The Night Hag

by Hester Musson

The thrilling new historical mystery from the acclaimed, bestselling author of The Beholders

Scotland, 1886. Lil is an archaeologist who has dedicated herself to a life of rational enquiry. But she is plagued by nightmares which haunt her sleep, and by memories of her mother, a famous medium. As Lil tracks down a mysterious doctor who she believes will cure her of her night terrors, she is caught in a fight between science and superstition, between who she wants to be and the identity she can’t escape.

But who exactly is this doctor that Lil so feverishly reveres? And how could the long-lost hoard unearthed at one of Lil's digs reveal secrets from her past?

From the bestselling author of The Beholders comes this unputdownable historical mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Gothic, Historical, Mystery, Scotland, Fiction, Ebooks

315 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 26, 2026

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, such an intense story! Not knowing what to believe has made it even harder to put the book down! The plot was so gripping, I did not know what to expect at all! The characters were convincing, all of them notwithstanding their strangeness..... I guessed some bits in the last 20% of the novel but the conclusion was also a very interesting surprise.... A great read!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

[Tara B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
I do love a gothic style story and this had all the makings of an atmospheric, supernatural folklore tale, however the pace was a little slow for me.

Despite the pace, The Night Hag
provided a ghoulish and dark backdrop in 1880's Scotland, where we follow the quite brilliantly created character of archaeologist Lil and her involvement on a sacred site dig which triggers past nightmares.

I do absolutely love Hester Musson's writing and her fantastic abilty to transport you back in time and create a wonderful descriptive narrative and strange and mysterious characters.

A very enjoyable read.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever suffered from sleep paralysis – the feeling that you’re awake but can’t move your body? Maybe it’s accompanied by a sensation of pressure on your chest, as if something is pinning you to the bed, or the impression that someone is in your room. It’s more common than you may think – many people will experience it at least once or twice in their life – and it inspired the famous painting, The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli. In fact, the word ‘nightmare’ itself (originally hyphenated as night-mare) comes from the idea of a mythological female demon (a ‘mare’ or ‘hag’) sitting on the chest of a sleeping person. Someone who has had a lot of experience of these terrifying night-mares is Lil Vincent in Hester Musson’s new novel, The Night Hag.

It’s 1886 and Lil Vincent has been free of the night-mares, as she calls them, for many years, but recently they have started again and are becoming increasingly intense. Frightened and desperate, Lil writes a letter to the renowned Edinburgh doctor, Dr Lachlan. Relieved to be able to open her heart to somebody at last, even somebody she’s never met, she finds herself telling him all about her childhood, growing up as the daughter of a medium who forced her to participate in fraudulent séances.

Her childhood has left scars that still persist, even today as she tries to build a new life for herself as an archaeologist. Lil is assisting Nils and Effie Jensen with a dig on what they believe is a Bronze Age burial mound in the fictional Scottish village of Pitcarden. When they come across two cinerary urns and a bronze knife, Lil thinks they are on the verge of a significant discovery, but it seems that the villagers are unhappy with their presence and they may not be allowed to complete their excavations.

This is the second novel I’ve read by Hester Musson, the first being The Beholders. Although I found this one a more original and intriguing story, I did have some of the same problems I had with the other book – mainly that the first half is very slow and it took me a long time to become immersed in it. It didn’t help that there are several different threads to the story – Lil’s sleep disturbances, the séances and the archaeological dig – and they all feel very separate, never really coming together until the end.

Once I did get into the story, I found it interesting. There’s a good sense of time and place, with the community of rural Pitcarden steeped in superstition and folklore. The second half of the book drew me in much more than the first half did, and I began to have a lot of sympathy for Lil as she discovers that almost everyone in her life has been lying to her or deceiving her in one way or another. The way one particular character betrays her trust is quite shocking and Lil is deeply affected by it all. But although it’s a dark book, there are some glimmers of hope in the final chapters and the ending is satisfying, so I’m glad I persevered with it.

If you read this book and enjoy it, I would also recommend reading The Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson, another book about archaeology and superstition in a rural setting. It has a similar tone and atmosphere and I think it may appeal to the same readers.

[Thespookybookclub · Rating 5 out of 5]

*chefs kiss* are you kidding me!? This was INCREDIBLE I’m talking my top book of this year so far!!!
And it was actually the first book of 2026 to have me genuinely scared ! BONE CHILLING
Seeing figures at the end of your bed in the middle of the night is a give in to set me off but MY GOD i was SHAKING. I throughly enjoyed this. It was a terrifying, intense book that has you questioning who was actually telling the truth.
I am delighted with this book and I throughly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

It took me a little while to get into this book but I absolutely flew through the second half. This is a historical tale. A woman excavating a burial site finds her discoveries start to unearth secrets from her own past.

There was a particular quality to the writing here that managed to be quite beautiful and sinister simultaneously.

What stood out most to me was how confused and troubled the main character must be. She is so frequently dismissed, diminished or out right lied to. Where she attempts to place her trust in people, there are some who are not being forthright. Prepare to be particularly angry at the behaviour of one individual. We will see some dreadful treatment of women in this story. I will avoid spoilers but I do want to highlight how stressful this felt at times not knowing who we could trust and seeing how the main character was affected by betrayal. A clever choice by the author to create an insidious tension and paranoid feeling throughout the book.

I found this engaging, I found myself kept on my toes throughout this read. A clever story bolstered by some lovely writing. I’d read more from this author.

[4cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

Promising premise, young woman who's past is. linked to spiritualism, has escaped to work as an assistant to a couple who work as archeoligsts. She is haunted by night -mares which paralyse her night terrors. The gothic Victorian setting is another positive. However as the plot moves forward it loses it's footing, becomes to loose and confused. What I found jarring is the modern terms used in a historical novel, the "gender" is used multiple times instead of sex, the Victorians used the word gender but it didn't mean the same as it does now, this came into being in 1955. Use the correct language it's not difficult.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to 4th Estate for the early review copy.

The Night Hag is set in my favourite time period, with some of my favourite topics at the forefront; the Victorian ideas of spiritualism and mediumship. Along with a mystery surrounding a curse unearthed by an archaeological dig and the rife superstition in a small Scottish community, there's a lot going on in this story.

I really enjoyed a lot of what Musson had going on in this book: the letters between the FMC, Lil, and the alienist she places her faith in to explain the night-mares that haunt her; Lil's slowly unravelling backstory and complicated relationship with her mother; the atmospheric writing that immersed me fully into the time period. And of course it wouldn't be a novel set in the 1800s without some infuriating sexism to get riled up about.

The characters are a complicated lot. Whilst I wouldn't say any of them are particularly likeable, I actually loved Lil's flawed nature. Her upbringing was incredibly isolating and it clearly moulded her into someone who is fairly naive with almost parasocial tendencies. However, she is a character I ended up rooting for. As for the others, unfortunately the supporting cast didn't leave that much of an impression on me, besides Dr Lachlan (who I'll leave you to form your own opinion of).

The unease that builds through the novel is brilliantly done, though I think the beginning is a little slow to get going. A solid historical mystery and I'll definitely be picking up more of the author's work.

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lil, the Night Hag's central character, is a young woman who is is trying to move on from her past. She finds escape from her strange upbringing and spiritualist mother with Effie and Nils, the archaeologists that take her under their wings, as well as an interest in their work. But when they start a dig in Scotland, the past seems to come back to haunt Lil and she's not sure if the dig has disturbed a spirit, the Night Hag, or if she is losing her mind.

The premise of the story interested me and I was pleased to get an ARC copy from the Netgalley/the publisher. I enjoyed the way Lil's past unfurled through letters to a psychiatrist and the gothic atmosphere was set up well, but I actually think I would've liked even more gothic and supernatural elements.

After a promising start, I found the middle section a little less engaging and it's not until close to the end that the story picks up and long held secrets are revealed. I think I would have enjoyed the novel more if I hadn't felt that most of the characters were unlikeable and I didn't have any strong feelings towards Lil. I also struggled with reading some of the Scottish dialect.

Overall it was an interesting read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

[Polly Perks · Rating 3 out of 5]

advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review

The Night Hag is an atmospheric gothic mystery set in 1880s Scotland, filled with fog, superstition, and the uneasy tension between science and the supernatural. Hester Musson writes beautifully — her sense of setting is rich and immersive, and the blend of archaeology and folklore is genuinely intriguing.

