I was so excited to read The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs (The Physick Book #2) by Katherine Howe (releasing June 25, 2019 from Henry Holt & Company) because I loved her 2009 release The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, but TDoTH fell flat for me. While the first book in the series was full of witches, old books, and a long abandoned house, this installment was messy and missed the mark on what fans were looking for in the follow-up.

3.5 stars. I did not realize this book was the second in a series, but thankfully there was enough backstory included for me to not feel lost. This book follows Connie Goodwin as she navigates her professional career and personal relationships and is trying to figure out how to break a family curse. I loved the historical aspect of this book about witches and the portrayal of magic throughout. The back and forth between the past and present was a bit hard to follow at times, but overall this was an enjoyable read. Thank you to Henry Holt and Netgalley for the ARC.

3.5 stars, I rounded up but only tentatively.

I didn't realize there was a previous book to this one when I started it, and it really would've been helpful to have read that one first, as it took me quite a while to fall into understanding of so much of this book. There is some mention of Connie and Sam's history from the previous book, but I think there was a lot about the witchcraft that I missed so that I struggled to catch up in this book. However, by the time I got towards the end of the book, I was really enjoying it and understanding more of Connie and her ancestors, though I still feel like I missed a lot not having read the previous book. I will definitely need to go back and read the first book and then re-read this one to probably fully appreciate this book on its own.

I struggled with the back and forth between the year 2000 and Connie's female ancestors, as I couldn't figure out the connection between each of the ancestors and Connie's current time or their connection to Temperance Hobbs. I felt that needed more elaboration. However, once the historical chapters settle on just Temperance, I really enjoyed those and how they connected to Connie.

The writing is pretty good, but, again, I felt a serious lack of understanding for much of the backstory without having read the previous book. I also struggled with the academia. I don't understand anything of tenure or professorships, so I didn't connect with anything that Connie did in that regard. I would've felt a much stronger connection if more of the story had been focused on Connie's research in the libraries rather than academia itself (as I think a large portion of readers would as well).

Content: Some occult but not dark or strong/noir, mild language.

I rarely DNF a book, but I had to with this one. I tried, but it’s 36% and NOTHING and I mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING has happened. This reads like a journal of post grad students complaining about how hard post grad is, fighting for primary sources and living on ramen noodles. I am very disappointed - I really enjoyed the previous book but this one, it’s repeating what we already know from book one 10 years later - that is it.

Set years after the events of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, Katherine Howe’s The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs features the continuing adventures of academic and descendent-of-witches Connie Goodwin. Connie has finished her graduate work and is on the cusp of receiving tenure at Northeastern University in Massachusetts. It seems like she is finally about to get everything she wants, but an old curse is about to rear its head at the same time as an old enemy reaches out through a new catspaw. There’s a lot on Connie’s plate in this book.

Perhaps it’s my career in academia (though I am not tenure-track), but I felt strongly for Connie. I read an article by Adam Hunter in The Atlantic about the death of an adjunct working in higher education who died because she lacked health insurance that has made me even more sensitive to the plight of adjuncts and tenure-track faculty. Connie is working flat out (and has been for a while) to make sure that she gets tenure. (If she doesn’t, it means starting all over somewhere else or working as an adjunct for peanuts.) Connie’s long-term boyfriend, is starting to resent the amount of time Connie has to devote to her job. Her friends and colleagues understand. They’re on the same hamster wheel as Connie is. And Connie has an ally not just in her academic work but in her secret work with what remains of her ancestress’, Deliverance Dane, recipe book. This ally, Zazi, is a graduate student with her own interest in the history of witchcraft—thought she specializes in hoodoo and voodoo.

