Note: see below for TW

I read this one in two days. I love this author and gothic spooky romances are sort of my favorite thing. This one fell flat for me. I didn’t love our main character, the romance was very instantaneous, and many things didn’t seem fleshed out at all. Honestly there were a lot of parts that just seemed thrown together, and the ending was abrupt and not great. Ironically I really enjoyed the epilogue. None of the characters had much depth and everything was very very convenient.

Also, the character of Phebe was done dirty and I had a hard time with the half baked attempt to throw in a few social justice aspects. They did not seem sincere at all. Also sort of weird but there were quite a few spelling errors throughout the novel. I’m bummed as I really love this author and will for sure pick up her next one but this one was a no from me.
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TW: our main character clearly has an eating disorder but it’s never really discussed or handled. In fact, the other POV (Margaret) puts Augusta down (in her mind) for not “enjoying” food, etc. but there are many mentions of counting calories and things like that.

Dual timelines, paranormal, historical. I enjoyed how Fox's book used the timelines to connect the stories of two strong female characters. I became invested in each of their stories and needed to keep the pages turning to find out what happened next.

I love to occasionally dip my toes into a good spooky gothic story. While this one was good, it wasn't great. The scenery, the feels, all of the above was amazing. I did however find myself getting distracted and skipping ahead in some parts. A great gothic tale for the right reader, unfortunately I'm just too much of a bubbly romance reader to love it.

🌟🌟🌟/5

I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to Harlequin Trade, Hester Fox, and NetGalley. ❤️

This was my first book by Hester Fox and it did not disappoint. I will be looking at her back list.
I have also recommended this to some of my customers.

This wasn't what I expected it would be. It was a done really well. I didn't expect the gothic mysterious vibes going into reading this book. Augusta searching for the answers behind Harlowe House, gave this modern but historical mystery great characters to follow.

This novel has everything my little Gothic heart desires- Witches, forbidden love, revenge, etc. I devoured this book in 2 days!!!!!!!!!!!

My biggest issue with the book is how underdeveloped everything is. The ideas, characters, and dialogue are stunted and never hold any weight. It’s like the story was half-baked, and while I do love raw cookie dough, Lullaby would have done much better if it had been cooked to its full potential.

It was such a thrill ride! I did not know what was going on for the most part and I was engaged the whole time. This was a "sit down and read all at once" kind of read. I loved Augusta and I felt like she was brilliantly written. Supernatural and exciting, all at once.

Really enjoying Fox's penchant for drumming up all the gothic feels, this book fell flat. The atmosphere was perfect along the rocky coast, but it failed to deliver that witchy punch I was hoping for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

A LULLABY FOR WITCHES is a beautifully atmospheric tale of love, loss, family history, and a thread of magic to link them all. Hester Fox never disappoints as she weaves together the history of a location, the complexities of her characters’ lives, and a hint of something otherworldly.

When I open a book by Fox, I know it will be something special. This story was no different. The time spent within Augusta’s world was filled with self-discovery, love, and the quest to find out more about a woman, Margaret Harlowe, who is determined to change her life even from the great beyond. The eloquence of the author’s words moves the narrative forward in a way that both informs the reader and leads them down a path to new discoveries waiting to happen.

A LULLABY FOR WITCHES seamlessly brings together historical elements with the present day while still managing to infuse it all with magic. How the author gives her readers a gothic ghost story mixed with a romance as well as a mystery is the reason why this book is so good. I cannot wait to read Fox’s next book.

This was a great read. I had a hard time putting it down and was left with a bit of a book hangover afterward. Definitely recommend.

I really wanted to like this one. I think it had good bones, and a great story idea.

However.

One of the MCs is obsessive about calories, and it's hinted that it's an eating disorder but never confirmed or confronted. it's just there. awkward ad glaringly there. As though calories are her personality.

This book was a semi slow start for me. It took me a while to get invested in the book but I definitely am glad I finished it. I do recommend it to my friends who love to read it’s definitely worth checking out. Would like to read more books by the author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

This is a book I've had downloaded for a while now but I keep putting it on the back burner due to a growing TBR pile. I started reading several months ago but haven't gone back to finish it yet. I will update my review once I have completed it.

A Lullaby for Witches by Hester Fox is a paranormal historical fiction story told through dual timelines. An approach that allows the reader a change of pace and perspective which I usually enjoy and find refreshing.

I listened to the audio and I was not too fond of the narration style given to this book. Everything felt "too dramatic" and whiny, and I almost dnf'd on that alone, but I am clearing out my Netgalley backlog. Once I got passed the narration style, the story was easy to fall in to, and I quickly got caught up in the altering timelines of Margaret, a witch from the 1800s, and Augusta, a modern day museum worker who has strange ties to Margaret.

With that out of the way, I was on board with everything until the end. There was zero, and I mean ZERO explanation for anything, and it pissed me off. Also, Augusta is supposedly related to Margaret, but how? It was never really explained, or if it was I didn't fully grasp the connection. But the epilogue did make me sad and redeemed the main ending.

I loved so much about this book: duel timelines converging into one, creepy historical home and artifacts, genealogy, ghosts and writing that kept me engaged from page one. So, so good!!!!!!

I saved A Lullaby for Witches by Hester Fox to read in October, and it was a great conclusion to my creepy reads for the Halloween season.

The dual timeline story set near Salem, Massachusetts features Margaret in 1870s and Augusta in present time, . When 30-something Augusta lands her dream job as curator at the Harlowe House museum, she's drawn to Margaret, the Harlowe family daughter. Why is almost no information about her included in the archives? As Augusta delves deeper into history, she has inexplicable experiences that both scare and intrigue her. Will the lure to discover Margaret's full story put Augusta at risk?

One hundred fifty years earlier, teenage Margaret is struggling to find her place in the Harlowe family. Rather than feeling connected to her parents and older brothers and their wealth and influence, she prefers to spend time in the cozy cabin of a woman who is rumored to be a witch. Then a secret romance, the revelation of family secrets, and misplaced affections seriously complicate Margaret's life with tragic results.

I've heard good things about Ms. Fox's novels; this is my first. It was the perfect level of spooky for me as a scary story wimp and witchy story newbie. The atmosphere drew me in, and the last quarter was so compelling. I appreciated both storylines but connected to Augusta's more. While this story explores some otherworldly concepts, it's grounded in reality and is ultimately hopeful. My only question - how does the title relate to the plot?

Many thanks to Graydon House and NetGalley for the review copy.

Ok so I’m a little late in reviewing this, but it was very good! Perfect read for October. Magic, mayhem, witches, murder mystery, modern day and past POV, and more.

Past: Margaret finds herself in love and with child, when she discovers multiple unsettling things. Can she save herself with her magic before the ultimate betrayal, or can she at least seek revenge?

Present: Augusta finally takes a chance in life and starts a new job that goes with her degree. Making this first move, she realizes the relationship she is in is going nowhere. So many changes in her life, some good and some bad. Only when Augusta finds herself in a dark situation, does she realize what she has gotten herself into.

🧙‍♀️This is my first Hester Fox book and I really loved the Gothic atmosphere that I was transported to in this book. I really loved Augusta and Margaret - both separately and together. I loved that this was dual POV and the ending was a nice surprise. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️