When Sarah's father is lost at sea, her mother does what she can to survive. Cast Out and shunned by  those who were once there friends, she scrapes an existence selling potions, charms and spells. There is never enough food, there is never any money for new clothes, the family must survive in abject poverty. This breeds bitter resentment and evil is never far away.
Sarah has been marked for the same fate as her mother, to live on the outskirts of society, feared and despised, but called upon by the villagers in time of need. When Sarah spots a boy taming a horse with kindness, she is entranced, and he is drawn to her. There relationship grows and Sarah has a glimpse of a world of kindness and love that her mother warns her can never be hers. She needs to decide if she dares to follow her heart. The world around her is about to change, people are less tolerant, more fearful, evil lurks just out of sight, suspicion grows. One wrong step could destroy her family.

This is a beautifully written story. A air of encroaching darkness, foreboding and fear sweeps in on the first page. The heart wrenching deprivation in which Sarah and her sister live really got to me. The idea that Sarah could build a better life hangs tantalisingly in front of her, but nothing good ever comes her way so she dare not believe it. The best historical fiction gets you right inside a community, a family, the mind of an individual, and lets you experience the world from their point of view. This book does this very well indeed.
If I had one criticism it would be that the tone of misery and foreboding throughout the book was pretty unrelenting. The quality of writing kept me reading it it did feel a little flat and grey around the middle of the book, before the plot fully kicked in. A ray of light here and there might not have gone astray.

I would like to thank net galley and the publisher for the oppertunity to review this book

This is set in 1620, with all the horrors of being “different” and where superstition is the norm. The story is beautifully  written, the  characters are well formed and I felt empathy with them.  The ending is good and well delivered.  If I have one gripe it is that the story is a little slow, but don’t be put off, it’s well worth a read.  Not usually a fan of love stories, not keen on all sweetness and light, but the witchy element and different style  ending  really lifts this book.  Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

I really enjoyed this book. In a nutshell it is a love story, laced with witchcraft and involving local villagers and an outcast family.
Beautifully easy to read, the characters were credible and developed enough for myself to form a mental picture of each of them. Clever writing drew out their personalities too.
I have read similar books covering this subject matter, but for me,this book stood out above them. I would recommend it to any lover of witchy tales and a love of history, who is a sucker for a touch of romance.

An extremely  powerful and gripping  novel based in 1620. I was hooked from page one. The characters  are  written  in  such a way they pull you right to the heart of the story. Once or twice I had to hold my breath afraid of what would happen. It tells the story  of  Sarah and her family who live in poverty as outcasts from the village  because people think they have powers of witchcraft. It is a love story as well as Sarah and the local farmers son fall in love but have to keep it secret for a number of reasons. Bittersweet and cruel I guarantee  you will not be disappointed.

A great historical fiction novel set in the 1620s during the witch trails. I was rooting for Sarah and her family from the beginning and there were plenty of twists and turns. The characters were well defined and you really felt the nail biting tension of the story. A wonderful debut!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Wonderful historical fiction. Well written, characters are nicely developed, atmosphere is perfect and the reader is quickly immersed in another time where people believed in superstitions, magic and witchcraft.

This is a story of poor family which tries to survive on a brink of society, because the villagers judge only by the appearance and status. But there si love and hope, good and evil, twists and turns.

Great book!

I absolutely raced through this; it grabbed me from the very start. I loved how easily fleshed out the characters were, right from the off - Daniel wanting to carry the milk pail out in front of him and being mocked seemed such a simple idea, but really fed into how he sees himself and how he's seen by others, making his later boldness more surprising (for them, but not for the reader). 

Would definitely recommend this if you enjoyed The Mercies, or Witches of New York.

An exciting historical fiction intertwined with witchery tales and beliefs, telling the story of a young couple in love and in great peril. Beautifully written!

This is a wonderful novel. Sarah, the witch child, meets a lover who is drawn to her, more than he is to Molly  the winner of the May queen competition, In fact he is obsessed with her. She has few friends in the village and bitter memories and experiences there. I will not reveal the ending for fear of spoiling it, but this novel  is well worth reading

Date reviewed/posted: November 7, 2020

When life for the entire universe and planet turns on its end and like everyone else you "have nothing to do" while your place of work is once again closed and you are continuing to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave is upon us,  superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today.

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.

A bewitching debut from a magnetic new voice in historical fiction. CUNNING WOMEN is sure to be loved by fans of The Essex Serpent and The Mercies.

They only want a "kindness", but beware, for if you have no coin, they will curse you black and blue.

1620s, Lancashire. Away from the village lies a small hamlet, abandoned since the Plague, where only one family dwell amongst its ruins. Young Sarah Haworth, her mother, brother and little sister Annie are a family of outcasts by day and the recipients of visitors by night. They are cunning folk, the villagers will always need them, quick with a healing balm or more, should your needs require. They can keep secrets too because no one would believe them anyway.

When Sarah spies a young man taming a wild horse, she risks being caught to watch him calm the animal. And when Daniel sees Sarah he does not just see a strange, dirty thing, he sees her for who she really is, a strong creature about to come into her own. But can something as fragile as love blossom between these two in such a place as this?

And when a new magistrate arrives to rid out those behind the strange ends that keep befalling the villagers, he has his eye on one family alone. And a torch in his hand.

Cunning Women is the powerful reckoning of a young woman with her wildness, a heartbreaking tale of young love and a shattering story of the intolerance that reigned during the long shadow of the Pendle Witch Trials when those who did not conform found persecution at every door.

This is a spooky novel set in a time I am glad that I do not live in - it is expertly depicted and the characters are wonderfully crafted as well.  To me, though, this is more of a book that should come out around Halloween time as it is full of darkness and witchcraft. Decidedly worth a read 

As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I simply adore emojis (outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube  Millionaires/snowflakes etc. " on Instagram and Twitter... Get a real job, people!) so let's give it 😷😷😷😷 (Stay inside, read this and stay healthy!)

Set in 1620, this is a powerful story of a family living in poverty on the outskirts of a God - fearing community, where superstition is rife. 
Daniel is a farmer's son who has fallen for Sarah - the cunning woman's daughter. Is it real love or has Daniel been bewitched? 
This is a well constructed story, but I found it a bit slow. 
Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC.

An excellent novel in which I was engulfed from page one. The reader is immersed in a world of superstitions or is it witchcraft? Beautifully written with atmospheric descriptions, this tale is about survival in a world of poverty, prejudices, hate and love.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book for free.