I love to read about history but from the perspective of the "average" person life. This story was set in New England in 1688 and told the story of a mother and daughter who were left with some native peoples to keep them safe. There they learned the secrets of natural healing as practiced by the native people for centuries. However this made many of the village people think they were witches. A very interesting read.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

I have a horrible habit of going into books blind, judging them solely on their covers and titles. Because I enjoy books in pretty much every genre, this works passably well for me, but it means I never really know what to expect from the books I pick up, and sometimes the covers and titles mislead me. That was definitely the case with this book, as I was expecting something more horror themed.

Now, there were definitely some horrifying events that occurred throughout the course of this story, and some heavy mystical elements at play as well. And once I got past my initial disappointment about the actual genre of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt immersed in the tale, as if I was in the village with Resolve and her mother. Trying to walk the line between helping the villagers and not being accused of being a witch and put to death. I spent a fair portion of the book angry about the Puritan ideals because it felt like they were oppressing me too.

Overall I give The Devil's Glove 4.137 out of 5 stars, and definitely recommend it for anyone with even a passing interest in the Salem Witch Trial period of American history.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I was thrown into Deliverance's world and the pre-salem witch trial life in New England. I enjoyed how the author also tied in the local Indian tribes as well and their culture. I have recommended this book already to many friends and hope that there is a second coming soon!

Thank you NetGalley, Publishers, and Lucretia Grindle for gifting me a copy of The Devil's Glove in return for my honest opinion.

3/5 stars

Northern New England, summer, 1688. A suspicious death. A rumor of war. Whispers of witchcraft. Salem started here. Perched on the brink of disaster, Resolve Hammond and her mother, Deliverance, struggle to survive in their isolated coastal village. They're known as healers taught by the local tribes - and suspected of witchcraft by the local villagers. Their precarious existence becomes even more chaotic when they are summoned to tend to a poisoned woman. As they uncover a web of dark secrets, rumors of war engulf the village, forcing the Hammonds to choose between loyalty to their native friends or the increasingly terrified settler community. As Resolve is plagued by strange dreams, she questions everything she thought she knew - about her family, her closest friend, and even herself. If the truth comes to light, the repercussions will be felt far beyond the confines of this small settlement.

What I Loved
-Very detailed and well thought out.
-Characters were well thought out and easy to remember

What I didn't enjoy
-Several details and stories were told, but they didn't have any purpose to the final story or plot.
-The ending was just kind of eh to me, I didn't hate it but I also didn't like it.

Final thoughts
While I enjoyed this book there were points where I was confused by where details were going and whether they were going to matter to the plot. I wish it was a little more cohesive with some of the details and then I would have loved it!

Engrossing book about life in a small community in Massachusetts in the late 1600’s, when suspicions of witchcraft were still prominent. The town was extremely suspicious of the local Indians and were convinced the Indians were going to war with them. Resolve’s mother is a healer and has learned much about herbal remedies from the Indians. In this tense time, some Indians are captured to be sold as slaves. In turn, the Indians come at night and capture the same number of male settlers as hostages…and eye for an eye. You will have to read the book to find out how the impasse is resolved. Highly recommend.

I have read a good many accounts of the Salem witch trials, but "The Devil's Glove" introduces a narrative, and narrator, I've not encountered before.

The fact that the book is set in Falmouth (Maine) is the first unexpected piece. Introducing the tension between the English and Native peoples in the aftermath of the King Philip's War into the narrative is another.
And there is genuinely something uncanny happening with protagonist Resolve Hammond, and the Hobb family, which will upset the equilibrium of the settlement as much as their leaders' ham-fisted treatment of their Native neighbours.
And farther south, in Boston, preacher Cotton Mather and his son are stirring up hysteria around witchcraft and devilry...

This book particularly shines in the relationships between characters. The developing relationships between Resolve Hammond and Thaddeus Hobbs, and Thaddeus's problematic sister, Abigail, are compelling and convincing. Equally, the breakdown of an older friendship, and the reasons behind it, is beautifully rendered. The manner in which familial love between mother and daughter is depicted is heart wrenching. There is not a character in the story who is not fully developed, even those who we encounter only briefly.

