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The Last Witch on the Knock
'Mesmeric from the first page. A twisting, haunting tale.' Lucy Steeds, author of THE ARTIST
'A searing debut' Sunday Times *THE POP CULTURE MOMENTS EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT IN 2026*
The Knock hill is a carcass unintelligible as any dream.
Wouldn't you rather be a witch than a victim?
I didn't realise those were my only options.
In need of a fresh start, Thomasin leaves her toxic boyfriend, absent father and empty friendships to spend the summer in the Scottish Highlands with her eccentric Aunt Agnes and stern little cousin, Nina. But amidst the sprawling fields and ragged hills thrums a secret that has cursed the land for generations.
300 years earlier, Kate McNiven labours in The Big House by the Knock hill, wishing for a brighter future far away from the lecherous clutches of her master, the Laird. When she is exiled as a witch for refusing to succumb to his advances, Kate finds the escape she so desperately seeks in Thomasin, whose vulnerable body becomes her unwilling host.
In the thin place between centuries, through a pulsing wound that bleeds out history, the truth of the past is finally ready to be revealed . . .
'A searing debut' Sunday Times *THE POP CULTURE MOMENTS EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT IN 2026*
The Knock hill is a carcass unintelligible as any dream.
Wouldn't you rather be a witch than a victim?
I didn't realise those were my only options.
In need of a fresh start, Thomasin leaves her toxic boyfriend, absent father and empty friendships to spend the summer in the Scottish Highlands with her eccentric Aunt Agnes and stern little cousin, Nina. But amidst the sprawling fields and ragged hills thrums a secret that has cursed the land for generations.
300 years earlier, Kate McNiven labours in The Big House by the Knock hill, wishing for a brighter future far away from the lecherous clutches of her master, the Laird. When she is exiled as a witch for refusing to succumb to his advances, Kate finds the escape she so desperately seeks in Thomasin, whose vulnerable body becomes her unwilling host.
In the thin place between centuries, through a pulsing wound that bleeds out history, the truth of the past is finally ready to be revealed . . .
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Published March 12, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Aimée MacDonald's debut novel is an unsettling, beautiful piece of fiction that operates on two timelines - Thomasin, fleeing her toxic relationships to spend time in the wilds of Scotland with her eccentric aunt. In the second story, Kate McNiven lives 300 years earlier but is also wishing for a way to escape her existence...
MacDonald's prose is razor sharp, and she draws her characters beautifully on the page - I felt I knew them and this world - and she writes in a way which unsettles the reader. The Last Witch on the Knock is a difficult novel to pin down, but you're drawn down it's mysterious paths by a firm hand.
I really enjoyed reading this, and I think we might be seeing the start of a great career here. I'm certainly keen to see what MacDonald does next.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
MacDonald's prose is razor sharp, and she draws her characters beautifully on the page - I felt I knew them and this world - and she writes in a way which unsettles the reader. The Last Witch on the Knock is a difficult novel to pin down, but you're drawn down it's mysterious paths by a firm hand.
I really enjoyed reading this, and I think we might be seeing the start of a great career here. I'm certainly keen to see what MacDonald does next.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
March 22, 2026
Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC!
Last Witch on the Knock is an odd one for me to rate. At times, it was a brilliant book; at others, I was tired of the whole thing and wanted to put it down. I’ve given it three stars, though I’d say it was more like a 3.5.
One of the strongest things MacDonald does are descriptions; I often felt like I was transported right into the setting she was describing, and I loved the way she picked the perfect amount of details, and focused on just the right things, to really paint the scene in my mind. I also think MacDonald has a gift for characterization; each character felt very real and individual, and I feel like I got such a strong sense of their characters throughout the book that I could predict how they would act and react to events. This didn’t mean I liked all of the characters; our main character Thomasin ends up being really annoying and unpleasant to follow at several points in the novel. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt since she’s clearly depressed and also has some crazy body horror stuff going on, but at times she really tested my patience with her wallowing and dickish behaviour. Grow a backbone and stop being such an asshole, girl! I far preferred the secondary main character, Kate, who may have acted out at times, but it was always understandable due to the horrendous position she was in.
The story wasn’t action-packed and fast-paced, but that mostly worked for the kind of introspective, thoughtful novel this is. Sometimes MacDonald’s style shifts from ‘lyrical description’ to ‘random stream of consciousness,’ and the prose sways toward pretentious rambling, but overall it’s interesting to read. I really loved the body horror aspect of the wound in Thomasin’s side and how that progressed; MacDonald's descriptions of it literally made me feel ill at times, which I think was the aim, so well achieved! I also really loved Evan, and Thomasin’s friendship with her. I do kind of wish MacDonald had committed yes or no to what I thought was a budding romance between them, but they were still my favourite part of the book anyway.
