Trigger Warning: miscarriage

Fleetwood Shuttleworth is once more with child, hoping this time she will be able to give her husband, Richard, the heir he is so desirous of. But, when she stumbles across a letter, written to her husband from a physician, warning him that if Fleetwood should once more find herself in childbed, she would not survive.
To keep herself and unborn child from certain death, Fleetwood hires the midwife of her choosing, a young woman named Alice Grey. Fleetwood knows that Alice’s methods are unconventional, but she is desperate, willing to try anything. But, when Alice is accused of witchcraft, Fleetwood will do whatever it takes to free Alice, but time is of the essence.
I loved this book!! This is the style of Gothic mystery that I first fell in love with. This debut author has done an outstanding job of creating a heavily laden atmosphere of suspense, casting doubts in all directions and pitting our heroine against those she should be able to trust, against society, and against time.

Do you know the story of the Pendle witch trials?

It is a story that has almost become mythologised yet in The Familiars, Stacey Halls breathes new life into a well worn tale. We see this piece of history through the fictionalised protagonist Fleetwood Shuttleworth, (based on a real historical figure of the same name) a naive young woman who, through her burgeoning friendship with local woman Alice Gray, is forced to see the world outside of her upper class life. However, life is not so simple for Fleetwood either as she faces her own struggles as a woman in the 17th Century, from her lack of legal standing, to her precarious health as she attempts to produce an heir.

Halls deftly integrates modern day feminism into her historical fiction narrative, highlighting the injustices women faced without having to crowbar modern ideas into the story. In fact, it becomes quite effortless, achieving this simply by painting the picture of Stuart England from the eyes of a 17 year old woman. The atmosphere Halls evokes is a tense, mysterious one, finely balanced between reality and the real possibility of witchcraft, a state which is never quite resolved and leaves the reader wondering.

The Familiars also stands out for the friendship of its central female protagonists, which is the kind of relationship which is rarely depicted in literature. The characters were well rounded and complex, each having their flaws and with some their redeeming features. Despite the tale of the trials being a well known one, the novel was original and the plot wasn’t in any way predictable, instead often leading down a new trail which made you wonder where it would take you next.

For me the gothic style, the build up of suspense, and the topic of witchcraft paired with a deft handling of feminist issues made this a perfect read. I adored this book and cannot wait to see what Halls does next!



I received this book as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own. 

Image from Amazon.

This is a different angle on the story of the Pendle witch trials.


Fleetwood Shuttleworth is the mistress of Gawthorpe Hall in Lancashire. As time goes on her position becomes more precarious as she has repeated miscarriages and seems unable to bear a baby and heir to full term.

Enter Alice, who has none of Fleetwood's advantages but has a knowledge of herbal medicine and womens' wisdom. She seems to help Fleetwood in the way no other midwife can.

However Alice is implicated in the Pendle witch trials when Fleetwood needs her most.

The Pendle witch trials continue to fascinate and repel authors. I have read Jeanette Winterson's "The Daylight Gate" but this novel is an indirect look at the misuses of power and the persecution of women.

I really wasn't sure about this book as the prose style on the first couple of pages seemed "clunky". However it soon gained momentum.

Fleetwood soon gains a reader's interest and sympathy and the book carries you along.

It wasn't one I am likely to reread but was an engaging read

I love historical fiction and this one added the element of being set in the time of the fear of witchcraft. This added a different element to the story and was an interesting twist. Overall, this is a good book but met my expectations as a whole. There was nothing extraordinary about it. It was a good read and would be fun to read in October.

#TheFamiliars #NetGalley

1612 would not usually be my choice for a novel's timeframe. Stacey Halls has taken a backdrop of real witch trial history and placed her story within. The pacing of The Familiars was a little uneven for me. It was event driven rather than character driven, which might explain the slow beginning. I wish I could have been a little more invested in the main characters however they seemed a tad two dimensional to me. The heroine's narration told me more than it showed me, which isnt my favorite style. Overall, I was entertained, and would read more from Ms Halls.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

The Familiars is a good historical fiction that has well developed characters. The storyline was interesting and the book was written well.

This was one of those books that once you pick up, you can’t put down. Set in 1692, the mistress of the manor, Fleetwood, has one job and one job only—to produce a male heir for her husband. After many miscarriages, she finds herself pregnant again. A chance meeting with a woman named Alice, who claims to be a midwife, ends up with the dip heading back to the house and Alice moving in.

Now, this era is knee-deep in the witch hunts and everyone in the town is on the lookout for mysterious things and women and no one is above accusing innocents of witchcraft for money, noteriaty or the upper hand—including Fleetwood’s husbands friends.

This novel is beautifully written and I particularly enjoyed both the friendship between Alice and Fleetwood as well as the transformation Fleetwood herself goes through as the novel progresses.

Interesting story about women's lives in 1600s Lancashire. Fleetwood is a young (very young) bride trying to produce an heir to keep her place, when she befriends a young woman who may or may not be involved in witchcraft. The pacing, characters, and dialogue are fantastic. Great story.

Fleetwood who is a young noblewoman in England in 1612 finds herself pregnant for the 4th time at the age of 17. None of her previous pregnancies have gone to term and she fears that this pregnancy both she and her baby will die. She is not sure she can trust anyone, not her mother or her husband or her neighbors to help her survive this pregnancy. In fact, she wonders if her husband, whom she thought loved her, would like to see her die so that he can move on with a more fertile bride.
In this place of despair she meets Alice Gray a young midwife with secrets of her own. Just when Fleetwood and Alice think that things are improving for both of them, they are swept up in a literal witch hunt led by a power hungry man seeking to gain the King's favor by burning witches. Based upon true events gleaned from the transcripts of the witch trials of 1612 this is a fascinating period of history.
I enjoyed the characters and their quiet rebellion in a world where women, especially poor women, had almost no standing. What I enjoyed most is a glimpse into this period of history and I wish there had been a more in depth exposition of life for a noblewoman and a midwife at that time. Sometimes I was also confused about the standing that each of the male characters had within the political world of England at that time. I would have appreciated a little more context and development for how the characters in this microcosm fit into the larger world. For instance, the book makes several references to the fact that the King hates witches and Catholics and therefore has created an atmosphere that encourages witch hunts but the book never tells the reader who the Kind of England was at this time. I was left afterwards feeling like I wanted to learn more about this period of history, which is a good thing, but I wish I had been given a little bit more historical information by the actual book.
Overall, I would say this is an enjoyable piece of women's fiction that has a lot of suspense and intrigue to please readers.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book so that I could provide an honest review.

I liked the story of this book. I don't think the title reflected the story at all and I think it is a little misleading. As a historical, it does show the way that people were so fearful of anything that was out of the ordinary. There were a few elements to the story that were unresolved, in my opinion. The author has shades of the paranormal and leaves the question as to whether or not there was witchcraft up to the reader's imagination. I don't think that this is a book I would automatically go to when recommending.

A brilliant book of witchcraft and mystery! But also about the place of women in the 17th century and the importance of religion. Was a woman accused of being a witch if she was too "wise" or too catholic? If she wasn't subjected to a father or a husband and tried to earn her living?

And let's not forget the social issues: rich people are all-powerful and poor people are helpless. But more than that, it is a fast paced novel about two women in an unlikely friendship. It is a matter of life and death, a struggle to save a marriage or gain freedom. It is History.

This line from the description is what drew me in-"IN 1612 IN LANCASTER, ENGLAND, THE HUNT FOR WITCHES IS RAMPANT…BUT IN A TIME OF SUSPICION AND ACCUSATION, TO BE A WOMAN IS THE GREATEST RISK OF ALL"

The title has to do with familiar spirits (a demon supposedly attending and obeying a witch, often said to assume the form of an animal.) and the Pendle Hill Witch Trials.

Fleetwood Shuttleworth is the 17 years old mistress (yes 17 and married for several years already because it was 1612 after all) at Gawthorpe Hall. She has already miscarried and is desperate to provide an heir for her husband Richard. She will try anything and anything might just get her in trouble. She meets Alice, a young midwife who also knows about things that just might be thought to be 'witchcraft' when King James thinks a woman who does not submit and follow societal pressures must be a witch. If Alice did any of what she did in today's world no one would be phased. The growth in Fleetwood throughout the book was so well written. I think her friendship with Alice helped her see outside of her little world and understand more of who she would become as a woman.

