For Whatever Time We Might Have: "The Witch's Daughter" by Paula Brackston

#Rayloween2018 has been long-anticipated in my world. First and foremost, I HEART Halloween. It is my favorite holiday besides my birthday and the 4th of July. This year I knew that I needed to make it super special because last year was ultra sucky. So, as a part of my Halloween festivities (which started in the last week of August) I decided to broaden my reading horizons and tackle a witchy thriller.  Little did I know that "The Witch's Daughter" by Paula Brackston would fit this description well beyond my imagination I would love it so dang much all the while being a bit scared out of my knickers.  But, it wouldn't be Halloween without a little adrenaline rush, right?

The main character of "The Witch's Daughter" is Bess Hawksmith. Bess comes from a very tightly knit family from early 17th century England.  Her mother is a dedicated healer and by any other definition a witch, but chooses to use her powers only for good. She and Bess experience great sadness when 3 of their family members die from the Black Plague.  Bess' mother can't bear to lose her only daughter and she sacrifices herself to a local warlock who in turn gives her the powers to save Bess from dying. The trade off for this decision is ultimately death because she is discovered to be a witch and is hung. It's really intense from page 1 and I knew If was headed for a really gripping plot once Bess' mother was hung for witchcraft. In exchange for the warlock giving Bess' mother the power to save her, she is required to turn herself over to him and become immortal and a witch herself.  The remainder of the book is sections of her life as she is living in present day and as alter-egos in other time periods.

What I didn't expect was not only some solid time travel, but time travel that would ultimately connect to present day in such a way that had my mind reeling for days.  This entire book was exceptionally written and I found myself making time to read more because I didn't want to leave in the middle of a time travel section because I might miss something good.  Probably my favorite time travel section was set in late 19th century London. Bess' is a doctor who works in a local teaching hospital by day and in the evenings she runs a back-door entrance female clinic for women who have become pregnant through illegal means. The majority of her clients are prostitutes and she shares really intimate and tragic details about her interactions with these women. This section really touched my heart because she knows that she can't change their outcomes, but she also knows that they need the medical help more than anyone because of their chosen professions.  This section gave a very real description of how the lives of women have drastically changed over the years. This was also the section that I was drawn in the most emotionally so when the gripping element manifested itself I almost threw my book across the room because I was so shocked at how everything transpired. Let's just say the laundry didn't get done that afternoon because I was too busy reading 75 pages in one sitting.

One of the many elements I loved about "The Witch's Daughter" was Bess' commitment to using her powers for good. She never sacrificed dignity and honesty for the sake of being a witch. I liked that a lot.  How many times do we have the opportunity to use our voice or our powers for good and perhaps take advantage of it in a bad way? How often do we see this manifested in the public arena, especially with politicians.  I'm always so inspired by people like Will & Kate and Harry & Meghan because they know they are popular, but use their influence for the absolute best they know how.  That is what life should be all about. We should do our best to make use of whatever time we have in life. Doing good should be our primary goal always. This ongoing theme in "The Witch's Daughter" was so inspiring. We see throughout the book, that Bess struggles to do good in the face of evil and almost pulls away from showing emotion because she knows she might hurt mortals.  In spite of the difficulties though she still lets herself be vulnerable and it was moving to read.

This book was probably so intense and gripping for me because I literally experienced all emotions while reading it. The author explored some really heavy themes along with witchcraft and it was some goooood reading. Towards the end of the book I had to take a time-out or two because I was stepping into plot that might lead to some overly vivid dreams. But, it ended in a powerful manner that I loved. I'm also happy to report that their is a sequel and I plan to read it in the next couple months. It will most definitely be featured on the blog as well.

My recommended reading group would be age 18 and above.  It's a Rated R read with heavy adult themes including sex, execution by hanging, prostitution and witchcraft.....isn't that a depressing line-up all in one sentence? I promise it's not all together at the same time, but if this stuff bothers you, just know that each of these topics are legit and come up multiple times in the book.

The moral of the story: Make the most of the time you have. Be kind and use your power for good. Good will always win over evil. Always.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R

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