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A Secret History of Witches
A Secret History of Witches | Louisa Morgan
From early 19th century Brittany to London during the Second World War, five generations of women fight the battles of their time, deciding how far they are willing to go to protect their family, their heritage, and ultimately, all of our futures. An ancient and dangerous power has been handed down from mother to daughter since time began. After Grandmre Ursule gives her life to save her tribe, her magic seems to dies with her. Even so, her family keeps the Old Faith, practicing the spells and rites that have been handed from mother to daughter for generations. Until one day, Ursule's young granddaughter steps into the circle, and magic flows anew.
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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

I‘ve been meaning to read this one for AGES and I‘m so glad #ReadYourEbooks finally got me to do so! It follows 5 generations of women in a family who are, yes, witches. It avoids the repetition you might get from repeated mother/daughter relationships and makes a known famous figure a witch in the final section in a way I loved. I liked it! (And I love this cover.)

tpixie I think this has also been on my shelf for years! Good to hear you enjoyed it! 5mo
50 likes1 comment
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TheBookgeekFrau
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Eggs Great cover 👏🏻👏🏻 9mo
39 likes1 comment
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BookwormAHN
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks On my tbr list!! 📚 13mo
35 likes1 comment
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tdrosebud
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Lizwarnerpdx
Pickpick

I liked how each ‘book‘ within this book was the witch from the next generation. It was interesting watching the female line from 1821 through the end of WWII. Even a surprise fellow witch that I never would‘ve guessed. I also liked how magic, or power, wasn‘t just spells but was also Simple‘s, charms, the crystal, prophecies and dreams.

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LadyCait84
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1. A black cat or raven for my familiar, please. Then a wolf & a snowy owl to complete the menagerie.
2. Anything witchy.
3. Elegantly gothic costumes (Morticia Addams, Elvira, etc) or punny/clever (i.e blue unitard + a phone cord draped across, a rubber chicken on the end = chicken cordon bleu).
4. Yes to themed anything! (Size 7.5)
5. Hocus Pocus 🧡💜💚
6. Halloween-shaped Reese‘s Cups 🎃🦇👻

#hhs23 #hhs #hauntedhollowswap

wanderinglynn 🎃👻🙌🏻 14mo
wanderinglynn Just checking in! How‘s your #HHS going? 13mo
LadyCait84 @wanderinglynn Boxed it up yesterday and dropping it off at the post office on my lunchbreak! Will post and tag you once it‘s in USPS‘ hands! 13mo
wanderinglynn Awesome! Thank you! 🎃👻🧡 (USPS is closed today for holiday) 13mo
30 likes4 comments
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KatieRose23
Pickpick

I spent three days reading this book and thoroughly enjoyed it in all moment. This book followed the lineage of a witch family in London. The sacrifice and love that these women all showed is more than any of us can expect in our lives.

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KatieRose23
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Book recommendation from my boyfriends mom 🥰 Had to start it right away!

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Lacey.shanel
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book, it was a thrilling and exciting journey through the ages of witches. I enjoyed the cultural details mixed into the story to make it feel more real and tragic.

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morgangrilliot
Mehso-so

loved the generational theme and strong female characters!

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Phelangies
Mehso-so

This is a generational book. Starts in France into England. The first three stories are kinda the same, so I got bored. Been flipping through the fourth generation. So far it is just okay. Not as much witchcraft as I thought it could but I suppose that is where generation four comes into play.

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intothehallofbooks
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Pickpick

I have noticed varied reviews and ratings for this book on Goodreads, but I truly loved it. The story follows five generations of witches and and highlights their efforts to preserve their family line and their craft even as being a witch is a very dangerous thing. I loved the strength of each of these women and their smarts. They didn‘t always make good decisions, but I feel like their paths were true. This is a wonderful read for October TBRs.