The language felt a bit too modern at times. Not enough to go to 3 stars but more of a 3.5 book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this early copy.

This was a total cover request and it was worth it! I tend to not read a lot of historical fiction but I found myself really liking this one. It was intriguing right from the start and I loved the writing style. I recommend checking out this well-done historical fiction.

The Familiars follows Fleetwood Shuttleworth, a 17 year old girl, in the early 1600s. Fleetwood is pregnant for the 4th time and has not yet had a successful pregnancy and birthed a child. Fleetwood by chance meets Alice Grey, who she employs as her midwife until Alice is accused of withcraft and is facing trial and hanging. The novel follows Fleetwood and Alice's relationship through this crisis.

This book was really good! I starting reading it on a plane yesterday and finished it on the plane home today. It was a great way to spend my five hours in the air. It was a really interesting concept especially after I learned that the book is centered around witch trials that actually took place in the 1600s. If you like historical fiction novels and are looking for an interesting read I would recommend this book!

*Many thanks to Stacey Halls, Harlequin-Mira and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
The novel is based on true events, Pendle Hill Witch Trials, and most of the characters did exist, although it was the Author's imagination that directed their actions. The story revolves around a noblewoman, Fleetwood Shutterworth who is expected to provide her husband with an heir. She miscarages several times, and one day, when pregnant again, she meets a local woman, Alice Grey, who has a knowledge of the herbs and skills which may help Fleetwood during her pregnancy. The story seems simple, but the Author managed mastefully to create a novel which I couldn't put down. There are several themes in the novel which I found interesting: position and fate of woman in the early 17th centrury, prejudice against wise women which in consequence led directly to the accusations of witchcraft and then to stake, and the role children played during the so-called witchhunt. A very good atmospheric novel which I would recommend to FH lovers.

I received this book as an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
It's really a 3.5 stars for me. The story/action picked up more at the end. If you are a fan of either Victoria Holt or Phillipa Gregory then you will probably like this book. It's set in the time of 1612 where women were "tried" and found guilty of witchcraft. I was interested in finding out that the characters actually lived at that time. And it led me to look up Gawthorpe Hall and its history. Anything that causes me to learn more and look deeper is a recommendation from me.

Historical fiction.
Witches.
Those are the words that made me want to read this book. I was not disappointed. Set in 1612, this book really paints a good picture of what it would've been like then. I enjoyed it, and I think I will add it to the books I like to read around Halloween.

The Familiars is set in Pendle Hill, Lancashire, a site famous for the witch trials of 1612. England is ruled by King James I, a Protestant monarch. There is great religious tension in England because “demonstrations of loyalty” to the Crown do not easily co-exist with the “old ways of faith.” That struggle is at the core of The Familiars. That and a young wife’s desperate wish to bring a healthy baby to term. Mistress Fleetwood Shuttleworth is pregnant for the fourth time: her previous three pregnancies ended in miscarriages. It is her husband Richard’s dearest wish that his wife be safely delivered of an heir and, God-willing, a spare.

The story opens with Fleetwood blindly seeking refuge in the woods surrounding her stately home. In her tenuous emotional state, being the mistress of Gawthorpe Hall is cold comfort. She is upset because she inadvertently discovers a letter to her husband from a physician. She re-reads the blunt, frightening words, “…if she finds herself once more in childbed, she will not survive it, and her earthly life will come to an end.” Fleetwood encounters a strange woman, so camouflaged by her shabby, sodden, earth-colored clothing that she is almost impossible to see.

Her face was long and narrow, her eyes large, their color unusual even from a distance: a warm gold, like new coins. There was something fiercely intelligent, almost masculine, in her gaze, and though she was crouched down and I standing, for a moment I felt afraid, as though I was the one who had been discovered.