That said, I found the story slower than expected. The tone and pacing suit the gothic mood, but I occasionally struggled to stay fully invested, especially in the middle sections. I admired the ambition of the themes — identity, reason versus belief, the weight of the past — but emotionally, it didn’t quite land for me.

Still, it’s a well-crafted, thoughtful novel with moments of real atmosphere and insight. Readers who enjoy a slow-burn, cerebral kind of gothic fiction will likely get more out of it than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this early copy.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curses, folklore and superstition all set in Scotland, yes please! Even the title of The Night Hag promises a chilling tale.

One thing I like about Hester Musson’s writing, other than the atmosphere and claustrophobia, is the portrayal of heroines who defy the confines of Victorian femininity. Headstrong, feisty, maverick.  This was a strong point in The Beholders and in The Night Hag I was once again immediately drawn to the female MC, this time Lil, who gave zero f**ks and followed her passions.

There was a lot to love about this one, the masterful weaving of folklore, history, mystery and mediumship and the growing tension throughout. The empowered heroine and her journey of self discovery. However, there were multiple threads at the start of this book, so many that I found it hard to follow and was at risk of losing the sense of the plot. Things started to fuse midway through though and I was all for the drama that ensued towards the end.

[Jade Doodes · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was so much to love about this book and each of the had clearly been well researched before writing, the folklore, the curse, sleep paralysis etc. I however found they just didn’t really mesh well for me? I found the story slow and really struggled to get stuck into it.

[Olga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Hester Musson’s debut The Beholders, so my expectations here were high.

The Night Hag delivers much of what I hoped for. Musson writes with confidence and intelligence, and her command of atmosphere is excellent. The Scottish Highlands feel brooding, isolated, and saturated with history. The novel’s engagement with archaeology, folklore, and Victorian spiritualism is clearly well researched and thoughtfully handled.

The slow unravelling works particularly well. Backstory emerges gradually, often through letters, which deepens the gothic unease and keeps the tension simmering. The novel constantly interrogates belief versus scepticism, science versus superstition, truth versus performance.

“She knew she could dig up every last scrap of bone, scrutinise every remnant of pot and still know close to nothing about the people who had built the barrow.”

Musson is especially sharp when examining power and gender, and the way women are dismissed, mistrusted, or pathologised.

“A woman behaving erratically, driven to impropriety by the phantoms in her mind.”

The critique of spiritualism is biting and often deeply uncomfortable.

“She loathed them all, the boneless dupes, who swallowed every stupefyingly obvious piece of fakery they were fed.”

Where the book faltered for me was character. I found every single character unlikeable. Not troubling in a morally complex way, but emotionally distancing. Because I did not care about them, I never fully invested in what happened, no matter how compelling the ideas or atmosphere.

There is also simply too much going on. Folklore, archaeology, spiritualism, family trauma, gender politics, superstition, psychological collapse. Many of these threads are fascinating on their own, but together they sometimes feel disjointed. Several plot elements are introduced and never fully followed through.

Still, this remains a solid gothic novel. The prose is strong, the research impressive, and the atmosphere richly sustained, even if the story never fully coalesced into something emotionally gripping for me.

And the cover deserves a mention. It is absolutely gorgeous.

3 out of 5.

A thoughtful, atmospheric gothic tale that will appeal to readers who enjoy slow burns, historical folklore, and the uneasy boundary between belief and reason.

With thanks to 4th Estate and William Collins | Fourth Estate for the ARC.

