This is a fun, inter-generational family history of witches. Each section features one of five Orchiére daughters and their story of how their magic develops, and how they find love in their lives (or not). But witches must always hide their powers from everyone else, for a woman with that kind of power is a danger to society. The novel begins in Brittany and ends in London, and moves from early 19th century all the way to WWII. It's at its strongest when the history comes alive and plays an integral part in the women's lives. This happens at the beginning and the end. The middle fails to utilize the rich history of the time periods they take place in, but it's still fun, especially if you're looking for a light read with romance and witchcraft, and nothing too heavy. I enjoyed it overall, even if it left me craving a little more substance.

Thanks to Netgalley and Redhook for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Posted on Goodreads 08/31/2017]
[Posted about on Book Riot 08/31/2017]
[Posted on blog (margaretkingsbury.com) 09/04/2017]
[Posted on Amazon 09/08/2017]

With its small doses of magic and potions, A SECRET HISTORY OF WITCHES is more a historical novel than fantasy. The novel follows six generations of Orchiére women handing down their witchcraft. As knowledge is passed down, elements are lost or corrupted. It doesn’t take long for ancestral rituals to be forgotten in the face of a changing society.

A SECRET HISTORY OF WITCHES is an excellent examination of tradition, duty and love. Each generation of women places value in different areas. There’s Nanette, who knew the importance of tradition and ritual but thought the line would die with her. There’s also Irene, who hated their place in society and craved the power that magic gave her.

While I loved having the book divided into the six narrators, spanning almost 200 years, I did feel that the novel shied away from some of the more difficult aspects of each character. Each POV section focuses on when the daughter comes to power and how she chooses to wield it. When a new generation is born, the POV changes, even if the previous witch’s story isn’t complete. While the mother grows older in the background, the narrator is always young. I would have loved to follow a narrator into old age, as her power changes and as her magical items are passed on to her daughter.

Each new generation is also warned how men fear powerful women and how the witch hunters could find and kill them. This is a very real threat in the 1800s, less so in 1900s. It would have been interesting to see the generations progress after World War II, when traditions are broken and countries are recovering.The novel is also unbalanced, heavily favouring Veronica’s story during World War II, but not fully examining Irene or Morwen’s. Irene’s rejection of tradition and embrace of power is brushed aside too quickly. There’s more to women than being young and deciding who, and how, to love. Had A SECRET HISTORY OF WITCHES followed its characters into old age and into more modern eras, it would have added so much more to the story.

The style of writing is the one that heads with the story somewhere, but can’t get there. This style of writing is not engaging to me. Therefore, I’m not the right reviewer for this book. There are others who appreciate this style of writing and they will reveal veracious reviews.

Intriguing book covering five generations of witches from a Romani tribe of gypsies. The craft is passed from mother to daughter and the story is organized with a section of the book on each witch - Nanette, Ursule, Irene, Morwen, and Veronica. Each of the stories is similar in that the craft was passed from mother to daughter, witches are prosecuted and they fear this and hide their craft, etc. But each has a different level of power. A strong mother-daughter bond as well as a historical family bond are emphasized throughout. The daughters are passed the family grimoire and scrying stone left by the Orchiere family matriarch, Grandmere Ursule. A well-written book mixing history and fantasy.

Thanks to Louisa Morgan and Orbit Books / Redhook through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Orbit Books and netgalley for this ARC.

Epic, enthralling, and genuinely magical. Lose yourself for a few hours and days within this family of witches.

Actual rating: 3.5

I really enjoyed a lot of this book as I was reading it, but when I started to think too much about what was going on it often made me uncomfortable.

I enjoyed the themes of loss and gain, how culture is passed or not passed from generation to generation, how language and social status and religion and oral history are or are not transmitted, and the factors that determine this.

I wanted to like Veronica's book, but I think touching so much on real-life events and people, and changing how those events occurred made it difficult for me to appreciate. I thought there wasn't enough of a sense of loss between the generations of the family's Romani ethnicity, though I think there was an attempt to address this in the end by having Veronica marry back into it?

And though I enjoyed how the book switched perspectives regularly, I disliked how everything important done by the women was done early in their lives, before they became mothers. It was like as they aged they became less important. Even with Ursule, it felt like she ceased to be a well-rounded character when she became a mother.

Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed the righting and flow of this book enough to overpower most of those.

This book is about the line of Orchiere women.... all witches, with the craft being passed from mother to daughter. Each chapter is about the next one in line, about them finding out they are witches, as they learn the craft, and the dangers of using the craft. The stories are mesmerizing and will leave you wanting more. This is definitely a must read!

This was a fascinating book about 5 generations of witches living in England, and it combines fantasy with history in a very unique way. While each woman's story is fairly similar, the underlying themes about feminism and the mother-daughter relationship are wonderful. I found it interesting that, no matter the era, the women all knew that while men appeared to be in control, it's really the women who hold the power. Some parts are a bit slow, but overall I loved it, particularly the last section.

I am voluntarily submitting my honest review after receiving an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley.

A Secret History of Witches is a well-written account of a matrilineal line of witches originally from Brittany. The novel follows them as they practice their craft and pass on their ways from mother to daughter and flee to Great Britain, eventually ending up outside London after World War II. But this book is less about witchcraft and more about the complex and often painful relationships between mothers and daughters and about reaping what one sows. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, even if some of the events of the book during World War II required more suspension of belief than I could muster. Unfortunately, I felt the ending of the book fell flat with much left unresolved. Still, this is a book I would recommend to anyone with an interest in historical fiction, particularly the history of the occult.

This book is for fans of Deborah Harkness All Souls trilogy. Looking for another fantasy that combines historical fiction with a touch of magic? Then, this is a good series for you. Romantic, dramatic epic that spans the centuries of magic and history.

A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan just did not hit the spot for me. The beginning of the book should have been very exciting and it just lagged. Morgan trots out all of the usual cliches about witchcraft in a romance novel type of narrative. Just not my cup of tea.

Magical and lovely. I will cross my fingers for A Secret History of Witches, Part 2

A Secret History of Witches explores themes of powerful magic, survival, and most importantly the bond between daughter and mother.
Covering five generations, this book is able to contextualize the times in which each generation and how she chooses to handle her dangerous but precious gift.
A fascinating and engaging read.

‘The Secret History of Witches’ by Louisa Morgan tells the multi-generational stories of the Orchieres’ witches, their lives, loves and the how witches were hunted over more than 100 years.

Under normal circumstances, I don’t read books where there are different narrators – it is not a technique that I like. I have a difficult time telling unreliable narrators apart and determine the objectivity of the rest of the novel. In this case, the different narrator tells the stories of an Orchieres witch in a linear timeline but they also provide a unique perspective of each woman. The author did a nice job of imbibing the historical aspect of each era with how much each believes or doesn’t believe.

I enjoyed the change of pace with the each section of the story. It starts with a family farm where each member needs to contribute in order to survive and how the death of each person causes another family member to assume their role/work – even if it isn’t to their liking. At the end of the story (in the late 1940 after WWII ended), you realize how different the world was – not only seeing 2 world wars but also how different the family structure was. Farms were not a central point and families existed in a very different aspect from the previous generations. These historical shifts helped to outline how each witch saw her ‘gift’ and how they ultimately chose to use it.

There are many novels of witches, especially generational witches, but ‘The Secret History of Witches’ put a nice spin on the genre. The historical aspect and research is what puts this novel in a different category – each character seemed to behave exactly as they should not a historical character with modern day sensibilities. There were a few sections of the novel where the story went on a little long or seemed to end quickly but on an overall basis, I would recommend this book without reservations.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Secret History of Witches is an alluring paranormal family saga that is perfect for Anglophiles

Fans of Gothic historical sagas should be drawn to this multi-generational novel about a family of Breton witches whose talents descend through the female line. Of the six granddaughters of Ursule Orchière, a Romani woman who dies saving her clan from witch-hunters, only Nanette, the youngest, proves to have inherited her magic. In 1821, she and her sisters flee France for a farm in Cornwall, where they work the land and live in seclusion to avoid unwanted attention. The story tumbles down through the next hundred years, covering the journeys of Nanette’s daughter, also named Ursule, then Irène, Morwen, and finally Veronica as they come into their heritage in adolescence and carve out paths in a world that would shun them, or worse, if their secrets became known.

In the beginning, the historical backdrop is lightly sketched, while the male characters serve little purpose other than to act as vicious antagonists or, alternately, father the women’s children. As the story continues, the plotlines become stronger, likewise the romantic tension; the history also becomes more paramount. (Even so, the story involving Veronica’s wartime contributions is over the top.) Not all the women are sympathetic, which keeps things fresh and unpredictable.

Although most of the manifestations of their power, like spell-casting and scrying, aren’t unusual for fantasy fiction, Morgan incorporates some creative touches, such as their diverse animal familiars, and the grimoire written in a version of French so archaic it requires translation. Even more compelling than the magic are the five heroines’ differing reactions to their abilities and their relationships with those from earlier generations. Morgan also depicts with visceral impact the roles of women in a male-centered world, and the dangers faced by anyone who doesn’t adhere to prevailing religious beliefs.

I had a bit of a difficulty getting into this one. While the story starts out with extreme promise, it begins to drag a bit before coming back up.

I liked this story. It's a multi generational story of women who use their magical powers to help future generations. Starting with Nanette in 1821 through Victoria into the 1940's these women secretly use their crystal stone to seek advice from past generations and to foresee the future. Well written with strong women set in Europe with gypsy roots this is an interesting book.

While this book does contain magical elements, the real drama is the intense multi-generational family saga. The characterization was excellent, and each character seemed really set apart from the rest. These unique characters were all fully realized and showed aspects of humanity that are very interesting to analyze. I felt that I cared for some of the characters and despised others, but I was interested in them all. This was a great book, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in character-driven fiction that deals with domesticity and relationship choices.