The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch is a book to savour. It retains all of little bits of character traits from Pride and Prejudice that add flavour to the classic, and tells of stories with witches and familiars, covens and fantastical forces in a clever manner. A book that will likely delight even the most protective of Austen fans.

Full review to come.

Austen in August is happening in a rather muted way for me this year but I have still managed to mark the occasion. No matter how busy life gets, it's good to remember that you're an Austen fan. When I saw this on Netgalley, I knew I needed to find out more. Despite being the family rebel, Lydia Bennet has never been a particularly popular protagonist within the many variations of Pride and Prejudice. People are far more drawn to dowdy Mary than Lydia, perhaps because while readers may pity Mary there is a general feeling that Lydia deserved what she got. Interestingly, Audible Originals released Mrs Wickham last year which was another sympathetic spin on the youngest Bennet. But with a novel that boldly announces itself as Lydia's 'scandalous confessions' and also proclaims her as a witch, I was instantly intrigued as to what kind of angle Taub would put on Lydia' character. Spoilers: it was terrific fun.

I have a long history of party-pooping when it comes to Austen spin-offs. There are actual comments scattered across the blog where people come along and scold me for raising my eyebrows at the idea of Mary Bennet getting herself a good haircut, setting the books down and trotting off to find a rich man. I do like to think that I am mellowing. I didn't particularly enjoy the adultery angle on Helen Moffett's Charlotte but I have always remembered her sympathetic assessment of the Collins marriage. Similarly, I enjoyed Molly Greeley's take on Miss Anne De Bourgh in The Heiress. A book does not need to be perfect to shine an interesting light on the source material. On balance, The Scandalous Confessions does not really reveal any lost meaning from the original novel. Instead though, it felt like a chance for long-term Austen fans to kick up their figurative heels.

Lydia picks up the pen to give the story of her life and her angle is rather different to that of Jane Austen. She explains that she is actually the seventh daughter of Mr and Mrs Bennet rather than the fifth, because three of her elder sisters died in childhood. This makes her the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter and thus destined for witchcraft. Of course, eagle-eyed readers will notice that five daughters plus three daughters should make eight. It is barely a spoiler to reveal that Kitty Bennet is in fact a cat, glamoured by the child Lydia to appear as a girl. In short, Kitty is Lydia's familiar.

In fairness, it is not so great a leap from the original. Kitty and Lydia always did appear as a unit with Lydia as the dominant party. Kitty's very few speeches in the novel were little more than the piteous bleating of a cat. Taub is not even the first writer to come up with this as The Lizzie Bennet Diaries reduced Kitty to a cat way back in 2012. But the way that Taub develops their relationship to be part sisters and part magical familiar was genuinely creative.

Another plot aspect which is barely a spoiler is the fact that Wickham is an impostor and a demon no less. The real George Wickham sold his soul to the devil after failing to seduce a fifteen year-old heiress (Georgiana) and it is this diabolical double who encounters the Bennet family. Again, I absolutely loved this plot idea as it did seem something like the original George Wickham might have thought worth trying if he was feeling particularly down on his luck.

One of the main reasons why Scandalous Confessions works as a novel is that Taub's version of Lydia is still recognisable from the original novel. She is still frivolous, vivacious and high-spirited but rather than being an air-head, we see her as impulsive and quick to speak up where she sees injustice. She still enjoys a good time but she is loyal to her friends. She is even allowed to be indignant at her own situation - it is ridiculous that a teenaged girl who had not finished growing was married off to a known scoundrel. Bluntly, Taub won me over to Lydia more than any other writer has managed thus far.

The magic system within the novel was particularly thought-provoking. Every spell and enchantment must come with a cost. The bigger the working, the bigger the cost. Sometimes the cost may be burning a much longed-for letter unopened. Something smaller may be worked by simply not doing your hair properly and still leaving the house. All of this however means that free-wheeling Lydia is forced to recognise the costs and consequences of her actions. She is not living in genteel poverty in Newcastle because she took a mis-step. Lydia has chosen her fate to protect those around her.

Yet for all that this imagining of Pride and Prejudice is as far-fetched as that other offering which featured zombies, I found it far more entertaining. Taub does not simply take the original novel and throw in a few extra references to the undead. Along the way, she gently pokes holes at the power dynamics going on. I had never given a great deal of thought to the officer characters but for the first time I did wonder about them. I even had a twinge of sympathy for young Mrs Forster who was trying to have some fun in a marriage which she almost certainly did not enter for love. Scandalous Confessions peers out towards the disreputable happenings occurring out of sight of respectable society and while blood sacrifices and naked dancing may be unlikely, Taub reminds us that there were clearly some very saucy goings-on. And if any of the Longbourn ladies were going to take up witchcraft, I think we can all agree it would only be Lydia, with Kitty pattering at her heels.

Dnf at 23%. The idea isn’t bad but this story doesn’t flow. At all! I’m exhausted.

There is plenty of self reflection like this:

“I really must return to the narrative I promised you. I’ve filled nearly two quires of paper, crossed front and back, and I’ve only covered the very beginning! Too many digressions, I suppose”

So it seems that “Lydia” realizes how boring she is, and yet she keeps torturing us with word vomit about nothing.

It’s a shame because the author clearly has potential and sense of humor. I loved her take on Kitty! In this story Kitty is an actual cat and Lydia’s familiar. She can turn into a human and everyone is under a spell believing her another Bennet sister. Since as we all know Kitty had no personality in the original book (no offense, Jane), this was truly brilliant.

Unfortunately a few astute jokes were not enough to keep me entertained for 400 pages. This book should be cut in half and checked by a good editor.

