4.25 / 5 stars
"we're going to be called witches no matter what. we might as well try to take word back a bit."

The Last Witch in Edinburgh is a mysterious atmospheric and emotionally filled book. I love how the author combines witchcraft, Scottish folklore and lesbians to create a magical story.

What I really enjoyed was how the book took time for personal growth and blended this with the witches as resistance. The pacing was slower at times, but it gave room for the characters to grow and 'sort out their shit'.

The pacing is slow at times, but it works because it gives the characters room to grow and figure things out. It is a story about finding strength, reclaiming power and most importantly: embracing who you are, no matter the obstacles, and you might get a second life.

I really enjoyed the first part of this book which takes place in the 1800s. The magical, witchy vibes were perfect for a fall read. I also really enjoyed the found family aspect in Nellie finding her place at the apothecary. I found the second half of the book after the time jump felt like a very different vibe. There seemed to be a lot of lost years that we missed which made it feel a little disjointed. I ultimately fell somewhere at a 3-3.5 stars based on these feelings.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Witch in Edinburgh uses “witch” as a synonym for women in a tale of tragedy and hope.
In an alternate Edinburgh of 1824, every woman lives in fear because all it takes is to anger the wrong person and they can be hanged as a witch. Nellie Duncan, beautiful and unwed, keeps to herself until late one night in a graveyard, she meets an actual witch. From there she finds her place among the coven of Rae Women’s Apothecary. Jean Rae and the other women provide cures and teach others how to aid the winter deity, Cailleach. But as Nellie finds a place and a purpose at the shop, disaster strikes. Nellie flees and spends the next two centuries hiding from the world. But finally, she can no longer hide from the world, and she must face the foe she has been running from. Can Nellie find the courage to bring the women from Edinburgh together?
Though this book came out in August, I felt like this book fell into my hands at the right time. Marielle Thompson sets her book in Edinburgh, which she knows well. But its focus on women and their power has more universal overtones especially in “the most powerful nation on Earth.” Using a loose version of witchcraft, Thompson built female comradery while showing the danger women are in every day when women do not keep the status quo. The word “witch” stands in for “slut”, “bitch”, “single mother”, and “loud mouth.” The book could be nothing but misery, but Thompson takes the reader on a journey through time and gives them hope-- hope women desperately need right now.
The mythology is beautiful. I knew a version of the tale of the winter deity Cailleach that was very similar to what was used here. This local touch truly enchants the tales and makes this unique from just general witch stories. This makes the book both specific to the area while also being global in theme.
While there is greatness in this book there are some issues. The name is rather a misnomer, but I can forgive that for the story Thompson is trying to tell. What I don’t forgive, is, that in a book about the importance of women, an important woman in negated to a couple of pages and a tragedy. The set up of the book has past, present, and the liminal time between. During that time Nellie falls for a woman when she hasn’t bonded with anyone since she fled. How can this important of a woman's time be so short? The woman is of such significance that Nellie takes that woman’s child as almost her own. The story suffers from letting down a woman within its pages.
The Last Witch of Edinburgh is a tale of hope. And while the mythology is that of the region, the theme is one that many women across the world will feel within their bones.

Excellent book, loved it! Looking forward to more from this author! Apologies for the lateness of my review

The Last Witch in Edinburgh was not really what I expected it to be.

I felt it got off to a fairly slow start, considering the topic. It started to pick up about 100 pages in, though.

The story started in 1824 with our main character, Nellie Duncan, and makes a jump to 2022, where Nellie Duncan has aged but has the long life of a witch.

In 1824 Edinburgh, women were again being hung as "witches," even though this practice is now illegal. All women in Edinburgh are living in fear. Especially those who may be deemed "different" because they don't conform to expectations for women or for those who are poor. After a catastrophic event, Nellie flees Edinburgh, but in 2022, she returns and finds that the hate towards women has just taken a new form.

This story introduced me to the idea of the Cailleach, a figure in Celtic mythology. A winter goddess ushering in the cold, dark winter months. The Cailleach has a son, Angus, the king of summer.

In this story, it is Angus who tries to reduce the power of women, so they can not help his mother bring in the winter. It's an interesting way to bring in the topic of misogyny and the patriarchy and the control of women.

I thought that taking these mythological take and weaving into the themes of patriarchy and misogyny were a great way to metaphorically speak to this issue. But, it's not really what I expected this book to be. It felt a bit like a lecture at times, but perhaps that's what we need to really stay informed about these issues!

I'd still rate this book a four star. It was well written and interesting.

