Author #Catherine Cavendish has a new novel out "#The Malan Witch". Without giving to much this is a novella about a haunted cottage. Two witch sisters once lived there long ago. And the place has been renovated by Robyn's sister, Holly, who has mistakenly released one.......well you just have to read the book!!😉🐾🐾
Head over to my Instagram blog #Maddie_approves_,book_reviews for a review this week please!!😉🐾🐾💜
Thank you,
#Netgalley, #Catherine Cavendish, and # IBPA

Great read by a new author for me. The plot is well written and enticing to the reader. The author writes in a way that makes the reader feel like part of The story.

After a gentle start this book snowballs into a wonderfully sinister witchy tale that will keep you glued to the page. Like witches and ghosts and haunted houses? You will enjoy this ride.

This was an odd one and sounded interesting enough, but unfortunately it was slow moving. The parts that had some sort of "eeriness" to it were gone very quickly and the story went on dragging. I unfortunately did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped I would, but that is not to say that this won't be someone else's cup of tea.

Thank you Netgalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

The story started both familiar and unusual: familiar because of the haunted cottage atmosphere: lone woman in a secluded cottage starts hearing and seeing strange things: creepy! Unusual was that the reader was told the history and likely explanation of the haunted cottage: two witches who lived there and were killed by the townsfolk; protection spells that have been put in the house to keep their ghosts from returning. So I was pretty much sure of what to expect, and for a while I was right. But then things turned more complex after the first witch returned - so much so that at the end the story almost lost me - at least it lost some of its former appeal. Still a solid witches' tale, but I felt there was too much weird action crammed into the end that choked the carefully built atmosphere.

This was a promising story, but felt it kind of fell flat by the mid-point. I expected it to be scary based on the cover and description, but it really wasn't. I don't think I'll read more books by this author.

I really enjoyed this spooky wee tale. Robyn Crowe goes to her sister and brother-in-law's newly renovated cottage - Malan Cottage to grieve the loss of her husband. As soon as she's inside she feels that something isn't quite right, the crow outside seems to be watching her, and waiting...

All is not as it seems.. As local legends go the cottage was once home to two malevolent sisters who were witches. The were burned alive for all the wrong doings they did centuries ago and their evil spirits were trapped inside the cottage forever, that is until Robyn's sister accidentally releases one. It's now up to Robyn with a little help from the local Witch to banish her forever. I found the story dark, creepy and atmospheric and I didn't see that little twist at the ending coming! Would recommend.

3.5 stars, rounding up
This witchy novella started out great.  Cavendish does a wonderful job of bringing to life the isolated location (you can almost smell the salt water and feel the wind).   But, as things moved along and strange occurrences started popping up, it felt like it was written by a different person.  The conversations were abrupt and at times felt a bit off, and the little details that sucked me into the story at the beginning pretty  much disappeared.  In short, everything started to feel rushed and unfinished, and at the end I was left scratching my head over a few things (especially the disappearance of a certain character.  Why not more behind that?).  My copy was labeled as 2nd revision so I don't know if any more was changed or if this was the final copy.  I do recommend giving this a try, though, especially if you're looking for a dark tale for Halloween but without the blood and gore of other horror stories.

another great read from Ms. Cavendish, it had the horror elements that I was looking for and I really enjoyed the story.

This was a really good balance of mystery and fantasy. Quite short, this publication offers a clever, accessible escape at a great time of year for something a bit soooky!

Catherine Cavendish always manages to write a story with a unique spin on it. The Malan Witch is about Robyn Crowe who goes to stay at the Malan cottage to give her some time to sort through her grief. It's a lovely little cottage near the coast. But pretty soon she hears about a legend of a sisterhood who were witches who met their end by being burnt. Everyone in the village had hoped that when the witches were burned, the evil would go away too.

There is just something about Catherine Cavendish's ability to write a story in a unique way. Witches coming back to haunt you are never a good sign, but an intriguing one! The writing is fast paced, which is what you would expect if you were in the situation. That things would happen fast. I found this difficult to put down, I just had to know what would happen.

I can tell that a lot of research about witches has gone into this book, especially for the century that these witches would have lived in. information about poppets, salt, and power. Its all there! There is not much in the way of actual witch history, rather more about these particular witches.

Did I like Robyn? I thought she was a bit too easily swayed when she learns about this legend. Catherine Cavendish not really establish if she is a believer or a non believer except for a few lines, but gave a good reason for Robyn staying which tell's us more about her loyal character. The grief elements were very realistic and not too difficult to read. Her sister and family have good reactions and are also very loyal, which makes them likable.

I would recommend this for anyone who likes ghost stories, haunted cottages and the effect that both 'good' and 'evil' witches can have on not only society but people as well.

I give this 4 stars for the unique story, the good pacing and the truly horror like elements. Thank you to Silver Shamrock Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What better way to get into the Halloween spirit, than to read about witches. And not your average crystal wearing, smudge waving, nature loving wiccan type. Nope. We're talking black witches - with a capital B. These ladies are dead and pissed off. Sound fun?
Robyn, a recent widow, was looking for some peace, some quiet, some time to grieve and heal. Instead, she walked right into the middle of a centuries-old cursed land and cottage - Malan cottage. Now she needs to save herself and her sister's family from losing their very souls to the darkness.
I liked this story. It was quick moving, and didn't get bogged down in trying to over explain itself. I never felt any connection to the characters, but sometimes that's not a bad thing.
I recommend for those who enjoy beautiful settings, quiet towns, spooky legends, and scary witches.
Thanks to @netgalley & @silvershamrockpublishing for letting me read in return for my review.