A few days later Fleetwood has a disturbing conversation with Roger Nowell, an older family friend of hers and Richard. He speaks to her of familiars and witchcraft. A witch, according to Roger, can assume animal identities, take on a familiar spirit: “This witch is a dog, but they can appear as anything—an animal, a child.” When Fleetwood questions Roger further, he brushes her off, saying they need to catch up with Richard, who “will not be happy with me for lagging behind indulging you. This is what happens when women come on hunts.” Is it, or does Roger want to shut down the conversation? Is his obsession with persecuting witches a way to prove his loyalty to King James? Roger tells Fleetwood that, “This corner of the kingdom with its Catholic heritage causes His Majesty a great deal of anxiety.” Fleetwood points out the obvious, that “Catholics and witches are not the same thing,” but Roger pays her no mind.

Fleetwood is consumed with worries about her pregnancy. Stacey Halls’s metaphors are earthy and dire.

If the doctor was to be believed—and no doubt he was—the child was fattening like a conker in a spiked green shell, and eventually would split me open. A child was what Richard wanted more than anything, and where I had failed before perhaps I would not this time…but at the cost of my life?

Fleetwood takes a heavy fall while riding back from the nearby village and is rescued by the same mysterious woman. She brings her savior back to Gawthorpe Hall, and finds out that Alice Gray is a midwife, following in the steps of her famed mother. She asks Alice to tend her pregnancy and Alice agrees. Alice’s mother has taught her well.

“You are like a traveling herb merchant—Richard would be impressed.” “Anethum graveolens.” She pointed from left to right. “Calendula, lavendulan, camamelum.” I stared at her in bewilderment, and she laughed. “To you, and your cook—dill, marigold, lavender, chamomile.” “You know the Latin names? I thought you couldn’t read?” She blinked. “I can’t. My mother taught me. Every good herbalist knows the proper names.”

A midwife’s role is to protect the life of mother and child so when Alice tells Fleetwood she can bring her and her unborn child safely to term, their lives are irrevocably intertwined. Why then does Roger imprison Alice? He claims that Alice is part of a family of witches. What does Roger fear from Alice? Alice states baldly that the King, and those who would please him, are afraid of wise women.

“Wise women?”

“Most women are wise.”

I could not tell if she was teasing me. “Are they to be trusted?”

Alice gave me a look. “According to the king? No. He has driven them into the shadows, but people are still sick, and dying, and having children, and not everyone has a royal physick. The king has muddled wise women with witchcraft.”

The Familiars is not an intellectual exploration of the tension between Protestantism and old country ways of healing the sick. After Alice Gray is taken into custody and condemned to death, Fleetwood must free her. Not only Alice’s life but Fleetwood’s life and the life of her unborn child hang in the balance—the stakes are truly life and death.

The Familiars is a riveting story, and although it takes place more than three hundred years ago, it raises issues that are still yet to be resolved.

Many of the characters in The Familiars are “historical figures” but Stacey Halls goes beyond a fictional recasting of the Pendle witch trials. She deftly “explores the lives and rights of seventeenth-century women, ultimately raising the question: Is witch-hunting really just women-hunting?” The second definition for witch-hunt, taken from Merriam-Webster, may also occur to readers: “the searching out and deliberate harassment of those (such as political opponents) with unpopular views.” Simply substitute the word “religious” for “political.” The Familiars is a riveting story, and although it takes place more than three hundred years ago, it raises issues that are still yet to be resolved.

Historical note: During the “early modern period” an unconscionable number of women were accused of being witches: “an estimated 50,000 persons were burned at the stake, of which roughly 80% were women, and most often over the age of 40.”

Fleetwood Shuttleworth is pregnant, she has found out her doctor has warned her husband that she will not survive childbirth, yet her husband, desperate for an heir, has hidden this piece of information from her.
Under mysterious circumstances Fleetwood meets a strange woman, Alice Grey. Convinced that Alice can help her carry and deliver a healthy baby she employs her as her midwife.
All around them women are being accused of witchcraft, Alice Grey among the accused.

Although it has an interesting premise, a beautiful cover and good writing, I found this book to be a little slow and I could not really get behind the characters.
It started strong but lost me about halfway. A little too long with not much going on.

I went out on a whim to read this book. as it's not something that I would normally read. It was a bit hard for me to get into, but I thought the witch hunt really added a cool twist to the story.