It was an interesting read. I love the title and cover of the book. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. It would be a great book for other readers though.

I didn't know what to expect but what I got made my dark little soul and the witch in me incredibly happy. I loved it and couldn't put it down. It is dark and horrific but also beautiful in places. I loved it

Okay, this book was amazing!!! This is in line with Slewfoot by Brom. The Famine Witch is a fantastic horror/fantasy book set in Northern Ireland in 1847. I almost didn't finish it!!! Fifty pages in, I thought it was dry. I thought it might be a YA fantasy (not my cup of tea), although if you like YA fantasy, you may still like it despite it's very horrific elements.

HOWEVER, it got exponentially better, even all the way to the end. If you love Irish mythology with banshees, demons, and horror elements, this book is for you!!! This is wonderful mythology with some horrific scenes. There was a lot of beautiful language and some humorous bits in this novel. 4.5 starts rounded up, because that's how rounding works.

While at times it felt like the dialog was a bit heavy, the story telling was enriching and I was completely entranced.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. I mean it's witches right? How can you pass up the opportunity to indulge yourself with a little witchy Irish read. The characters were well thought out and had a lot of depth to them that made me really like them. I will definitely be purchasing this book to read again and again. It was sad, tragic, and just a good read all around.

Everyone who likes dark, historical fantasy seriously needs to go read this book! I loved it so much. This story takes place in Belfast in 1847 and everyone is either dead or dying because of famine and diseases running rampant. Now, in this lovely setting there are evil ghosts and witches running rampant. And of course lots of churchly influences that don’t make the situation better.

The main characters are absolutely amazing. There is a super powerful oldest sister witch and the most adorable naughty little brother. These two had such an amazing brother sister dynamic and Jinks is just sooooo cute.

We also get to see a lovely friendship form when two young women take on all the dark and powerful forces in the town.

Now, it is indeed really dark and there’s lots of gory moments (So check trigger warnings) but I’m not going into too much detail, bc I’m not about to spoil the plot -and fun- for anyone.

What I will say is that there’s some influences from Irish mythology, which is really cool, because you don’t see that often.

I really hope I’ve convinced you to go give this book a try. The amazing characters, unique setting and battling ghosts, what more can you want?

I really enjoyed it and it did not take me long to understand who's point of view I was reading it from. I particularly liked reading it from the point of view of Anabelle.

3.5*

This was a hard one to rate for me!

I loved the premise of the book and being from just outside Belfast it was great reading a book set in a familiar setting. The vibes were exactly what I wanted and I loved the gloominess, it fit right in with the current weather. Anything with the Black Death vibes and witches and I'm there for it.

My only issue was that I wanted more!

I feel like there wasn't enough of the Black Lady and Bloody Hands and it was all over very quickly. I feel like this could have been longer and I would've ate it up.


<i>Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Stephen Black for providing me with an arc of this book to review</i>

The story is set in 1847 during the potato famine. Maggie and her younger brother Jinks are struggling to survive after the death of their mother and abandonment of their father and while the famine claims countless lives a darker threat has emerged from the shadows;- known as ‘Bloody Hands’, the creature returns every 200 years to claim his 6 victims. His previous visit began a centuries old vendetta between him and the Black Lady, a witch intent on seeking revenge on Bloody Hands and all those in Belfast who condemned her to her fate.

I enjoyed reading this story and quickly became immersed in the lived of Maggie and Jinks while enjoying the gothic angle of witchcraft and blood thirsty creatures and devoured the book in less than 24 hours. The writing is full of depth and atmospheric and the plot moves along at a good steady pace. I loved all the characters and their development. My only takeaway would be, that the Black Lady seemed so at odds with her mortal self from the beginning of the book. I felt she needed more of a character arc to show how she got to be so powerful, but more importantly so vengeful and dark.

Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy. ‘The Famine Witch’ by Stephan Black is out now

This was a slower read for me. I was very into it... Then it started to slow down... Then got good again. I loved that the true history of Ireland was intertwined into the plot! I really liked the evolution of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quill & Crow Publishing for this ARC.

An exceptional book - the merging of historical and sci-fi/fantasy elements was done impeccably. The transition from everyday 1840s Belfast to 1840s Belfast with Bloody Hands and
The Black Lady was so well managed.

I found myself really invested in the outcome for Maggie, Jinks, and Annabelle. There were several unexpected storylines which was refreshing. It’s always nice to be kept on your toes.

The only negative thing I will say is I wish the Black Lady and Bloody Hands meetings were more detailed. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would read it again.

Eerie, gothic, witches - a trio for success.

Dark fantasy….wonderful telling of a dark Irish tale. In was moody and I felt like I wish I was cozy up in front of fireplace in a pub for the whole read. Well done.

The Famine Witch was a delightful read. It covered all the emotions. Hope, despair joy actually sadness and even rage. Throughout the story it is hard to imagine how one would survive a on going famine then add the rest of the story's twist and turns. It was a great read and I already plan to gift it to a friend or two.

Life in the Belfast tenements during 1847's famine. This novel is a strange mix of historical fiction, witchery and fantasy. Different worlds colliding then merging the harsh reality of the famine with a colorful otherworld centuries old. All rings true.
The Famine Witch is well written, with a good variety of interesting characters set in atmospheric surroundings. The pace is way too slow for my liking though and I gave up at 67%.