Thank you Quercus Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read adaptations of classics before, including of Pride and Prejudice, but Melinda Taub has thoroughly exceeded my expectations here. The shift of focus to a less central character gave so much more space to play with the premise and it has really paid off. This is a brilliant blend of regency and witchcraft which manages to sensitively handle social and racial issues of the day without dragging the lighthearted tone down. Absolutely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

This was such a fun read! I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy a witchy take on P&P and even more so to find myself liking the unpleasant Lydia Bennett. Taub takes the storyline of Lydia, along with her cohorts Kitty and Wickham, and turns it into a witchy adventure involving magic, a dragon and some regency partying. In the story we discover that Lydia is a talented witch and, more surprisingly, a rather affable person!

Taub's writing style was really enjoyable and felt inkeeping with it's inspiration in style. It was a great fantasy homage to Austen.

I'm likely going to be squealing about this book for the rest of the year the same way Lydia Bennet would scream about the regiment visiting Meryton. What an absolutely delightful, charming, oh, I'll say it enchanting retell of one of my favourite stories.

I went into this one with not much expectations. Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favourite reads and so I always like to see the retells. I figured there wouldn't be extended world building, just some silly little witchery with Lydia but was I wrong! This book surprised me in all the best ways possible and became one of my favourite read of 2023.

The world building was detailed and well thought out. The characters were written so beautifully, I forgot this wasn't Jane Austen's Lydia. I loved how Lydia's original personality was kept and yet, built and developed so she still wasn't that shallow creature from Pride and Prejudice. The additional characters and the extensions of the already known ones like Mary King or Harriet were so well built in.

The writing style sucked me. I could all but hear Lydia going "la" while writing her thoughts down.

Definitely one of the best read of the year.

I knew as soon as I saw the title of this book I had to request it, and it certainly didn’t disappoint! Pride and prejudice is one of my favourite Austen novels, and I always felt about sorry for Lydia. I adored the writing style in this, I genuinely felt like Lydia was talking to me, it was so on brand. Her being a witch was superbly handled, and I won’t give you any spoilers regarding her familiar, but OMG was that ingenious! The relationship between Wickham and Lydia was so witty and the approach so fresh, it’s everything I wanted details about from Austen’s novel. This novel was witty, well paced, clever, often hilarious, but also heart wrenching. I thoroughly recommend reading it!

I heard a lot about this book, so when I saw it on Netgalley and was sent a copy I was so happy.

I loved this book. Pride and prejudice is an all time favourite and was a mixture of both excited and nervous about reading this, but it was really impressive.

Engaging, funny - read it!

For the Austen die hards this is basically sacrilege but the thing about sacrilege is that it can be great fun- which this book truly is.

The writing flows along beautifully, it feels very natural and effortlessly conjures up the impression of regency.

It is quite literally magic. If you are looking for a well written, joyful read this is the book.

Justice for Lydia at last!

An interesting idea and retelling of a classic but I lost interest after about half-way through. I don’t know why, but I just didn’t really connect with the story. I’m sure this book will have its audience e a s I l y, but it just wasn’t for me.

Book Review 📚
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennett, Witch by Melinda Taub - 4/5 ⭐

Ok, brutal honestly first. I hold no love over Austen's work - have never been a fan and unfortunately have zero clue about the characters because I just can't read her work. That being said this book was AMAZING. Honestly, I cannot praise it enough.

This version of Lydia makes me so happy! The witchy-ness and the shenanigans from Lydia were so amazingly written. It's like Victorian cross fantasy. The depth that has gone into this book is mind blowing. The writing style is so wild and entertaining that it kept me engrossed throughout.

From start to finish the book is engaging, funny and it stole my heart. There is an equal amount of romance to humor and it all just makes sense, I don't know how but it does! This is the first piece of work I have read from Taub but it's safe to say I'll be happy to read her previous work and any newly released work!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

It's a truth universaly acknowledged that where there is a reading trend there is a Jane Austen version - and so here we have witchcore meets P&P. And what a fantastic mash up it is! I loved every clever word.

So you think you know Lydia Bennet? Youngest sister, incorrigible flirt, mannerless romp, moral-free hussy? Well, some of that is true, but Lydia is also a witch, Wickham a demon who has swallowed the original Wickham's soul, and Kitty, well Kitty is a cat and Lydia is although more than a little naive, a loyal sister and friend and doing her best to stop an ancient power consuming both her and Kitty.

The story is told by Lydia both in present time (post P&P) and looking back. Post, she is living the life everyone predicted, married to a faithless, feckless Wickham in genteel poverty in Newcastle, using her magic to try and hide just how shabby she is and to try and con some food from the local shops. Things change when she bumps into Georgiana Darcy in a shop and realises the other girl is so laden in protective spells she can barely move. At least by helping Georgiana she is guaranteed a good tea once a week. But when the magical attacks on Georgiana take a darker turn Lydia is summoned by Mr Darcy to help and in doing so has the opportunity to change her fortune.

If you want to know what really happened when the soldiers hit Merton, the truth about Brighton and how Lydia accidentally eloped then read on. The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch is funny, poignant, romantic and supernatural and a fabulous addition to the Austen cannon. Hihgly recommended.

This was a funny and imaginative novel. I would recommend the book to all who love historical novels with a fantasy element to them. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.

What absolute nonsense this was, and I mean that in the most positive of ways.
I'm a HUGE fan of P+P based books, and this one is funny, and clever and so imaginative.
To take the familiar characters, have them make the familiar moves, yet a whole wild tale be running around it. Right from the off, turning things we know on their heads. It works so well.

So very well.


Most fun I've had reading a book for a while.