I loved the writing of this book the story telling was stunning and drew me in. The themes although dark and difficult at times made for an unputdownable read.

Well, this is a hard review to write, I feel quite torn about Black Wood Women even though I was excited about reading it, it wasn’t the story I thought it would be instead it turned into something else, and I’m not 100% sure about it.

This was a book that when I saw it and read the back blurb I instantly wanted to read it, I loved the premise of a handful of women living outside the rules of society trying to save the last wolf of England against the persecution of men, I was completely on board with that!

The opening had me gripped, the first chapter of ‘Meeting’ the Wolf, seeing the world through her eyes was so original and engaging. From then on my heart broke every time a chapter centred around her, each time we stepped into her world, her life was becoming more and more bleak and dangerous by the day. I have to be honest I didn’t like where her particular story led, but I did love the final page which is all about hope for the future and love between humans and wolves, plus a nice stepping stone between this book and what I think will be next.

Then we have Carragh’s story of how she and her parents fled Ireland because of the persecution of Catholics, I was hoping for more with respect to their history and their story, but it fell away once Carragh’s parents were brutally murdered which happened rather quickly. That part of the story felt a little rushed, there wasn’t much feeling or emotion with what happened, Carragh just went about everything as though it was nothing more than buttering a slice of bread, it all felt a little too…..well, it didn’t feel like anything really and the story fell into a steady walk as Carragh literally walked off.

I desperately wanted to get behind Carragh, but with her lack of personality, it took a while to fully form any kind of attachment to her. With the multiple points of view, jumping from one perspective to the next and then back to the wolf and finally landing on Carragh again it felt confusing and you never get a real sense of who Carragh was. We see her go through so much in such a short space of time, she sets out on a hard and dangerous journey and finds herself caught up in webs of all kinds from becoming an orphan and burying her parents to brothels and covens to being accused of being a witch and fleeing for her life once again.

It’s true there were times I was a little confused!

There are a lot of characters, most of which I hated, Carragh slowly grew on me, though at times she is quite a cardboard character and shows very little perception or emotion. I did eventually like her, I admired her strength and determination to keep going forward and I did like Kate; one of the hunter’s wives, she was kind and compassionate towards Carragh and the women who are accused of being witches. As for the men, well every single one of them was awful, and despite a fair few grisly ends which they well and truly deserved I couldn’t find myself feeling anything but anger towards them, their views, their barbarous notions of what should be done and what they have done in the past, their maniacal persecution of the wolf (that part alone made my blood boil!😡) their horrendous views on women and how a “witch” should be treated…..well they all deserved to be boiled with nettles!

Yet rather contradictory I did enjoy the book, there were aspects I really liked such as when we first met the Blackwood Women and their simplistic life of living in the woods, learning to live off what nature provides and the sense of friendship and community. Though Alice (the coven leader) was a tad bonkers and she was far too happy brewing up stews of magic mushrooms for her ‘followers’ to eat, leading to odd psychedelic times in the woods and then things turned quite dark.

This is my first book by Michael Stewart and despite my complex and confused overall feelings regarding Black Wood Women, I will certainly read more from him judging by what happened at the end and the last page I think that there could be more stories to come!

I won’t say too much about the actual story as there would be a lot to go into, and I wouldn’t wish to ruin it for others, you do have to go into this with open eyes and with no expectations. I would recommend Black Wood Women to those who enjoy their darker historical fiction, it’s not a book for the light-hearted and at times it’s brutally hard and quite uncomfortable to read but there is something within the layers of the story which stays with you and makes you want more, for me it is definitely the last chapter that piqued my interest for more.

Overall bleak and authentic to the times, difficult to read but leaves you wanting more!

This is a wonderfully told story that is dark and gothic in nature. The setting is eerie, atmospheric and fully immersive.
I love the historical elements of the story, the witchy nature of the characters against the Catholicism, there’s a lot going on and to enjoy here.
The author has given us a cast of characters that are complex, flawed and work completely with the story to deliver an excellent read.

Black Wood Women opens with a great sense of place and a promise of a dark tale when a starving wolf is desperate to find its next meal. Immediately, I was gripped and felt sure that this book was going to be perfect for me. Set in history with a slight magical/ witchy twist, the plot seemed ideal for a slightly gothic read in the winter months.

However, as I began to read further, the emotion evoked in the first chapter quickly dwindled when the writing transformed into a lot of telling rather than showing. The action and danger that begins our thirteen year old protagonist's life is rapidly told and lacks any feel of connection. I'm not sure whether this is a spoiler because it happens so early on, but after the young girl and her family flee to England from Ireland, I thought there could have been more space to write about the family, the danger they are were in as Catholics in a Protestant country, and the threats that faced them. Unfortunately, this didn't happen and so when her parents get murdered and the action of this is only around a page long, I didn't experience the heartache I feel I should have. Essentially, the girl watches their deaths, buries them, and goes on the run without any emotional insight to eventually find herself taken in by a group of women practicing magic in the darkest corner of the woods.

Alongside this narrative, is also the perspective from the man who killed her parents and is hell bent on ridding the world of Catholic sympathisers. But, when his son dies by the teeth of a beast, all his efforts go towards capturing the last wolf that roams England. Overall, I understand how all the pieces of the plotline came together at the end but whilst I was expecting this evil man (Lemuel Lane) to be hunting the protagonist, instead he became preoccupied and most of the book resulted in two separate narratives that weren't entirely connected just co-existing.