I do have to knock off an entire star for the decision not to use quotation marks around direct speech. I genuinely don’t care what interesting or meaningful thing authors think they’re doing when they leave these out, but all it does is annoy and confuse me. I can’t count the number of times throughout this book where I was confused as to whether a line was supposed to be narration, a character’s inner thoughts, or spoken dialogue. This trend of not using quotation marks needs to die a quick and sudden and violent death!
Last Witch on the Knock is an odd one for me to rate. At times, it was a brilliant book; at others, I was tired of the whole thing and wanted to put it down. I’ve given it three stars, though I’d say it was more like a 3.5.
One of the strongest things MacDonald does are descriptions; I often felt like I was transported right into the setting she was describing, and I loved the way she picked the perfect amount of details, and focused on just the right things, to really paint the scene in my mind. I also think MacDonald has a gift for characterization; each character felt very real and individual, and I feel like I got such a strong sense of their characters throughout the book that I could predict how they would act and react to events. This didn’t mean I liked all of the characters; our main character Thomasin ends up being really annoying and unpleasant to follow at several points in the novel. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt since she’s clearly depressed and also has some crazy body horror stuff going on, but at times she really tested my patience with her wallowing and dickish behaviour. Grow a backbone and stop being such an asshole, girl! I far preferred the secondary main character, Kate, who may have acted out at times, but it was always understandable due to the horrendous position she was in.
The story wasn’t action-packed and fast-paced, but that mostly worked for the kind of introspective, thoughtful novel this is. Sometimes MacDonald’s style shifts from ‘lyrical description’ to ‘random stream of consciousness,’ and the prose sways toward pretentious rambling, but overall it’s interesting to read. I really loved the body horror aspect of the wound in Thomasin’s side and how that progressed; MacDonald's descriptions of it literally made me feel ill at times, which I think was the aim, so well achieved! I also really loved Evan, and Thomasin’s friendship with her. I do kind of wish MacDonald had committed yes or no to what I thought was a budding romance between them, but they were still my favourite part of the book anyway.
I do have to knock off an entire star for the decision not to use quotation marks around direct speech. I genuinely don’t care what interesting or meaningful thing authors think they’re doing when they leave these out, but all it does is annoy and confuse me. I can’t count the number of times throughout this book where I was confused as to whether a line was supposed to be narration, a character’s inner thoughts, or spoken dialogue. This trend of not using quotation marks needs to die a quick and sudden and violent death!
March 11, 2026
Thomasin is in her early 20s, struggling with her mental health and an abusive boyfriend, and takes some time out from her normal life to stay with an aunt she doesn’t know well in a small Scottish town. She soon finds herself haunted by the town’s dark history - in the form of Kate McNiven, the last woman killed in the town accused of being a witch 300 years earlier.
This one definitely doesn’t fall into the category of fun horror novels, it’s pretty heavy throughout. The portrayal of mental illness is really interesting - it’s not at all romanticised or glamorised, Thomasin is truly struggling and often unkind and unfair to those around her. There’s a lot of psychological horror as the past starts to interfere with her life and make her act out, leaving her scared and apparently responsible for actions she couldn’t prevent. What’s interesting is that the ‘villain’ here, in Kate, who causes these negative impacts for Thomasin, actually isn’t really a villain at all - but herself a victim of an unjust society trying to escape and cling to the inexplicable link to Thomasin. While the psychological horror was perhaps most effective for me as someone afraid of causing trouble, there’s also a lot of body horror going on in this with a physical hole appearing in Thomasin’s side, bleeding and rotting. One of my notes while reading just said “gross!” which I think is apt as a one-word review.
I did have some issues with this, in that it was definitely a little slow in parts (the historical scenes in particular dragged for me) and while the novel explores some much more interesting ideas than I was expecting from it, it did sometimes feel a bit heavy-handed - especially in some of the dialogue. Overall though, if the premise appeals to you, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed - it definitely delivers on what it promises.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
This one definitely doesn’t fall into the category of fun horror novels, it’s pretty heavy throughout. The portrayal of mental illness is really interesting - it’s not at all romanticised or glamorised, Thomasin is truly struggling and often unkind and unfair to those around her. There’s a lot of psychological horror as the past starts to interfere with her life and make her act out, leaving her scared and apparently responsible for actions she couldn’t prevent. What’s interesting is that the ‘villain’ here, in Kate, who causes these negative impacts for Thomasin, actually isn’t really a villain at all - but herself a victim of an unjust society trying to escape and cling to the inexplicable link to Thomasin. While the psychological horror was perhaps most effective for me as someone afraid of causing trouble, there’s also a lot of body horror going on in this with a physical hole appearing in Thomasin’s side, bleeding and rotting. One of my notes while reading just said “gross!” which I think is apt as a one-word review.
I did have some issues with this, in that it was definitely a little slow in parts (the historical scenes in particular dragged for me) and while the novel explores some much more interesting ideas than I was expecting from it, it did sometimes feel a bit heavy-handed - especially in some of the dialogue. Overall though, if the premise appeals to you, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed - it definitely delivers on what it promises.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I loved this!
