Although the description entices with promises of witchcraft and history, it focuses on the daily dramas of one particular family. While there is romance, it's set in the past, and there are hints of supernatural, it failed to really deliver on anything in particular. I found it to be very slow moving and not at all compelling. I was more interested in how the sister's illicit relationship came to be than anything else. Overall, this fell flat.

I find this an excellent example of the horror genre for young adults. The main character, Lydia has powers such as clairvoyance and telekinesis, but the book does not give her an unlimited amount of power. I found her believable and understood the temptation to give her sister a potion to induce a miscarriage. Society at that time really would have looked down on the entire family for a child born out of wedlock in an incestuous relationship.

The ending wrapped up the story well, but I had a harder time believing that her sister would move to New York on her own, despite her secret past. Upper-middle-class young ladies would not normally do this unless they had been disowned by family. Lydia and Catherine had kept their terrible secret hidden from their parents in this story, so the motivation to leave for New York was not that strong.

I would recommend this title to my students in a summer reading list or seasonal reading list for October. I might use it for my lessons, however, this would depend on the school and curricular pacing guide.

3.5

It was cute, and I really liked the character development for Lydia and the development of her up and down relationship with her sister Catherine. It read kind of like a Jane Austen or Bronte novel, but with ghosts and witchcraft thrown in.

What drew me to this book was the lovely cover. There were some trigger areas for me, which has to do with abuse of animals. Was not a book that I would pick up again.

What a joy to find a book that was engaging and a page turner, especially in an eformat because I am more of a hard copy type of girl!

I love the characters of Lydia Montrose and even her selfish (from Lydia's POV) sister, Catherine. I found the setting atmospheric especially the woods and the water, filling me with hope when the light is out and dread when night fall. There's a few things that would have made it a five stars for me. I expected the witchery and spirits to be more spooky. It was scary enough (I tend to read before bed) but was missing some elements that made it extraordinary. Secondly, I need a book from Catherine's perspective. Or even a series dating back to Mary. I could definitely use generations of witches!

Oh my goodness! Don’t you just LOVE this book cover? I think it’s perfect for this amazingly curious, dark, mysterious work of historical fiction awesomeness! I think this book, The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox, is being promoted as a Romance genre book, and it does have the most wonderful love story, but it’s so much more than that. I found myself utterly transfixed with this book, creeped out, and consistently desperate to find out what was going to happen!

Premise- The Montroses are relocating to their new home, Willow Hall, after rumors about the eldest daughter, the beautiful and captivating Caroline, make their wealthy (but “scandalous and immoral”) family Boston’s ultimate pariahs. Lydia, the sensible sister (read: the plain one), spends her days caring for her younger sister and feeling like a spinster after her recent failed engagement. Right away, things seem amiss at Willow Hall. Weird things are happening- sudden door slams, wailing in the middle of the night, outbursts of anger, etc…scary!

Then, when an unspeakable tragedy occurs, Lydia despairs over her new reality, and learns that the rumors which ousted their family from Boston are far worse and truer than anyone ever imagined. Caroline’s secret threatens to destroy their own family forever. On top of that, Lydia- always the caretaker, handler, “fixer”- finds herself competing with her sister for the handsome Mr. John Barrett’s affections, a guy who just so happens to be their father’s new business partner. Drama, drama, drama I tell ya!

This book had everything- history, sibling rivalry, danger, tragedy, love, you name it! As I got closer and closer to the end, I found myself feeling so sad that I wouldn’t be “living” with the Montrose family much longer. In fact, this family and the town of New Oldbury would be the perfect setting for a Willow Hall series…hint hint!

If you are looking for a WONDERFUL story that will have you hooked from the first page, this book is it! Add October 2nd, 2018 to your calendar because that’s when The Witch of Willow Hall comes out, and you don’t want to miss it!

5 out of 5 stars for The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox. Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House Books (US & UK) for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

This was a fun story to read, reminiscent of gothic romance. It could have been a much longer book if the author had wanted to delve more deeply into the lives and history of the characters, but as it is, the story is entertaining, the time period authentic and the characters believable.

Witches are real and exist! A good job, Hester. This was a fun read about three sisters forced to move away from their home due to the pregnancy of one. There are the two handsome princes, one evil sister and an understanding if missing mother to them all. There is a lot of sadness in this story, but worth the read.

A breathtaking read that I kept trying to put down so I could work on other things on my to-do list, but within two or three minutes I was right back at it. Started reading around 11am today, finished around 3.30pm today. Whoops.

Puts a spin on historical fiction and historical romance, dropping the reader into a family leaving Boston in the 1820s in the wake of some undefined scandal involving the eldest daughter. The story is told by the middle daughter, bookish and occasionally volatile Lydia, whose anger manifests itself in, shall we say, interesting ways.

Willow Hall, their new home, affects each of the three daughters different. Emeline, the youngest, starts showing a tendency to anger she's never displayed before, and claims to have a friend, a little boy, who lives at the pond on the property. Lydia's disturbed sleep leads her to hear and see things nobody else in the family seems to notice, while she feels an immediate strong inclination for their quiet neighbor, John Barrett. The eldest daughter, Catherine, is the only one who seems not to notice anything strange about the place, since she's wrapped up in her own woes, relating to the scandal in Boston. The son of the family, Charles, is only mentioned, never seen - he is apparently gone from the family as part of the general disgrace.

Totally satisfying. I recommend it!

This book had a sort of gothic VC Andrewsesque vibe to it. At times, it kept me on the edge of my toes. But there were also times when the plot plodded on. For instance, I felt John took too long to declare himself and his intentions. I was thoroughly tired of Catherine and her plotting and scheming, she was the evil. The parents seemed to be absent even though they were physically present. I would have liked to see Lydia learn and use more of her powers. But there were plenty of creepy and spooky elements. I enjoyed this book though. I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Witch of Willow Hall is a Victorian Gothic Romance that hits all of the right notes; a society scandal, family drama and just a touch of the spiritual to give it a twist.
The Montrose family though well off is forced to flee Boston for New Oldbery, due to a scandal and a family secret long kept hidden. The family has three daughters, Catherine, who is concerned only with herself, Bookish and quiet Lydia and Emeline, who at eight is full adventure and excitement for new discoveries and a older son Charles who is discussed but never seen.. Upon arriving at Willow Hall the dark overtones are set out quickly, the girls mother is forlorn, Catherine, the cause of the upheaval is dismissive and nasty, Lydia ever the peace keeper tries to lighten the mood, and Emeline dashes off to find adventure. .Soon after their arrival in Old Newbery Lydia happens quite by accident to meet John Barrett in the woods near an old mill, he starts out very charming and soon turns subdued. He turns out to be Mr. Montrose's new business partner and has secrets of his own. Lydia hears wailing in the night and sees a figure walking through her garden, she also has a way with herbs, these revelations all lead back to a mysterious family member from the past who was hung in Salem for being a witch. There is more than one secret that is endangering the family, and as they come to light it is up to Lydia to make the correct choices and the sacrifices to save her family. But just like a heroine in one of Lydia's books she perseveres and is rewarded with her knight and a happily ever after.
I was entranced by the storyline and actually read it in one sitting, late into the night I might add,. I just couldn't put it down. For this to be Ms. Fox's debut novel, I am sincerely impressed. I'll be looking to see more of her work in the future. The characters are well written you feel their joy, their pain and how society's rules could make or break a family are very well displayed. The storylines work so well together and I would love to read more about the Montrose and Barrett families in the future. The otherworldliness is subtle and only adds to the depth of the characters and their struggles.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A pretty good story with characters that I didn't much care for for the most of the story. It's an interesting enough read.

CREEEPILY GOOD. A bit long in parts but definitely worth the read. Scandal forces the Montrose family out of Boston and Lydia (main character and from whose viewpoint the book is written) must face the repercussions even though she is not the character who caused the scandal.
Gothic and dark book at a time where there are not a lot of gothic dark books being written. I liked the flow of it (even with the long parts). Definitely worth a late night reading!

I loved this story. It had a bit of otherworldly spookiness that I’m not usually into, but it was well done. The characters are deep and complicated, the story is not predictable and kept me on the edge of my seat. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel. I didn’t want to leave this world! (Or I’ll just have to reread it!)

If I had known this book was written in first-person, present-tense, I would never even have picked it off the Amazon Vine. That POV just does not work for me as a reader, especially in historical novels set in the past. Your mileage may vary.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! The Witch of Willow Hall is skillfully crafted - before you know it you are caught up in the story. I loved the slow reveal - telling around the events until you know what happened without making it the main part of the Lydia's story. Some of the events were sad but made for a better more poignant story. There is a definite gothic feel to this story. It reminded me of how I felt reading the Philipa Carr and Victoria Holt (I know - same person) novels I devoured in high school.

I look forward to seeing more from this author!

Okay, I didn't know if I was going to like this book. The first chapter deals with the murder of a cat. And I have cats. And it almost made me put the book down. But once the "action" moved from Boston to Willow Hall, the book really picked up. The ending was a bit trite, but I loved the way the characters histories wove together. The sister was infuriating, but the main character was very interesting. All in all, a great middle with lagging in the beginning and the end.

I was enthralled by this book the moment I began reading it. The Gothic tone set a mood for me similar to that a book by Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte can invoke; old fashioned in descriptions and language, and yet it was written so much more recently. I loved the sweet innocence of it; if it can be called sweet innocence, a book on witches and ghosts. And the authors name - Hester Fox? Fabulous name for an author writing about the supernatural.

Lydia is certain that the scandal her beautiful sister Catherine brought down on the family has ruined her chances for love and marriage, since her fiance unceremoniously and self-righteously broke off their engagement. The family moves in disgrace from their elite Boston home to the wilds of northern Massachusetts. From the beginning, Lydia notices strange things about the newly built home; moaning and crying, apparitions, and even her own mood and that of her younger sister Emaline seems volatile. These strange events seem intensified by the heat of a heavy, oppressive summer.. Early into the novel she meets the compelling Mr. Barrett, although his odd behavior strikes a chord of wrongness in her. Many things go bump-in-the night, visits from a long dead relative, the mystery of Mr. Barrett's life, and Lydia's dawning of her own mysterious powers all lend to the mystical, magical quality of the book. I would recommend this to young adult readers, but also to adults who enjoy Gothic novels and romance.

This was a lovely gothic romance (reminded me a bit of Jane Eyre). Interesting characters, believable love story. I had some quibbles with details (men without undershirts?) but overall found it to be a compelling book.

So why only three stars? Well, when I go to read a book called "The Witch of Willow Hall" I expect a fair amount of witchiness, you know what I mean? Quite frankly, this book fell down on that front (but really that front alone.)

The witch thing was a huge factor in Lydia's life but I was surprised to see it was NOT really a huge factor in the overall narrative. In fact, save for a vague reference to a childhood misdeed and one "someone stamps foot and doors slam in response" moment early in the book, there wasn't ANY witchy action until the 50% mark in the book! Don't get me wrong, there is some GHOST stuff (which is cool and adds to the gothic flavor) but WITCH stuff? Nope. Not a lot. I found that monumentally disappointing.

So, if you are a fan of historical romance, check this out. Fan of SUPERNATURAL romance? I'd keep looking.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice but with a gothic parallel story line. I enjoyed it immensely. The characters were strong and polarizing. Taboo subjects are broached with sensitivity. It could have been a mishmash of genres thrown together, if the author had not crafted the storyline so well. I think it was well done.