7/10
Hester’s (the authors) background is in historical archeology and museum work, so it makes sense that one of the main character’s - Augusta - works in a museum doing historical archeology. As it turns out she is trying to uncover the history of the other main character, Margaret.

There are some really neat things about this book, not the least of which is the examination of Salem witch trial-sequel history overlayed with current day beliefs. Augusta is in the present day, Margaret is a witch in the 19th century.

The two lives seem separate at the beginning of the novel but slowly their paths move closer and closer. Heater uses this style of peeling back the layers of the onion in an engaging way. It made me want to keep reading.

At some point however, two roads that merge closer together will eventually meet. When they do in this book, it feels like the novel turns more into a young adult fantasy story rather than what felt like a novel exploring complex emotions in complex times.

My feelings on this book started as a 5/10 rating then went up to 8/10 then dropped down to its current 7/10. It started off as a book for people who liked “Lovely Bones” and ended up as a book for people who liked “You’ve Reached Sam” (see my review)

I would be open to reading another Hester Fox book as she seems to be a good writer, I just now know what to expect. Good book for a teenage girl.

#netgalley #alullabyforwitches

Great story with well-developed empowered female characters and Interesting settings woven through two timelines and told by dual voices. Well written book for fans of gothic and romantic fiction.

Although the premise was interesting, the story never really jelled for me. I didn't find either character particularly believable, nor particularly interesting. There were too many points where the action of the story should have been questioned by another character, but wasn't. I was, overall, disappointed.

What do you do when you finally land your dream job at a historic home, and realize the house is haunted? You find out who the ghost is, of course! And when you realize that ghost was a witch and that you are connect somehow? You pray you survive. Augusta lands her dream job at Harlowe House and finds out that there was a daughter in that family that she has trouble finding records for. As Augusta searches for records of this daughter, she can’t resist the pull of the past, but what will it cost her? It could cost her her very life.

A Lullaby for Witches is told in two timelines and in two voices. Margaret, a woman living in the late 19th century, is a young woman who never quite "fit in", enjoying the mysteries held in nature and developing a talent that would give her the moniker, "witch". Augusta is a young woman living in present-day Massachusetts, freshly out of a bad relationship and taking a new job in the historic Harlowe House, where she learns about the mysterious Margaret Harlowe, who seems to haunt her family's records. As Augusta becomes consumed with Margaret's life and disappearance from her family's history, she seems to tap into a dark power within Harlowe House - a power that wants to walk the earth once again.

A good mystery and ghost story, this has broad appeal to fiction readers and historical fiction fans. The plot moves along at a good pace, the characters are interesting, and the storyline holds together well.

I thought this was a fun read. I like books with dual timelines, and I didn't anticipate what happened as the two characters became more intertwined later in the story. It's nice to be surprised!
I expect this be popular among readers who enjoy a 'witchy' read and/or historical novels, and I will certainly recommend it to them.
Thanks for the opportunity to read an advance e-copy!

Even though I didn’t enjoy the last book written by this author, I still wanted to give this one a try. I have previously enjoyed her first two books and do like her writing. Unfortunately, this one just failed to live up to my expectations. There were some good moments and conversations to be had in the book, but it definitely could have used more development.

The book is told through a dual timeline. The past comes from Margaret Harlowe and the present is from Augusta Podos. Each timeline is very different but there are a couple similarities between the two characters. I can’t say that I liked either character though. Augusta reminded me of Bella from Twilight. She was very dull even when the plot thickened. Margaret wasn’t dull and probably had the most surprising plot twists but I just didn’t feel anything.

There are a lot of other characters that play smaller roles within the plot but they also felt dull and one dimensional. They were mostly there to keep the plot going without doing too much. I also was fascinated with how the characters never questioned what was going on when it came to Augusta and the supernatural.

It also felt like there were a lot of loose ends and plot holes. I still don’t understand the bloodline.

I will say that the book did have me continuously reading and wanting to know what would happen next even if I didn’t like everything that was going on.

Overall, this was okay. I think that it just needed more development and with the dual timeline there just wasn’t enough space to do that.

Rating: 2.25-2.5ish

I love dual timeline novels, and the description, and settings, really caught my eye. Sadly, it didn't meet my expectations. I found myself not caring for the characters. In fact, I didn't like Margaret much at all and found her to be a bit annoying. In general, characters were quite one dimensional. Some scenes, especially with Augusta, dragged on too long. Instead of picking up, things got worse as the story unfolded.

I wanted to love this. A beautiful and compelling premise, but the writing was clunky and it required a bit more suspension of disbelief than I'm comfortable with. Great for fans of Alice Hoffman.

This was a good gothic story although a little far-fetched, but aren’t all ghost stories? This is not my typical genre but I definitely enjoyed it. It ran in two time lines, 1870’s and the present. The narrative flowed. It was an easy, quick read with a love story ( or 2) thrown in. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Started off fair then went downhill for me toward the end. Didn't care much for the characters, especially the witch. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Great book. I enjoyed the characters, although I wasn't a fan of Augusta not eating. If there needed to be a link as to why Margaret thought she was taking on a life being wasted there should have been a different reason created.