This novella was a great quick read if you're looking for spooky atmosphere but nothing too scary. Poor Robyn just wants to get away and heal from the recent loss of her husband, what better place than a little seaside cottage? Apparently any place would have been better as nearly immediately upon her arrival. It starts with a strange horrendous smell and a crow who is just determined to see Robyn suffer or worse. Instead of being able to rest relax and heal our main character now must unravel the mystery of why these things are happening and find a way to survive.

It's a great solid read, fast paced, excellent characters, well thought out and researched lore and an ominous undertone through out. I wish there had been a bit more scares and some more time spent on how she's dealing with her loss as I felt it got lost in the plot, however it's a novella and you can only fit so much.

Robyn heads to her sister's cottage on the seaside cliff near the small village of St. Oswell to heal from the loss of her husband. This quant old place is known as the Malan Cottage, once home to sister witches who were burned on that land for their evil doings. Protective items were hidden in the cottage and outbuildings all those decades ago in order to keep the witches from returning. Unfortunately, one of the most powerful items has been found and destroyed and one of the sisters has returned and she wants her sister freed!
Robyn has a difficult time relaxing in the Malan Cottage with the strange smells, odd happenings nightmares and visions and one homicidal crow. As Robyn learns more about what is happening her fear grows with her determination to rid the cottage of it's evil in order to protect her sister's family.
This was an enjoyable novella and I loved the lore and the addition of protective object and white magic. I collect Holey Stones (also called Hags Stones, Witches Stones, Adder Stones) myself and delighted in seeing these stones worked into the story. I have quite a few that I've found and have now purchased some red cord for them.
Ms. Cavendish throws a twist in towards the end which leaves you wondering who Robyn can trust. This is effective and had you guessing back and forth a few times before you make up your mind.
This is my second book by Catherine Cavendish. I will continue to enjoy her writing.
#netgalley #TheMalanWitch

This novella started well, setting up the spooky atmosphere in a cottage on the coast with creepy things beginning to happen when Robyn arrives but I don't think it was scary enough. It falls a bit flat with the plot as I was expecting more scary stuff to happen with the witches but the novella focuses more on their history and how to get rid of them rather than a build up of events to reach a crescendo. I am a bit disappointed with this book but because it is only a novella there is only so much you can do in a short amount of pages.

This was a great story until near the end, the transition from the climax to the resolution was jagged, so I felt a bit lost. However, this would make a great film.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Silver Shamrock Publishing and the author, Catherine Cavendish, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Malan Witch in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Such a good read. I was hooked.
The storyline was well thought out and written. The characters were well drawn and compelling. The settings were highly detailed and deliciously creepy.
Well worth a read.

I have heard about Catherine Cavendish, but haven't read anything from her before. Then I was able to get this novella. The perfect length to get an introduction to someone. And it was perfect, and not sure why I haven't read her before. Great characters, pacing, and story. Will definitely get more books from Catherine Cavendish.

I’m consciously trying to read more horror for the month of October and this novella conveniently appeared on Netgalley, so I downloaded it. Witches are pretty Halloweeny, aren’t they. Well, this kind of fit the bill, but just barely. I mean, there were witches, but the book itself left a lot to be desired. It’s the second disappointing novella from the publishers. They try and do great with art, outside and in, but contents end up so underwhelming somehow. And I say somehow, because it’s actually kind of difficult to define, both novellas, the last one and this one, were technically fine. Just not very interesting or original or engaging in any way. Albeit in their very own separate ways. This one…I’ve read a short story by the author before, her style remains the same no matter the word count, it seems. That style being something along the lines of a gothic romance. You know the ones with cheesy covers, maybe from the 60s or 70s. The novella is very modern and set in present day, but it just has that mood and tone to it. The basic plot is this…a recent widow takes a holiday to refresh the mind in a remote old cottage by the sea her sister has recently renovated for her family. It sounds lovely and relaxing and would have been except that it’s on the witches’ land and they can’t wait to reclaim it. So yeah, it’s pretty traditional fare or witches’s brew if you will, it’s slim and reads quickly, but there’s just not much to it to wow the readers. There’s a sort of torpid muted quality to the storytelling that just doesn’t inspire active engagement, emotional or intellectual. It’s just kind of goes by in a pretty unmemorable fashion. Maybe fans of this style of writing and/or witches will get more out of it. But either way, it’s fine, mindless sort of thing, demanding neither much time nor attention. Thanks Netgalley.

Thank you NetGalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing for the eARC.
Robyn Crowe, who lost her husband 6 months ago and is still grieving has moved to a seaside cottage that her sister and husband have lovingly restored. It doesn't take long for her to realize something is very wrong and she finds out from the village coffee shop owner there's an explanation for the awful foetid smell and the aggressive crow who is intent on attacking her.
This is a story about ancient witches who want revenge and the women who fight them. It was a fun read, not too scary, but with a ominous undertone.