*Trigger Warnings*
*Rape, paedophilia, physical harm, murder, beating, Abortion*
In the spring of 1620 in a Lancashire fishing community and the memory of the slaughter at Pendle is tight around the neck of Sarah Haworth. A birthmark reveals that Sarah, like her mother, is a witch. The Haworth family live in the plague village near a God-fearing community presided over by a seedy magistrate. A society built upon looking the other way, the villagers’ godliness is merely a veneer. But the Haworth women, with their salves and poultices, are judged the real threat to morality.

When Sarah meets lonely farmer’s son Daniel, she begins to dream of a better future. Daniel is in thrall to the wild girl with storms in her eyes, but their bond is tested when a zealous new magistrate vows to root out sins and sinners. In a frenzy of fear and fury, the community begins to turn on one another, and it’s not long before they direct their gaze towards the old plague village … and does Daniel trust that the power Sarah wields over him is truly love, or could it be mere sorcery?

The start of this book is a bit slow but once things start to happen it is very difficult to put down. The writing is well done and the story flows well. The tension and fear of the people in the village is conveyed well and the feeling of everyone being able to tell the new magistrate something to get him off their back and move the blame to another is captivating to read. The feelings of prejudice, fear and helplessness is intense and I really enjoyed this book overall.
However, I had a few issues with parts of the plot the "I'm not like other girls" narrative is weak and the only other girl we are introduced to is Molly, who is portrayed as bitchy and unlikable but also as boring where Sarah is wild. For a "feminist" book I think this trope is out of place and would rather it not be present.
As well as this the overdone romance plot of misunderstandings to create tension and conflict is overdone and seems out of place again, Daniel is not described as stupid and knows how Gabriel is yet believes him over Sarah? I found this difficult to believe.

Overall the writing was good and atmospheric but clichés kept it from being a great read but I look forward to reading more work by this author

Bleak but beautifully written. A good addition to the feminist literature about the witch trials.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for review.

This book gives me conflicted thoughts. I really did not like the first chapter and even considered not bothering reading the Cunning Women. The character of Daniel and Sarah and my happily ever after desire kept me reading and turning the pages. Annie was also a compelling character with much more of a story than the other characters.

Full review at https://pjsandbooks.wordpress.com/

I’ve finally got round to finishing this book and I don’t think I’ll ever be the same again. My heart is broken.

This book is so full of passion, happiness, despair and terrible cruelty.
I feel such admiration for the women in this book who were strong and powerful, and hatred towards those who judged what the did not understand, and lied to save their own skin.

It is sad that this likely did happen many years ago, that women were made to suffer for merely trying to survive.

I ended this book sobbing, but with hope that Sarah, Annie and their mam find a kinder life.

I liked the premise, and the plot, however, the pace is quite slow especially at the beginning. Good writing and an interesting story though.
Thanks a lot to NG nad the publisher for this copy.

I keep trying to read this but just can't muster the will to carry on. It's probably a case of, "it's not you, it's me" - I've been in a massive reading slump where nothing is quite ticking the boxes for me atm. Attempted 3 times, but failed to finish.

This book wasn’t quite what I expected but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing! I thought there would be more witchcraft and magic, it does play a part, but instead the focus is on the love story between two people fighting against societal expectations and prejudice.

I loved how atmospheric the book felt, Lee really draws you into 1620’s Lancashire and a world reeling from the Pendle Witch Trials. There’s a real sense that no one is safe and escape is impossible, the whole community is filled with suspicion.

The story itself didn’t really capture my attention though. I think it was because I never really connected with the main characters and didn’t feel invested in their relationship. Their individual family dynamics did keep me reading though, I wish more time had been spent developing these further.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my god. This book was amazing.

The narrator alternates between Sarah and Daniel, and by the end of the novel the author has invested you in both. They are both so well written. I found myself so unable to tear myself away from their stories.

The author makes you hold onto hope until the last few pages, that maybe they will be together and all will be well. The reader becomes as hopeful and naive as the two main characters, even though it is also very clear throughout how the book will end.

Besides the main characters, the scenery and the supporting characters are also intricately written. I was heavily invested in the world that was created for me. The small details like poppy seeds creating witchy visions, and birth marks being the sign of a witch were woven deep within the story. I can only imagine that I could picture the book exactly how the author had intended, there was so much attention to detail.

The only thing I will say against the book is that it was supposedly set in a certain time period, when people were suspicious of witches and accused their neighbours of witchcraft. I found that I didn’t read it as being set in northern England in the 1700/1800s, but as if it were another world entirely. A fantasy novel more than a historic novel. I don’t think it took anything away from the storyline, but it’s something to note.

Also I found that there was a lot of build up around the new magistrate, but in the end he wasn’t even there when the townsfolk killed John. Again, I don’t think it took away from the story, and maybe that was the purpose, for him to get them worked up enough to kill. Though I feel that without him, it would have worked just as well.

Overall I would recommend this novel, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will read again.

This was such a slow book to get into. I liked the premise and the setting but could not engage with the characters and it felt less like historical fiction than fantasy at times. I think that lots of readers will love this tale but I found it onerous and I stopped caring

I'm always here for a tale of star-crossed lovers but set it in the 1620s during the witch trials and I will 100% inhale your book. This had everything I enjoy about historical fiction, including the beautifully atmospheric prose. Truly a stunning debut novel.

A great read that I think fell short of what it could have been. Cunning Women follows Sarah who lives on the fringe of society with her family, cast aside due to rumors of witchcraft. This is at the height of witch trials in 1600s England. We learn early on that they do seem to have the 'cunning', although at times the book makes it difficult to really know if it's real or not.

Then the story focuses mostly on Sarah and Daniel (a local farmer's son) and their burgeoning love story. In the backdrop, an increasingly intolerant village and society widens the gap between them. There are those who help them secretly, those who detest them and those who actively plot for their demise. It's a harsh look at mob mentality and fear of others.

Where I think it fell short is that it didn't really explore more the idea of the 'cunning', that's what it's called after all. Sometimes it came in the form of dreams, but again blurring the line between reality and fiction. Potentially this was deliberate. Also I loved how much more well-defined the women characters were throughout, but the men sometimes lacked depth (even the brother and the love interest).

I've rounded down from around 3.5 stars. I'd recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction and books with some witchcraft.

An immersive and compelling read that bristles with the supernatural.

Lee conjures the attitudes and customs of the early 1600's effortlessly. Local dialogue and daily tasks are as intricately described as the inbuilt psyches of fear, jealousy, hate and love that are simultaneously timeless and yet grown as a product of the era.

Daniel and Sarah's story is built on the seemingly simple premise of love - and yet the plot evolved and grew around this desire, encompassing much wider reaching issues of acceptance and the consequences of hate and fear in dividing a community. Ultimately, it was also a story of humanity and my heart went out to more than one character along the way as events spiralled ever more tragically out of control...

The balance of historical and supernatural, emotion and psyche, all blend to create an immersive setting and enthralling storyline.

Perfect for fans of 'The Binding' by Bridget Collins and 'The Familiars' by Stacey Halls.

Cunning Women by Elizabeth Lee

It’s 1620 and the community of a Lancashire fishing village are still wary after the Lancashire witch trials. Part of the village has been abandoned after its inhabitants are wiped out by the plague. The Haworth family, destitute and desperate after the death of husband and father, have moved into an abandoned ‘plague’ house.
Where they might have once been viewed as ‘normal’ villagers, their poverty means that they have to find any means to feed themselves. Theft, begging and prostitution are among the ways they survive, and this alienates them further from the god-fearing villagers. The mother and eldest daughter, Sarah, are Cunning Women. They use old country lore and botanical knowledge to make healing balms. But the mother, fiercely protective of her maligned children, sometimes takes her cunning powers further, wishing harm on those who cross her family.
Sarah, the eldest daughter, fights hard against what she believes is her destiny, that is, using her cunning for bad as well as good.
But when she and her family are constantly accused of any wrongdoings in the village, she finds it hard not to succumb to her darker nature.
Daniel, the farmer’s son is as wary as any of the villagers about the Haworth family. But he sees something different in Sarah and falls in love with her. They contrive a plan so that they can be together, disguising Sarah as a milk maid from another part of the county.
But as the suspicion grows against the family, Daniel too, finds himself disbelieving what seems, on the surface, to be the truth.
Whenever you read anything about witch hunts, be they ancient or modern, the overarching themes are always mistrust, fear of difference, ignorance and the sheep-like obedience of the masses.
Cunning Women didn’t necessarily break any new ground with its approach to the witch hunts of the seventeenth century but does cement the prejudices against those who are deemed the current ‘undesirables’ in society.
I enjoyed the book a great deal as it flowed perfectly, was an easy read and a subject matter that’s fascinating.

* Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the ARC.

I was drawn to this book by the cover initially then the blurb. I wasn't sure it would be me kind of book but I really enjoyed it! I've been on a witchy streak recently and this was a refreshing change on the genre. A tragic love story - gah! I so wanted a happy ending for Sarah and Daniel. A story which shows how cruel and judgmental people can be.

On the outskirts of a village, in the ramshackle houses abandoned due to plague, Sarah lives with her mother, sister and brother. Poverty-stricken, they scratch an existence from begging, petty theft and by selling the charms and cures that Sarah's mother makes. The people of the village hate and fear them, although willing enough to tolerate the cunning woman and her family when they have need of her talents. This is to be Sarah's future - that is, until she meets Daniel, son of the farmer, and she sees an alternative life for herself. But can it really be hers when she is marked as one of the cunning folk?

I really enjoyed this story. It evokes the suspicion and claustrophobia of a small town during a time when superstitions ran rife and merely being poor, unmarried and female was enough to see you branded a witch. The growing sense of threat is balanced against the developing romance between Sarah and Daniel, and I found myself really rooting for the Haworth family to survive and prosper against the odds.

I absolutely adored this book. It's much darker than I was excepting but the atmosphere was on point. The way in which we follow the main character Sarah's persecution and othering may be a 1600s story but it still feels relevant today. I could feel her pain and confusion everything she was forced to confront the way others viewed her, the writing was incredibly evocative. I also had the opportunity to interview Elizabeth Lee for a panel event recently and she was wonderful to speak to.

Set in a small Lancashire village in 1620, this very promising debut follows the story of Sarah, who alongside her mother, brother and little sister Annie live in desperate poverty and face a daily struggle to survive. The potions and salves that Sarah and her mother make as ‘cunning women’ are in demand by villagers, who despite shunning the family in day light hours, secretly visit them under cover of darkness to buy their wares. This being the era of King James and his witch hunts, Sarah and her mother, who both carry a ‘witches mark’ live in constant fear of being denounced as witches and her brother John is thought of as a ‘demon’ by the villagers. Once Sarah meets the kindly Daniel, a farmer’s son and a new magistrate is appointed to the village, the tension builds and the ensuing events are gripping and totally engrossing.

With well defined characters and rich in atmosphere and vivid detail I really enjoyed this powerfully written book and will look forward to the author’s next.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers Random House UK, Cornerstone, Windmill Books for the ARC in return for my honest review.

This a dark and at times uncomfortable read about prejudice and judgement. Set in Lancashire 1620, (at the time of witch trials), Sarah Haworth her mother, older brother and younger sister live a grim life, barely able to feed themselves. They live in a hamlet, abandoned since the Plague and are treated as outcasts.
They are mistrusted, perceived that their skills with herbs is due to witchcraft. They do have secrets too, which suggest some darker magic.
Against the odds Sarah falls for the most eligible man in the village, Daniel, son of the local farmer. He does not see Sarah as a dirty sprite, but a kind and intriguing person. Surely their relationship is doomed with the building tensions in the village?
Sarah is lovely but you wonder about her darker side. Daniel is strong but not sure he is strong enough for what they will need to endure. The story is intriguing, dark and captivating. The writing is easy and pitched more fittingly as a YA read. Not sure what Sarah’s dark side really added to the story. It felt like a disappointing red herring. It is however evocative of the time with a vivid and atmospheric backdrop & serves as a very decent debut.

This book interested me as I enjoy historical fiction and find the witch trials a fascinating part of our history.

Yet, I just did not connect with this book. I found the prose patchy and hard to engage with. I wasn't able to connect with the characters and just felt the writing lacked depth. It was quite slow-paced which I normally enjoy, but this just didn't compel me to keep reading. I also didn't feel transported to the time and place in the book and wasn't able to immerse myself in the book. Not a great read for me I'm afraid.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's 1620 England, Sarah and her family are banished to live on top of the hill of a tiny village. The villagers are scared of the family's 'cunning' abilities. One day Sarah meets Daniel and both their lives are changed. As they start to develop feelings for each other, they are desperate for acceptance, but will they find happiness before the village turns on Sarah's family completely?

Okay, so I definitely had mixed feelings on this. I enjoyed this from a romance point of view and was definitely rooting for Daniel and Sarah. That being said, I was expecting more from the witch side of the plot. This was never really explored.

This is very slow paced, but the second half and ending I really enjoyed.

Also, I hope Gabriel burns eternally in hell 😊

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for providing me with a copy to review