All this being said, I did enjoy the elements of witchcraft and the purpose of these witches to protect the last wolf. Set in the fenlands, I could imagine the dark and boggy woods perfectly and, atmosphere wise, when writing about the characters in the woods, it did become the story that I signed up to and was excited for. Pacing wise, it felt very odd especially with the change in character perspectives and the main action in the novel seemed rushed, but, overall, it was a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC of this book and the chance to write a review on it!

Dark, heartwrenching and gripping. A mix of myth, historical fiction. A story of women who live out of the box and of persecutions.
It made me cry bucket and kept me reading.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I love books set in the 1640s so I was looking forward to reading this. I immediately became immersed in Caragh's story and was willing her to find a place of safety amidst so much danger (particularly for the Irish living in England after the civil war).
I found the chapters involving Alice and her coven of women, who are foraging food and trying to survive together as outlaws in the forest, fascinating. I really wanted to read more about each of these characters and what had led them here.
I also enjoyed the few chapters by the wolf who was desperately trying to stay alive and protect her young. This was such an atmospheric book and the woods really came to life through the writing. It had a very gothic, magical feel to it!
There were some real villains in this book and the horror of witch hunts was vividly portrayed.There was so much political instability at this time too and it was very easy for unjust actions to occur, particularly for the lower classes. This was very different from other historical fiction books I've read in this time period. I wasn't sure at all how the story would end but I found it an enjoyable, immersive read.

A graphic, dark and bleak tale set in the aftermath of the English Civil War. I persevered for a third of the novel but had to give up as the narrative became increasingly depressing.

Black Wood Women is a story set in 1649 Yorkshire, and follows Irish immigrant Caragh as she struggles to survive after her parents are killed. Running parallel to this, we see a similar struggle to survive through the eyes of the last wolf in England, pregnant with pups.

The book explores several interesting themes, but central to the story was the religious persecution of Catholics and the political upheaval of Oliver Cromwell’s republic, and how the lawlessness of that period could provide opportunities or serious threat depending on your social position.

What I also found was well explored was the impact of an erosion of the human connection to nature and how that was inexorably linked to the patriarchal world view - one that was dismissive but also threatened by women’s knowledge and folklore.

I would have loved to have seen more development of some of the characters. We meet the Black Wood Women but don’t ever understand them properly- especially their leader Annie, to the extent where I felt like it was a missed opportunity for such an enigmatic character.

I really enjoyed the chapters from the she-wolf’s perspective. Stewart has a beautifully poetic way of writing about the sensory experiences of the fens and the forest which really came alive for me - a vivid gothic read for a cold autumn evening.

Thank you to @HQStories and the author for an advanced copy for review. Black Wood Women is out today!


(I will post on instagram, Amazon and Waterstones on publishing date)

I loved the darkness of his book and what it represents for the female characters, a very atmospheric read overall.

There were some parts of this novel that I thought worked really well; such as the themes of persecution, the grim reality of Britain after The Civil War. The plot was engaging, taking the reader across a wild Yorkshire landscape and into new situations, with a variety of characters coming together.

However, I found this book lacking depth. The writing style is quite short and sharp at times and the tone isn’t particularly descriptive. This did give the novel a sense of pace but it felt like it could have gone deeper to build atmosphere and build on characters.

This was an entertaining read with some strong ideas and an authentic historical setting, but it didn’t quite engage me.

I have reviewed Black Wood Women for book recommendation and sales site LoveReading.co.uk.

I have chosen this title as both a LoveReading Star Book, and a Liz Pick of the Month.

Please see the link for the full review.

Dark and very cleverly written, there are two Interconnecting storylines in Black Wood Woman.
The first relates to the last wolf in England and her desperate battle to survive, while carrying her litter - the future of her kind.
Meanwhile, our second storyline commences in Yorkshire in 1649, when we meet Caragh, a young Irish settler, who fled to England. After her parents are murdered, Caragh finds herself continuing to hide her true identity, and struggling to make a new life for herself. Caragh eventually joins a Coven but the feeling of safety is shortlived as the group are underthreat of loosing their home.
Black Wood Woman is a captivating tale, and at times the story seems to move ever so slowly, but this helps to build up the anticipation as we move towards the climax.

Black Wood Women is one of those books that readers will either love or hate. The writing at times is a bit too graphic for my liking. I do think this will also put some people off the book. Unfortunately I was one of those readers.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Set in Yorkshire in 1649, Black Wood Women follows Caragh, who has concealed her true identity and Irish heritage since her family fled Ireland. Proud of their land in England, their sense of safety shatters when Caragh's father informs her that they must leave their beloved home. Shortly after, Caragh hears gunshots and discovers her family brutally murdered by Lemuel Lane, a wealthy Protestant determined to purge the area of anyone with Catholic sympathies.

In her desperate flight, Caragh finds refuge in a forest, joining a coven of women who offer her the acceptance she longs for. However, danger looms ever closer, as persecution threatens their newfound sanctuary, and their days in the forest are numbered.

Interwoven with Caragh's journey is the poignant tale of the last wolf in England. Alone, tired, and hungry, she yearns for her pack and mate while grappling with the weight of the litter she carries.

This book excels with its dark and atmospheric setting, well-paced and intricately plotted narrative, and compelling characters. The writing flows beautifully, drawing readers into a world steeped in tension and suspense. Black Wood Women is a captivating read, perfect for the spooky season, leaving a lasting impression long after the final page.

Read more at The Secret Bookreview,

Rounding up to three ✨


A bit hit and miss for ME.
At times all engrossing and I couldn't get enough, at others, the pace felt slow, and I didnt get very far.
Nicely atmospheric for some winter nights,

I really enjoyed this dark and witchy book and read it within 2 days
This was dark, atmospheric, well paced and well plotted with interesting characters and the writing was very good which kept everything flowing nicely
A great spooky season read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc