I thought this would be an interesting story set in Italy in the Middle Ages and following the journey of a persecuted witch. Although the main character is strong-willed, her narrative voice was bitter and complaining and the start of the book at least (DNF at 25%) featured a lot of horrific child abuse. I just couldn’t bring myself to continue the torture of reading - there was no hope to be found for the poor young witch and I could not see it getting any better or becoming interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review and letting me give it a try.

I could not get enough of this book. It was so devastatingly honest and distressing. The experience of women throughout history is littered with tragedy, and this period is no different.

The tragic life of all the women involved in the story really stuck with me. The way a single decision sealed their fates will haunt me. The attitude and acceptance of death left me with chills. The final chapters were poignant and beautiful.

The saving grace as always was the love between family and friends.

A beautiful read.

This was a very interesting read, I really enjoyed seeing woman shown with this hidden power in a time that ignored them.