Another captivating read from Hester Fox is here! This is my third or fourth book by the author and I love that they’ve all been incredibly consistent when it comes to pacing and other elements without feeling repetitive. A LULLABY FOR WITCHES is beautifully written, mesmerizing, and atmospheric with well-developed characters and intertwining timelines that weave together so nicely. Always a great Gothic feel and a mix of historical fiction with the supernatural make for a quick read. I highly recommend any of her books and I can’t wait for more.

This book switches between two POVs: Augusta (a young woman who works at a museum and is trying to figure out her life) in the present and Margaret (a young woman who uses her witchy powers to help people in her village and who is looking for someone to love) in the past. I think this was the big mistake of the book. Margaret’s parts were quite well-written while Augusta’s were…not so much.

I would have read a whole book on Margaret and her family and her weird AF brother. I would have read about her magic and her healing abilities and how the town turned against her.

But unfortunately, Augusta’s point of view got in the way and I just…wasn’t as excited about her storyline. Her romantic subplot felt rushed and I wasn’t invested at all. AND I LOVE ROMANCE. But this felt like an afterthought.

The guy in Augusta’s romantic subplot felt underwritten as well. He was just…meh. I don’t know. Nothing to swoon over.

I did like when Margaret made herself known in the present to Augusta. That was kind of spooky and we really got to see another side of Margaret that we don’t see too much of in the past. She is not as benevolent of a spirit as you might think but she also has a very good reason for that anger.

Overall, I wanted to love this but it didn’t live up to my expectations. I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars. One of the things that saved this from being a 2 star was the epilogue. FUCK, it was beautiful. It’s only a couple of pages but I cried! It also solidified my opinion that the whole book should have been about Margaret.

A Lullaby For Witches is available now.

Thank you to Netgalley and Graydon House for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

My first book by Hester Fox and I absolutely loved this dual timeline historical gothic mystery. It was completely atmospheric and immersive. I was so invested in both timelines and really loved Margaret and her 'witchy' vibes. Augusta was super relatable as a Museum curator (coming from my archivist background). Highly enjoyable and definitely recommend this, especially for fans of Susannah Kearsley's Bellewether. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

This was just ok for me. The story is told in dual timelines, and one timeline was definitely stronger. I also felt the plot had holes in it. Great idea, but in the end it just fell flat for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I am already a fan of Hester Fox’s previous novels. I loved the character Margaret and the time period in which she lived. I love how this author incorporates magic in a realistic and believable way. I did not connect as much to the present day storyline, but still enjoyed how the two stories weaved together in the end. A magical read

I’ve enjoyed Hester Fox’s books over the years and A Lullaby for Witches is no exception. Augusta Podos has recently accepted her dream job as a collections manager at Harlowe House. One of her first big projects is to curate an exhibit on 19th century in the seaside village of Tynemouth, featuring Margaret Harlowe. Only the more she digs, the eerier it gets, and there’s more at stake than Augusta realizes. Despite its title, there’s not much in the way of witchcraft in the novel. There is, however, plenty of lovely detail about coastal New England, museum work (the former museum worker in me loved it), and a centuries spanning mystery. Ultimately it’s an easy to read, lightweight fantasy, and would work well if you need a little break from how terrible everything is right now. The connections to her other works are a fun little detail for longtime readers.

This one was just ok for me. The summary appealed to me greatly as did the comparisons to other similar reads. This is a case where one timeline was vastly superior to the other. While the modern timeline has merit it just didn't hold its own against the older one. Margaret's story was filled with mystery and she was an intriguing character in her own right. Augusta's life was almost to predictable and the flashback occurrences just come out of nowhere. The story did hold my attention but mainly because I wanted to find out how it ended.
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good historical fiction novel. Told through dual timelines full of interesting characters and centered around a historical home. This was good mystery and ghost story. The plot moves along at a good pace, the characters are interesting, and the storyline holds together well.