[Carole Tyrrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Night Hag

A woman is writing a letter, a plea for help, to the man she fervently hopes will assist her, Dr Lachlan. At the age of 28, Lilith, or Lil, is again haunted by a problem that she thought had vanished at the age of 17. She signs her letter with a false name, Miss Gerrard, and in her letters to him she will reveal her previous life when she worked with her mother, Madelyn, as a medium which began when she was a child. She had disdain for their clients for being so easily duped and gave it up to became a governess with a family and is now working on an archaeological dig in Scotland with Nils and Effie Jensen. She is a sketch artist and archaeologist’s assistant. But such is the eerie atmosphere of the dig and the unfriendly locals that she is being visited nightly by a dark figure, the Night Hag. It crawls up her body, kneels on her chest and then wraps its fingers around her throat. She wants help.
The terrible weather makes a mockery of their dig as they look for the legendary Pitcarden hoard and, in particular the gold and diamond lover’s knot brooch that was buried with it. The site is undisturbed, it’s supposedly Bronze Age, and Lil is entranced by what they may find. But the hoard is cursed and none may touch it because if they do they will raise the Pitcarden Hag. They have already found Bronze Age artefacts but it’s Lil who discovered a gold plaque portraying a woman, the Mara, who is a terrifying night creature. She was found near the Carlin Stone and Carlin is another name for the hag goddess, Cailleach, who comes at Samhain to rule over winter.
But her correspondence with Dr Lachlan is not the meeting of minds that she thinks it is and the absentee owner of Pitcarden is due to return to discover that they are illegally excavating on his land. And Lil knows that something is coming for her…
I really liked the book’s atmosphere and the sense of unease throughout. It’s a real slow burn of a book and I enjoyed much of the first third of it but the section involving the fake seances was very protracted. This slowed the action down but the final third was much more gripping. People seem to go out of their way to deceive Lil and in this section she finds out the truth about much of her life especially who or what has really been sabotaging the dig.
The combination of archaeology folklore was captivating and the author writes really convincingly about curses and folklore. She had obviously well researched spiritualism and sleep paralysis. It’s a very Gothic novel and I enjoyed it. The cover is lovely.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

[Denis Wheller · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the late 1800s seances were common social events, and Lilith (Lil) was born to be a medium, or so it seemed was the view of her mother, Madelyn, the famous medium. As soon as she was old enough, about six, Lil had been brought into the business, and by her early teens she was an accomplished performer, appearing to the bereaved as a vision of, or the voice of, the deceased; or conveying a message from her spirit guide. Although Madelyn seems convinced that real spirits are directing everything, Lil does not. Throughout this time, Lil has been haunted by a Night Hag, an extreme form of nightmare (or a supernatural intervention if you ascribe to that possibility). This comes in various forms, but always as a kind of succubus suspended over or pressing down on her sleeping body; as if threatening her death.
But after Lil escapes from Madelyn’s bizarre world, working first as a Governess and then as an assistant Archaeologist, The Hag vanishes. She is working in Norway, as a team with professional archaeologists Effie and Nils when the opportunity to dig a Bronze Age Barrow in Scotland materialises. Lil and Nils start on this project although Effie stays in Edinburg; too ill for field work.
The Barrow is known to also contain a horde of gold artifacts which must not be disturbed, otherwise a death curse will be unleashed on the children of the local village. Lil is only interested in the archaeological insights they might glean, but Effie covets a special brooch which is part of the hoard. Rational science versus superstition and folklore, but as the excavation progresses, secrets from everyone’s past start to appear, and threaten to destroy Lil.
Spirits, hauntings, ancient curses! It seems that this is a supernatural story or at least a ghost story, but this is the Age of Science, of Rationalism, and Lil is a scientific rationalist. So the story is broader than that, and somewhat diluted thereby. It’s a bit of a family story, or saga. It is also a minor mystery story. There is an element of tension, but it is not a thriller. Overall, It is well written, with accurate historical details which are integral to the plot. However, the plot itself is not very complicated, really just smoke and mirrors, an ectoplasmic manifestation with no real substance, and although there are some minor surprises there are no real twists. It will attract an audience, but it disappointed me.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

[Alyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this story very much pulled me in and I was very pleased to get an arc copy to read. It is Scotland in 1886 and 28 year old Lil is writing to a doctor, whom she hopes can help with the night-mares she has been having. She is working as an archeologist, excavating a burial mound and she wonders if the visions that appear to her at night are related to the hoard they find - a treasure that the superstitious locals want kept underground as they believe it has brought a curse over newborns in the village.
In her letters to the doctors Lil gradually reveals her childhood, working with Madelyn in seances to bring spirits to life and amaze the sitters in the audience. As Lil grows she is drawn more and more into this life including being shut in a box and 'manifesting' in a darkened room, and trance writing for the patrons. It was at this time in her life that the night-mares first started and led her to think she was being tricked by those around her.
These supernatural hauntings are at odds with Lil's rational mind and her work as a scientist and she tries to explain the visions away but as the past catches up with her, she finds there are a great many people to blame for the situation she finds herself in.
The book started well, drawing me into the story, but it was slow to get going and there were a lot of convenient coincidences that made it rather unbelievable. I found it hard to relate to Lil and many of the other characters were quite unpleasant. Much as I liked the many details of seances and details about how the they worked and the different tricks involved, and the setting and details of the time period, the story was lacking something to latch on to. In all I thought it had potential and appreciated the research that went into writing it, but wasn't quite there. An interesting read but I found I rather slogged through it.
I would be happy to try another novel from this author.
With thanks to Netgalley, the author and Harper Collins for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

[Lisa Stoker · Rating 3 out of 5]

🖤 THE NIGHT HAG 🖤

Feeling a bit icky about this review already, because there's so much about this book that I should and DID love...

This story flits between rural folklore and Victorian occultism. It fuses an archaeological dig with ancient stones, a disturbed hoard of sinister treasure and a whopping great curse that goes with it (LOVE IT), with a tragic character backstory of sham spiritualism (LOVE IT) and escaping an abuser. Then you've got some harrowing night terror/sleep paralysis depictions that chill right to the bone (LOVE. ITTTTT)

BUT I struggled to meld it all together. It felt like I was swapping between two different books at times. The pacing in the middle sections was stuttery and I sometimes found myself trying to read it as quickly as possible so that I could get back to what was going on in the present. The alienist/scientific aspects kinda got buried for me for the most part, and as much as I enjoyed the creepy seance shenanigans, all I wanted was to know what was in that hole 🤣

Character-wise, I was a bit indifferent towards the FMC. I didn't dislike her, but I did find myself wondering 'why is she doing that?' at times. Her supporting cast are all a bit shady and hiding lots of things, but nothing they eventually revealed really landed too heavily with me.

This dark historical mystery was written beautifully and I think I am going to have to come back to it in the new year for a second read. I've been in a bit of a general funk with reading this month so I'm not sure if I'm in the best place to be entirely fair in my assessment here.

So so many tropes and elements to love in this book, but it needed something to bring it all together a little better for me. Well worth a read though. I'd be interested to know what others think of it.

I genuinely did like it overall.

3.5 ⭐

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is written from the point of view of Lil Vincent. We live through her memories - her childhood and her direct experiences as she moves through her adult life. The story is focused on an excavation in a brae, Viv and her employer's are keen to find the pristine contents of the dig. Viv especially wants to document the finds and put them into context. That's as much as I'm going to tell about the story.

It's really nice to have a book centred around the lesser populated parts of the British Isles, particularly Scotland. And because it's in a place where the cottages are spread apart and separate, it's easy to imagine the loneliness that could be felt on a dark night, in a time of lanterns and firelight, to conjure nightmares into being. It's also easy to understand how fear might lurk in the darkness of such places. I enjoyed the bits based in rural Scotland the best. The city bits were less to me.

I did find it a bit like a monologue from time to time and wanted it to move along. Perhaps I was impatient to know the story. Maybe too impatient because I did find myself having to reread a few passages to comprehend them. But overall it was a good story, but with a bit of a rum ending.

I'd read another of the authors books if they are all akin to this.

I am thankful to 4th Estate and William Collins | Fourth Estate and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book for free.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scotland, 1886. Lil is an archaeologist who has dedicated herself to a life of rational inquiry. But she is plagued with nightmares which haunt her sleep, and by memories of her mother, a famous medium. As Lil tracks down a mysterious doctor who she believes will cure her of her night terrors, she is caught in a fight between science and superstition, between who she wants to be and the identity she can't escape. But who exactly is this doctor that Lil so feverishly reveres?

It did take me a few chapters to get into this book. Lil is excavating a burial site when her discoveries unearth secrets from her own path. The middle part of the story seemed to take a little dip, but it does pick up again. There is some Scottish dialect that some readers might struggle with. I quite enjoyed this Victorian gothic mystery.

Published 22nd February 2026

I would like to thank #NetGalley #4thestateandWilliamCollins and the author #HesterMusson for my ARC of #TheNightHag in exchange for an honest review.

[one.too.many.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Night Hag is a gorgeous, eerie historical fiction novel.

Full of folklore and myths, spiritualism, mediums and the state of the mind. Lil is plagued by strange nightmares and travels to rural Scotland to excavate a burial site that is linked to a generations-old curse. She has had an odd upbringing which becomes clearer as the book goes on where she explains her experiences.

The eerie and atmospheric Scottish setting just adds to the slight uneasy feeling when reading this. There are also some very interesting thoughts and facts around archaeology and history. And strong female characters, which is also a plus!

It’s a slower pace but kept my attention throughout. I really enjoyed the different aspects to this story and didn’t know at all where this was going to go. We have a bit of a dual timeline; the past explained through letters.

The audiobook production is also lovely, and I did a mix of reading and listening here which worked well.

If you’re a historical fiction lover I highly recommend this one to you!

4.5 stars

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an intriguing tale from start to finish. The Night Hag has a gothic feel and is steeped in supernatural elements, superstition, folklore, and spiritualism. We were experiencing everything from Lil's point of view, and I was left contemplating what was real and what was fiction. It added a level of intensity and mystery to the story. Even more so as we slowly uncovered the truth behind the treasure buried at Pitcarden. This was my first time reading a book by Hester Musson, and I really enjoyed her writing style. The pacing was a little slow, but as the story progressed, I realised it wouldn't have worked any other way.

Lil is suffering from what I can only assume is Sleep Paralysis. Whilst I am 100% sure that's what she's experiencing, there was still a little doubt at the back of my mind. As mentioned previously, we experience everything from Lil's point of view, so there were moments I was questioning what was real because I got swept up in the chaos. Due to the work Lil was doing and the fears and legends the residents were raving about, it's easy to see why it was having an effect on her. The chapter where Lil attended the lecture had me seething. Some of their 'professional opinions' were absolutely ridiculous and incredibly condescending. My heart was breaking for Lil. She just wanted someone to help her.

A massive thank you to Fourth Estate for the copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

[Emily Pallett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been an odd one to be honest because the first 2 3rd’s of it made me want to throw it out of the window, but then from chapter 12 (roughly) the content got really good.

The reason for the loss of 2 stars isn’t because it wasn’t written well, because it was. It was due to the inconsistent pace throughout. I was interested, then I wasn’t, then I was really, REALLY interested, then I wasn’t, etc.
I struggled to stay fully invested and I also don’t believe it’s as ‘unsettling’ as it’s been described in other reviews.

However, the twist with Effie and Dr Lachlan being in cahoots was unexpected (despite me guessing that Effie was really Lil’s mother and that the Dr was going to use her letters in his lecture) and from there the pace sped up and I was desperate to know all of the answers.
I also enjoyed the folk horror themes throughout, and I do feel that it ended the perfect way.

[Anna Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was incredibly lucky to have been gifted an early copy of this book by the author.

The pace and style is very different to Hester's debut novel The Beholders. The supernatual horrors and tension in interpersonal dramas kicks off from the very beginning, it was so gripping I fell into it immediately.

Biased but I absolutely adored this one! I loved the multi layered plotlines revealing themselves throughout. As always with Hester's writing, the characters have depth and nuance that makes them really believable. I also loved the exploration of women's varied professional lives at the time.

Not recommended for beginner horror readers, despite the gorgeous accessible cover, I could see how this would easily translate into a pretty terrifying film.

Avoiding spoilers on here, so hit me up once you've all read it.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Night hag is a gothic mystery set in Scotland in 1866. Lil was involved with Spiritualism as her mother who is a Spiritualist. But she escaped from it and wants to leave it all behind, so she takes a job as an assistant to a couple who are archaeologists. But at night she has nightmare of a supernatural being (the night hag) and thinks she is losing her mind. So, she confides in Doctor Lachlan.
This is a gothic Victorian mystery that I usually love but for me personally I just couldn’t connect to this story, I am not saying this is a bad book. It is very descriptive and you can tell that the author has done her research well. I just found it quite slow. It just wasn’t for me personally. 3 stars from me.

[Rahdika K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will probably have nightmares after this. 😭

Okay this book started off strong, with the mysterious undertone and some psychological disturbances, also main character an archaeologist’s assistant. I was all prepared to diagnose this main character with something psychiatrically involved.

However, the writing wasn’t up to my liking. It’s slow, not much character development and it sort of got a little boring.

I think I don’t have patience in me to go through this book. The nightmares were creepily described, and that’s probably one of the interesting aspect of the book.

Overall, not sure if I would recommend this book unless you are patient person and willing to go through 300+ pages to get to the point.

Review copy courtesy of Times Reads.

[Fiona Woolford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I say to my granddaughters “patience is a virtue” and my god you need it for this read.
The nightmares were tedious, the spiritualism was tedious and confusing, at one point I felt like skim reading some of it but I didn’t. The letters to and from the Dr were informative but spars until the last one.
The characters were all a bit odd in so many ways which made them interesting in a weird way.
This book did not really hold my interest until 3/4 of the way in and only then did it get really interesting, by which time I had got to the point where I just wanted to get it read and shelved. This was actually shame because the eventual reveal was a damn good plot but it was too late for me in the way I rated it
Unfortunately
NOTE TO SELF….dont read anymore books where spiritualism is the main focus
A ⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating because of the eventual but late plot.
Would I read it again….no
Would I recommend it…yes if you have a lot of patience and perseverance fur an initially boring book

[Paul Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books deserve to be read in the wee dark hours by a crackling fire and burning candles. If you've got rain outside and a hot chocolate or red wine, even better - but do read it.

A slow burner, but all the better for it; The Night Hag is set in 19th Century Scotland and introduces us to Lil, a rationale led archeaologist who is plagued by night terrors and a family tree rooted in the esoteric.

Mysterious doctors, science versus superstition and an inner battle as to who Lil is and who she wants to be - this is a chunky, but delicious undertaking of an historical mystery. If you can read it in Autumn and Winter - please do; but definitely read it - it's a joy.

[Fordie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If my second read by Hester Musson tells me anything, it's that you don't go into them expecting light, airy and easy to read that's for sure. Complex, multi dimensional, and dominant characters make for a twisty, and unpredictable ride.

I don't particularly like where I'm constantly told outright what I should be making of a character, or a sentence or a scene leaving me no room to think for myself. Absolutely no chance of that happening in this!

The chapters are long and the writing is deep so definitely one to read with no distractions around (for me anyway) and the second half really came in on its own.

The ending....mmm hmm, I was a fan.

[Sue Oshin · Rating 3 out of 5]

What i love about this book? The answer is THE COVER‼️😍

But… this time i didnt enjoy the story eventhough it is the gothic fantasy, supernatural, the curse, spiritualism etc that is in my interest. It took me half pages of the book to get into the story and i need to put a full stop on it. Im sorry, i DNF this book 😭😅

As i know from my reading experience, Lil is an archeologist that have a problem with sleep paralyse. Every night, the same nightmares will haunted her with a memories. She seek help from a doctor who claimed that can cure her nightmares. At the same time, who the doctor is? 😅

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m afraid this book didn’t engage me at all. The writing is at times beautiful but a little over descriptive for me. The overuse of metaphor and suggestion meant that I often struggled with meaning. Sometime it pays to just get to the point. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, and I found that there was not enough plot to pull the story along, particularly with large chunks of the main character’s backstory told in letters that didn’t really add to the present day story, but confused and interrupted it. An interesting idea though.

[Jessica Beebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Night Hag

Rating: 2.75

A book entrenched with a slow burn gothic atmosphere, it focuses on Lil, an archeologist who is running from her past when she becomes haunted by the unknown on a mysterious dig in Scotland.

Whilst the pace picked up in the second half, I found the first to be a difficult slog with various different storylines becoming entangled in the narrative.

It is also clear that the author did a lot of research for the book, the narrative felt a bit convoluted with the multiple plot lines.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.