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intothehallofbooks
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Taking some time to read in my quiet house before I go into work later this morning. My three teenagers are all on fall break, so they‘re sleeping in a little bit. I love knowing they‘re home but also having a perfectly silent house to read in. This one has been on my list for a long time and I‘m finding it a fantastic fall read so far. Really enjoying it.

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JessicaRegan

How do we feel about audio books in general and do you have a favorite means of listening?

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ElleMNOpe
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Pickpick

Slow burn historical fiction family drama with magical realism/fantasy elements. Follows a family of witches, with the POV switching to five descendants through time. The narrative is atmospheric & really draws out the historical element in a lovely way, but this is a book that will take some time. A character focused approach. I could have used a bit more of the magic element, but I enjoyed my read and I am excited to read more about this world.

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TorieStorieS
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Mehso-so

This is my book club‘s selection for this month- and a good one to get into an autumnal mood! Covering 1821-1946, this book follows the line of women with real powers from France to England. Of the women featured, some are more likable than others- and at times this feels more like a history of bratty teens than witches. I‘m sure it will lead to a lively discussion tomorrow!

57 likes3 stack adds
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MaleficentBookDragon
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#Bookaday Day 6??? Ish.
My physical bookshelves are overflowing and I want to Marie Kondo them a bit.
So, I‘m posting #abookaday of my “maybes” and I hope you can help me decide.
Have you read this book? Should I? ❤️ or a hard pass? Is it on your wish list? Let me know below.

MeganAnn I gave this one 5 stars on goodreads. I remember really enjoying it. 3y
mrsmarch I just read this one. It‘s a really good read. 3y
MaleficentBookDragon @mrsmarch @MeganAnn thanks. Sounds like a keeper to me.😁 3y
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LeeRHarry Have it on my shelf - I love me a good witchy book 😊 3y
Crazeedi I rated it good!! 3y
coffees Oh wow, i want to read 😍 3y
58 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Jess861
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Pickpick

Each part is about the next generation of the Orchiere women. The book had a nice build up when it comes to the pace and even though it was fairly predictable - there was one twist I wasn't expecting. It is well written with strong, independent women as the main characters (not all are good). I particularly enjoyed the ongoing thought (even if it wasn't always obvious) that the men hated witches because it takes away their power over women.

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Jess861
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Reading a bit more of the tagged book with some delicious pumpkin tea (yes - I am addicted)! I'm just over halfway through and I'm enjoying the book. It isn't overly exciting so I can see why the book fell flat for some people but it is holding my attention. So far each part is the history and life of each generation of the Orchieres family (the women).

#Tea #CurrentlyReading #Witches #Fantasy #FantasticalDecember

@zezeki

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Jess861
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Going to get started on this book for #FantasticalDecember. Will probably be the last book that I fit in for #FallBackIntoReading...although maybe I'll have time to sneak one more in (depending how long this one takes to read). Thank you @StayCurious for the book!

#TBR #Fantasy #Witches #BookGift

@zezeki @AkashaVampie

StayCurious Hope you enjoy! 4y
TheNeverendingTBR Seems like a cool read!! 4y
AkashaVampie Sorry I am just seeing this now. Great job sweetie 4y
52 likes3 comments
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MargaretPinardAuthor
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It‘s actually a quote from the tea but it fits:
“A baller, pronounced balla, is one whose status in society has been earned by proficiency at the game of life”
#iftheteafits #booksandtea #witchyvibes #thegameoflife #thesecretgarden #sanluisobispo #ballastatus

sprainedbrain That is awesome! 4y
27 likes1 stack add1 comment
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MargaretPinardAuthor
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Books and tea,
Books and tea,
Nah na na na na,
Books and tea.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk on #mentalhealth during a #pandemic.
This one is starting well! 🧙🏼‍♀️✨🌕
#booksandtea

betsyhaddox More of this, please! 🥰 4y
MargaretPinardAuthor Haha—the bad poetry or the tea theme or the book referenced @betsyhaddox ? Lol 4y
betsyhaddox Haha! All of that, and the energy of it! I mean, I can‘t help but grin and kinda bop my head side to side when I read it. ☺️ So, I think you might be wrong about the poetry being bad... Can bad poetry lead a person to bop?? ;) 4y
MargaretPinardAuthor New career launched! Lol, @betsyhaddox 🤗🥰 4y
35 likes4 comments
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MsRadioSilence
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Mehso-so

Along with seemingly a lot of people, I didn‘t like this book as much as I thought. The first few stories, up until the Book of Morwen, were fairly dry. The characters weren‘t likable, a lot of them made very bad decisions, and it seemed like Morwen and Veronica were the only two really fleshed out. I‘m going to read Morgan‘s other books in the hope that she grew from this one.

#quaranreads #witches

MsRadioSilence For my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3435291379. I don‘t know if my spoiler tags are working in-app for goodreads, though 🤷🏼‍♀️ 4y
22 likes1 stack add1 comment
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veritysalter
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#Jolabokaflod #JolabokaflodSwap @CaroPi Thank you so very much for my Jolabokaflod gifts. Merry Christmas and happy reading ♥️

CaroPi Hope you enjoy! 5y
Crazeedi That is on my tbr! Looks so good! 5y
Scochrane26 Love seeing all the packages. 5y
56 likes3 comments
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NeedsMoreBooks
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Mehso-so

Unpopular opinion- I did not like it as much as I had thought I would. The story follows five generations of the Orchiere witches and how each witch uses her power to help her self and her family. I only liked Morwen and her daughter, Veronica, the last two witches in the novel. It seemed that the main purpose of witchcraft was to get love/partner and a child. The pace was slow. The mother-daughter relationships were believable.

MoonWitch94 I totally agree! And there are not many of us who feel this way. I don‘t understand why so many people find it captivating. It was very disappointing & anticlimactic. 5y
NeedsMoreBooks @MoonWitch94 I agree! It also seemed repetitive in parts to show the position of women but still 🤷🏻‍♀️ 5y
OnlyYoo Yeah this wasn‘t my favorite either. I think it would‘ve been a lot cooler to show how witchcraft or the persecution of witches evolved with time. Especially because the theme of persecution was prevalent in each generation 5y
NeedsMoreBooks @OnlyYoo yes, that‘s a book I would read on how persecution evolved. 5y
28 likes4 comments
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Linsy
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This one was slow in places, but I loved it! Historical and magical. My mother-in-law knows me well! ✨

#gratefulreads #bookgiftedtoyou

NeedsMoreBooks Reading this right now 🙋🏻‍♀️ 5y
Linsy @NeedsMoreBooks How are you liking it so far?? 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks It‘s on my never ending list!! 5y
OriginalCyn620 🙌🏼📚❤️ 5y
NeedsMoreBooks @Linsy it is a bit slow 🙃 5y
79 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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TheBookKeepers
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Happy Halloween! Omg this package is everything!!!! Thank you @wanderinglynn everything was so thoughtful & I absolutely love it all!! The wrapping was so fun & you definitely spoiled me 🎃🖤🎃🖤 thank you! #basicwitchswap #bws @Meaw_catlady @sprainedbrain thanks for hosting!

Meaw_catlady Wow look at all those beautiful treasures! 🖤🖤🖤 happy Halloween! 5y
Hestapleton OMG THAT BLACK CAT MUG. @wanderinglynn WHERE DID YOU GET IT??? 5y
Bklover @wanderinglynn This is an amazing package! You did a wonderful job! 5y
See All 7 Comments
wanderinglynn @Hestapleton I found it at World Market. 5y
wanderinglynn I‘m so glad you like it! I had so much fun shopping for you. 🖤🧙🏻‍♀️ 5y
ShelleyBooksie Cool cat mug! 5y
sprainedbrain What a great swap! Happy Halloween! 🎃 5y
65 likes7 comments
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OnlyYoo
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Mehso-so

Trying to be aesthetic for once and happened to have some crystals handy 😁 overall this book was ehhh. I didn‘t love it and I didn‘t hate it. It follows the women throughout the generations who inherited the craft. Although all the women had different stories, they all seemed incredibly similar. No one story stood out from the other. They all also lack the proper respect for their mamas. Tsk tsk respect yo mama!