It’s a good thing that Connie has Zazi on her side. They are a great team, especially when Connie’s mother is reluctant to offer much help with a problem even bigger than getting tenure: a curse that leads to the accidental, untimely deaths of the men in the family shortly after their children are conceived or born. Connie is pregnant and a clock has just ticking for Sam. (All the stress Connie is under cannot be good for her health or the health of her progeny.) The curse and tenure force Connie to confront her life choices. The feminist in me chafes a bit at the fact that Connie can’t have the work, love, and life of her dreams. That said, I can appreciate it when someone has to do some serious thinking about whether or not they were working towards something that could actually make them happy. (Still…)

The end of this book is like a plot explosion, in the best possible way. Everything in The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs leads up to a collision of main and subplots and magic that feels deeply satisfying. There are some parts that drag or that felt skimmed over in the race to get to the conclusion. In spite of the pacing problem, I enjoyed this book the deeper I got. I haven’t read The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, so I had to pick up on what happened in this book from references to her previous adventures. I didn’t feel lost exactly. I felt more like I wanted to know more about Connie’s ancestress and her book of “recipes” (spells); I might read The Physick Book just for more time with Connie and her ancestors. I very much enjoyed my time with the characters and history Howe has created.

I liked this book but did not love it. I wanted to love it, but, the alternating timelines was a bit of a distraction for me. I wanted more of Temperance and less of Connie.

Thanks to Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company for this advanced readers copy. Release date for this book is set for June 2019.

A college professor who is an expert in the history of Colonial America finds her life in turmoil when a curse from her own history as the descendent of a Salem witch threatens the life of the man she loves.

I have mixed feelings about this read. I enjoyed the discussion of academic life and the hours spent in libraries looking for research. I also liked how the author interspersed historical chapters that helped bring to life the people that Connie, the novel’s protagonist, was learning about. The author did a beautiful job of capturing life in these old towns on Massachusetts’ coast. As much as I felt pulled into the story, I also felt like it was disjointed at times. There were characters and elements who came into the story briefly and then were gone despite playing important roles in moving the story along. I wonder if I had been someone who knew more about the history of witchcraft, maybe some parts would have made more sense and felt more complete, but as someone who is not familiar with that world, I felt a bit like I was only seeing some aspects clearly.

This wasn’t a hard book to get through and it actually has me curious about her earlier book, “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane,” so I would recommend it to readers who enjoy books that look into history and witches in this country. I just wish it felt a little more complete. This would have made it more satisfying of a read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for a chance to read the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe
Source: NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company
Rating: 3/5 stars

**MINI-REVIEW**

The Bottom Line: I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did and I can only pinpoint one element which kept me from truly loving a book that is generally right up my alley. Here’s my issue: the paranormal elements don’t feel at all like they fit with the rest of the story. I feel like this book is two books, one historical fiction and one paranormal, squished together for a poor fit. Any historical fiction related to witches and the Salem Witch Trials is going to be able to stand alone for many readers so adding the paranormal elements to this particular story didn’t feel either needed or necessary. What’s more, I found Connie to be the least likeable of all the characters which left me struggling to root for her. I did like Sam, Grace, and Zazi a whole lot and feel like they really kept the story moving more than Connie did: Sam is a kind soul, Zazi is a firecracker, and Grace is just the right amount of hippie. I also enjoyed the explanations of the time period and the magic and how the past dramatically impacted the present. If it weren’t for the wonkily (that’s a technical term) added paranormal elements, I think I would have felt much differently about this book and been able to assign it a much higher star rating.

The organic telling of a tale forms in 1661, and continues until 2000. In the heart and mind of Constance Goodwin, something lives on from her ancestor Temperance Hobbs. Constance knows what she has come from and yet has driven away from it all her life. Choosing the realistic and the facts that she so craves in her work as a Professor and as a Historian. While working on her dissertation she stumbles across members of her family in old texts and begins to find herself written there. The mysteries and keys to her own struggles and sorrows in life are nothing new to the women from her past. They too knew of the same struggles and some were able to overcome them, and some not so much. This is a deeply historical novel, drenched in the days in which witches and wizards walked the streets of New England. Using their will and powers to simply stay alive. This is a story of love, endurance, and trust. Connie's journey is one that I deeply enjoyed. The rush to decode old texts and writings was fascinating and fulfilling. Even the almost mirrored journeys of Temperance and her mother, and Connie and her mother were intriguing and thrilling. Their stories were so closely similar and it gave me chills. I fully am enthralled by this book. Really great historical facts mixed with a little bit of magic. A perfect read for anyone who appreciates good historical novels.