This is a wonderful engrossing story that transports the reader into the marvelous world of the nineteenth century Massachusetts and present day Agusta. Told with dual timelines it is a marvelous story of two empowered women , their magical gifts and the story behind their lives as they mesh together by circumstances of present day and history. I loved the riveting characterizations and the atmospheric settings of this story. The author has created a story that has gothic feel,, present day mysteries and a bit of magic in between the lives of these two strong women charcters. It is a book I highly recommend and enjoyed cover to cover. A excellent read to sweep you away and immerse yourself into this fascinating story.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher. My review opinions are my own,

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers.

A LULLABY FOR WITCHES
By @hesterbfox

Pub Date 01 Feb 2022

Thanks to @graydonhousebooks and
@Harpercollins @htpbooks
#harlequintradepublishing

Hester Fox ‘s newest book A Lullaby for Witches is splendid dual time periods interweaving a gothic and contemporary paranormal tale. Moving between present and 19th century Tynemouth, Massachusetts. Margaret Harlowe a witch in her own right, along with Augusta Podos a quiet and shy curator at the Harlowe House, which happens to the Witch Margaret’s ancestral home.

When strange hallucinations start to happen to Augusta, she finds herself pulled more and more into Margaret’s past life and what became of her.
Fox continues to give lush gothic historical east coast atmospheric imagery. Her writing grabs you and her characters are easy to root for. The book moves effortlessly from present to past, and I have to say I enjoyed both characters and time periods equally.

#alullabyforwitches #arcs #advancedreaderscopy #gothichorror #histfic #spookybooks #halloweenreads #witchfiction #witchyvibes #witchbooks #spookyseason #graydonhousebooks

This book hooked me from it's first chapter and did not slow down or ease up at any point. The historical fiction was immersive and atmospheric, I loved simply reading about how Margaret and her family lived in their 17th century home. I thought the witchy haunting aspect was so creepy and I was extremely invested in Margaret's story.

The only thing that kept me from giving this book five stars was the ending. It felt so rushed to me, like there was this giant build up to a very simple ending. But overall I enjoyed this book and I am really looking forward to whatever Hester Fox does next.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-copy in exchange for my honest review. I gave this book 4 stars on my goodreads!

With that blurb, I couldn’t resist. What has the gothic author created for us this time?

The story is told by two voices. One in the present, Augusta Podos, and one in the past, Margaret Harlowe. Their stories are linked across time.

Margaret was born into a time when her wealthy and oh so concerned about their reputations parents could not figure out why she was so different. Wandering the woods at all hours. Women showing up for help. What was going on with her? She had three brothers and none of them seemed odd. At the time. People kept away from her. The word “witch” was mumbled a lot.

In the present time, Augusta is plodding along in a job she isn’t crazy about and living with Chris who she isn’t sure if she is crazy about. But when she is offered a job at Harlow House, she runs to it! And while the art and archives are there very little is written about Margaret. One small portrait could be her and soon Augusta is obsessed with finding out everything she can about her.

Which is fine with Margaret. Oh, yes, Margaret is still at her house. Waiting for Augusta to come. Augusta is positive Margaret is trying to communicate with her but isn’t sure why. But Margaret has old scores to settle and she will not let anyone get in her way.

There is nothing better than a good ghost story. And this one had a few twists I never saw coming. This was one of those books you don’t want to end.

Great Job!

NetGalley February 1st, 2022 by Graydon House

A LULLABY FOR WITCHES is a messy stew of a book. It has the framework for a great story and about half of the necessary elements; unfortunately it is missing big pieces of information and has characters engaged in behavior that make no sense for them or their time. So, it’s a mixed bag. I read it avidly, but was often disappointed and frustrated. Rather than hash out the details in this review, let me just say, the tale has some glaring holes that aren’t well explained. Author Hester Fox has a keen sense of place and describes settings well. She tends to put too much into the story rather than develop her points well and the book suffers for it. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the perfect read to get you in the Halloween spirit! A good witchy story but not so scary that it will keep you up at night. The characters are interesting and well-developed, and the plot keeps you guessing. The setting of a small Massachusetts town is the perfect backdrop to this story, and Hester Fox deftly handled the time transitions to keep you interested without forgetting what events were occurring on each timeline. I will enthusiastically recommend this book, especially with a nice hot beverage on a chilly fall day!

My first experience with Hester Fox was her debut, and it was a solid three star read for me. Based on A Lullaby for Witches, Fox's work has only improved. I loved this book. I was 100% engaged from the beginning, and I loved to see the character growth and development throughout the book. Excellent read for the Halloween season!

Perfect read for October if you like witchy novels! Augusta is a museum worker in a dead end job with a dead boyfriend when she sees the job advertisement for Harlowe House. She's a perfect fit for the work and would finally be using her degree. But when she starts to work there, strange things start to happen--she connects with Margaret, a young woman who lived in the House years ago. This is a typical historical fiction with a mystery until the very end when a bit of supernatural creeps in--but it worked for me!