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Witch Trials: Secrets of Loudun
Accused of murdering a prominent French Lord, Sarah and Anne flee their home to escape being persecuted for witchcraft. Sarah is captured by the royal guards and escorted to Loudun Prison, the heart of the witch trials. There she awaits her execution, meeting others with the same dismal fate while catching the eye of one of her captors.
While Anne, having gotten away, is busy building an army to aid her in saving Sarah and the prisoners in Loudun, the Bishop and his disciples are hard at work punishing those in the way of his political advances. With new alliances being formed and the Catholic Church being threatened, will these girls be the downfall of an empire built upon fear, or will they suffer the same fate as their Pagan ancestors?
While Anne, having gotten away, is busy building an army to aid her in saving Sarah and the prisoners in Loudun, the Bishop and his disciples are hard at work punishing those in the way of his political advances. With new alliances being formed and the Catholic Church being threatened, will these girls be the downfall of an empire built upon fear, or will they suffer the same fate as their Pagan ancestors?
270 pages, ebook
Published July 3, 2016
2 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Eason
5 books5 followersHailing from a small town in rural Georgia, Lauren works as a supervisor and trainer to veterinary assistants for an affordable mobile veterinary company. At night, she gallivants as a writer intrigued by dark fantasies and paranormal romance. Her love of animals and writing has led her to not only have cared for thousands of animals over her career but has also inspired her to create her own written world—a world she hopes future readers may enjoy as much as she does.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 18, 2022
A fast paced story with a very likeable pair as the main characters. I loved the contrast in personalities the author gave her characters though at times struggled to connect with the scenes unfolding in the book. It just needed a bit more seasoning to my liking but nonetheless I'm sure this will appeal to readers who enjoy this particular genre.
October 19, 2021
This is a wonderful story about two friends as close as sisters who live in 17th Century France. They are witches, presented through the lens of modern neo-paganism. Many chants and sayings will be familiar to modern Wiccan witches. I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the story, as it was like seeing old friends pop up. The conflict presented was also very appropriate to this religion, another aspect I greatly appreciated.
Sarah and Anne were amazing characters and I loved them both. They're both smart and brave, but in different ways, with Anne being the wild huntress and Sarah being the solid, quiet one. I really enjoyed their character growth as they both learned just how strong they are.
The supporting and side characters, as well as the villains, are all well fleshed out and three-dimensional. Vaness and Isaac especially stood out to me as well-rounded individuals. There are complicated and compelling antagonists that really drive the conflict and help keep the pacing exciting. The shell game of letting the reader discover where the true evil lay was especially well done.
My only slight quibble is that the viewpoint is third-person omniscient. While it was well done and I was never confused by changes in point of view, it still meant that I never felt as close to Sarah and Anne as I would like. I liked these characters and wanted to live the story along with them, not feel the distance of an omniscient viewpoint.
Descriptions are well done, from the wooded forests to the horror of the prison. The dialogue flows naturally and is a joy to read.
The conflict and stakes are there and left me quickly turning pages to find out what happened to these characters I'd come to love.
I adore the newer cover of this book, it excellently conveys the nature of the story.
This is a great read and I think that for anyone familiar with neopaganism it'll be a surefire hit!
Sarah and Anne were amazing characters and I loved them both. They're both smart and brave, but in different ways, with Anne being the wild huntress and Sarah being the solid, quiet one. I really enjoyed their character growth as they both learned just how strong they are.
The supporting and side characters, as well as the villains, are all well fleshed out and three-dimensional. Vaness and Isaac especially stood out to me as well-rounded individuals. There are complicated and compelling antagonists that really drive the conflict and help keep the pacing exciting. The shell game of letting the reader discover where the true evil lay was especially well done.
My only slight quibble is that the viewpoint is third-person omniscient. While it was well done and I was never confused by changes in point of view, it still meant that I never felt as close to Sarah and Anne as I would like. I liked these characters and wanted to live the story along with them, not feel the distance of an omniscient viewpoint.
Descriptions are well done, from the wooded forests to the horror of the prison. The dialogue flows naturally and is a joy to read.
The conflict and stakes are there and left me quickly turning pages to find out what happened to these characters I'd come to love.
I adore the newer cover of this book, it excellently conveys the nature of the story.
This is a great read and I think that for anyone familiar with neopaganism it'll be a surefire hit!
November 30, 2021
Different
Anne is strong, fierce and deadly whereas Anne is peaceful and light. A weird couple for sure but put them together and things might turn deadly. So this book wasn't really for me. I was expecting something more then it was, however I'm giving it 4 stars because the characters were great and the story was nice just felt , I don't want to say lost because I understood what was going on the whole time but something felts missing or something. Maybe for me their wasn't enough character connection or building. I wanted more of that. The plot and running and things the characters went through was perfect and enjoyable and I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy it but for me it fell short in pulling me in enough to make me want keep reading. However, again this is just me a lot of people love the way this book is written, the style so to speak. I loved the differences between the 2 main characters and how they complimented each other and the beginning on the book was flawless for me I really enjoyed watching that unfold.
Anne is strong, fierce and deadly whereas Anne is peaceful and light. A weird couple for sure but put them together and things might turn deadly. So this book wasn't really for me. I was expecting something more then it was, however I'm giving it 4 stars because the characters were great and the story was nice just felt , I don't want to say lost because I understood what was going on the whole time but something felts missing or something. Maybe for me their wasn't enough character connection or building. I wanted more of that. The plot and running and things the characters went through was perfect and enjoyable and I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy it but for me it fell short in pulling me in enough to make me want keep reading. However, again this is just me a lot of people love the way this book is written, the style so to speak. I loved the differences between the 2 main characters and how they complimented each other and the beginning on the book was flawless for me I really enjoyed watching that unfold.
February 15, 2022
I really enjoyed The Witch Trials by Lauren Eason because the characters are unique, well-rounded, and play off each other well. The two sisters, Anne and Sarah, are like the new odd couple. They contrast each other with different personalities, but find a way to balance each other.
Lauren Eason did a great job with her description, making you feel like you were in the book rather than reading about the locations. A +
My one complaint was the dialogue. I found it rather stilted. I don't know if Eason was trying to make the characters sound more formal, more historical, but in the end it just seemed very unnatural to me. This made it hard for me to keep reading at times.
Anne even calls them Pagans at one point, but my understanding of the word is that it was a derogatory word used by the early Christians to put down those of other religions, therefore unlikely to be used by non Christians. It's like a woman calling all women hormonal. Not nice. I just think Anne would use a different term to describe her and her sister, especially since paganism at the time was an umbrella term to defin anyone who wasn't Christian, Jewish, or Muslim--that's a lot of other religions even back then. Anyway, it just struck me wrong.
Otherwise, a great fantasy book set in a historical reality.
Lauren Eason did a great job with her description, making you feel like you were in the book rather than reading about the locations. A +
My one complaint was the dialogue. I found it rather stilted. I don't know if Eason was trying to make the characters sound more formal, more historical, but in the end it just seemed very unnatural to me. This made it hard for me to keep reading at times.
Anne even calls them Pagans at one point, but my understanding of the word is that it was a derogatory word used by the early Christians to put down those of other religions, therefore unlikely to be used by non Christians. It's like a woman calling all women hormonal. Not nice. I just think Anne would use a different term to describe her and her sister, especially since paganism at the time was an umbrella term to defin anyone who wasn't Christian, Jewish, or Muslim--that's a lot of other religions even back then. Anyway, it just struck me wrong.
Otherwise, a great fantasy book set in a historical reality.
October 8, 2025
Wow, what an intense and emotional read! This book completely pulled me into its dark historical setting from the very first chapter. The author does such an amazing job painting the fear and chaos of the witch trials you can almost feel the tension in the air as Sarah and Anne fight to survive in a world determined to destroy them.
Sarah’s storyline especially broke my heart. Her time in Loudun Prison is written so vividly the dread, the hopelessness, and that complicated connection she forms with one of her captors really made me pause and think about humanity in the darkest of times. Meanwhile, Anne’s side of the story adds this fierce determination and bravery that balances everything out. I loved seeing her transformation from someone running for her life into a leader willing to risk everything for those she loves.
The political and religious undertones add so much depth too. It’s not just about witchcraft or superstition, it’s about power, control, and the courage to stand up against a corrupt system. The pacing kept me glued to the pages, and even when it slowed down, it felt deliberate giving me time to breathe before the next emotional hit.
If you enjoy stories about resilience, loyalty, and rebellion set against a backdrop of fear and faith, this one’s definitely worth reading. It’s haunting, powerful, and beautifully tragic all at once.
Sarah’s storyline especially broke my heart. Her time in Loudun Prison is written so vividly the dread, the hopelessness, and that complicated connection she forms with one of her captors really made me pause and think about humanity in the darkest of times. Meanwhile, Anne’s side of the story adds this fierce determination and bravery that balances everything out. I loved seeing her transformation from someone running for her life into a leader willing to risk everything for those she loves.
The political and religious undertones add so much depth too. It’s not just about witchcraft or superstition, it’s about power, control, and the courage to stand up against a corrupt system. The pacing kept me glued to the pages, and even when it slowed down, it felt deliberate giving me time to breathe before the next emotional hit.
If you enjoy stories about resilience, loyalty, and rebellion set against a backdrop of fear and faith, this one’s definitely worth reading. It’s haunting, powerful, and beautifully tragic all at once.
March 9, 2022
Witch Trials: Secrets of Loudun follows two women framed for murder and accused of witchcraft. One is captured and taken to the prison to await trial and the other is tasked with trying to free her friend and stopping her execution. The story is fairly fast paced with plenty and there is more going on in the background with betrayals and politics, and power struggles between the religious leaders and the noblemen.
I enjoyed the writers writing style and I enjoyed the two main characters. Some of the supporting characters felt a little flat to me. They were either all good or all bad and there was no room for grey areas, with the exception of Lord Ambroise who was a complicated character.
The thing I feel let this book down a little was the use of modern phrasing and modern dialogue. The book is set in the 1600s in France, but the characters spoke like modern day Americans. Most notably, the use of the words washroom and blueprints. I also found I had to suspend my disbelief a little more than I was comfortable with in places. People are heavily tortured in one scene, only to be performing tasks in the next with no mention of pain.
Overall I found the book to be enjoyable.
I enjoyed the writers writing style and I enjoyed the two main characters. Some of the supporting characters felt a little flat to me. They were either all good or all bad and there was no room for grey areas, with the exception of Lord Ambroise who was a complicated character.
The thing I feel let this book down a little was the use of modern phrasing and modern dialogue. The book is set in the 1600s in France, but the characters spoke like modern day Americans. Most notably, the use of the words washroom and blueprints. I also found I had to suspend my disbelief a little more than I was comfortable with in places. People are heavily tortured in one scene, only to be performing tasks in the next with no mention of pain.
Overall I found the book to be enjoyable.
October 2, 2021
I tend to not always understand witches and the lore behind them, but this book definately schooled me to see past the misconception of the term "witches" and understand from their point of view (guilty or not) how the world around sees them. Action packed and literally a fast paced book, this one is a definate read.
July 20, 2021
Great read
Choose 5 stars because it was a very good read, can't wait to read the next one. Would highly recommend.
Choose 5 stars because it was a very good read, can't wait to read the next one. Would highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews