Separated by 400 years, this story is told mainly through the eyes of Clem in Glasgow in 2024 and Alison in Orkney in 1594

Clem gets the call every parent dreads, there's been an accident.... luckily Clems daughter Erin survived the fire but what happened to her, and her friends. It was only meant to be a trip to Orkney to look into her heritage and she's now severely injured with a lot of questions to answer... well when she is able to that is...

Back in 1594 with Alison, she hears the words every Healer dreads, that she is being accused of Witchcraft and is to stand trail. With not just her own life at stake, what can she do to try and save herself but also her family and fellow healers...

The answers to all questions may lie in where these two tales cross over and I throughly enjoyed seeing it all play out.

Having read and enjoyed Haunting in the Arctic by the same author, and being from Glasgow, I knew this was one I wanted to dive into.

Out now and if you love a witchy tale intertwined with history, this one's for you. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the review copy, all opinions my own

It took me a little while to get into this book. After about 25% I really started to get into it. I found most of the time I wasn't all that interested in the past chapters and was much more interested in what was happening in the present day. I don't know if I preferred the storyline or the characters more in the present day but found the past chapters lacking something.

I did enjoy this book, just not as much as I have enjoyed others from C J Cooke.

This book was a 3.75 for me, the reason I didn't round up to a 4 star is that I have rated two other books by C J Cooke a 4 star and I preferred them both to this book.

It was good, gripping at times. You can tell the author did a lot of research as I found the story informative and detailed. Good thr spooky season. Enjoyable

This was a fantastic read! Split timelines are hard to pull off, but I felt so drawn in to this incredible story that it worked brilliantly.
Setting up the lore by using real witchcraft history created a level of depth that made the characters relatable and real.
So glad I read it.

𝟰 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀 *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Firstly, thankyou so much to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me with an e-ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book I have read by this author now, I read and enjoyed The Lighthouse Witches, but I read and LOVED The Book of Witching! There is something about Cooke's writing that feels so "real", I don't know how she does it, but I found myself totally hooked on this story and was tearing through the chapters.

This book takes us on a fast paced journey that seamlessly switches between the present day at Fynhallow, where a park ranger stumbles upon a young girl who has been very badly burned but is still alive, and then we get an alternate timeline in 1594 where we follow the POV of Alison Balfour who is accused of witchcraft at a time where convictions are punishable by death.

This was the perfect blend of mystery and thriller/horror with a dash of historical fiction and witchcraft, the pacing of the intertwining storylines kept me hooked from the first page, and I loved unravelling the story that connected our past and present POV's. You can really tell that the author put a lot of research in to this book, and I just love when a piece of fiction that highlights true events is created. Balfour's story was heartbreaking and Cooke did a wonderful job in highlighting the ordeal she went through.

Recommend to anyone that loves a witchy book and doesn't mind a bit of historical fiction! Cooke is now firmly on my radar and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!

I'm a huge fan of C.J Cooke's work, and The Book Of Witching is no different, I devoured this book in a day and a half and was so immersed in the storyline.

Set in the remote Orkney Islands Clem is facing every mothers worst nightmare when she receives a call that her daughter is in hospital in a critical condition after her holiday with her friends goes wrong and a fire takes place leaving her boyfriend dead and her best friend missing. When Erin comes around from her coma, she doesn't recognise her mother and insists her name is Nyx. Can Clem get to the bottom of what happened to Erin and save her daughter from unravelling further.

When Alison is asked to create a charm for Earl's illegitimate brother, she refuses, but this doesn't stop her being condemned as a witch and put on trial.

Equally fascinating and horrifying, I loved the dual timeline of The Book Of Witching. There were parts I genuinely found creepy, and C.J. builds the suspense of this book perfectly. The strength of the female characters and the way they intertwined was completely captivating. I would say this is my favourite of hers yet. The bond between Mother and Daughter is really tested, and I love that this was explored in depth.

Filled with Scottish folklore, witches, and feminism this is a great piece of historical fiction that will have you hooked from the first page until the very last.

I highly enjoyed this book! The different timelines and trying to figure out their interconnection. I must say though that I sadly guessed the one plottwist quite early on but since we still had the other timeline and also the way it is webbed into the current world situation made it actually really interesting. The culty vibe with the historical background of the late middle ages is something I've missed reading, as I've read many of those settings as a teenager. It was a throwback and I have quite a few people I would love to recommend this book directly to. As some of them aren't fluent in english I hope it gets a german translation somewhen.

4.25/5 highly recommend!

A haunting story with dual timelines, following the witch trials of Allison and in modern times, Clem whose daughter has ended up in hospital after suffering horrific burns.

An interesting weave of the two timelines, this is an enjoyable read, though I felt slightly rushed at the end.

The Lighthouse Witches was an excellent read, and I don't think this will disappoint either.

Really enjoyed this dual timeline story although I feel some of the characters lacked depth and didn’t really come alive for me. Was a bit annoyed about the Clem/Quinn line going over their relationship (they have been divorced for many years) as it was not central to the plot.
In did feel the ending was a bit rushed so left me feeling a bit dissatisfied with how things were wrapped up, however overall a well written debut and I will read more from this author in future.

I really liked the sound of this book but did struggle to get into it at times. With the way CJ Cooke writes I felt at times i needed to take my time to read the words rather than skim through. An interesting story and a fab read for autumn/winter time.

https://lynns-books.com/2024/11/07/the-book-of-witching-by-cj-cooke/
4 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review: A Book that will Bewitch

I’m loving CJ Cooke’s work and the Book of Witching is no exception. A captivating novel told in two timelines with mystery, witching and history combined.

As with the other books I’ve read by this author she manages to capture atmosphere aplenty. Here we have two completely different timelines, one harking back to the late 1500s where a woman is taken into custody and tried for being a witch, the other set in the modern era where a woman has been informed that her daughter has been badly burned and is currently in hospital, one of her friends is dead and the other missing.

This is a pacy read and utterly compelling. I practically inhaled this in two sittings. I loved the mystery elements to the modern day setting. Clem’s daughter was travelling the remote islands of Scotland when the terrible tragedy occurred. Initially there’s a sense of horror about the shocking events but when Erin wakes in hospital and seems completely detached, refusing to answer to her name and coming across as less than sympathetic to what has happened to her friends, well, unsurprisingly the police start to take a closer look at her. Of course her mother Erin and her ex husband are determined to prove her innocence and travel to Orkney to try and uncover some of the mystery – in the process being a bit embroiled with an unusual group of people that initially come across as quite scary.

Meanwhile, flashing back to the events unfolding in the historical storyline, Alison Balfour has been taken into custody and is about to stand trial as a witch. A trial that is little more than a farce with Alison and her family being tortured until she confesses – after which she will be burned at the stake. This was a period of unrest, the local inhabitants are being pressed hard and are struggling to live, emotions are running high. Alison comes from a line of healers, known as hedge witches, people approach her for cures and other types of remedies and yet times are changing and these women that so many have relied on previously will start to be shunned, people afraid to name them friend for fear of the backlash.

I thought both stories were equally intriguing. I confess I’m a sucker for dual timelines where we jump back and forth and throw in the awful persecution of innocent women that took place during those heinous witch hunts and an equally puzzling mystery on the flip story and I was definitely hooked.

The writing is great, clearly, once again, Cooke has carried out her research and in fact Alison, although with a slightly altered name, is based on a real character who suffered this terrible fate.

It does take a little while, in fact the link between the two stories doesn’t become apparent until quite late in the tale but I didn’t have any issues with that.

