This is the first Kathleen Kent novel I have read and the first book sent during the Salem Witch Trials - and I have to say I was pleased on both fronts. This book follows Sarah, a girl whose mother is hanged because people believe she is a witch. Girls in the town point and accuse and the citizens fates are decided. Her family face all sorts of hardships and find themselves cooped up in prison too. By using what their mother has taught them they have to learn how to depend on each other and survive.
I really enjoyed this book however I did find that it had a slow beginning. Once I got halfway through I started to really enjoy it and I felt the pace picked up. Kent was descriptive and I found the way she described the life, the fear and the horror of the prisons fascinating - although harrowing too. She lit my imagination and I felt I was there too, also experiencing the suffering.
I liked Kent's characters. I admired Sarah's mother Martha, who was strong until the end. She protected her family, even if that meant she faced death. I found Sarah an interesting read - it seemed she needed someone to cling onto, such as her cousin Margaret, but I liked how her character developed and the way her and her older brother joined together and survived.
I found this a harrowing read. I didn't have any problems with the history - in fact this has opened the doors to this era for me and now I hope to read more from this genre. I think Kent dealt with the issues at hand well and I was fascinated to discover this is her family's story - passed down through generations. Once I got past the slow start this story opened up and pulled me in and I really enjoyed it.
4/5