Although when reading historical fiction I often pause to look up references that interest me, I did not revisit any of my other books on the Salem Witch Trials. To begin with, I read "The Devil's Glove" in a single afternoon. But not a single aspect of the historical details struck me as inaccurate in any way. The description of life in 17th-century Eastern Massachusetts (Maine was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony) feels almost flawless.

The book ends with the prospect of another chapter of the story yet to come. I hope so!

Meh. Mediocre at best. 2.75 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC of The Devil's Glove. While I enjoyed parts of this story, as a reader it was really difficult to understand what it was about at any given time. It felt like there were several half finished thoughts throughout with no real conclusion. I found myself constantly asking " ok what's the point of adding this to the story." Parts of the story were compelling and interesting but overall this book felt unfinished and lacked cohesion.

Beautifully written, this book tells the story of life before The Salem Witch Trials. The characters were well developed and I like how this story flowed. It was very interesting.
Many thanks to The Book Whisperer and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my first book by Lucretia Grindle and I really enjoyed it!!! If you enjoy reading about the Salem witch trials you will like this book!!! Read and enjoy!!!

A mother named Deliverance, and daughter, Resolve, in 1600s New England, encounter many strange and suspicious events involving other characters in the story. Deliverance knows the art of healing with plants, which she learned from living among Native Americans. The community becomes suspicious of this healing power.
The prose was different, and hard to follow at times.

This book of historical fiction describes the story of a village engulfed with suspicion and betrayals. The description of the book states that it is based on the Salem Witch Trials, for which I saw some similarities. There was a lot of description that perhaps was not necessary to the story, and I felt as if it bogged down in those areas. Overall, for me it was a creepy and disturbing read, although other readers might like it. The story does show what can happen when people gossip and mistrust, and how those actions can snowball out of control. I was hoping for a stronger resolution at the end of the story.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

"John Alden says that for some, fear is profit. My mother says that for many, fear is purpose. The union of the two is deadly. An unholy marriage indeed."

Back in 2002, I read Mary Beth Norton’s In the Devil’s Snare, her nonfiction book about the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials. This groundbreaking text demonstrated connections between the victims and accusers dating back to their earlier lives on the violent frontier of northern New England (now Maine).

Lucretia Grindle mines this same rich vein of research in The Devil’s Glove, first in a promised trilogy about Salem and the circumstances that led to the tragedies, a time when the Devil was said to walk in Massachusetts.

The story has a mix of fictional and real-life characters, including Captain John Alden, above (son of the Mayflower passenger of the same name). While Salem history buffs will perk up at some of the other names, I won’t spoil the details for readers who haven’t heard of them – aside from saying that the heroine, seventeen-year-old Resolve Hammond, is the author’s invention. She and her mother, Deliverance, a native of the Channel Island of Jersey, are herbalists who tend to the village women of the tiny settlement of Falmouth. They live alone, with Resolve’s father away for two years on a trading mission.

In 1688, when the local minister calls for Mistress Hammond to tend to Goodwife Hobbs, a dying woman, Resolve’s mother whispers to herself, “Why did they not use charcoal?” She quickly recognizes what others don’t – that Avis Hobbs, who is with child, was poisoned – and she wonders why the antidote wasn’t used. Unfortunately, it’s too late to save the poor woman. The Hammonds secretly suspect that Abigail Hobbs, the victim’s oddly unchildlike ten-year-old daughter, dispensed the poison, but who would believe them?

The Devil’s Glove isn’t a crime novel or a thriller, although Grindle’s previous novels fit these genres. I’d call it a historical novel with strong overtones of psychological suspense that arise naturally from the milieu. The author knows the forces that motivate people to commit dark deeds, particularly the fear that gripped the populace in this remote place. The Indians who attacked the villagers years beforehand, the French, the Catholics – all are seen as threats to the Puritan community. For this reason, Resolve and her mother, who sheltered with the sachem Ashawonks and her people during King Philip’s War, keep their knowledge, affinities, and French ancestry to themselves.

