A Secret History of Witches

I like the outline of the story, different sections for each daughter. The story started strong, it drew me in emotionally, and stayed that way for the first few witches but there were inconguencies in the last section that made it seem as if the author was rushed to finish. An example of that, without giving the story line away, is in the last chapter there was mention of the witch not practicing the Sabbats in a very long time, however there was never any mention she observed the Sabbats in the whole previous section, save one ritual. It is this lack of attention to detail that I notice and is why I only give it 4 stars. That, and the fact that the book ends suddenly. So, unless, there is a sequel planned, it is disappointing that you don't get the rest of the history to modern time. I suppose one might take it that the author is leaving the conclusion to your own imagination but it just feels abrupt.
I do still like this book and recommend it to anyone looking for a perpective on the lineage of witchcraft.

The end came much too soon!
What a beautiful, magickal tale. Love, power, fear and hate. Time, and history.
This book has it all.

Laugh, cry, ache with longing, this book will make you feel it all.

As a Pagan, I feel like this story says a lot, and maybe not enough.

But, alas, it's one of the first of its kind that I have ever read. A story that is more true of any witch, than I know is out there.

I hope there is more to come!

Love Alice Hoffman and her stories. I had to give her 5 stars but I'd give the book binder zero stars. I guess that's Simon and Schuster. I noticed the binding was snapped when I received it and the book fell apart when I was about halfway through reading it. Now, I have loose pages falling out as I struggle to read and keep the book together at the same time. Fun stuff.

A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan is a historical novel that starts in 1838 at Orchard Farm. The Orchierres families magic seemed to wither with the death of Grandmere Ursule. Her descendants keep following the practices she established that have been handed down from mother to daughter. They have Ursule’s magic crystal and grimoire. Some of them can do simple spells, simples and charms. Nanette, Ursule’s granddaughter, is the first one to blossom with real power. Magic, though, always comes at a price. Follow the magic through the generations to see what happens to the Orchierres line of witches.

A Secret History of Witches was a slow-paced novel that I found lacking in magic. The story had potential, but it was never achieved. Each generation seemed to make the same mistake. I thought it would be a story about strong, female witches (instead we have women that grow up, get pregnant, pass on family history and repeat for the next generation). Unfortunately, the only strong person was Gradmere Ursule (and she was dead). The woman and men were stuck in their gender roles and they were conventional. The magic elements were uninspiring. For a book about witches and magic, it was deficient. The characters lacked development (they were flat). Some sections were more complete than others. I was disappointed in the ending (it was unsatisfying and felt unfinished). I did not understand why the author did not bring the book into modern times and bring the witches full circle. She could have shown them back in full power in modern times. The book needed some oomph. My rating for A Secret History of Witches is 2 out of 5 stars. There is some good writing and the author did her research for the historical periods featured. My favorite section the World War II with Veronica Selwyn. If you are looking for a magical novel, check out Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy (vampires too)!

Two things I love: Great Historical fiction and witches. So if a novel like this promises me both but fails to reach my expectations I can be a harsh critic and it is all I can do to not give this one star because that would just be me being mean. My problem is that at this point in my life I have read so many historical novels and even Witch based fiction that my standards are set. However this book falls so flat and takes oh so many pages to do it.

History-wise the author plays it loose like a student going for a C on their report rather than do the research that would provide some real details and build atmousphere that would draw the reader in, Morgan keeps it vague, every era is portrayed more as a back drop than and actual place or time and the anachronisms alone drove me mad, the language alone -Ugh! Sprinkling a hint of french here and there was like reading a script for sitcom television. And the plot is completely following the standard template for basic romantic novels and the characters are so ill-developed that their personalities and lives are repetitous so it was impossible for me to connect of feel engaged with any of the characters at all.

Worse, while reading this I could tell that Morgan was desperately trying to capture some of the magic of other authors, but she is no Hoffman or Gabaldon and she lacks the whimsy of Camille Deangelis or the intellectual weight of Katherine Howe or even the imagination of Deborah Harkness etc. but clearly she has read some of these authors. Which is a shame. I read them too and that is why I have been ruined beyond enjoying this very, very basic novel.

This book really grabbed me, loved it! Very well written, I'm not a huge fan of historical Novels, but the mysticism involving witchcraft is a draw for me. Ms. Morgan does very well in weaving the historical facts of each generation. She kept me interested in each progressive narrator with the fabric of love and magic that is handed on from mother to daughter. I especially enjoyed how their gifts were used in protection to fight within the periods of two world wars. A nice twist was varying the creatures these women/witches attached to as their particular "familiars". I previously would traditionally have thought that only cats would be written as such. A great read, highly recommend, has the best elements of a page turner!