I love a good historical fiction novel about witches. The fact that this one has two timelines makes it even better (Margaret is a witch in the 1800s and her kin Augusta lives in the present day). The setting is perfectly atmospheric, Augusta gets a job in a museum in Massachusetts (the museum used to be someone's home), Augusta begins to feel a connection to the woman that lived in the house before- Margaret. This is a perfect witchy tale. I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan on reading more by Hester Fox. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of this book.

Gothic. Witchy. Near Perfect Blend Of Historical And Modern. This is one of those witch tales that blends the modern and the historical particularly well - in this case, via a ghost witch. We see her travails in her own mortal time in the middle of the 19th century... and we also get a remarkable view of the life of a museum worker in 21st century New England as well. How these two blend - and why - is what makes this book so remarkable. Fans of Nick Winters' Hollywood Scent will particularly love this, as both books share a particularly creepy finale mechanism (and indeed have similar *general* arcs blending historical and current). Overall a great creepy witch tale, perfect for cold gray days by a campfire. Very much recommended.

A Lullaby for Witches is a deliciously creepy mystery full of history and magic. Told through dual timelines full of interesting characters and centered around a historical home, A Lullaby for Witches is as atmospheric as it is unsettling.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hester Fox and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Witch of Willow Hall even though it's not my usual genre, so I decided to see if this one was just as good. I have to say that I enjoyed this one even more and now I want to go back and read Fox's entire backlist of work. I don't usually read historical fiction, but these don't really read like that as there is a current time line happening as well and the premise is just so unique. I didn't see the twists coming and it kept me flipping the pages. I really enjoyed this one and I will now be reading anything with witch in the title from Fox!

I'm so excited to now have a new favorite author in a genre I really never expected to have one in.

This story is told in two different timelines with two different characters, Margaret and Augusta. Margaret Harlowe is from a very wealthy family and is the only daughter with older brothers who are also successful and have found their way in the world. Margaret never feels like she has fit in with her family and has a very special connection with nature that gives her powers, powers that would get a woman shunned in her day and age.

One hundred and fifty years later Augusta is working as a tour guide in a jail but has just landed her dream job at Harlowe House. While working there Augusta starts to feel a very strong connection to Margaret and starts to have what she thinks are hallucinations, hallucinations where she is Margaret and is viewing everything through her eyes. Are they really hallucinations or are these works of magic?

This was my first book I've ever read by Hester Fox and I'm immediately smitten. Her writing style is amazing and kept my attention throughout the entire book which is pretty hard to do when historical fiction is thrown into the mix, it normally would bore me to tears but I could not put this book down. I'm known to love any story that has any inkling of witches thrown in but this was by far one of the best ones I've read.

I also wasn't expecting there to be romance in this book but I was pleasantly surprised when there was and it wasn't overly detailed. The romance flowed very nicely and I loved the two characters and how sweet they were.

Hester Fox also does a fantastic job of putting domestic abuse, rape, and eating disorders into her work but take that as a trigger warning if any of these topics are off limits for you. It is done so well though that I barely noticed them for the most part and it wasn't a main focal point of the story.

I have now purchased every other book written by Hester Fox and I can't wait to dig into those as well!

*Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Graydon House for the gifted copy for my honest review!*

Thank you to the publisher, Graydon House, for providing me with an ARC of A Lullaby for Witches in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gist

I loved Fox’s The Orphan of Cemetery Hill and could not contain my excitement when I found out Fox wrote another story.

For the past two years I have noticed a slight change in the publication process, shall we call it, in the books that have hit the shelves.

A larger number than before feel like they are missing the last bit of polish before getting published. There is just something missing. It is either noticeable plot holes or abrupt endings or characters that seems unfinished.

Unfortunately, such is the case in the author’s new book A Lullaby for Witches. It makes me very sad, because I know the quality of the author’s writing is so much more engaging and satisfying.

The Details

Where to begin? Well, the more I think about it, the more anxious I get. There are so many little things that were almost there, almost right and good and enjoyable. But then they sort of get lost in the tangled web of the story.

A Lullaby for Witches is a dual narrative with parts set in the 1800’s and parts set in the present. At some point the narratives meet. Okay. We got that, no need to hyperventilate.

There are two protagonists. One from each time period, obviously. Still, no need to for heart palpitations.

There are connections that tie the entire story together. And this is where I go cross-eyed and get the sweaty palms.

The connections are not very well explained. Some are not explained at all and others make no sense!

Add to that the fact that the protagonists are not consistent. Sure, there are situations they experience that could explain and lay the groundwork for certain behavioural patterns, yet it all gets very confusing.

I experienced a pendulum of emotions when it came to the characters. Do I hate them? Love them? Do I sympathize with them. I don’t know. Haven’t got a clue!

I was lucky enough to have had the chance to read big chunks of A Lullaby for Witches in one sitting, which helped with keeping the confusion at bay. As soon as I had to take a break from reading for the day and picked up the book 24 hours later, I was lost.

I began to feel anxious, because connections snd explanations just weren’t there or were very vague.

The plot is equally shrouded in mist. It is there, but not very thought through. A lot of loose ends are tucked in wherever they fit.

The author’s stories are usually very satisfying to read. They are compact and make sense. A Lullaby for Witches feels a bit like a ball of yarn that is not very well rolled up into a ball. And for some reason that make me itch nervously.

The writing in general is still very good. I was able to finish the book rather quickly. Also, the epilogue proves that Fox knows how to write beautifully.

The Verdict

Overall, A Lullaby for Witches is missing the last polish to make it the story it certainly had the potential to be: spellbinding and addictive.

Thank you Netgalley and Graydon House for the chance to read A lullaby for witches by Hester Fox. Usually I love gothic horror and anything about witches but I really found it difficult to get into this story. Whether its the characters I couldn't get into, or because its another novel that has a double timeline that seems to be too jarring, I may be in the minority on this one but I found this story too slow, and dull for me.

A Lullaby for Witches is a wonderfully atmospheric and magical novel. The story is told in two different timelines with differing points of view in each timeline. An engaging read with historical and modern timelines that are so distinct with each character. If you like witchy novels, I would highly recommend giving this one a try.

This is dual timeline/POV story is told by two women, Margaret and Augusta, who live in Tynemouth, MA centuries apart. Their story intersects when Augusta finds her dream job at Harlowe House as an archivist.

This was definitely an enjoyable read that had me interested throughout the book. Margaret was born into a wealthy family, the Harlowes, in the late 1800s. She always felt a little different from others. She loves nature and the outdoors and its while she is out there that she discovers she has "powers" that a witch might have. She works to hone her skills without the help of a mentor. She uses these powers to help women from the town, in secret, handle situations that can't be handled elsewhere. As payment, she collects their stories and adds them to her book. She falls head over heels for Jack and it isn't until she sees him with another woman in town, and finds out that he is engaged that she understands that their relationship was never meant to last or be more than a fling..

Augusta is living a stable, albeit boring and routine life. She has been at a job she doesn't enjoy for 2 years, and in a relationship with a guy, Chris, that she is not sure she still loves for over 4 years. She finally acts on an impulse to apply for a job doing exactly what she wants to do and fitting in perfectly with the information she gained from college. She gets the job and begins to experience hallucinations and dizzy spells while at the house. She feels a pull toward a photo of a young lady in the house, but she can't find any information about her. She sets out on a quest to find out as much as she can about who she may have been. She meets a fellow employee, Leo, and finds herself unexpectedly attracted to him. When Chris becomes jealous, she realizes that this may be the time to finally own up to the gaps in their relationship and break up.

