As always I appreciate the opportunity to read this advanced copy. This book just didn’t do it for me. It landed a little too YA in my opinion, with a lack of sophistication in the writing. The premise was good, but not well executed, unfortunately.

Set in Ireland in a time of famine, and where a town’s myths and superstitions have come to life. This is a dark historical fantasy with a large splash of horror thrown in. It has a strong emphasis on family and how circumstance can cause it to shatter or mend. There is some surprising character arcs for a very minor character and major characters alike. Was slow to start and takes nearly till the end of the book to have developed a connection with the main characters Maggie and Jinks. It had and interesting story line, but i was never able to be fully engrossed in its pages. I enjoyed the use of Irish slang and phrases (had to google a few of them along the way). I give this book 2/5.

I received an ARC of The Famine Witch. Thanks to NetGalley, Stephen Black, & Quill and Crow Publishing House for allowing me to review this book. I leave this review of my own free will!

Set in Belfast during the Great Famine, or a time period referred to in the book as Black '47, this was a great historical fantasy read from Stephen Black. It's a grim tale of witches, famine, and magic set in a time of strife in Ireland and the city of Belfast in particular.

I connected with Maggie and Jinks from the start and love their fierce sister/brother relationship. I also love Maggie's relationship with Annabelle. I just wish these characters had just a wee bit more depth to them. It doesn't feel to me like we truly got the chance to really know them. I wanted just a bit more depth.

The weaving in of the real life horror that women who were accused of being witches had to deal with was masterful. It added an extra layer of the heart felt struggle that I connected with. So awful what women of the time period had to endure. Not only from the Famine but from other outside forces.

Bloody Hands and the Black Lady and their acts of revenge along with the Good Reverend added quite a level of madness to this dark story, which I loved.

In all, this was a wonderful dark/grim read that I loved!

"The Famine Witch" by Stephen Black is a haunting and immersive historical fantasy that transports readers to the tumultuous landscape of 19th-century Belfast during the Great Hunger.

Black’s skillful blending of historical realism and supernatural intrigue creates a compelling backdrop for the protagonist, Maggie Malone, and her resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship and lurking malevolence.

With vivid historical detail and a palpable atmosphere, the novel brings to life a world of desperation, ancient feud, and the looming threat of The Black Lady and Bloody Hands. The intricate narrative weaves together elements of folklore and dark magic, adding layers of tension and foreboding to the story.

Maggie's journey to uncover her latent power and confront her destiny as a potential savior is both captivating and poignant, drawing readers into a gripping tale of survival and determination.

"The Famine Witch" is a captivating read that will appeal to fans of historical fiction and supernatural thrillers, offering a compelling blend of historical authenticity and otherworldly peril. Black’s narrative prowess and the evocative portrayal of Maggie’s struggle make this novel a noteworthy addition to the genre!

Unfortunately, I knew pretty quickly this book wasn't going to be for me. I was prepared to dive into a gritty historical fantasy filled with struggle and desperation, but much of this book fell flat for me. I'm all for a dark and gritty horror, but this felt more along the lines of dark historical fiction with fantastical elements trying to pass off as horror. Much of what I didn't like I think related to the writing choices. I don't read many books written by men due to the unnecessary comments on women's bodies. I know this book is about famine and hunger, but some moments felt a little uncalled for. There was also a nice amount of bidding women against each other and criticism on sex work during a time of survival. Again, I realize this book is about desperation but this is a personal thing I didn't love.

The story was fine and reminded me a bit of the YA fantasy horror The Diviners by Libba Bray but with more historical elements. The author mentions in the beginning that he wanted to tell a story about the history of people during this time, so it's assumed he's done a great amount of research for this book. That is important and I greatly appreciate it, but overall this wasn't for me. It's not quite a mystery, but if you enjoy fantasy historical thrillers, perhaps this will be for you. I am always on the side of historical accuracy, especially when its about atrocities or tragedies of the past.

Overall the story was grasping. I love some gritty desperate horror and the thriller aspect of this story took off. The writing isn't for me, but I'm sure lovers of this genre would very much enjoy it!

The Famine Witch by Stephen Black is a Historical Dark Fantasy/Horror book. It focuses on the potato famine that took place in Ireland in the 1800's as well as the way The Church and government accused women of being witches and wrongly sent them to their deaths.
As far as content warnings go, some parts really tugged on my heart strings. I struggle with reading about the suffering of children. It was hard to read about kids not having enough food. ( As a parent I find this concept to be very terrifying and disturbing. ) Illness and sickness spread through Belfast like wildfire which compounds the horrendous circumstances that the counties poor found themselves in.
The Famine Witch flowed well and was relatively short for a full length novel. It was engaging right from the start.
The author has an addictive writing style and the horror of actual historical events combined with with the dark fantasy elements that deals with a vastly dark evils is very effective.
The picture of the desolateness of the time and that the situations the protagonists find themselves in is painted in a very engaging if not depressing way. I enjoyed the ending and felt a sense of hope upon finishing which doesn't always happen in this genre.

Thank you to Net Galley and Quill and Crow publishing for the opportunity to read my first ARC book! It was a great one to start with.

Belfast 1647

Evil stalks the streets of Belfast leaving the mutilated bodies of its young women in its wake and when Fionnuala O'Kane stumbles upon the murderer and his victim the people of Belfast turn against her, proclaiming her to be a witch. And as they prepare to hang her at the Judas Tree Fionnuala swears her revenge against the people of Belfast.

Belfast 1847

The potato famine is in full swing, the people of Ireland dying and while Belfasts rich may be protected from starvation its poor are not and in a tenement housing known Carson's Corner Maggie Malone and her younger brother Jinks do everything they can to survive. Not just the famine but their drunken father's mounting debts. As Maggie attempts to elude the human bruisers that have sworn to get their money from Malone one way or another she has no idea that there is a supernatural battle beginning with her at the heart of it. For its been two hundred years and Bloody Hands is back to take his blood debt and The Black Lady, the woman who hung from the Judas Tree in his place, will take her revenge on both the people Belfast and Bloody Hands and she only needs Maggie to do it. With her little brother and her new found friend Annabelle by her side can Maggie find the courage to save her loved ones and the town she calls home?

I've probably said this before but it still stands; a bad witch is always a good read. So many stories about Witches recently focus on them being good beings and while these are always fun reads too its nice to just have a story about an evil witch out to get her vengeance. And The Black Lady is most definitely evil. She had had two hundred years to just brood on her fate in life and it made her into a creature just as bad if not worse than the Bloody Hands creature that started the whole thing in the first place. She is an excellent bad guy and I really enjoyed her character probably more than any other. Definitely more than Bloody Hands, he's genuinely just kinda pathetic.

In terms of our heroine Maggie I'm a bit on the fence about her. Yes, she rises to the challenge, yes, she is incredibly resourceful and wonderfully protective of her brother and eventually Annabelle and the fact that she forgives Rev Edgar is a testament to her patience, however, she's also just not complete to me. That probably won't make sense unless you read it but I just, I don't felt like we had not building of her character at all. Like I like her but we just go way to quickly and spend way more time than is necessary on the bad guys instead of getting to know Maggie better.

With that said this went way to quickly for me, I think everyone can guess by the length of most of the books I read that this is significantly shorter than my average book unless it's a light novel or a manga. And there's a reason for that; It's really difficult for someone (no matter how good they are) to take a story with this many moving piece and not make it feel rushed. Just an extra fifty pages could have taken this from a four star read to a five star read. Easily.

Overall, though I really enjoyed it and it was an excellent spooky read set in the potato famine which quite frankly I can't think of a better timeframe to have supernatural battles taking place.

And as always thanks to Netgalley and Quill and Crow Publishing for the eArc.

This was a really well written piece of historical fiction. I loved the Irish setting although there was the fact that it was a terrible time in history fraught with sickness and hunger. The author did a wonderful job describing the desperation and setting the stage for a fast paced, thrilling, magic-filled, captivating story. You can tell the author is a true story teller at heart because the descriptions were spot on! I truly enjoyed the writing.

ARC Review - Jan 25th 2024

I love anything to do with witches and this was no exception. I thought the writing style was really engaging and great characters you really felt for. It is always hard to blend historical and fantasy but Stephen Black did a great job. One of my pet peeves are when it feels improperly research or the historical references are done poorly but this was great.

I felt very transported to this world and even learned some history I didn’t know. Only constructive criticism is maybe some of the more fantasy elements could have been fleshed out more but overall a enjoyable read.

More a 4.25/5 stars

It was a good book with a unique plot and storyline. The characters were done right and the author really had a well written prose.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book is a credit to author Stephen Black.
I LOVE a gothic horror/ paranormal read. The Famine Witch gave me everything I needed.
It’s incredibly well written, and a lot of time is spent initially setting the story and developing the characters, which really pays off.
It’s paced well and I loved the senses of fantasy mixed with real, historical events (The Great Irish famine, witch trials/ hunts, etc.)
I was engaged throughout, and this was a pleasure to read.
I would 100% recommend this book!

I thought that the author did an amazing job of capturing the atmosphere and general coldness of the era in which this book is set. It wasn't a comfortable read, how could reading about such poverty and hardships faced by children be comfortable anyway? but it generally had an uneasiness about it throughout.

Obviously a well researched book highlighting an area of Ireland often forgotten when discussing the famine that ravaged people during this time.

I loved this book! I usually shy away from male authors because most of the time it seems they can't capture the emotional aspect of female characters but this was really great. It was a great fantasy based on historical events. You wont regret picking this up!

This was a book I dipped in and out of.
When I sat down with it, I was fully invested in the story of Maggie and Jinks.
It can be brutal, grim, and has witchcraft.
All things I like in a book.
It was however, a book I didnt rush to pick up.
So very much a mixed bag for me.

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

Set in 1847 in Belfast, Ireland, "The Famine Witch" narrates the survival story of nineteen-year-old Maggie and her younger brother Jinks as they navigate the Great Hunger, the loss of their mother, and the abandonment of their drunken father. On top of never-ending hunger and living in filth and squalor, these young characters must also contend with a serial killer named Bloody Hands and the sickly passengers of a recently docked ship. While it may seem like a whirlwind of disaster, all of these events collide as Maggie discovers that she possesses the power to save Belfast from further spiraling downward and conquer ancient forces that are driven by blood lust and revenge.

Stephen Black does an incredible job of combining the backdrop of historical events with aspects of fantasy and horror. From the Black Lady, who is hellbent on revenge, to the demonic Bloody Hands, these characters continue to evolve throughout the novel as the reader uncovers their underlying layers of motivation and mythology. In addition to these fantasy-driven characters, the reader also gets to encounter more human characters. From corrupt police officers and rough debt collectors to an outspoken preacher and his empathetic daughter, the reader is able to explore the historical aspects of the Great Hunger from many points of view, creating a well-balanced and enriching story.

I truly enjoyed learning more about such a critical period in Irish history. There were times in this novel when the sheer devastation of the famine and widespread disease was mind-boggling. Pestilence seemed to touch everyone without discrimination, leaving heartbreak and hopelessness in its wake. Black did such an outstanding job of combining the horror of actual historical events with mythological, supernatural aspects that everything in this book worked seamlessly together to create an unforgettable story.

I really enjoyed this unique storyline - I loved the characters and their development throughout!
I also love the author provided a pronunciation guide for names, can’t wait to read more from this author!