The author has conjured her own spell, completely charming me with this story of several generations of witches in one family. I felt connected to each of the women, no matter how different or unpredictable they may have been. It’s a long book, but a light read. It moves very quickly, not spending very much time on any one of the women. The real story here is the connection, the continuity, the traditions of women being passed down from mother to daughter, and how women can so easily be punished for not conforming or for having power. We all have that love and power, be it that favorite family recipe or the star on a Christmas tree that gets passed down. We all have that fear and vulnerability, and we need to love and protect each other. I thought of my mother and my aunts and my grandmothers repeatedly throughout the book.

The last few chapters are especially wonderful, as the family has moved on from gypsy camps to rather impressive connections and a role in important events.

**Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy**

With its small doses of magic and potions, A SECRET HISTORY OF WITCHES is more a historical novel than fantasy. The novel follows six generations of Orchiére women handing down their witchcraft. As knowledge is passed down, elements are lost or corrupted. It doesn’t take long for ancestral rituals to be forgotten in the face of a changing society.

A SECRET HISTORY OF WITCHES is an excellent examination of tradition, duty and love. Each generation of women places value in different areas. There’s Nanette, who knew the importance of tradition and ritual but thought the line would die with her. There’s also Irene, who hated their place in society and craved the power that magic gave her.

While I loved having the book divided into the six narrators, spanning almost 200 years, I did feel that the novel shied away from some of the more difficult aspects of each character. Each POV section focuses on when the daughter comes to power and how she chooses to wield it. When a new generation is born, the POV changes, even if the previous witch’s story isn’t complete. While the mother grows older in the background, the narrator is always young. I would have loved to follow a narrator into old age, as her power changes and as her magical items are passed on to her daughter.

Each new generation is also warned how men fear powerful women and how the witch hunters could find and kill them. This is a very real threat in the 1800s, less so in 1900s. It would have been interesting to see the generations progress after World War II, when traditions are broken and countries are recovering.The novel is also unbalanced, heavily favouring Veronica’s story during World War II, but not fully examining Irene or Morwen’s. Irene’s rejection of tradition and embrace of power is brushed aside too quickly. There’s more to women than being young and deciding who, and how, to love. Had A SECRET HISTORY OF WITCHES followed its characters into old age and into more modern eras, it would have added so much more to the story.

3.5 Stars

Exploration of multiple family generations and witch-craft is what drew my attention to this book. I adore a good family exploration and after a couple years ago, I’ve been fascinated by witch history and the persecution thereof. Given some of the lukewarm reviews I’ve read for this work, my expectations weren’t as high as they might have been. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised. So despite a few glitches, the mixture of fantastic characterization and suspenseful storytelling kept me spellbound.

I adore what the author did with her characters. She made each woman stand out so well, from personality quirks to how they utilized their magic to how that same magic influenced them. Some used their power for personal gain with personalities to match that outlook. Others were the true definition of self sacrifice to carry on the family line. Each woman stood out as distinct in each decade as we explore the Orchiere line.

I loved how the author handled the witchcraft throughout history, though this was one of the areas that felt a bit off for me as well. Starting in the beginning of the 19th century through to WWII, the author explores this family of witches facing the various dangers of their calling. Literal witch hunts to the danger of losing hearth & home or marriages all make an appearance. And how these ladies face these dangers further illustrate their different personalities and life outlooks.

The one area I felt where things got a bit unrealistic was the fervor of those literal witch hunts in the early 19th century. Now I’ve never experienced back water small country town life, especially in an era such as the early 1800s, so I can’t speak on how realistic these reactions to witchcraft were. However, I felt like the pastor led mobs in Parts 1 and 3 came off as hard to believe in the day and age of scientific thought and reasoning. They felt like they should have been in the witch crazy times of the 1500s or 1600s.

The story flowed pretty well, keeping the audience engaged from one gal to another. I enjoyed each woman’s life journey as she dealt with the issue of continuing her line for herself, and building her power. Alternately with murdered companions or cliff edge dangers, the exciting parts gelled well with the slower story aspects.

Yet, there were times when the story felt rushed in places, too. This was especially evident to me in the last part, Veronica’s story. Her involvement in the war effort with her coven felt rushed, one moment the war was just starting and the next we’re at D-Day. The focus on her discovering her powers/heritage and seeing how that impacted her life was interesting. Yet, I felt like something was missing with the glossing over of other areas. The other parts didn’t seem to have this so much as Veronica’s story, but it stood out hard here.

Overall, this was a well done work of generational historical fiction, exploring the lives of women through the last two centuries, their families, and how witchcraft affects all. Despite some flaws on story rushing or a few examples of unrealistic story aspects, this is still highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a side of fantasy to their historical fiction, the study of witches/witchcraft through the ages, or the story of women in history and their struggles.

Note: Book received for free from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.