We Played With Fire

Such a fantastic YA historical novel with some supernatural twists!

I will definitely be recommending We Played With Fire upon its release. I feel like it will suit a wide range of readers.
Set in 1800s America, a relatively poor family is haunted not only by strange noises and bones in their basement but also their youngest daughters. Despite them still being alive.

We follow Maggie's POV, the second youngest daughter. Who is one half of the medium duo.
I think the writer creates such a bond between Maggie and the reader. You see so many of her thoughts and struggles going on within her own head. Especially the struggles and frustration when people don't believe her. It's a very trapped feeling.
I loved that Maggie wasn't a flawless character, she had flaws, she lied. She wasn't the warmest person, but all of this and more fleshed her out to be a more rounded character.

Even though we don't get a 1st person for any of Maggie's sisters, I do think we got a good look at their characteristics through the eyes of Maggie. Especially Leah, the eldest sister. Her greed and almost, desperation to escape the judgements of her past are so tangible. She thinks money and notoriety will erase the shame of being a single mother after her husband ran off. Showcasing this taboo of the time also added something to the worldbuilding to make you feel that you are definitely reading about a different kind of society. Even though there are still some echoes of this judgement in today's world.

The author also included a lot of scenes talking about the abolitionist movement happening at the time. The girls would definitely have heard about this growing up and added yet more authenticity.
I'm so glad that this was included, as even though a lot of facts have been exchanged for fiction, actual names and times surrounding this movement were the same in reality. I just felt it was so important to mention this monumental societal shift to bring awareness to new readers who may not have learned or been exposed to this history.

Speaking of taking some factual aspects and inserting them into this book, I was so excited when I read the synopsis, as I had already known some information about the Fox Sisters and their toe tricks. I'd never seen any other fictional story that incorporated anything of their life before.

Despite this being a historical novel, which can sometimes be more dense and slower to read, I found this reading experience smooth and engaging. I was never once bored or thought the writing stuffy. Possibly because this was written with the YA market in mind, but regardless, it just made for a very pleasant reading experience. Even if it gave me some goose bumps along the way.

It's not easy to write something scary, but I definitely felt that Catherine Barter hit the nail on the head. There were no cheesy jump scares in my opinion, rather a slow creeping atmosphere that got under your skin and made you question and doubt yourself.

In general, the atmosphere was very fleshed out throughout the entire book, set both in Hydesville and New York.

My favourite aspect of this book however, is connected with something within the author's note. Where Barter explained how she wanted to explore the thought that even though the Fox sisters dealt in trickery and deceit, did they lie about everything? This was so fascinating to me, seeing the different mechanisms the sisters concocted and the power they felt when they were able to make people believe. But then Maggie experienced more things that she couldn't explain. That were certainly not possible by just tying a string to a toe or making the table rattle with a foot. The spectres Maggie saw that constantly plagued her thoughts were just chilling.
There's a reason why horror that involves children as protagonists is so popular, because it's creepy and it works. To hear such dark prophecies from the lips of an innocent child who should have no knowledge of macabre things is such a juxtaposition that throws many of us off balance.

I think I'll certainly be giving this a re-read when Halloween and spooky season comes around again.
I would recommend this to fans of Riley Sager's supernatural thrillers, even though she is an adult author. Some of the horror scenes really made me think of scenes of Home Before Dark. Also I'd recommend for fans of Irish author Deirdre Sullivan, who is a master of creepy atmosphere.

We Played With Fire tells the very real, or perhaps unreal story of the Fox Sisters.
The story is narrated by Maggie Fox, the middle sister of the famous trio of mediums who famously were able to communicate with spirits. This story gives us an idea of what the Fox sisters themselves were thinking about what they were doing, why and perhaps the most important question; was it all real?

The book was incredibly atmospheric and definitely brings a spooky element in, however these sections are the parts that aren’t based on real events so take them with a pinch of salt! As with most stories based on real events, there have been parts added in for dramatic effect, but I feel like these sections weren’t overly dramatised and they felt real with the rest of the story. The author also includes an Afterword at the end of the book, detailing what exactly is based on factual evidence, which I loved!

Since Maggie Fox is our narrator, the story does follow more of her journey and her inner thoughts. She is a slightly unreliable narrator at times, so it keeps you guessing as to whether what your reading is real or if it’s in Maggie’s imagination! There is a little bit of back and forth regarding timelines and this could get a little confusing, so be aware of that so as not to get lost in the story.

The book also has sub-plot lines regarding racial injustices that were happening at the time, such as the antislavery and Underground Railroad. Also, the Women’s Rights movement. This is definitely a underlying theme throughout the whole book and it shows in the attitudes of all the characters. It is a harsh look of society at the time, where being a women meant that stepping out of line was a form of criminality.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think it was a really fair representation of the life of the Fox Sisters and how their story created a movement that lived on, even after they became spirits themselves.

I'm honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. and I don't think my low expectations were a bad thing. I simply didn't really know what to expect from this story. it ended up surprising me in a good way. yes, this book is about the supernatural, but it's also about the way we view the world and how our perception affects us. I very much enjoyed the way this book did not simply focus on the supernatural aspect of the story, but also talked about important things that were going on at the time, such as the women's rights movement and the abolition of slavery. I had not expected to be so impacted by this story, but I'm glad I was!

We Played With Fire combines a true story with fictional elements for a fantastic supernatural read. The story is narrated by the middle sister and is just the type of thing you want to be reading during a long winters evening.