In conclusion a deeply atmospheric read with a perfect combination of history and mystery, both stories clearly demonstrating the love that both these mothers share for their child and the determination to remain true. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke

On a small uninhabited island off Orkney, the body of a young man is found burned alongside a girl who is barely alive. She has suffered terrible burns to her arms and hands. When Clem receives the call that her daughter Erin is in the burns hospital in Glasgow, she races to her bedside and is horrified to find her in a coma with her damaged eyes stitched shut. Erin had been on a trip to Orkney with her boyfriend Arlo and a new friend Senna, leaving her daughter Freya with Clem. Arlo has been found dead, but Senna is missing. Erin desperately looks for clues as to how this has happened and is startled by a sudden vision of a strange book, with a bark cover and black pages that appear to be blank. Searching her daughter’s room she finds a note that reads ‘Arlo’s hands will need to be bound’. Could Erin have harmed her friends? We’re taken back to 16th Century Orkney as Alison Balfour wakes up and finds both of her children missing in the middle of the night. She tracks them to a clearing where masked and robed figures are holding a ceremony, initiating her children into the Triskele, just as she once was. Her own mother steps forward with the Book of Witching, inviting her grandchildren to ‘sign’ the book with a primal scream. Only a few weeks later she is approached by a nobleman when visiting her husband, who is working as a stone mason on the cathedral. He asks if Alison could create a powerful hex that would end the life of a powerful Earl. She refuses, so it’s a huge shock when she is arrested for practising witchcraft and thrown into a dungeon. Alison knows she has only ever used herbs and charms to help people with their ailments, particularly women. However, she knows what will follow; interrogation, violation and torture unless she confesses to something she didn’t do. Then she faces burning, with her only hope that she is strangled before the fire takes hold. Alison’s story is interwoven with Clem’s story, set in present day Glasgow where she lives with her daughter Erin. Clem is devastated when out of the blue she receives a call from the city’s burns unit. Erin has been admitted to the unit with serious burns and is in an induced coma. Clem is confused because Erin was on a trip to Orkney with her boyfriend Arlo and her friend Savannah. Now Arlo is dead, Savannah is missing and Erin has terrible burns to her arms and hands. She was found on the beach of Gunn, an uninhabited island off Orkney. Why were they in such a remote place and why is Clem had a vision of a blackened, bark covered book which opens to reveal a woman burning at the stake?

C.J. Cooke combines these two stories into a narrative about Scottish heritage, the history of witchcraft and of women. She creates an eerie atmosphere where supernatural abilities abound, based within a breadth of research around the 17th Century moral panic about witches spearheaded by King James himself. These earlier sections are an unusual mix that ground us within the history of a place, but also creates a sense of unease. Alison renounced the Triskele years before and is angry with her mother for going behind her back, so when she’s arrested for witchcraft it’s a shock. The period where Alison is interrogated is incredibly accurate and hard to read in parts. She is entirely at the mercy of the powerful men who keep her in a filthy dungeon, restrict food and water, then use intimidation, violation and torture to elicit a confession. The historical background to the witch trials in Scotland has come up in a couple of novels this year and it might seem strange to the reader that such a belief in witchcraft existed. King James VI of Scotland had a marriage contract with a Danish princess, but her voyage to Scotland is threatened by fierce storms. Witch burnings had already swept across Germany and into Scandinavia and there are rumours that a witch had cursed the princess’s voyage. The North Berwick trials started a wave of panic over witches who might be accused of something as silly as causing a farmer’s cows to stop giving milk. King James voyaged across the North Sea to collect his bride, but does become obsessed with witchcraft using the Malleus Maleficarum as his witch finder’s bible. It includes the idea that witches will have a mark on their body where the devil has left his mark. One of the men interrogating Alison uses a pin to test marks on her naked body, looking for one that doesn’t produce pain when stabbed by the needle. He claims to have found the mark under Alison’s tongue, but also perceives the outline of a hare that turns into a shadowy figure. They are so sure of what they’ve seen that Alison almost thinks she’s seen it herself, but she’s starving, dehydrated, filthy and exhausted from being walked up and down all night to prevent her sleeping. Yet every time she denies their accusations, until they start hurting the people she loves.

Clem meanwhile is horrified by the state of her daughter who is on a ventilator to protect her airway. She’s so vulnerable that she’s even grateful for the presence of her ex-husband at Erin’s bedside. She’s devastated for Arlo’s parents and for those waiting to hear news of Savannah. They’d only become friends very recently and there had been no red flags. Now the police are sniffing around the ICU, waiting for Erin to wake up and give them her account of what happened. When Clem pops home she goes into Erin’s room to feel her daughter. As she looks around she finds a slip of paper and written in Erin’s hand is he instruction that ‘Arlo’s hands must be bound ‘. That is exactly how Arlo was found. Instinctively, Clem pockets the evidence before the police ask to search their home. She must protect her daughter. Yet when Erin wakes up she claims to be someone else. Someone called Nyx. Clem only has to hear her voice to know that this is not her daughter. For me Alison’s narrative is more compelling, possibly because we’re in the midst of the action and everything is so immediate as we experience it through her eyes. By contrast we come into Clem’s story after the terrible event has happened. She’s in the dark, desperately trying to work out what has happened to her daughter. This only gets more complex as Erin wakes up different and she isn’t sure whether it is a case of ICU psychosis as her nurse suggests. This is a psychiatric response to the strange environment where sleep deprivation, being dependent on others and the sensory overload from the various machines and lights being on constantly. It’s also disorientating to wake up and find part of your life is missing. Yet there’s clearly a paralysing fear that something much worse is wrong. Erin has been through something so traumatic she’ll never recover or never be Erin again. The more Clem uncovers the more she feels something paranormal is at play.

I was so impressed with the historical detail put into this novel and how real it made Alison’s experience. The punishments she and her family go through are more horrific than any of the paranormal stuff. We might fear the unexplained and the unknown but the things humans do to each other are far worse. I’ve loved this writer since her first novel and this one had me utterly gripped because she captures the fear of being labelled, noticed as different and blamed for things you haven’t done. Many witches served a purpose in their community, particularly for fellow women and I think she captured the complexity of that position. What’s the difference between giving a herbal remedy, a harmless charm or a spell and who makes that decision? Certainly not women and not those who are powerless or living in poverty. Even the most altruistic intention can be misconstrued or twisted by someone malicious. This was a dangerous time to be a wise woman. I also loved how the author based her story in a magic that was so powerful it could still wreak havoc today. This is another solid read from an anything who is rapidly becoming a favourite of mine.

Thank you so much Harper Collins and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
This is my second book by this author and definitely my favourite.
I was hooked from the start and loved the dual timeline as they flowed together.
The storyline kept me hooked and was heartbreaking but creepy and haunting with some great twists you don't see coming.
I need more by this author please.
I recommend this so highly I will be buying it for my mum for Christmas.

This was the second book I read (finished reading) by this author, and now I'm sure that Cooke's books are not for me.
I love horror, especially supernatural, and I do like witches, but this book failed to hold my attention. I couldn't connect, or even care really, with the protagonist, or any characters at all, and the plot didn't entertain me, either. The synopsis sounded fun, but the execution didn't please me. I now realise I do not like this writer's writing style.
I will not judge this book as a bad book. It simpley is not for me.
If you like supernatural horror with fantasy and gothic elements, and if you have ever read any book by this author before and enjoyed, consider giving this book a go.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, for providing me with a free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.75 ⭐️

Dual timeline
Witch trials
Mystery
Scottish lore
Somber vibes

Wow.

This is my second C.J Cooke book and I absolutely love her writing.

This book had me gripped from the start.
I usually don’t go for historical fiction but I adored this.

I love how in one chapter we are in 1594 milking a cow and in the next we are in 2024 discussing Tiktok. It was so masterfully done, blending two eras.
The addition of other POVs were included at the right time and really powerful.

I didn’t see the twist coming at all!

This book broke my heart, and the authors note broke it some more.

Deducted a tiny bit as I was left wanting a little more of the lore to explain some parts (trying to avoid spoilers here) especially towards the end.

The Book of Witching is the newest release from The Nesting author C J Cooke. The story follows a woman named Clem who receives a call telling her that her daughter Erin is in hospital. All Clem knew was that Erin was on a hiking trip in the Orkney Islands but she soon discovers Erin’s boyfriend is dead, her best friend is missing and Erin has burns all over her body. When Erin wakes she doesn’t recognize Clem, but says her name is Nyx. Clem must travel to Orkney to uncover what really happened to Erin, encountering an ancient cursed book and the story of a woman wrongly convicted of witchcraft.

This is my fifth book from C J Cooke and it might be my favourite one yet. I’ve given all of Cooke’s books four or five stars so I had pretty high expectations for this one. It was dark, captivating and I could not put it down. I love Cooke’s writing style and the ability she has to completely suck you into the story. The mysteries in this book kept me guessing right until the very end and there were more than a few twists I did not see coming.

The story is set in present day, as well as following Alison in 1594 as she is accused of attempted murder by witchcraft. I really enjoyed the story in both timelines and Cooke does a brilliant job of bringing the two story arcs together. The story felt incredibly well researched and all the small details that Cooke adds really brings Orkney in the 1500s to life. This book is so compelling and I was completely riveted by the complex and fascinating characters Cooke created in this story. This book has so many intriguing elements including witchcraft, a creepy book, cults, murder and mystery. Cooke is also masterful at building a strong sense of atmosphere and I ended up reading the last 100 pages in one sitting. The Book of Witching was a brilliant five star read and it will definitely be in my favourite books of 2024. If you’ve been curious about this one I would absolutely recommend checking it out and I am dying to find out what C J Cooke will write about next.

The Book of Witching is a duel time novel full of atmosphere and intrigue. In the present day, Clem is told her daughter Erin has been found seriously burned on a remote Scottish island and her boyfriend is dead. In 1954 in Orkney, Alison is accused of witchcraft and murder with the punishment to be burned alive.
I found this to be historically interesting but quite slow paced at time which made it difficult for me to remain invested in the characters. The storyline is original and the characters are varied and well thought out.

I have never read a book by this author and I have to say I know have a new favourite. This book has got to be my favourite read of the spooky season. I couldn’t put it down. I don’t want to give anything away but please go and read it you won’t be disappointed.

I’m a huge fan of the author and really wanted to read The Book of Witching. I loved this book. I loved the fact the chapters alternate between 1594 and 2024 so you are gradually fed Erin and Alison’s story and need to keep reading to find out what the connections between both stories is. Both narratives were compelling and I enjoyed them equally. I wanted to know if Alison would be found guilty of witchcraft and be burned or if the strange clan she belonged to would save her somehow. I also wanted to know what happened to Erin and her friends on the beach. This is well-written and engrossing. I’d highly recommend this book.

Based on an actual trial of a woman accused of being a witch on the Orkney islands in 1594, this is a haunting and gripping mix of horror, folklore and an evil conspiracy. Employing a dual time line, the author has woven a riveting historical tale with a current day tragedy that occurs on a small Orkney beach, involving three teenage friends who either end up dead, badly burned or missing.

While I’m not usually a big fan of dual timelines, mainly because one is usually stronger than the other, in this case it worked really well with elements of the historical tale woven into the contemporary one. Connecting both is the enigmatic Book of Witching.

The author’s afternote tells us that Alison (or Alyson/Alysoun) Balfour was accused of using witchcraft and tried for using witchcraft in a plot to kill the Earl of Orkney, a brother of the king, bent on unjustly robbing the islanders of their crops and land. Based on her research, the author’s reimagining of the persecution suffered by Alison and her family, just because she was a skilled in healing, makes for a chilling and haunting tale. The bleak landscape of the Orkneys and the horror of the cell that Alison would have been locked in for months really added atmospheric context to the time period.

The contemporary story is more of a mystery. Although, just as compelling in a different way as the reader tries to work out why three teenagers have travelled to a tiny Orkney beach to light a fire that killed one of them and gravely injured another. Woven together, the two threads combine to make a fine tale of the persecution of witches at the hand of greedy overlords that resonates down the centuries.