepy atmosphere, family secrets, and a touch of the paranormal. Even though, I guess some of the twists, it was still an entertaining, and very bingeable read. If you are looking for a spooky thriller to curl up with this Halloween, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a try.