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lawbooks600's review
3.0
Trigger warnings: persecution due to witchcraft, fire, death of parents, bullying, blood depiction, disappearance of a teenager, imprisonment, death of a sister (in the past)
6/10, after reading The Gaps which underwhelmed me I was hoping that this obscure Australian historical novel would be better; sadly it wasn't since when I read it there were too many flaws in this and I couldn't enjoy it, where do I begin. This is different from other books because it felt more like an anthology of three stories spanning across different time periods however all of them are connected because the characters in them were persecuted somehow but long story short Veronica was accused for being a witch in Franconia in 1628, Katherine in Scotland in 1697 and Paisley in present day Australia. It's a shame that I disliked it since the premise seemed interesting however the characters were flat and the execution could've been improved by raising the tension and suspense and improving the characters and writing style but anyways let's go back to the plot or rather plots.
Veronica already lost her parents to the witch hunts so now she lives all alone until she meets some new characters whose names I forgot and now she is accused for witchcraft even though she never practiced it and one time she even gets arrested and imprisoned in a building called the Hexenhaus, hence the title. She escapes eventually with the help of her new guardians and other characters. Katherine also lives a normal life in Scotland apparently after immigrating from Ireland and she is accused of witchcraft as well, she tries to deny it and even tried going to court with it even though there was a conflict between the Jacobites and the Stuarts but sadly all her efforts failed and she was burned to death but before that she cursed everyone. Finally Paisley lives with her single mother who takes part in new age things like tarot cards however they are persecuted and accused for witchcraft like the other two main characters. Shockingly a teenager goes missing and everyone tries to find him and they blame Paisley's mother for the disappearance; turns out that she had nothing to do with that and he was found eventually. The last part of the book was about the inaugural Winter Solstice Festival and that wraps it up on a high note.
6/10, after reading The Gaps which underwhelmed me I was hoping that this obscure Australian historical novel would be better; sadly it wasn't since when I read it there were too many flaws in this and I couldn't enjoy it, where do I begin. This is different from other books because it felt more like an anthology of three stories spanning across different time periods however all of them are connected because the characters in them were persecuted somehow but long story short Veronica was accused for being a witch in Franconia in 1628, Katherine in Scotland in 1697 and Paisley in present day Australia. It's a shame that I disliked it since the premise seemed interesting however the characters were flat and the execution could've been improved by raising the tension and suspense and improving the characters and writing style but anyways let's go back to the plot or rather plots.
Veronica already lost her parents to the witch hunts so now she lives all alone until she meets some new characters whose names I forgot and now she is accused for witchcraft even though she never practiced it and one time she even gets arrested and imprisoned in a building called the Hexenhaus, hence the title. She escapes eventually with the help of her new guardians and other characters. Katherine also lives a normal life in Scotland apparently after immigrating from Ireland and she is accused of witchcraft as well, she tries to deny it and even tried going to court with it even though there was a conflict between the Jacobites and the Stuarts but sadly all her efforts failed and she was burned to death but before that she cursed everyone. Finally Paisley lives with her single mother who takes part in new age things like tarot cards however they are persecuted and accused for witchcraft like the other two main characters. Shockingly a teenager goes missing and everyone tries to find him and they blame Paisley's mother for the disappearance; turns out that she had nothing to do with that and he was found eventually. The last part of the book was about the inaugural Winter Solstice Festival and that wraps it up on a high note.
crtierney's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ericafh's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bristoni74's review
3.0
I really enjoyed this moving story of 3 different women in 3 different eras who were accused of witchcraft or caught up in the hysteria of someone they knew being accused of witchcraft. Veronica and Katharine's stories brought me to tears. This would have been a 5 star read for me but for the contemporary story with Paisley whose mother is accused of witchcraft in a small town in country NSW. Possibly because the consequences weren't so great as compared to the other two, or that whilst there is mention of trolls on social media, etc. and townspeople being unreasonable it didn't have the same feeling of horror or terror for me as a reader as it did for Veronica and Katherine. It's heartbreaking to know that an estimated 65,000 people were killed during the witch hunts of the 17th and 18th centuries and 85% were women :-(
mandi_m's review
4.0
Our junior book club read this one and were lucky enough to have Nikki come along and chat to them about the book which was fantastic. The kids enjoyed the read and across the group had different favourites out of the 3 story strands. We had a great discussion about community fear, witchcraft and the urge to vilify a scapegoat.
We rated it 7/2/7/4/8/8/7/9
We rated it 7/2/7/4/8/8/7/9
addya1510's review
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
missusb21's review
4.0
Three and a half stars rounded up. The three narratives are told in alternating chapters - Veronica, Katherine, then Paisley. These are very short and it was disconcerting to have to jump from story line to story line so abruptly. Half way through, I changed to reading straight through each girl's story, and found that much better.
There is a lot of sadness and injustice, and misery, which is difficult to read, especially when in hindsight, we know how corrupt and ridiculous witch-burning was (is).
Careful plotting means there are subtle links between what appears to be three distinct stories from three time periods and places.
There is a lot of sadness and injustice, and misery, which is difficult to read, especially when in hindsight, we know how corrupt and ridiculous witch-burning was (is).
Careful plotting means there are subtle links between what appears to be three distinct stories from three time periods and places.
incrediblemelk's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
3.5
This book was recommended to me in a Facebook group for writers I'm in – we had a thread there where people would comment saying when they liked in a book, and other group members would recommend books. It's a good way to find books you mightn't have stumbled across otherwise.
Having read other books set in the witch-hunting era – in particular, The Last Witchfinder – I found the historical settings quite familiar, along with the way witch-hunting operated as a smokescreen to purge the community of troublesome people, whether those be women healers and midwives whose knowledge challenged the misogynist medical and religious establishments, or Jacobites and other political minorities who could be safely neutralised this way.
I liked the conceit of the genealogical book that links all three stories. It does provide a grim kind of ending to Veronica's story – which in all other ways was my favourite – but it leaves some twists in the other two stories. I also liked the fairytale feel of Veronica's story – the subtle way that German folktales from Hansel and Gretel to Red Riding Hood were woven through the text. No wonder it comes with an endorsement by Kate Forsyth, Australia's queen of literary fairytale pastiche.
The chapter set in the present day in Bundanoon, NSW, and narrated by teenage Paisley (named after the Scottish town in which Katherine's story is set), was for me the least successful. The writing seems clumsier and the voice felt like an adult's idea of how teenagers speak. Throughout the book there was also a tendency for expository dialogue that didn't feel like stuff the characters would naturally say.
McWatters vividly describes the terror and pain of being the object of a witch hunt, and the tortures that took place in the Hexenhaus and other prisons. In this way, Hexenhaus could be a great introduction to this topic for young-adult readers who haven't encountered it before – and indeed McWatters uses an author's note to provide some really super basic (like, Wikipedia-level) resources if you're interested in learning more.
Having read other books set in the witch-hunting era – in particular, The Last Witchfinder – I found the historical settings quite familiar, along with the way witch-hunting operated as a smokescreen to purge the community of troublesome people, whether those be women healers and midwives whose knowledge challenged the misogynist medical and religious establishments, or Jacobites and other political minorities who could be safely neutralised this way.
I liked the conceit of the genealogical book that links all three stories. It does provide a grim kind of ending to Veronica's story – which in all other ways was my favourite – but it leaves some twists in the other two stories. I also liked the fairytale feel of Veronica's story – the subtle way that German folktales from Hansel and Gretel to Red Riding Hood were woven through the text. No wonder it comes with an endorsement by Kate Forsyth, Australia's queen of literary fairytale pastiche.
The chapter set in the present day in Bundanoon, NSW, and narrated by teenage Paisley (named after the Scottish town in which Katherine's story is set), was for me the least successful. The writing seems clumsier and the voice felt like an adult's idea of how teenagers speak. Throughout the book there was also a tendency for expository dialogue that didn't feel like stuff the characters would naturally say.
McWatters vividly describes the terror and pain of being the object of a witch hunt, and the tortures that took place in the Hexenhaus and other prisons. In this way, Hexenhaus could be a great introduction to this topic for young-adult readers who haven't encountered it before – and indeed McWatters uses an author's note to provide some really super basic (like, Wikipedia-level) resources if you're interested in learning more.
oatcappuccino's review
3.0
While there were many elements of the writing that frustrated me (reiterating events I've already read; describing important events for characters rather than living them; lack of tension; boring clichés) but ultimately I grew fond of many of the characters (especially those from Veronica's story for some reason)