Thank you to Kensington for the advanced digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

The Last Witch in Edinburgh pulls you right into an eerie, spellbinding version of Edinburgh that feels both real and otherworldly. There is a mix of history and magic. There were a few slow spots, but the twists and turns kept me hooked, and the atmosphere just kept building. If you're into historical fantasy with a dark, mysterious edge, then I def recommend.

The vibe and atmosphere of this book is amazing. There were a couple of things that I wish were different but overall, this was a very good read, and I would recommend it to anybody who wants a witchy vibe set in the past and present. 👏

I thought I was really going to love this book, but it really went downhill fast for me. I really enjoyed the first quarter of so quite a bit. The atmosphere was incredible and you really got the horrible feeling of what it was like to be a woman back then, the constant worry and terror. The main character soon starts working at an apothecary and seeing the relationships between woman slowly blossom was beautiful, but also this is where it started to go downhill for me. It became sooo slow and dull here. The day to day felt really tedious and slow. She's slowly learning bits and pieces about her mom, but it wasn't enough to feel interesting and a relationship between her and another girl just comes about out of nowhere.

I honestly should've DNF'd at this point, but I kept slogging on hoping or the best. Once the timeline shifts I completely lost interest. Where before the feminine rage felt truly justified and you FELT how horrible it was to be a woman, always looking over your shoulder and second guessing your actions, it all became so heavy handed I felt like it was being constantly shoved in my face. I was no longer enjoying the story on any aspect here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This book started decently. Nellie Duncan in a young woman who has lost her job and desperate to take care of her little brother. Edinburgh is a rough city, where women are taught from the cradle that they have no worth. Any woman who dares to defy that is seen as a witch and punished dearly. The first half of the book deals with Nellie discovering power in a group of women she stumbles across and the lessons they teach her about what it really means to harness her feminine power. If the book had stayed on the track it set during the first half, it would have been much more enjoyable. Instead, it splits, with one half in 1824 and the other two hundred years later, and that's when it all went to hell.

The book was too long. It was also a little repetitive and the characters not fleshed out quite enough. If I had to read about Nellie's stomach swooping one more time, I would have thrown my kindle. Her stomach swooped a lot. Nellie was also almost fanatically obsessed with Jane. It was billed at a love for the ages, but it didn't fit for me. Jane is borderline abusive in how she treats Nellie. Nellie simply takes basically being called stupid and weak and so on while greedily taking every grain of affection she gets. It felt icky to me.

All in all I wanted to love this book but it was a struggle to get through. The second half was just not up to par and unneeded, frankly. It was just meh for me.

Queer characters in an alternate version of 1800s Scotland, with some witchcraft and other shenanigans? Say no more! This novel was a whirlwind and so rich with detail and character building. I was intrigued from page one. I've read a lot of good books lately and this is a highly recommended read.

I love stories about witches, especially in the autumn. I had trouble connecting to this story and would have preferred more character development.

“the last witch in Edinburgh” was a magnificent talk of the power of sisterhood throughout history. I loved learning about the deity’s and her “hags” @ the metaphor with toxic masculinity, patriarchy and violence towards any group of people who are different than what it’s considered their “norm”. It was as relevant in the 1800’s than in 2020. everything was beautifully written and I cannot recommend this book enough, i’m really thanking the author because i loved every moment of this reading and moreover, it’s history with a big H. we need to hear about their voices. and the author through fictional settings and reality has done an amazing job at it.

I love stories of witches, this story is fascinating, it shows how women were killed and accused of doing witchcraft and spells in the 1800 and how they were condemned.
Beautiful female characters and well written story overall a Story full of magic, love and tragedy. Perfect for this spooky season.

Book Review: The Last Witch in Edinburgh by Marielle Thompson

Rating ⭐️: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy 🌶️: 🌶️

I am grateful to have received this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

🚨Spoiler Alert 🚨

I really enjoyed this book, I love the plot of witches in the 1800s, how they become witches was a beautiful piece and how it involved nature. As the Cailleach brought on the colder months, created the mountains and lakes and did so with the help of her hags. Her witches practice the craft and protected women, heal them with herbs and teas and if they wanted or were brave enough they would teach them the Cailleach ways.

It was written about witches and women being hung for witchcraft and for just existing, there was an element of romance from the main character Nellie, who had feared all men and desired only one woman. The spice was mild. The book starts off in the 1800s then near the end it’s in modern day 2022. The shift was well written and very interesting to see the same female issues that happened year ago, still happening today.

I loved Nellie has a main character I bonded with her, she had lost her job as a maid and had come across the Rae shop and was intrigued ok what they where doing. The girls took Nellie in for her artistic skills. This was when she fell for Jean. I found Jean very rude and I just couldn’t take to her. When the Rae women took Nellie in and taught her the craft, she found a home with them until Nellie was in danger, they kick her out for her own safety but I still felt Jean should of fought for her to stay, like she told her she wanted to be with her for the rest of her life. The the true witches of the Cailleach got two lives.