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Jilly6183
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Mehso-so

I love a good family epic, and one about witches seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately, nothing happened in the first half. The stories were rushed and lacked detail, and I felt no connection to these characters. Things improved with Irene and the second half felt much more cohesive. One part really bothered me though (hidden in comments). Overall, just a so-so book.

Jilly6183 We don't know if Veronica eventually gets a baby, and I think she probably does, but I couldn't shake the anti-choice, karmic punishment she felt was the inevitable result of her abortion. It was a stark contrast to the unsettling vibe when Ursule and Nanette used the potion on Ursule's husband, which took away his choice to have sex with her. But both felt very anti-feminist for what the author herself claims is a feminist novel. 5y
46 likes1 comment
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autopanic
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Coffee, A Secret History of Witches, oil change, and then putting up Halloween decorations today.

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GypsyKat
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Pickpick

I can understand why this book has mixed reviews, but I enjoyed it. It follows 5 generations of witches from the early 1800‘s all the way through WWII. The first three women‘s stories felt similar to me, but the last two were definitely my favorite. I liked how much emphasis was put on feminist themes, and I liked watching the world around the family change over time. Three and a half stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

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GypsyKat
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The hubs is out of town until tomorrow night, so I‘ve been listening to a lot of audio books. I started this one a little bit ago. I like it so far.

73 likes2 stack adds
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Laughterhp
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Pickpick

Ah some of these women were so unlikeable! It made me not want to pick up the book sometimes. I liked the second half of the book better than the first. I found Young Ursele and Irene so awful. Veronica was my favorite. I also didn‘t expect the final years to be set during WWII. That was interesting.

#Booked2019 - gifted to you (got in #witchplease Swap last year)
#readingwomenchallenge - multigenerational story

Cinfhen Two prompts one book that‘s good #DoubleDip 🍦🍦 5y
66 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Laughterhp
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It‘s been a long day. Finally getting some relaxing and reading in with a mug of camomile tea.

Didn‘t get any reading in today because we went to a Labor Day cookout and had to socialize 😱.

samantharoberts I love that mug! 😍 5y
CoffeeNBooks I have this book on my TBR list! Great mug! 5y
Scochrane26 I haven‘t done much reading this weekend because of being out of town. 5y
72 likes3 comments
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Laughterhp
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I‘ve had severe book ADD lately. I have books I should read and books I‘m in the mood to read. So for this month, I‘ll hopefully be picking books from these 2 shelves to read.

I also want to participate in a few photo challenges this month!

#SeptemberTBR #SeptemberReads #SelfImprovementSept

laur89 I spy The Alienist and The Mysterious Affair at Styles! 😍 If crime is your thing, definitely read the Carr. Totally worth it! 5y
Laughterhp @laur89 I‘ve started the Alienist already and am probably 150 pages into it. I just felt like it was very long and too descriptive but I want to finish it. 5y
laur89 @Laughterhp I had the same sentiment while reading, but once I finished I wanted to reread simply to try and piece together all the details! 5y
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Laughterhp @laur89 Well that‘s definitely good to know!! I‘ll make sure to pick it up again soon. 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🙌🏻📚 5y
OriginalCyn620 Awesome! 👍🏻 5y
57 likes6 comments
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llawela
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Bailedbailed

I don't understand all the internet love here. One of the most un-feminist reads. Juvenile. And the fact that using witchcraft deserved bad fate undermines the whole premise. Haven't been so disgusted by a book in awhile.

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Insightsintobooks
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I really liked this book and recommend it.

#kindledeals #kindledeal #ebooksale

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BookaholicNatty
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I found this on the book sale rack at the library today for a dollar. This is a book I have seen ALOT of here on Litsy and have heard many of you say nothing but good things about it so I grabbed it today! Can‘t beat a dollar. “A sweeping historical sage that traces five generations of fiercely powerful mothers and daughters-witches whose magical inheritance is both a dangerous threat and an extraordinary gift.” This is going to be a good one!

nichollinlove I enjoyed this book! It was slow to start but you really feel like this is your history by the end! 5y
74 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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hissingpotatoes
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Bailedbailed

1/5⭐ I was bored and gave up when the audio narrator mispronounced Samhain. #bookemon

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nichollinlove
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Pickpick

It was fun to read from generation to generation, like a family tree with great detail. I felt connected to the characters in a way I do with my own lineage. There were many quiet, strong women that championed in my heart as well. Also, as with all families, some characters that you didn't really care for. Overall, this book was slower read for me but I feel as if I looked through my own scrying stone and saw history in it's intimate moments.

tammysue Welcome to Litsy, Nicholl! 👋🏻📚💗 5y
4 likes1 stack add1 comment
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nichollinlove
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I picked this up and put it back down two books ago. I'm going to stick it out this time and read it through. It wasn't so much uninteresting as it was slow to start. I'll provide another update when I'm fully engulfed by this book 😂

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MrsBibliophile
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Pickpick

What a fascinating novel! I loved how the author followed the persecution through history of so many different people. Gypsies, witches, women, even Jews. She truly did a lot of research for this book to be so historically accurate. Starting in the early 1800s, it follows the lineage of a specific family, all the way to the second World War. I would definitely recommend this book!
📚📚Happy Reading! 📚📚

5 likes2 stack adds
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Alockey
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Bailedbailed

I didn‘t dig this one. Too many inconsistencies within the first few minutes of my listen.

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Alockey
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I just started listening to this book. I‘ve noticed a few things that sort of irritate me. It supposedly takes place in France, the “witches” are supposedly Romani. They all have French names and their dialogue is peppered with French phrases but only one character speaks French fluently enough to speak to the “witch hunter priest” and they supposedly speak English amongst themselves. So far the storyline & characters are convoluted.

StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego Welcome to Litsy 📖💖 6y
11 likes1 comment
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Califlamingo
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Panpan

Not much secret or very historical here. If you put history in the title it should have some! The story seemed to basically repeat itself. I struggled to finish it.

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CharissaWeaksAuthor
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Pickpick

Okay. I can understand why some don‘t like this book. If you need plot or rising action, a story that naturally leads to a climactic end, this is not that book. This is a generational tale of witches. No more. I still loved it, & I‘m a plotter, so 🤷🏻‍♀️. Some of the tales really stuck with me, and I wanted more. The writing is beautiful. The family connections in the end got to my heart. Also, the audio is lovely.

Mdargusch Great review! 👍🏼 6y
readingjedi Nice review. I loved this also. 6y
JSW I want to read this now, since I read and enjoyed 6y
See All 6 Comments
CharissaWeaksAuthor @JSW I bought the hardback. I‘ll be reading it soon, for sure. 6y
79 likes6 comments
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CharissaWeaksAuthor
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Uhm, I am loving this so far. It‘s a completely different time period/setting but the storytelling is reminiscent of Circe for me for some reason. The pacing is nice and steady, the narrator perfection. I hope it stays this good.

TheBookgeekFrau I really wanted to like this book; but I just couldn't 😣 6y
MoonWitch94 I felt that way, too. But in the end I had totally changed my mind. 6y
CharissaWeaksAuthor @MoonWitch94 I‘m still good so far. Curious about how it ends. 6y
72 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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MoonWitch94
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Panpan

I had high hopes for this one as it was historical fiction AND witches (my two favorites). But alas, this book was a HUGE disappointment. It reads more like a textbook 📚 than fiction. There is little to no plot, characters are not fully developed, and there is an absurd segment where Queen Elizabeth is brought into the story as a witch who teaches the motherless Veronica about her heritage. 🧐 Do not bother with this one.