I love a good witch story and had previously read The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe, which is what sparked my interest in her latest book.

In the beginning, I struggled to get into the story. It seemed bogged down by the day to day of the academia world. Students stressed over grades, thesis writing, instructors worried about their book deals, tenure and so forth took up much of the first third of the book.

In the midst of all this, Connie Goodwin is trying to do research for her book that she is behind in writing. She is also up for tenure, so getting the book to the publisher is important. Naturally, the book is about colonial America and the home recipes, or “magic” that was thought be a part of the recipes.

What adds to the story is that Connie is a direct descendant of a woman tried as a witch in colonial America and her mother resides in the home that has been passed down through the generations of women.

The last quarter of the book was more interesting but the ending seemed rushed. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did Howe’s previous work.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

While this can be a stand alone book, it really functions best as a sequel to THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE. As such, THE DAUGHTERS OF TEMPERANCE HOBBS just shines. It picks up ten years after the first book ends and it is more than just a pleasure to continue with the same characters, it is a joy. Author Katherine Howe has developed a historical matriarchy and a current set of characters that crackle with energy and pop with creativity. For readers with a love of historical fiction and things witchy, this is a book that delights on all levels. I found myself hoping the author will provide us with another book about these characters as their lives enter another new phase. I enjoyed it all that much. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This story and this author are new to me, although it seemed as though this could have been the next in a series. Not having read the previous few books in the series did not make the book any harder to understand, it stood alone just fine and was easy to comprehend despite this fact. The story follows Connie, a professor at Northeastern University who is working on a book proposal about witchcraft. She becomes aware that there is a curse surrounding the men in her family and when she realizes that she is pregnant, decides she must do something about the curse. The story was engaging, well=written and fun. I am not a religious person, but it definitely made me curious to find out more about witchcraft during the colonial period in America. The story was unpredictable and fun and was definitely something I would suggest picking up!

I was provided an advanced copy for review from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I love a good witch story. I mean, really, who doesn’t right? So needless to say I was beyond excited to get the opportunity to read and review this book. While the story was enjoyable, I did have a couple of issues which caused me to drop my rating to 3.5 stars.

Connie is a witch. Her family history can be traced back to a very powerful witch from the 1600’s. The men in their lives tend to die early (think Practical Magic) and Connie is determined to keep her boyfriend Sam from meeting the same fate. She found a spell that her ancestor Temperance used and she was the only one who had been successful. It was so powerful that she hid the spell when she was finished.

I did enjoy the flashbacks to Temperance’s time when she was doing the same spell, even though they were kind of choppy. I just wish that we had gotten more of the “witch” action and backstory. The story moved along at a steady pace but didn’t really begin to pick up until about ¾ of the way through. The ending also felt rushed. First we are in the kitchen doing the spell and next chapter it’s Spring and she has given birth. I was thinking to myself “Woah, what the heck happened here? Last chapter, she hadn’t even told Sam she was pregnant.” I think that some of the beginning of the book which had no bearing on the story whatsoever, could have been cut and the author could have spent more time on the ending.

I would likely read more by this author but will go into the next one with less expectations and hopefully I will enjoy it more.

This book is very similar to "A Discovery of Witches". Academic type, hidden history of witchcraft in the family, secret that needs to be found dealing with the family history of magic. The timeline goes back and forth, and while some of the characters are engaging, they are not as well developed as they could be. The book often feels like it is just trying to be more, to make me believe in the trope.