When Nellie left the Cailleach enemy build down the Raes shop and Nellie’s thinks Jeans has died so she runs away in fear. Then when near the end Nellie finds out Jean didn’t die in the fire and knew she was alive all those years and was rude to her when she came to the shop.

I enjoyed the ending very good as Nellie over came her fears to protect her niece and all the women of Cailleach came together to fight off her enemy once and for all.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this novel more than I thought that I would.

There are so many novels about the Salem Witch Trials but not many about the witch trials that preceded it in Scotland that this was a refreshing read from what I was used to. Marielle Thompson puts a modern spin on what witchcraft is and the reality of what the women were facing when they went to trial.

It's not hard to fall in love with the Nellie, Jean and the rest of the witches as they try to stay alive and fight the patriarchy both in 1824 and again 200 years later. This story would make for a great book club pick, especially during Women's History Month.

A little while ago, I was given «The Last Witch in Edinburgh», written by, Marielle Thompson by NetGalley for an honest review, and I finished reading it this morning.

This story is set in alternative Edinburgh in 1824. Nellie Duncan lives with her drunk of a father, and a little brother she's trying to take care of. Her mother passed away while giving birth, and she's lost her post as a maid in a rich family's home after the man of the house couldn't take his eyes off of her. The lady of the house blames Nellie, and doesn't just make her leave her post, but also makes sure Nellie doesn't get a post anywhere else.

She then finds the Rae Women's Apothecary, where women can come for teas and potions for their problems. It doesn't take long before Nellie too works at the shop, and is taught the Cailleach.

Being a woman is a dangerous thing, though, and they live in fear that they can be the next victim of the gallows, hanged for witchcraft. Despite of this, Nellie embrace her newfound community, and also develops feelings for the strong and fierce Jean.

Nellie soon learns that the Cailleach has an ancient enemy. A diety that wants to strip the Cailleach for all the power, and wipe out all her witches, and create a world full of patriarchal violence and destruction.

This is a very feminist story, and I must advice you to check out the trigger warnings for it should you need them. I absolutely loved it, and I would love to read more from this author at some point.

I just finished The Last Witch in Edinburgh by Marielle Thompson, and I’m obsessed! If you loved Practical Magic, this is totally up your alley. The Edinburgh setting is perfect (seriously, I could read any story set there), and the LGBTQ+ storyline was really well done. Plus, there are little hints that a sequel might be possible! It flips between past and present, and honestly, both timelines were so good they could’ve been two separate books. Highly recommend—such a fun and magical read!

If you love to read stories about witches then this is perfect. It can be a bit slow at times but hopefully you’ll love the characters like I did.
Scottish setting was beautiful. It made my desire to visit more strong.
If you love a unique modern take set in the past to take on the patriarch, then look no further. Grab a blanket and a hot beverage and enjoy.

“The Last Witch in Edinburgh” is take of the power of womanhood and the importance of kinship wrapped in a shroud of witchy power and enlightenment. The story leans heavily on the rich elements of Scottish folklore and the “witchcraft” trials that were inflicted upon women. This a tale of family and friendship and more importantly finding your inner power despite while battling the long history of misogyny and the patriarchal views of society. It’s a story that all women should read.

Despite this book having strong and powerful storyline and is beautifully written, I did knock a story off because I felt the pacing and the jump to modern times didn’t flow as well it could have and at times I felt a bit lost but I never lost the magic of the story!

I have recommended this to all my feminist friends to enjoy as a story of triumph and to my more traditional/conservative to (hopefully) ignite a new spark of feminist power within them.

Edinburgh 1820's, women are hunted just for being women daring to speak up. Rae's Apothecary seems to be the only safe haven for healers. It's here we meet our main character Nellie, apprenticing to become one of the witches in service of the Calleach, a higher power, looking after the health of Edinburgh's female residents.
This first part of the book is quite slow to my liking and several times I thought of giving up, but the women and their work are interesting, so I persevered. And am I glad I did!
Halfway through the book the story shifts from historical fiction to modern day. The transition was a bit rushed, but settles once we arrive in 2022. Here we see history repeat itself. The parallels between the two centuries are mindblowing. This time though women dare to stand up for themselves, without suffering the consequences they once did.

Overall a cleverly crafted story, well written and pleasantly paced, covering two important times in history. The characters are captivating, Edinburgh is gloomy as ever, the perfect setting for this beauty.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC.