Publication: October 2, 2018
Genre: Historical, Paranormal and Romance
Pages: 364 pages
Variety is the spice of life, no? I took a little break this week from the high fantasy series I've been reading and decided to read something spooky with a bit of romance in it. I do this often to mix things up a bit in my head and calm my mind. The title actually caught my attention and I love reading about magic realism and the supernatural. This is the first time I'm reading one of Hester Fox's books and it didn't turn out as I expected.
The official synopsis on the back of this book and Goodreads makes this piece of gothic literature sound so interesting and better than it is. After this one, I'm not so sure if I'll check out this author's other works.
Synopsis
Set in the 1820s, The Witch of Willow Hall centres around the Montrose family comprising the parents and three grown daughters: Catherine, Lydia and Emeline. They were forced to leave Boston after scandalous rumours about their eldest daughter, Catherine, began circulating. The family then moves into their new country home, Willow Hall in New Oldbury.
It's an idyllic estate on the outside and soon the family learns some strange tales about the place—it's haunted. There's a darkness surrounding the place that calls out to the middle child and protagonist, Lydia. She sees things that none of her family members can and does very little about them.
As this family settles in New Oldbury and the father makes connections to grow a successful milling business, scandal and tragedy rear its head in their new home. There's a death in the family, Catherine and Lydia fight all the time and two young men duel for Lydia's hand in marriage. The dark history of the house seems to be tied to Lydia. Could she be the witch of Willow Hall? Why are the ghosts of the estate drawn to her?
Review
The plot of this novel is good, great even, if only more gumption was put into it. As I said earlier, the synopsis gives the impression of an intriguing, spooky read but it's not so. From the beginning, the book alludes to the protagonist, Lydia, being different from her sister. Somehow, fate makes the family move to an estate with a dark history which draws out the supernatural in Lydia. I'm excited to get into the spooky and understand the protagonist better but Hester Fox sways and takes different, unexpected directions.
There's no spookiness except for one or two scenes of creepiness involving animal cruelty and death. The story is slow-paced and boring at some points but I pushed through, hoping to get to the captivating parts. Towards the end, the action picks up as the author explains the mysteries in the story. I think this should not have been left to the end. There are some twists in the story that I find predictable and sadly, they don't impact the plot as much.
There's no suspense and trepidation that often accompanies a horror or spooky tale. The supernatural elements are few and seem nonexistent. Also, the romance between Lydia and Mr. Barrett has potential but it's dry. I enjoyed their connection and wanted more but Fox gives very little.
On the good side, the historical setting is good, well written and makes me nostalgic about some of Jane Austen's settings in her book. The lifestyle of the characters, given that it's 1821, their social calling, romance and language all add up to make an interesting setting.
There isn't much to say about the character development. One particularly aggravating character is Catherine, the eldest daughter. She's this beautiful but annoying person with no redeeming qualities. There's a point in the story when I think she will change or grow out of her narcissistic personality but she doesn't and that spoils the book for me. Lydia on the other hand is described as plain (yet she attracts two young men who fight over her!) but pathetic in my opinion. She has the strength and courage to be her true self but prefers to play the martyr and be indifferent about her situation.
Overall, I'm not sure if I'll recommend this book to paranormal readers. I read through to the end because I prefer not to stop reading books halfway. I later found out that The Witch of Willow Hall is the author's debut and everything just makes sense to me. This book is hyped as a paranormal witch tale but falls short in delivering this aspect. It's more of a historical romance and drama. I'll give it 2.5 stars out of 5.
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Book cover is from my e-library and edited in Canva
Image credit: Rachel Claire