A LULLABY FOR WITCHES is a messy stew of a book. It has the framework for a great story and about half of the necessary elements; unfortunately it is missing big pieces of information and has characters engaged in behavior that make no sense for them or their time. So, it’s a mixed bag. I read it avidly, but was often disappointed and frustrated. Rather than hash out the details in this review, let me just say, the tale has some glaring holes that aren’t well explained. Author Hester Fox has a keen sense of place and describes settings well. She tends to put too much into the story rather than develop her points well and the book suffers for it. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the perfect read to get you in the Halloween spirit! A good witchy story but not so scary that it will keep you up at night. The characters are interesting and well-developed, and the plot keeps you guessing. The setting of a small Massachusetts town is the perfect backdrop to this story, and Hester Fox deftly handled the time transitions to keep you interested without forgetting what events were occurring on each timeline. I will enthusiastically recommend this book, especially with a nice hot beverage on a chilly fall day!

My first experience with Hester Fox was her debut, and it was a solid three star read for me. Based on A Lullaby for Witches, Fox's work has only improved. I loved this book. I was 100% engaged from the beginning, and I loved to see the character growth and development throughout the book. Excellent read for the Halloween season!

Perfect read for October if you like witchy novels! Augusta is a museum worker in a dead end job with a dead boyfriend when she sees the job advertisement for Harlowe House. She's a perfect fit for the work and would finally be using her degree. But when she starts to work there, strange things start to happen--she connects with Margaret, a young woman who lived in the House years ago. This is a typical historical fiction with a mystery until the very end when a bit of supernatural creeps in--but it worked for me!

There is an aesthetic to Fox's work that has permeated her darkly romantic gothic tales to date. With Lullaby for Witches, the paranormal penchant for "things that go bump in the night" is a perfect manifestation of feminist power exercised in two decidedly different women who never seem to fit the sleeves of their collective experiences and told in Fox's gorgeous, surprising prose.

Few split time authors spin a yarn as competently as Fox--who recognizes that any theme that echoes from the past must be made whole in the contemporary time frame: no matter the twists and turns.


Obviously a student of Dickens and Poe, Fox's romantic nature is at wonderful play here as she ties a fantastical bow across centuries and paints her atmospheric Harlowe House with magical prowess. This is an author who loves history and architecture; but this is also an author who loves the stories that bind and teach us. While I mostly find dual-time narratives a chance to leaf through the present to read and sink into the past, Fox's pacing and deeply drawn characters ensure there is a wonderful balance to both time periods. I am eager to see where she takes us next.


hosting Hester on fb live Thurs October 21

Thanks to NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Crossing the centuries, A Lullaby for Witches explores the lost history of women and a historian trying to unearth the mysteries in an old house, and old portrait, and artifacts that seem magical in her hands.

The novel is set, of course, in a fictional town close to Salem, Massachusetts, the unofficial year round witch central. The characters are fictional but easily imagined and not far away from what I learned growing up in Massachusetts myself. I placed the characters in my own knowledge of the area and could visualize the houses, having been in many historical homes in the area. The novel would be appreciated by anyone who is a casual genealogist or historian…imaging the old documents or artifacts and the people who may have used them. The story itself has slow points and even some cornier spots when it imagines the witchcraft aspects, but once halfway in the book’s pace improves and had me flipping pages rapidly until the end.

I would recommend this in book club and to my patrons who would love a great October read.
4*

This latest book from Hester Fox was really different from her others, and I thought it worked really well. I was hesitant at first - the narration goes back and forth between past and present, and I really love the historical time periods of her previous books - but even the present day timeline is steeped in a love of history. It was almost like watching a mystery play out, and I was thoroughly intrigued by picking up details and learning more as the story unfolds.

There were so many Easter eggs for previous novels!! I absolutely loved that, as will any Fox Fan 😁 I am so excited for the paperback to come out because I’m eager to reread all of the books back-to-back and see it all intertwine.

Thank you to Hester Fox, Harlequin, and netgalley for provided me an ARC to read early. I just couldn’t wait!!

This story is told through the perspective of two women, one in the past and one in the present. Augusta Pordos is a twenty something not living her best life. She’s in a dead end relationship and working a job that sucks the life out of her. She accepts the offer of her dream job at Harlowe House, a historic home of a wealthy family that has been turned into a museum in Tynemouth, Massachusetts. Augusta begins to feel a connection to the house and finds an oblique reference to a long forgotten daughter of the Harlowes. Augusta begins researching about the women of the late 1800’s for a new exhibit, but her focus is mainly on discovering who Margaret Harlowe was and why she was practically erased from history. In the past we discover that Margaret was the only daughter of a prominent shipping family. She was free-spirited and never seem to fit in with her family nor the townspeople. Margaret was a natural when concocting spells and potions, but this does not go unnoticed and soon the townspeople are calling her a “witch”. Augusta feels a connection to Margaret and begins to have visions as if she is Margaret. She desperately wants to help find closure for the ill-fated Margaret, but she doesn't realize that Margaret may want something that is too high a price to pay. This was a quick read with interesting characters, a touch of history, and a blooming love story. The descriptions of the New England towns have me wanting to book a trip soon! Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trading Publishing - Graydon House, and author Hester Fox for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book takes a dual timeline and uniquely weaves the two separate times, and the two main characters together. The writing was very well done and the characters were well developed. Supernatural doings in an old historic town, witches, and women taking control of their lives is a wonderful combination.

Perfect read for this spooky season! Witches are always in season. This novel includes lush descriptions that transports you to New England and you time travel with the story arc. Sinister and spooky, this novel is hard to put down. No spoilers but a twist awaits!