Thank you Netgalley and Quill & Crow Publishing for the ARC.

The Famine Witch was an enjoyable read based in Belfast, Ireland in 1847, during the Great Famine/ Irish Potato Famine, and follows two creatures from Irish folklore; The Black Lady known as a Cailleach and the Abhartach. The Abhartach and the witch are both enemies, fighting over the lands ridden by death, disease and hunger as the Cailleach seeks her revenge on the descendants of the folks who hung her as a witch, two centuries prior. Now as history repeats itself, Maggie Malone is the town's new religious scapegoat, a hysteria driven by religion, hunger, and greed of the wealthy. Maggie has to do what's right to protect her brother and herself from the malicious forces set out to get them, both ancient and human.

While I admire the premise of the story, I felt like the Black Lady's vengeance was a bit ambiguous, her feud with the Abhartach was not as tense and she became a vengeful creature even towards those who follow her path, using her followers as stepping stones for her selfish cause, seemingly similar to what the wealthy of the town did to regain control of the poorer masses when they made Maggie their sacrificial lamb.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book for the most part, probably more like a 3.5 star.

My biggest issue is that I don’t think there needed to be 2 “baddies”. I found it difficult to believe that the Black Lady would have so much hatred given how her human self was presented in the beginning. I didn’t fully understand the abhartach character and his motivations either, but he was a believable evil character at least. I would have liked to have more insight into the “old ways”.

DNF at 27%. Book didn’t hold my attention. Typically, books that focus on multiple characters will identify each chapter with a header of their name, but in this book there was no indication of who the main character of the chapter is. This made it confusing to read at times and a bit harder to follow. The premise of this book was really interesting, but I couldn’t get through it.

This book felt like a breathe of fresh air, it's a unique setting and the merging of history and fantasy were chef's kiss. I would 100% read it again.

"Two city birds with two stones. Fever and famine."
The consequences of the Great Famine 1845-47 in Ireland have been retold in novel form many times. But I was interested to read this alternative tale based in Belfast where we see a cargo of Connemara emigrants waylaid by the weather to dock and in doing so spreading the fever with which they were transported.
This tory is based on a real incident of the murders of women by Bloody Hands (as he became known) virtually a Belfast Jack the Ripper stalking the alleys of Belfast in the 1840s. But In this novel the author has cleverly immersed the city under the spell of a witch the Black Lady - in Irish a Cailleach - who seeks revenge for her unlawful hanging some two hundred years previously.
In the mix is Maggie Malone trying to bring up her brother Jinks in poverty but who retains some essence of the spiritual from her deceased mother. Her 'connection' with the Black Lady - in Irish an Abhartach- might yet save her own life as she comes under suspicion from the city authorities.
It is fast paced and character led with the genre of dark fantasy immersed into the historical context very well. It also sheds a light into how Belfast and the North of Ireland were affected by the Famine and how (as always) the hysteria over religion and here its emphasis on seeking out evil affected so many innocent people across all generations.
A magical legend set in a struggling society.

The Famine Witch, by Stephen Black

TL; DR: Excellent historical fantasy novel with great character-building and various supernatural elements. Very dark, and worth the read. Five stars.

The Famine Witch is a historical fantasy novel that seamlessly blends actual events with witchcraft, magic, Irish folklore, and horror. Taking place in 1847 Belfast, we are introduced to Margaret (Maggie) Malone, our MC, and her younger brother Jinks. As a great hunger devastates the city and beyond, the population is faced with yet more terror as the killer known as Bloody Hands, last seen 200 years before, once more stalks their streets in search of young women to butcher, and the Black Lady, hellbent on revenge, carries illness to their shores. Caught between two forces of evil while trying to survive famine itself, Maggie must make decisions that threaten her own survival in order to protect Jinks and the city she loves.

I very much enjoyed this book. I went into it expecting darkness, but what really stood out for me was the humanity (or lack of it at times) of the characters. 19 year old Maggie is kind, but not too kind; sharp-tongued when pushed, soft-tongued when needed. She is both mother and sister to Jinks, protecting him to the utmost of her abilities despite being little more than a child herself. Jinks is scrappy, disheveled, and street-smart, but very much looks up to his older sister. Their friend Annabelle is a beautiful soul, empathetic to the struggles of others and using her religious beliefs for good. Her father, on the other hand, is the very opposite, using religion to divide between the good and proper, and "the other." The author did a great job of building the characters and making them distinct. I really wanted Maggie, Jinks, and Annabelle to come out ahead. In a world where most all of the adults were corrupt or lost, the children were filled with shining hope and goodness.

There were definitely some aspects that I enjoyed less. I wanted a different outcome for a few of the characters, and the ending felt a tad rushed. I think the book could have benefited from being slightly longer with a more drawn-out conclusion. There was also a proofreading issue where Annabelle and the Reverend were introduced by the last name Elgar early on, but then referred to as Edgar continuously later on in the book - I'm not sure if this issue made it to print.

These small gripes aside, I think Stephen Black did a phenomenal job with the novel. It wasn't exactly what I thought it would be, but it was definitely what it needed to be. For all the supernatural aspects to it, it felt very raw and gritty and real. It is unquestionably a story I'd recommend to others.

Full disclosure - I received my e-ARC of The Famine Witch via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.