I enjoyed this. It's easy to read and an interesting wee tale. The jury on clairvoyance is either black or white but this story posits that perhaps there may be grey areas. Undoubtedly the Fox sisters were tricksters in real life, but what if there were odd things that couldn't be explained in amongst it all?

Inspired by a true story of the Fox sisters, the girls who made their fortune in 19th century America by speaking to ghosts, We Played With Fire is a story you won’t want to miss!

Synopsis:
Maggie has witnessed impossible things. But no one believes her, and now her family has taken her away to spend the winter upstate in a remote, freezing farmhouse.

Bored and angry, Maggie and her younger sister Kate start to play tricks: rapping on the floorboards above their parents’ bedroom, cracking their toes under the table, and telling tales about noises in the night. Then the house starts to make sounds of its own. Neither Maggie nor Kate can explain it, but it seems as though someone – or something – is trying to speak to them…

My Thoughts:
We Played With Fire takes a much more serious and realistic approach on the subject of ghosts and people being able to speak to them. What starts as a game begins to grow into something much more and gets out of hand very easily.

“Besides, it’s not wrong to deceive people if they want to be deceived.”

Maggie is quite a unique character; kind and thoughtful, yet strong-willed and not afraid to speak up for what she believes in. She is very observant, and through her eyes we can see things that many people would usually rather ignore. This was something I really admired about her! We can realise early on how affected she actually is from being banished from her town and being labelled of doing something she is sure she didn’t do.

I loved the spontaneous spookiness in the book and the uneasy atmosphere.
During their seances, we are aware that the girls love to pull pranks, and create the random knocks to make people believe there are ghosts in the room. But as readers, we don’t get to know whether something is a prank or a supernatural activity, which leaves us wondering. The mood fills with intensity and these scenes managed to make me shiver many times. It’s such a gripping and eerie novel and I think people would really enjoy reading it during Halloween.

“She remembered hearing somewhere once that when somebody died you should open a window to let their soul out.”

Aside from the spooky elements, this book covered many different topics that are very important, especially today! Activist against racism and slavery existed, but it was led by white people who didn’t let people of colour to speak at events on topics that concerned them directly. The corruption of the church and their propaganda against not only people like the Fox sisters, who talked to ghosts, but against anyone that disagrees with their agenda. And the fact that women weren’t treated as equals, and their opinion, knowledge, experience wasn’t even taken into consideration. I found myself so infuriated with these issues. But also glad that they were mentioned in the book, so we can highlight them, and start discussions.

“When a person is determined to see the world in one way, they won’t allow anybody to challenge it. I’m sure it’s a kind of illness.”

We Played With Fire is a magnificent book!
The perfect eerie book to give you the shivers and transport you to a 19th century. Imagine an old house full of candles and knocking sounds coming out of nowhere. If you love horror and ghost stories of the past, pick up We Played With Fire today!

When I was asked to take part in the blog tour with Andersen Press for this unique YA novel, I was delighted. I requested in on NetGalley because I wanted a spooky Gothic experience and that’s exactly what I got.

Maggie and her sister Kate love playing tricks on their parents by knocking on floorboards and telling ghost stories but when the noises become decidedly real, their lives are about to change forever.

Maggie had an unexplained, terrifying experience before the family moved to the house and this is one reason why Maggie starts to believe that she may have the power to contact the dead. The house seems to be a character of its own that seemed to be playing its own pranks and I was in no doubt at all that there were spirits everywhere.

The story is set on the brink of big political change. Slavery abolition and women’s rights are being talked about and Maggie is fascinated by leading voices of equality movements such as these. This aspect of the book was really interesting and it really helped set the story in a certain period of history. It was a time of new ideas and shifting perspectives in New York and the excitement within society really came through.

Of course, this is still the 19th century. All of the traditional attitudes towards women are still very present in the book. Maggie and Kate’s older sister Leah is separated from her husband and grown up daughter. She is very much a woman in need of a project and income. I couldn’t decide whether I liked Leah or not. I felt some sympathy for her situation but I felt that she exploited her sisters a lot.

The big question that the book brings up is whether the ghosts are real or whether it is all a case of trickery or even madness. Mental illness was misdiagnosed so often in young women, as they could be dismissed as mad for simply voicing their own thoughts and feelings in a passionate manner. Even today, anyone who claims to see and hear spirits is immediately assumed to be insane by the majority of society.

As you might expect in a story that deals with ghosts, grief is a major theme. As the sisters’ reputation as mediums escalates, Maggie begins to reflect on the ethics of what they’re doing. Sometimes she clings to the fact that they’re bringing comfort to their clients and sometimes she has crises of conscience because of the tricks. It’s very much a debate I had with myself while I was reading. in some ways, I see the good in telling the bereaved that their loved ones are still around but of course, the lies bother me.

The girls have just suffered an unimaginable heartbreak and bereavement, when a male priest takes it upon himself to directly confront Maggie about the seances. However, this is certainly just a man trying to exert his power over a woman -and a vulnerable one at that. This damaging language affects Maggie profoundly and she starts to question her whole life path and even begins to consider whether she is possessed by the Devil.

We Played With Fire is a unique, haunting story that depicts a New York that is both terrified and dismissive of what women can potentially do. It’s based on true events and I have no doubt that the real Fox sisters faced all of the same judgements that Barter’s interpretations of them do. I am still not entirely sure how often the seances were engineered by the sisters and how often there was real spiritual presence. I’m not sure Maggie was either! Give it a read if you’re looking for an eerie, thought-provoking YA read.