It took me a while to get to "The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs" because I wanted to read "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane" first. It's not necessary to understand the story, and in fact, I would have enjoyed "The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs" much more if I hadn't read it as a sequel.
"The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs" takes place almost 10 years after the events in "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane." I expect that a person that is 10 years older will have had some personal growth in that time. I found Connie unlikable because not only has she not grown as a person, she is just as ignorant of her history as she was in the first book.
Unfortunately, this book has basically the same plot and same character stereotypes as the first book. A predictable book can be fun and comforting, but I just didn't enjoy it this time around. The book is split into the past and the present (the year 2000), which makes it a similar format as the previous book. On a refreshing note, the author introduces us to a new character: Zazi, a woman whose studies focus more on the history of voodoo rather than the Salem Witch trials. There was SO MUCH that could have been done with her character to really move the story forward. Instead, her character fell flat. She mutters things under her breath in order to get attention and she is a tag-a-long character that is just along for the ride. We don't even get to see or really learn much about her.
There are so many little things that I feel like I nit-picked with this book as a read this book: Grace as the all-knowing mom (why not just go to her first? Why does she have to be so enigmatic?). Zazi's (lack) of magic. The dopey boyfriend (he was much more interesting in the first book). The end (which I wish I could discuss with someone). Why does Zazi have a zipcar? (I know they were invented in that area in 2000. but it was weird).
As a standalone book, I give it 3-stars, which is why I have it rated as 3-stars- I know most people have enjoyed this sequel much more than I have. As a part two though, I would honestly give it a 2 stars. I don't think I want to return back to this world, although I really did like Connie and Sam in Deliverance Dane.

Thank you Henry Holt & Co and Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review. :)

This follow-up to The Physick Book of Deliverance was well worth the wait--I loved it! Several years have passed and Connie, a professor specializing in early American history, is focused on her upcoming tenure review. She and Sam are still happily co-habitating, content with putting marriage on hold. When the curse that has plagued Connie's male ancestors resurfaces, she and her mom race to find a cure. Revealing any other details would spoil the plot, so you'll just have to read this one to find out what happens! There is plenty of witchy lore to keep you turning the pages, and the scenes about academic life are completely relatable.

Katherine Howe's writing has the power to mesmerize, and her books have the perfect combination of history and modern magical realism--I couldn't bear to put this one down when real-life interrupted my reading. I loved the historical interludes which give the reader more background information about Deliverance Dane and her descendents, and I equally enjoyed reading about Connie's back-stabbing colleagues.

The synopsis of this book looked promising and that's why I requested it. I've always been intrigued by witchcraft. However, once I delved into,the story, my interest waned. I just couldn't warm up to the narrative nor any of the characters. This was a miss for me.

I’m giving an honest review of this book for netgalley. I enjoyed this book no want to read the other book as well. The characters were great! I love the story!

I read this book through NetGalley. I am utterly in love with this book. Once I started reading it I could not stop. Since reading The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane I have been obsessed with knowing more about the characters. Connie and Grace are my two absolute favorite characters and their relationship unfolds before the readers eyes. I was sad to see the book end and I was left wanting more. The historical accuracy of this novel is exceptional. I love this genre and anything that has to do with witches not only because I am a practicing witch but I am also related to Sarah Good from the Salem Witch Trials. This book is different from others in this genre because the more you read it the book transports you into its world. The novel switches between present day with Connie and her story to different time periods focusing on different women in the family weaving their stories together like the vines that cling to the iron gate around the Marblehead cottage protecting the secrets of the past. I love this book for several reasons, the book kept the same emotions and feelings that I received from the first book, reading the book was like I was picking up Connie's story where I left her (which I feel is one of the greatest feelings a reader can get from an author) and finally because it is also a love story without intentionally focusing on being "just a love story". This book is unlike any that I have read in a long time and books like these are precious gems that any bibliophile like myself would hold a special place for. One day I hope to meet Kathrine Howe and have her sign my books. My dear, I believe I have been inspired!

Beware all who pick up this book. Be prepared to suspend belief in the norm and be open to the possibilities of other forces, witchcraft and the inexplicable. It would also be helpful if you overlook certain lapses which defy, well everything.

There is an inordinate amount of time spent on carping about the “Publish or Perish” theme inherent in the world of academia. Everything alluding to that made me dislike Connie’s personality. It almost felt as if when the story lagged let’s revisit how intense it is to be on the path for tenure and never sure if your are going to make the grade and expect the people who love you most to understand even when you are being totally selfish.

The story was solid, some of the “stuff” that got thrown in was a distraction and wandered. Some of the characters who popped in and popped up at times was a bit too convenient. Interesting characters, setting, and exploration of the importance of all manner of plants in the furtherance of healing, spells, witchcraft and who knows what else. Three and 1/2 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for a copy.