#Blogtour Solstice by Helen Steadman

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Solstice by Helen Steadman.

About the Author 

Helen Steadman's first novel, Widdershins and its sequel, Sunwise were inspired by the 1650 Newcastle witch trials. Her third novel, The Running Wolf is about a group of master swordmakers who defected from Germany to England in 1687. Helen's fourth novel, God of Fire, is a Greek myth retelling as seen through the eyes of Hephaestus, perhaps the least well known of all the Olympians. 

Helen is particularly interested in revealing hidden histories and she is a thorough researcher who goes to great lengths in pursuit of historical accuracy. To get under the skin of the cunning women in Widdershins and Sunwise, Helen trained in herbalism and learned how to identify, grow and harvest plants and then made herbal medicines from bark, seeds, flowers and berries. 

The Running Wolf is the story of a group of master swordmakers who left Solingen, Germany and moved to Shotley Bridge, England in 1687. As well as carrying out in-depth archive research and visiting forges in Solingen to bring her story to life, Helen also undertook blacksmith training, which culminated in making her own sword. Follow @hsteadman1650 on X (the artist formerly known as Twitter

About the book

England, 1673. Still a world of witches, witch trials and witchfinders. - When a new vicar arrives to take over the parish of Mutton Clog, the village finds itself in the grip of puritan fever, and suspicious eyes are turned on Rose Driver. Rose’s mother, brother and grandmother were all put to death by the fanatical witchfinder, John Sharpe.

Almost quarter of a century after the Newcastle witch trials, Sharpe is no longer a threat. Rose should be safe in her quiet village, but is history about to repeat itself?

Find out in Solstice, the powerful conclusion to The Widdershins Trilogy, which tells the story of one woman’s struggle for survival in a hostile and superstitious world.

The Widdershins Trilogy was inspired by the little-known Newcastle witch trials, where fifteen women and one man were hanged for witchcraft on a single day in August 1650.

Review

The alternating views of Rose and Patience give an excellent overall view of how the majority of these witch hunts were created and driven, often to a disastrous conclusion. How the creation of doubt and rumour can become the perfect weapon of destruction, regardless of whether any accusation has any merit. Witch trials were a perfect way to tick quota boxes of the puritanical zealots who would rather have a living breathing scapegoat than accept not everything in life can be explained or predetermined.

Patience is the living breathing example of an almost innate hysteria grounded in false morality. How convenient is it to cast a shadow of doubt on others and in doing so to take a pedestal and elevate yourself to the higher spheres of saintliness. Can you tell she got on my nerves just a tad? It's interesting to note that the accused were unable to wash the stink of doubt from their reputations - such an efficient way to rid the world of people who don't fit in.

I really enjoyed how Rose is introduced and the innocent actions, words, thoughts so easily are twisted into something strange and threatening. The trauma she carries, and the empathy she feels for others, is perhaps part of her downfall.

This is the third book in the Widdershins trilogy, which the author has written with a bit of a reverse Star Wars vibe. It captures both the oddity, the tragedy and the repercussions of the accusations of witchcraft.  

Buy Solstice at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Bell Jar Books pub date18 Sept. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke

 It's my turn on the The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke - 'the brand-new chilling gothic thriller from the bestselling author...'

About the Author

C.J. Cooke is an acclaimed, award-winning poet, novelist and academic with numerous other publications written under the name of Carolyn Jess-Cooke. Her work has been published in twenty-three languages to date. 

Born in Belfast, C.J. has a PhD in Literature from Queen’s University, Belfast, and is currently Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, where she researches creative writing interventions for mental health. C.J. Cooke lives in Glasgow with her husband and four children. She also founded the Stay-At-Home Festival. Follow @CJessCooke on Twitter, Connect with CJ via linktr.ee/CJCooke

About the book

Upon the cliffs of a remote Scottish island, Lòn Haven, stands a lighthouse. A lighthouse that has weathered more than storms. Mysterious and terrible events have happened on this island. It started with a witch hunt. Now, centuries later, islanders are vanishing without explanation. Coincidence? Or curse?

Liv Stay flees to the island with her three daughters, in search of a home. She doesn’t believe in witches, or dark omens, or hauntings. But within months, her daughter Luna will be the only one of them left. Twenty years later, Luna is drawn back to the place her family vanished. As the last sister left, it’s up to her to find out the truth . . . But what really happened at the lighthouse all those years ago?

Review

At the midst of this story is the fate of innocent women, women scapegoated by fearful communities looking to find reason and solution to tragedy, pain, destruction and death. Lòn Haven has it's own troubled past where this is concerned, a black hole of suspicion and folklore, which is eventually what Liv Stay encounters when she moves there with her young daughters.

The story is written like a wave of Kodak moments in history, both past and present. The witches, Liv and then her daughter Luna. Along the way children go missing, some of them return, although there is a question whether those who return are who they say they are.

I loved the premise, I just thought the execution was lacking. It's disjointed, confusing and there is an essence of outsmarting the reader, which is often detrimental to a story. Even the speculative element can't erase what it lacks in flow and continuity. A missed opportunity for a spectacular read. 

What Cooke does do well is pull the threads of history, mystery, myth and folklore together, and then sets fire to it all with the speculative idea that is woven into the fabric of this treble timeline read. It's magical realism, historical fiction, a thriller and a mystery. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another of her books, because of the creativity, the bending of boundaries and the melding of each element. Clearly one to watch.

Buy The Lighthouse Witches at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HarperCollins; pub date 30th September 2021 - Hardback £14.99 - Ebook | Audio. Buy at Amazon com.

The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

As far as I am concerned this is definitely a book I would buy for a younger or older reader, who likes fantasy and witchcraft.

I think people often forget, although YA means young adult, the books in this genre are also marketed towards teens.

Is this a compelling read for younger readers and older teens? Absolutely. Will a young adult want slightly more from the read? Perhaps.

Elizabeth is part of a handpicked elitist troop of witch hunters. They find those who practise witchcraft and in doing so condemn them to death. Death by pyre to be exact.

The whole country and the witch hunters have been indoctrinated with hatred, mistrust and fear towards witches. Led by Blackwell, the king's own Inquisitor.

The biggest threat to the country is the wizard Nicholas Perevil, and yet he turns out to be a knight in shining armour for Elizabeth.What is so important about Elizabeth that Blackwell felt the need to condemn her with such ease?

Her beliefs are shaken to the core when she is confronted with the duplicity of her alleged friends and her boss. It is hard to determine which side is the right side. Are the witches being hunted without real cause and with secondary motives? How is it that the very people who despise all things witchcrafty seem to know just how to use it?

The story is filled with plenty of colourful characters, witty moments and a plot with plenty of potential for future development. Boecker gets a little hectic in her writing when it comes to the action scenes, this is especially apparent at the end. Those fight and action scenes need the same patience and dedication, as the rest of the book. Other than that Boecker has a really good writing voice and offers up a creative box of tricks.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.