In an effort not to divulge too much of the plot, I'll keep this part short. Augusta finds out parts of her past that have been a secret up until now, and Margaret does as well. Margaret reaches out to Augusta, and everything changes from that point on. There were some parts of this story that were frustrating to me - like Augusta's obvious eating disorder. The author points out her issues with eating several times, but it is never fleshed out. It's just there, and never examined. Also the quickness with which Augusta moves on with Leo. But all in all, I found this book to be an interesting look into the darker side of a witches' magic. The story definitely nhad a gothic feel.

I rated this one 3.5, but bumped it up to 4 stars since the story kept me interested throughout. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin trade for the ARC to read and review.

Wow! What a beautiful, chilling and addictive tale! A LULLABY FOR WITCHES is the story of two women over the course of two different timelines. Margaret grew up always feeling like an outcast. There was a reason behind it - she has unexplainable powers and it is not long before whispers of “witch” start following her. 150 years later, August takes a job at Margaret’s old house, which now is in the process of being turned into a museum. Its not long before Augusta becomes entranced by the story of the Harlowe family, so entranced that she cannot stop digging.

I highly recommend this book. It is a beautiful gothic and historical story filled with twists and turns. If you are a fan of witchy novels I think this book could be a nice fit.
CW - Disordered Eating.

This is a dual-timeline paranormal historical fiction novel. Present day we have Augusta, whose ambition is to one day be a museum curator of a small private museum. Her wish is about to come true when she is hired by Harlowe House. Almost at once Augusta begins to have frightening hallucinations that seem to take her back in time and are so real she can smell the difference. Not knowing what these forays into the past mean, she sets out to try to make sense of it. She becomes encaptured in the story of the only woman Harlowe who seems her very existence has been wiped from history. Augusta sets out to find out what she can about the mysterious Margaret Harlowe.
The past: Margaret Harlowe is the black sheep of a wealthy family in Tynemouth, Massachusetts. Margaret is apart from her family, never quite fitting in, she is more interested in her herbs and healing potions and instead of making friends or socializing she spends all of her free time in the woods, with her potions. Town ladies come to her in the dark of night for spells and remedies when all else fails. But Margaret makes a fatal mistake when she falls for the son of the local shopkeeper, believing he is in love with her also.
I enjoyed this story, but I must say I was more partial to Margaret's side than to Augusta's but I find that with me this is usually the case. I tend to like the side of the past much more than the present in all the dual timeline books I read.
This book is well written and cleverly transports the reader to a somewhat mystical place in the past, filled with ephemeral forests, and hidden spells. I highly recommend.
Thank you to the Harlequin Trade Publishing and Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

I saw this book and I knew that I needed to read it. I find anything with a witches theme fascinating. They just draw me in and I get lost in them. It wasn’t until I started to read the book that I realized that I had read a book by this author in 2020 and really really liked it!! I knew that this book was going to be amazing just by that factor.

Augusta is at a dead-end job as a tour guide at a jail in Salem. She even is in a dead-end relationship. She is in it for comfort and that is about it. One day she is looking through jobs and finds one that is right up her alley and right in line with her degree from college. On a whim, she applies and she gets it. What happens once she enters the house is something that she could have never seen coming. The resident ghost Margaret sees to that. I loved this book. Every night when I turned on my kindle I was excited to read it. The beginning is a little slow but it is still exciting. I really liked the character of Augusta, I could see myself in her. The shy awkward person who settles because it is something comfortable. She really blossoms as the book goes on. My jaw dropped when “the big event” happened. I never saw that twist coming at all!

I loved the banter that Leo and Augusta have. I am so glad that things ended well for them. I was shocked when things happened with Margaret and Leo. I hated that she drew him into her whole crazy world. However, at the same time, I could feel for her. Her life was cut short by someone that she thought loved her and I guess that was not the case. The character development was really good. I didn’t realize that Margaret was supposed to be the evil character in this book. I kind of enjoyed her story and honestly enjoyed her. I will certainly be keeping this author on my radar for future reads from him.