In the 1870s Tynemouth, Margaret Harlowe is the beautiful and carefree daughter of a wealthy shipping family. She never quite fit in with the high society she was born into, and from a young age, knew there was something different about herself. Margaret was always aware of the power bubbling under her skin and would use her knowledge of herbs to help the women of her small town, providing everything from spells to tinctures. Despite townspeople calling her a witch and steering clear, Margaret longed for love and companionship and thought she found it in a local shopkeeper. But soon their affair turns sour, and Margaret can’t help the power inside her as it begins to twist and turn into something darker.

In the present day, Augusta Podos finds herself in desperate need of a change. When the opportunity arises to work at Harlowe House, a small museum that was once the home to a wealthy New England family, Augusta jumps at the chance. She can’t wait to put her degree to work cataloging the contents of the museum and immediately begins combing the archives. While going through historical records, Augusta stumbles upon mention of a Harlow daughter who seems to have been completely eradicated from history. Intrigued, Augusta can’t help but investigate, but it doesn’t take long before she realizes she may have gotten more than she bargained for. As the past and present start to collide, Augusta discovers a dark power linking the two women together, and if she can’t resist its sinister pull, then everything she knows could be lost forever.

I’ve been taken with Fox’s writing style ever since her debut, and this quickly became one of my favorites. I thought the story flowed super well despite the dual timeline/POVs. Typically, when we’re following two different characters, I always tend to favor one over the other, but I liked both Margaret and Augusta equally. Both were so interesting, and I loved seeing how they were intertwined. The way they were connected was predictable, but I still liked it. As always, Fox weaves in magical elements beautifully, and though I found some bits a little too far-fetched and the conflict resolution too easy, I thought it was highly entertaining. If you enjoy historical fictions that have a dash of mystery, fantasy, and romance elements or are looking for something with a darker atmosphere, I can’t recommend her books enough.

The setting is Boston, a favorite for witchcraft. Protagonists bound by genetics to solve a mystery that is centuries old. Intriguing and well written, this story kept me engrossed until the end.
Highly recommend for anyone likes a little history with their witchcraft.

A Lullaby for Witches did not work for me at all. It started out okay, but the end was a mess, with many threads that didn’t make sense. I’ve read similar books about a woman from the past haunting a woman from the present with a good-looking guy thrown in for good measure, and this was not a sterling example.

Main character Augusta has an eating disorder that seems to exist mainly so Margaret, the ghost from the past, can lament how Augusta doesn’t take full advantage of being alive. It wasn’t dealt with in any kind of a satisfactory way for me. For much of the book I was puzzling over how <spoiler>someone could be related to someone else when a certain character had never had a child.</spoiler> Behavior in the past and the present was not consistent and not always believable. Certain things just didn’t make any sense to me. (Why isn’t there any historical record of Margaret?) Augusta seems to know more things about Margaret than she should.

The Salem Witch trials happened well before the events set in the past and yet they shadow the narrative. Acceptance of magic and ghosts as real came a little too easily; everyone who finds out about Augusta’s weird connection/communication with a ghost seems okay with it. Not sure if we are supposed to think everyone from Massachusetts believes in witches? (Although the boyfriend’s mother lives in Maine, but she’s also a “hippie” who smokes a lot of pot.)

Overall the book felt very YA, with lines like “Sliding into the passenger seat beside him was like coming home,” (chapter 28) and the romance is very close to insta-love. Are we supposed to be impressed by Augusta’s sudden transformation into a Strong Woman? I wasn’t.

This book could have used another round or two with beta readers and the editor. This is my second book by the author and I’m thinking she is really not an author for me.

I read an advance reader copy of A Lullaby for Witches from Netgalley.

Content Warning: Violence, Death, Implied Eating Disorder

This story is told between two perspectives: Augusta – in present day and Margaret – who lives in 18th century, Massachusettes. I did like the dual story perspective as it eventually culminated later in the story to when Augusta and Margaret merge.

I found Augusta’s job fascinating as a curator of Harlowe House, a historic home in Tynemouth, Massachusettes. She goes on a quest to find out about a girl, Margaret, who seems to be lacking any record of living in Harlowe House. I did like the mystery and learning about Margaret. Augusta is dealing with some issues like with her boyfriend, the lack of knowledge of her father and what looks like an eating disorder. As a character, I didn’t feel like I connected to Augusta very much although I liked her passion for her work.

Margaret is labeled a witch because people in the community come to her for help. She meets a local boy in town and has a wild affair with him but he has a secret that breaks her heart. There are other secrets to uncover about Margaret but I thought it was interesting how she is tied to the Salem Witches.

The romance was okay, I wasn’t that invested in it. Now the paranormal aspect of the story was interesting. Margaret’s ghost has an ulterior motive for trying to contact Augusta and it did keep me reading the story even though I lacked connection to the characters. Also I wanted more witchcraft, not just the mention of spells found in a book.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Why you should read it:

*historical/contemporary paranormal story – a little bit of everything
*Margaret’s history was compelling

Why you might not want to read it:

*romance fell flat- even though this isn’t a romance novel, there is some romance, but it was okay
*lack connection to the characters
*I wanted more witchcraft

My Thoughts:

This was an interesting read and not what I expected. I found Margaret’s story very fascinating but Augusta’s was just flat, including her romance story. For a story about witches, it didn’t have that much witchcraft in the story at all, but I did enjoy the historical fiction parts of the story. This one was just an okay read for me.

7/10
Hester’s (the authors) background is in historical archeology and museum work, so it makes sense that one of the main character’s - Augusta - works in a museum doing historical archeology. As it turns out she is trying to uncover the history of the other main character, Margaret.

There are some really neat things about this book, not the least of which is the examination of Salem witch trial-sequel history overlayed with current day beliefs. Augusta is in the present day, Margaret is a witch in the 19th century.

The two lives seem separate at the beginning of the novel but slowly their paths move closer and closer. Heater uses this style of peeling back the layers of the onion in an engaging way. It made me want to keep reading.

At some point however, two roads that merge closer together will eventually meet. When they do in this book, it feels like the novel turns more into a young adult fantasy story rather than what felt like a novel exploring complex emotions in complex times.

My feelings on this book started as a 5/10 rating then went up to 8/10 then dropped down to its current 7/10. It started off as a book for people who liked “Lovely Bones” and ended up as a book for people who liked “You’ve Reached Sam” (see my review)

I would be open to reading another Hester Fox book as she seems to be a good writer, I just now know what to expect. Good book for a teenage girl.

#netgalley #alullabyforwitches

Great story with well-developed empowered female characters and Interesting settings woven through two timelines and told by dual voices. Well written book for fans of gothic and romantic fiction.

Although the premise was interesting, the story never really jelled for me. I didn't find either character particularly believable, nor particularly interesting. There were too many points where the action of the story should have been questioned by another character, but wasn't. I was, overall, disappointed.

What do you do when you finally land your dream job at a historic home, and realize the house is haunted? You find out who the ghost is, of course! And when you realize that ghost was a witch and that you are connect somehow? You pray you survive. Augusta lands her dream job at Harlowe House and finds out that there was a daughter in that family that she has trouble finding records for. As Augusta searches for records of this daughter, she can’t resist the pull of the past, but what will it cost her? It could cost her her very life.

A Lullaby for Witches is told in two timelines and in two voices. Margaret, a woman living in the late 19th century, is a young woman who never quite "fit in", enjoying the mysteries held in nature and developing a talent that would give her the moniker, "witch". Augusta is a young woman living in present-day Massachusetts, freshly out of a bad relationship and taking a new job in the historic Harlowe House, where she learns about the mysterious Margaret Harlowe, who seems to haunt her family's records. As Augusta becomes consumed with Margaret's life and disappearance from her family's history, she seems to tap into a dark power within Harlowe House - a power that wants to walk the earth once again.

A good mystery and ghost story, this has broad appeal to fiction readers and historical fiction fans. The plot moves along at a good pace, the characters are interesting, and the storyline holds together well.

I thought this was a fun read. I like books with dual timelines, and I didn't anticipate what happened as the two characters became more intertwined later in the story. It's nice to be surprised!
I expect this be popular among readers who enjoy a 'witchy' read and/or historical novels, and I will certainly recommend it to them.
Thanks for the opportunity to read an advance e-copy!

Even though I didn’t enjoy the last book written by this author, I still wanted to give this one a try. I have previously enjoyed her first two books and do like her writing. Unfortunately, this one just failed to live up to my expectations. There were some good moments and conversations to be had in the book, but it definitely could have used more development.

The book is told through a dual timeline. The past comes from Margaret Harlowe and the present is from Augusta Podos. Each timeline is very different but there are a couple similarities between the two characters. I can’t say that I liked either character though. Augusta reminded me of Bella from Twilight. She was very dull even when the plot thickened. Margaret wasn’t dull and probably had the most surprising plot twists but I just didn’t feel anything.

There are a lot of other characters that play smaller roles within the plot but they also felt dull and one dimensional. They were mostly there to keep the plot going without doing too much. I also was fascinated with how the characters never questioned what was going on when it came to Augusta and the supernatural.

It also felt like there were a lot of loose ends and plot holes. I still don’t understand the bloodline.

I will say that the book did have me continuously reading and wanting to know what would happen next even if I didn’t like everything that was going on.

Overall, this was okay. I think that it just needed more development and with the dual timeline there just wasn’t enough space to do that.

Rating: 2.25-2.5ish

I love dual timeline novels, and the description, and settings, really caught my eye. Sadly, it didn't meet my expectations. I found myself not caring for the characters. In fact, I didn't like Margaret much at all and found her to be a bit annoying. In general, characters were quite one dimensional. Some scenes, especially with Augusta, dragged on too long. Instead of picking up, things got worse as the story unfolded.

I wanted to love this. A beautiful and compelling premise, but the writing was clunky and it required a bit more suspension of disbelief than I'm comfortable with. Great for fans of Alice Hoffman.

This was a good gothic story although a little far-fetched, but aren’t all ghost stories? This is not my typical genre but I definitely enjoyed it. It ran in two time lines, 1870’s and the present. The narrative flowed. It was an easy, quick read with a love story ( or 2) thrown in. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Started off fair then went downhill for me toward the end. Didn't care much for the characters, especially the witch. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Great book. I enjoyed the characters, although I wasn't a fan of Augusta not eating. If there needed to be a link as to why Margaret thought she was taking on a life being wasted there should have been a different reason created.

This is a wonderful engrossing story that transports the reader into the marvelous world of the nineteenth century Massachusetts and present day Agusta. Told with dual timelines it is a marvelous story of two empowered women , their magical gifts and the story behind their lives as they mesh together by circumstances of present day and history. I loved the riveting characterizations and the atmospheric settings of this story. The author has created a story that has gothic feel,, present day mysteries and a bit of magic in between the lives of these two strong women charcters. It is a book I highly recommend and enjoyed cover to cover. A excellent read to sweep you away and immerse yourself into this fascinating story.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher. My review opinions are my own,

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers.

A LULLABY FOR WITCHES
By @hesterbfox

Pub Date 01 Feb 2022

Thanks to @graydonhousebooks and
@Harpercollins @htpbooks
#harlequintradepublishing

Hester Fox ‘s newest book A Lullaby for Witches is splendid dual time periods interweaving a gothic and contemporary paranormal tale. Moving between present and 19th century Tynemouth, Massachusetts. Margaret Harlowe a witch in her own right, along with Augusta Podos a quiet and shy curator at the Harlowe House, which happens to the Witch Margaret’s ancestral home.

When strange hallucinations start to happen to Augusta, she finds herself pulled more and more into Margaret’s past life and what became of her.
Fox continues to give lush gothic historical east coast atmospheric imagery. Her writing grabs you and her characters are easy to root for. The book moves effortlessly from present to past, and I have to say I enjoyed both characters and time periods equally.

#alullabyforwitches #arcs #advancedreaderscopy #gothichorror #histfic #spookybooks #halloweenreads #witchfiction #witchyvibes #witchbooks #spookyseason #graydonhousebooks

This book hooked me from it's first chapter and did not slow down or ease up at any point. The historical fiction was immersive and atmospheric, I loved simply reading about how Margaret and her family lived in their 17th century home. I thought the witchy haunting aspect was so creepy and I was extremely invested in Margaret's story.

The only thing that kept me from giving this book five stars was the ending. It felt so rushed to me, like there was this giant build up to a very simple ending. But overall I enjoyed this book and I am really looking forward to whatever Hester Fox does next.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-copy in exchange for my honest review. I gave this book 4 stars on my goodreads!

With that blurb, I couldn’t resist. What has the gothic author created for us this time?

The story is told by two voices. One in the present, Augusta Podos, and one in the past, Margaret Harlowe. Their stories are linked across time.

Margaret was born into a time when her wealthy and oh so concerned about their reputations parents could not figure out why she was so different. Wandering the woods at all hours. Women showing up for help. What was going on with her? She had three brothers and none of them seemed odd. At the time. People kept away from her. The word “witch” was mumbled a lot.

In the present time, Augusta is plodding along in a job she isn’t crazy about and living with Chris who she isn’t sure if she is crazy about. But when she is offered a job at Harlow House, she runs to it! And while the art and archives are there very little is written about Margaret. One small portrait could be her and soon Augusta is obsessed with finding out everything she can about her.

Which is fine with Margaret. Oh, yes, Margaret is still at her house. Waiting for Augusta to come. Augusta is positive Margaret is trying to communicate with her but isn’t sure why. But Margaret has old scores to settle and she will not let anyone get in her way.

There is nothing better than a good ghost story. And this one had a few twists I never saw coming. This was one of those books you don’t want to end.

Great Job!

NetGalley February 1st, 2022 by Graydon House