With firm roots in the complex historical politics of the region, this is an atmospheric read with a haunting sense of place and unsettling twists in the character arcs. You don’t have to be a Salem witch aficionado to read the book, but if you are, you’ll appreciate the detailed backstory to the infamous events that happened there.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
The opening of the book made me think that it would have more involvement with the witch trials, however, it didn't. It was still a good book.

An intriguing look into New England in the late 1600s, just prior to the Salem witch trials. Our protagonist Resolve lives with her mother in a small village. Her mother is a healer, and they have a fairly idyllic life. However, they aren't fully accepted by the townspeople, as rumors abound that they have a connection with the "savages", and that her mother's skills can't be natural. As tensions rise between the townspeople and a local tribe, Resolve and her mother risk being caught in the crosshairs. Life isn't easy for outsiders in this time period, especially so for women who live alone.

I am always interested in picking up historical fiction set in this time period, and this one did not disappoint. It takes place before the Salem witch trials, but you can definitely see the seeds forming. The mystical/ witchcraft elements are few, but add a lot to the story. Resolve is a sweet girl, easy to connect with. I really enjoyed the glimpses into her and her mother's interactions with the tribes, as well as the bits of Native American lore that were sprinkled in. I was kind of terrified of Abigail to begin with, and found her developing relationship with Resolve quite interesting. This story really left me wanting more. Would recommend.

It's the summer of 1688 in a coastal town in Northern New England. Resolve Hammond helps her mother Deliverance, a midwife and a healer. But the healing gift also comes with rumors that the women are witches. It doesn't help that a woman they try to heal was poisoned, that they learned their craft from Native Americans, and that Resolve has dreams and visions that are unexplained. Will they survive the volatile community showdown?
This novel started out slow for me. But I liked the poetic wording and rhythm. By a quarter of the way in, I was hooked. I appreciated the insight into life before the Salem Witchcraft Trials but felt frustrated by the fear and suspicion. However, those emotions mimic culture today and in every generation. I found myself wondering how I perpetuate fear of the unknown and unexplained. I would like to be a proponent of truth.
My favorite quotes:
"Left with Tiny Hannah after her men were taken, she could have chosen to wither and sink. To become another Mary Skilling, lost in the angry madness of grief. Or a Mercy Lewis, wandering in the terror of her own shadows. Or she could turn like a ship before the winds and unfurl into the world." But instead, she thrived and chose to heal from her trauma. Yes!
"Thaddeus Hobbs has seen a chance to mend a rip in the world." I want to mend rips too!

This book took me on an emotional roller-coaster. I was angry, sad, and happy as I turned each page. This was a great example of the pre-Salem witch trial period as another reviewer mentioned. The descriptions were good, could have been cut shorter in some cases, but the writing was really beautiful.

So good. Love the twist and turns. A very good mystery of who done it. I would reckon abend this book.

Fear, greed, religious zealotry, beauty covering evil . . . the devil’s glove, tempting with showy decoration. This book was unsettling, hard to read. Knowing the outcome of witchcraft terror, I put it aside several times. I took breaks with lighter material, but found myself coming back to resolve uncertainties and hope for rescue, for safe resolutions and reconciliation and trust . . . because one should always hope. I came to admire Resolve and her mother, both healers, and their faithful friends, including John Alden and Yellow Bird and his people. Descriptions were lovely, hard to say good-bye to beauty, to home, but where is home for the hunted? Just when you think you’re safe . . .

Set in Massachusetts shortly before the Sale. Witch Trials, this story is impeccably researched and highly entertaining. Deliverance and Resolve Hammond are mother and daughter left in a small coastal town by their husband and father, who is across the sea trading. After spending time with a small band of Native Americans and learning their skills, they are now much sought out for their healing. At the same time, they are suspect, because who could hold that knowledge without witchcraft?
The Hammond women face challenges and hardship, and must make a heartwrenching decision. The book ends rather abruptly, but seems to. Foreshadow a sequel.
The book is very much character driven, with many making appearances, large and small. I enjoyed it.