A mix of literary/historical fiction with magic realism sprinkled with an eerie atmospheric vibe set in Scotland in dual timelines from 1715 following Kate and what I assume is present day following Thomasin and how their stories/ lives intertwine.
This is more of a character driven story (my personal preference is character over plot) and I never felt it dragged. I enjoyed the format and pacing. The writing was rich, I felt transported to the settings and could vividly see the characters interacting. Favourite bits being Kate's poem POVs starting each part and any scene with little Nina.
It could be slightly confusing as we switched a lot from Kate and Thomasins timelines/ POVs but it helped that the former is written in third person and latter in first person.
I read the arc version via my Kindle so the published version may have speech marks which would have made following Thomasin's thoughts vs actual speech easier. That being said, no speech marks made it feel like everything she was thinking and doing was blurred for her as well as for us, which honestly, is very on brand for her.
Thank you NetGalley and John Murray Press for allowing me to read the ARC for an honest review!
A mix of literary/historical fiction with magic realism sprinkled with an eerie atmospheric vibe set in Scotland in dual timelines from 1715 following Kate and what I assume is present day following Thomasin and how their stories/ lives intertwine.
This is more of a character driven story (my personal preference is character over plot) and I never felt it dragged. I enjoyed the format and pacing. The writing was rich, I felt transported to the settings and could vividly see the characters interacting. Favourite bits being Kate's poem POVs starting each part and any scene with little Nina.
It could be slightly confusing as we switched a lot from Kate and Thomasins timelines/ POVs but it helped that the former is written in third person and latter in first person.
I read the arc version via my Kindle so the published version may have speech marks which would have made following Thomasin's thoughts vs actual speech easier. That being said, no speech marks made it feel like everything she was thinking and doing was blurred for her as well as for us, which honestly, is very on brand for her.
Thank you NetGalley and John Murray Press for allowing me to read the ARC for an honest review!
March 18, 2026
I would not usually have chosen a book like this, but I am really glad I did. The writing is superb - literary, poetic - and the book kept drawing me back. I found myself heavily invested, first in Tomasin, and later, as Kate's narrative picked up, in her too. Despite neither main character being paricularly likable, I still rooted for them, which was very cleverly done. I loved Nance and Nina but love love loved Fin.
What was also particularly notable about this novel was the dual aspect of men hating women. In the past, Kate's treatment was brutal, overt. In the present, Tomasin is subjected to psychological abuse by the awful Leo.
An excellent read. I look forward to reading more from Aimee MacDonald.
What was also particularly notable about this novel was the dual aspect of men hating women. In the past, Kate's treatment was brutal, overt. In the present, Tomasin is subjected to psychological abuse by the awful Leo.
An excellent read. I look forward to reading more from Aimee MacDonald.
March 5, 2026
The Last Witch on the Knock is certainly a bizarre book, with main characters who are interesting but not particularly likeable. Thomasin, who is mentally very unwell, spends a summer away from the city and her red flag boyfriend by staying with her aunt and cousin. From there, events take increasingly strange turns as we follow a young woman who does not think normally at all. A vividly odd and disturbing horror.
I did unfortunately find the writing style at times hard to follow, as the dialogue is written without quotations. All in all I give it 3 stars. Not my usual cup of tea but I did keep turning the pages.
I did unfortunately find the writing style at times hard to follow, as the dialogue is written without quotations. All in all I give it 3 stars. Not my usual cup of tea but I did keep turning the pages.
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December 26, 2025I’m afraid this wasn’t a match. I loved the cover, which is why I requested it on NetGalley. As for the text itself, the interludes in the form of songs were excellent, and I wish more had been done with them—perhaps even a novel in verse. The rest, however, felt frustratingly incongruous, especially in terms of its underlying rationale. I simply couldn’t fathom the reason(s) behind much of what was happening.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I really enjoyed this book, the way it showed depression and mental health, the destructive need to make yourself ugly, to destroy and push those around you away. This was told in a dual perspective, moving between the past and present, and I felt connected to both characters. It was a very interesting concept! and a clear display of the way men used the witch trials to push the women that they couldn’t bend to their will.
December 11, 2025
Thomasin was an interesting character, I enjoyed the parts with her
Her interactions with the people around her (physically, or at the end of the phone).
The rest of the book didn't grab me so much unfortunately.
It's qute possible I missed the bigger picture because of this.
Thanks to netgalley for the free digital copy.
Her interactions with the people around her (physically, or at the end of the phone).
The rest of the book didn't grab me so much unfortunately.
It's qute possible I missed the bigger picture because of this.
Thanks to netgalley for the free digital copy.
November 11, 2025
Daring debut novel that’s as hilarious as it is horrific. A skilfully haunting take on mental health struggles, family feuds and ancestral trauma.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A wildly daring debut, where past and present are skilfully twined by a fiercely unique new voice. Alias Grace meets The Last Night in Soho. I loved it!
March 14, 2026
Tripe; a poundshop outlander for simplistic readers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews