Expectation: I wanted this book to be a collection of fun and dark stories about witchcraft in modern-day Britain, covering topics like The Satanic Temple or recent Pagan rituals at Stonehenge that are attended by hundreds. A huge culture of goths, black magic, Paganism, and Satanism has emerged all around the world, and is certainly present in Britain.

Reality: This book was mostly historical*, discussing beliefs and practices of witchcraft in England and the British Empire in the 1700s/Victorian era. It is extremely long-winded and, to be honest, boring. I appreciate the time and effort that clearly went into collecting the detailed primary sources - Victorian newspapers, letters, etc. - but this particular line of historical inquiry frankly wasn't interesting to me. If the book had been more aptly named to reflect its true contents, I probably would not have picked it up.
*I understand that historians often use "modern" to refer to anything post-1750, but most non-historians think of "modern" to mean post-1950 or even later. This distinction is key, in my opinion.

Cursed Britain is a fascinating read that considers the prevalence of black magic in Britain from 1800 to the present day (including the influences stemming from Britain's empirical and colonial past). The case studies in each section added depth to the arguments put forward, and I certainly learnt a few new things I'd never realised before. I was surprised the author glossed over Aleister Crowley, affording him only a couple of brief mentions, but perhaps he felt Crowley had already been 'done to death' in other works and wished to concentrate on more diverse, less well-known figures. Overall, Cursed Britain is an engaging book that will appeal to those interested in the history of witchcraft and magical practice, as well as social historians.

Like many other reviewers, I did notice that there was a slight disconnect between the title and the actual content. It doesn't necessarily revolve around Britain itself, and the "Modern Times" part was extremely limited, offering way more about Victorian beliefs than today's. It didn't bother me at all, but if you're looking for something that goes in depth on current witchcraft/black magic beliefs, look elsewhere.

Thomas Waters definitely knows what he's talking about and his expertise shines in this elaborate account of witchcraft and black magic. However, some parts were drawn out and I did get bored at those particular spots, which caused me to skim over some of the text. I'm certain this won't be an issue if you're really, really interested in the topic.

This book covers plenty of things that I haven't heard elsewhere, and I appreciate how much effort and knowledge went into writing it. If you've ever been interested in the deep history of witchcraft and black magic, be sure to pick this one up!

<b>★★★★☆ 4 stars </b>

Waters presents a comprehensive account of witchcraft in Britain from the 19th century up to almost the present that is comprehensive, accessible, and informative.

Non-fiction materials surrounding this topic are rather unusual, and therefore it is commendable that Waters has attempted to create a comprehensive account herein.

At times, however, I felt that the writing was very long-winded, and got rather tedious to focus on.

Overall this was an interesting read though!

<I>*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *</i >