The Darkest Night is a twisty thriller that follows several generations of women in the Reid family. Ailsa travels from her home in London to visit her grandparents in Fife after a traumatic work related incident. When she arrives, her grandfather is being taken to hospital with a head injury and her grandmother, Moira is missing after recently being diagnosed with dementia. Ailsa’s estranged mother Rowan arrives along with her uncle and they try to discover what happened and where Moira is. The novel also explains tragedies in Moira’s life as well as her mother’s and grandmother’s.
I found this book to be well researched and engaging with both humour and tragedy. It covers sensitive topics and isn’t scared to discuss difficult issues.

Thank you, Quercus Books and Victoria Hawthorne, for granting me a digital arc of The Darkest Night in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Have you ever picked up a book on your Kindle forever, read it, and then thought, 'Why haven't I read this sooner?' This is how I feel about The Darkest Night, which bewitched me within one chapter and kept me reading until 3 am on a workday. The book blurb isn't lying when it announces this book will keep you reading through the night until the shocking finale.

Victoria Hawthorne's writing style is beautiful, creating a dark and haunting atmosphere around three timelines of a timeslip historical mystery; she weaves around the women from the Reid family - Ailsa, Rowan, Moira, Cordelia, Elspeth, and Selina. The plot is a mesmerising, twisty tale of feminism, love, and family secrets with a tumultuous pacing with the rise of tension, suspension, and that nail-biting ending. I loved the portrayal of the strength of these women who are powerful, determined, and endured in the face of a patriarchal society and the misogynistic tendencies of some men. There is such a strong message at the heart of this story about the power all women have inside themselves to write their own stories and never let a man stand in their way.

The women at the heart of this story are portrayed in a powerful, authentic way that is historically accurate and respectful (if not a bit creative at times). You can't help but love them all for their indomitable spirit as they persevere through all life's struggles and their heart to take action to protect those they love. They are incredibly well-developed and fleshed out as main characters (all 5). You ride the rapids of this story with them, feeling all their pain, sorrow, and joys. Victoria Hawthorne creates a fantastic sense of family despite the dysfunctional relationship and tensions between mothers and daughters. There is incredible warmth, love, and protection surrounding these women and those they love. She cleverly made an inclusive cast of characters through historical periods, including a sapphic romance between Selina and Elspeth, a family unit with two mothers, and how these women struggle with disability, dementia, and depression.

A gothic, chilling read full of secrets, suspicion, and suspense that will engross you down the stories of the generations of the Reid family, whose female members have a very novel and final way of solving their men problems. If you love books by C. J. Cooke and Kate Foster, you will love The Darkest Night's twisty storytelling, authentic historical details, and gritty suspense

This dark and compelling novel delves into the lives of several generations of women in one family, revealing their haunting stories. The narrative shifts between the present day and the past, exploring the mystery behind the grandmother's disappearance and the tragic histories that have shaped the strained relationships between mothers and daughters, including Ailsa and Rowan.

Book Review: The Darkest Night by Victoria Hawthorne

Rating: 3 Stars

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing "The Darkest Night" by Victoria Hawthorne, and I have to say, the cover is absolutely stunning! It’s the kind of book that catches your eye and makes you want to dive right in. However, after finishing it, I’d rate it a solid three stars. Let me explain why.

The story revolves around Ailsa Reid, who finds herself in the midst of a media frenzy after a troubling incident at her school. Seeking solace, she retreats to her grandparents' home in Fife, only to discover that her grandmother, Moira, has mysteriously vanished and her grandfather, Rupert, is seriously injured. In a twist of fate, Ailsa has to team up with her estranged mother, Rowan—who abandoned her at birth—to navigate the tensions that arise as they race against time to find Moira. As they dig deeper, they uncover a haunting family history involving witches burned on the nearby hill and a curse that seems to loom over the women in their family.

While the premise is intriguing, I found myself more captivated by the historical elements surrounding Elspeth and Selina than by Ailsa's contemporary narrative. Ailsa's (and her mother's, and Uncle's) reaction to her grandmother's disappearance struck me as oddly nonchalant. I mean, come on—your gran is missing! That should be a big deal! The emotional stakes felt muted at times, which made it hard for me to fully engage with Ailsa's journey.

Additionally, the backstory about the witches and the curse felt like background noise rather than a pivotal part of the plot. I really wish the author had taken the time to delve deeper into that aspect. It had so much potential to enrich the narrative and provide a more compelling connection between past and present. Instead, it felt glossed over, leaving me wanting more.

Overall, The Darkest Night was just okay for me. While it had its beautiful moments and an interesting premise, it didn’t quite hit the mark in terms of character depth or plot development. If you’re into stories about family secrets with a touch of the supernatural, this might still be worth a read—but I can't help but feel that it could have been so much more.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

This is a solid 3 star novel. All the elements that I love, historical, tales of witchcraft, dual timelines. It did feel like it needed a bit more nuance, and I wanted it to be more atmospheric that it was.

Would still recommend!

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
An enjoyable narrative that flips between present day and various points in the past. The blurb made me think this would be more focused - in the historical parts - around the Scottish witch trials, but this wasn’t the case. However I did enjoy the book. I wouldn’t say the plot is particularly original, although there were one or two twists I didn’t see coming, however it’s an enjoyable read nonetheless.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was absolutely fascinated by this story and the extraordinary women within the pages.

I’m not that much of a fan of a book with multiple timelines but I didn’t even think about that while I read this book because I loved it so much.

Each timeline was as good as each other and you really feel like you’re with them all in pages.

The feeling of empowering women just jumped off every page and the story of each woman in the story resonated with me.

This book deserves to be in the hands of so many readers because they’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

I’m disappointed I didn’t get along with this book as well as I hoped, because the premise was intriguing… which was half the problem, because I felt like I’d been promised a story that wasn’t what I actually got. This line specifically: “Ailsa and Rowan must look to their ancestors, to a story about witches burned on the hill above the Reid house centuries ago and the curse laid upon the women that came after.” None of that happened! The witches are basically irrelevant! The place they were executed was treated as scenery - ‘look at the place where they were killed ooOoOohh.’ That was it. No bearing on the story whatsoever. The curse, on the other hand, was just a fancy way of saying ‘mothers and daughters in this family don’t get along,’ with the predictable conclusion of the mothers and daughters pulling together by the end.

So now that I’ve complained about what the story WASN’T, what about what it WAS? Sadly, I also didn’t really get along with that, either. The present timeline acts as a framing device for several past timelines: Elspeth, pre WWI, and Moira, in the 60s. I love an inter-generational, multi-timeline story (Kate Morton has done ‘mothers and daughters in past and present very well), but I repeatedly found myself asking, what is the point of this? Well, the point mostly seemed to be demonstrating male violence towards women across the hundred year span, but I just don’t think it did this in a satisfying way. I’ve been mulling over this, trying to work out why I feel like it didn’t work for me, and all I can come up with is this — the important stuff didn’t really happen on page. I’m not talking about the aforementioned violence (in fact, one thing I commend the author for is avoiding graphic depictions), but what about the plot beats that make the violence impact the story?

Ailsa’s storyline, involving an ex-boyfriend who’s a predatory teacher, has mentions of social media harassment, a few vague communications from her boss and the police about impending but non-specific action against her, and what felt like a single impactful scene actually happening on page, right at the end of the book. That was it. The narrative that felt more important within Ailsa’s POV was her grandmother going missing, which was resolved in a way that just made me sigh (it’s been dragged out the whole book? And for THIS??)

I’m still not sure why Elspeth’s storyline had so much space. Moira’s, at least, tied to the present day narrative in a number of ways, first and foremost because she’s Aisla’s missing grandmother. Elspeth’s, on the other hand, seemed to be there for the purpose of historical disabled lesbians (DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH HISTORICAL DISABLED LESBIANS ARE MY JAM. DO YOU KNOW HOW ANNOYED I AM THAT I COULDN’T ENJOY A STORY WITH HISTORICAL DISABLED LESBIANS). Her POV didn’t seem to tie to the present day in any narratively significant ways — beyond demonstrating that men have been mistreating women since forever, which is to say it was just repeating the same thematic message as all the other elements of the story. It stops quite abruptly halfway through the book, and I was once again left asking, what was the point of that?

I feel like there were a couple of interesting books in this, one about the historical disabled lesbians navigating their lives, grappling with social expectations (Elspeth’s lover wants to be a doctor, has the support of her doctor father who specialises in abortions, I wanted so much more of this aspect), raising this kid under the threat of autonomy lost to the men with power in their lives. And then one about Ailsa and her grandmother, and split timelines having much more room to really explore the impact of male violence in their lives and how Moira’s past connects to Ailsa’s present. But in the current form, it was just too unbalanced and unsatisfying for me.

I absolutely loved this book!
Ailsa’s London life is overwhelming and she travels to Scotland to take refuge at her grandparents’ house. She was brought up by them as her mother abandoned her.

When Ailsa arrives she sees her grandfather being taken away on stretcher but her grandmother, who has dementia is nowhere to be seen! Ailsa ‘s mother, Rowan, returns home to help Ailsa discover what has happened to Moira - her mother/Ailsa’s grandmother.

There is a dual timeline which shows the similarities between the Reid women through the generations.
Could the witches who were burnt on top of the hill help them solve the mystery?

Great characters! Really evocative and seriously spooky in parts!
Perfect summer reading!

This was a beautifully written book, a little reminiscent of Practical Magic, about a young woman who needs to find her missing grandmother by delving into her family's past, where she learns that members of the family were burned as witches up on the hill behind the familial home.

I am not the biggest fan of dual timelines, but it was well done in this book, alternating between Elspeth in the past and Ailsa in the present.

I really enjoyed the story of Elspeth and Selina - it felt a bit like Mexican Gothic with the backdrop - but I also enjoyed the exploration of Ailsa's difficult relationship with her mother.

There was definitely a lot packed into this book and the ending felt a bit rushed, but overall this was a good read and a perfect one for a thundery evening.

I absolutely love historical fiction. This book was amazing. The dual time line was superbly written. Very easy to follow. I couldn't wait to read the next part to see what it would bring. So much has been packed into this book which made for perfect reading. You never got bored of the story, just totally immersed in it. I note the author has linked parts of her health struggles which really highlight a battle people would not even realise. After reading The House at Helygen I couldn't wait to read this. So looking forward to whatever comes next from Victoria/Vikki. Truly brilliant author.

Secrets, past and present in a story that talks about the past and the tension in the present and the mystery behind the disappearance of a member of the family.
Well, plotted, twisty and dark. I preferred the part in the past and enjoyed the present
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I enjoyed this story and thought it was well written and flowed well. I liked that we hopped from one perspective to another so we got to see the story from various points. It did quite dark at times but that just increased the tension, which was great.

I think the only thing that let it down was the ending felt rushed and that was disappointing.

What a very enjoyable read. Set, mainly, in two different timelines and from the perspectives of Ailsa Reid in the present and Elspeth in the past - it’s the story of four generations of the Reid family, all women and believed to be descended from witches. The research has been well done and the inclusion of accurate historical fact alongside the fictional story is beautifully carried out.

Briefly, Ailsa ran to her grandparents in Scotland after her life in London started to fall apart. It’s somewhere she always feel safe but she arrives to find her grandfather injured on the floor and her grandmother, who has dementia, missing. In the early 1900’s Elspeth has been employed by a doctor as companion and governess to his daughter. Elspeth is shocked to find her charge is a young woman, Selina, around her own age who is virtually bedridden following a childhood illness.

This is quite a dark and certainly gothic read in the earlier story, which of the two was for me the most compelling- I was enthralled by Elspeth and Selina’s story. I enjoyed Ailsa’s story too and it was important to the overall narrative to have both timelines. The relationship between the characters in both timelines is really well written and the emotions between them are palpable. With all the main characters female you would expect this to be a feminist novel; it’s a story of strong women who have overcome difficulties put in their paths, it has to be said largely by men. There are some difficult topics including abuse, death and alcoholism but it is also it’s a story of friendship, support and romance. A very entertaining book.

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was well written, and I loved the way everything was nearly wrapped up at the end.

However, the book was not formatted well for my reading on the kindle, and I found the layout was all over the place. Some chapter titles were in the previous chapters, and some of the speech were all linked into one. Unfortunately, because of the formatting, I cannot possibly give it more than 3 stars, because it was just too difficult to read.

A really intriguing, captivating story covering multiple narrative perspectives and across different time frames, telling us the story of the Reid woman through the generations and how their stories and lives intertwine.

I found this book to be well written, with a good flow, and even though we flip from one characters perspective to the next frequently, it is easy to follow and doesn’t get confusing. The story itself has lots of emotion and characters you feel you want to support and get behind, and there are hints of twists to come and secrets to uncover as you go which make you want to continue reading.

The only thing I wasn’t sure about was the ending - whilst it did reveal what the story had been working towards, it felt a little rushed and the ending slightly abrupt, and I would’ve liked to see a bit more of why things happened the way they did and the outcomes of these. Saying that I still very much enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend!

A haunting novel with a series of interconnected plotlines woven together. I enjoyed it - the women at the heart of the novel are strong and compelling characters, the atmosphere - gothic, and the twist was an interesting surprise. A well-written book for people who enjoy mystical, gothic historicals.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

An atmospheric and empowering read about women across several generations.

Victoria Hawthorne’s writing is sublime and the story and it’s wonderful characters were so immersive. I loved every character, even Rowan, once I got to know her.

All of these strong women had secrets from young adult Ailsa, in the present day, right back through the generations of Reid women who all had to have each other’s backs in order to survive in a cruel and male dominated world.

Fabulous!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Victoria Hawthorne and Quercus for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Darkest Night. I really enjoyed the way the book brings together four generations of Reid women and how their stories are connected. I found the Reid women well-written and easy to connect with. I loved the premise of the book. I found this book haunting at times and gripping. I enjoyed every second spend between the pages and didn’t want the book to end. I also loved the way the story moves from before WWI to the present and the threads that connect the women. This is a compelling read. I’d recommend it.

I love historical fiction where you learn about how lives were lived in certain eras. I also love psychological thrillers. And this book is a combination of the two so it's a win/win for me! Told through a dual time-line, we are immersed in the lives of the women of the Reid family, from post-war to present day. And through their stories we learn how our main character, Ailsa, finds herself in a dire situation, with her family crumbling around her and secrets from a workplace incident snapping at her heels. The writing was completely immersive and compelling. And wait until you get to the ending. Oh my word, I did not see that one coming!!! A brilliant read with a very satisfying conclusion. Loved it!