Was a good historical witch book. I felt it dragged a little more then I wanted but overall was a good book.

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

Maggie and Jinks are siblings living in Belfast during the Potato Famine of 1847. Danger comes at them from all sides and Maggie prays fervently to the Black Lady, a powerful witch that lives on the mountain. The Lady listens, but her help comes with strings attached and she may not be the answer Maggie was hoping for.

This was an interesting book. There were moments where it was a bit repetitive and slow. And also there were zombies? I felt that at times the author was just going for shock value instead of things that would add to the story, but overall it was a good book. I'd say 3.5 stars.

This book seemed like it had a very interesting premise. But the writing and tone were extremely florid and overly dramatic, which made it difficult for me to connect with the characters—they felt like melodramatic stereotypes, which was disappointing considering the real suffering that the people in Belfast went through at this time. A more gritty and sparse tone could have really added to the story and driven home the situation the characters were living in. I really tried to plod through the extreme overuse of adjectives, but after the third anachronism at 9% in, I just didn’t have the patience any more.

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.