While I was excited about the premise, this book was a bit of a mixed-bag for me.

I really liked some aspects of the story. Digging into New England history, witches, Salem and women ditching their loser boyfriends. Some of the narrative was interesting and the writing itself was solid providing vivid imagery and a definite sense of the setting.

That said, I found the characters to be uninspiring. I didn’t feel like the reader ever really got to know the characters, and the motivations for their actions seemed more like fodder to progress the narrative than organic parts of the story. The clues dropped along the way wrap up very fast, and not very neatly, given the time it takes for Augusta to piece them all together. Lots of coincidental events and hand waving away the impact the supernatural occurrence would have on the characters real, modern lives make it hard to swallow even with the healthy suspension of disbelief that such books require.

All together, good idea, but the book felt shallow and rushed.

This was just what I was expecting in a witchy novel by Fox. Augusta takes a job at an old house in Massachusetts that has been turned into a museum. While researching the family she starts to have these odd encounters and visions. She has also discovered one of the previous family members, Margaret Harlow, has no record on file. This really gets her digging deeper. Augusta ends up getting to know Margaret then she would have liked.
This was really fun! Fox has a way of writing that is just the right amount of spooky for me! Highly recommend this one!! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

A Lullaby for Witches is a great new twist on both haunted house stories and split-timeline historical fiction. It follows Augusta, a mild-mannered museum worker yearning for more meaning in her life, as she begins to unravel the secrets of her new workplace and finds herself entangled in a 150-year-old quest for revenge.

In 1870s Tynemouth, the beautiful and tempestuous Margaret Harlowe, the only daughter of a wealthy Massachusetts shipping dynasty, seeks solace in nature and hones her hidden skill for magic. She runs an underground operation distributing herbs, advice, and occasionally spells to local women, but longs for more meaningful companionship. She falls fast and hard for a local shopkeeper, but their love story is doomed from the start.

In the present-day, Augusta Podos finds herself stuck in a dead-end relationship and wasting away at a mind-numbing tour guide job in Salem. When the opportunity to work at a historic house in Tynemouth arises, she jumps at the chance. As she combs through the archives, pages through local history books, and wanders through the creaky house, she begins to glimpse flashes of the past. The longer Augusta spends in the house, the greater Margaret's power grows, and soon the two women are irreversibly intertwined.

[4/5: A spooky story about womens' agency, legacy, and tenacity. Would appeal to fans of classic witchy stories as well as those looking for a fresh take on the genre.]

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first Hester Fox book to read and I'll be adding her to our collection! We have quite a few witchy readers and this past/present title will delight them. I enjoyed seeing some "behind the scenes" of archivists and museum workers. I see this is a follow-up to some of her other title. I don't believe they need to be read in order, but knowing they are there certainly provides background to some of the characters mentioned.

Sooooo good! So many things I love about this one especially the museum/art world, A bit creepy how Augusta finds out about her family tree! When she is jumping in the car of her handsome co-worker and sees a bunch of library books in the backseat I actually yelled out loud “He’s a keeper”! (The librarian in me). Also when they were selecting what music to listen to during a long drive and I thought please god don’t let it be country but ends up being Fleetwood Mac. A real pleasure to read this one. I’m going to watch for this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc. All opinions are my own.

When I first saw this title I was pretty excited to request it. I had enjoyed "The Pale Orphan of Cemetery Hill". Matter of fact it had broken me from a reading slump. So when I was approved for this one, I made it the next book on my tbr.

I didn't like it.

I couldn't care less for the characters. This story is told in two separate timeliness 1880's and present day. Margaret lives in the 1880's and is the wild child of a prosperous New England family. She is also a witch who falls in love and becomes pregnant. I couldn't stand her character and found her to be an annoying know it all.

Then there's Augusta. A flat boring character that was written as we should pity her but I found her insufferable. She goes on for chapters about how she is just staying with her boyfriend cause it was convenient, but after she finally decides to go tells the new crush how much of a manipulator he was. It was all talk and no show for her character.

There was nothing spooky about this book.

This was an amazing read, I could not put it down and read it in one night. The cross behind the past and present with the eerie feeling of the past was excellent. I felt strongly for Augusta's character and Margaret's character just started to give me the creeps, in a good way! Fantastic fantastic novel.

A Lullaby for Witches by Hester Fox is a beguiling mystery linking two women centuries apart through a forgotten and forbidden magic.

In nineteenth century Massachusetts, Margaret Harlowe, a strange woman with a penchant for the wise and wild, experiences a love and loss so profound that it conjures something dark and dangerous for herself and lineage. One hundred fifty years later, Augusta Podos, a meek and mild woman accepts a job at the historic Harlowe House where she stumbles upon records of a mysterious Margaret Harlowe who beckons and enchants Augusta with her mystery. Through her research, Augusta discovers something sinister and familial linking her to the witch of Harlowe House, empowering and threatening her with a wicked magic of awakening and memory.

Love, heartbreak, mystery, and important life lessons are featured in this bewitching story. This was a creepy page-turner that was very original and unique. It is a novel of possession and obsession and the dual storylines converged into a spellbinding supernatural story about liberating the past so that its shadows can no longer haunt the present.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

A beautiful dual timeliness story about Margaret and Augusta. A deep and compelling story full of witchcraft, mystery, and love. The story illustrates what binds us all together.

3 Stars- This was not my fave of Fox's books but it was a fun atmospheric historical read. A good read for "Spooky Season"