Crone: A Witch's Tale

by Jae Mazer

"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."  --  William Shakespeare     Drowning in a sea of despair and fear, young Abbey struggles through her childhood alone and afraid. She lives on an isolated acreage with a cold and abusive family, spending her time afraid and miserable in her solitude.   But is she truly alone?   Abbey’s brother has convinced her that there is a witch living in their basement. Everyone knows it’s just a wicked story told for the sake of torment, but Abbey can’t help wondering if there really is something horrible and terrifying lurking beneath the stairs, watching, waiting…   CRONE is a tale of a witch that hides in the dark corners of the mind and deep in the shadows of life. It is a tumultuous journey filled with pain and joy, blood and smiles, suffering and relief, monsters and magic. Come along with Abbey as she escapes her childhood and is thrust into adulthood, followed by the ghosts of her past, and a fairytale that couldn’t possibly be real.   Could it?      

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 11, 2018

Reviews

[Creeping Beauty · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The words didn't hurt. They never did anymore. The same scar slashed over and over again hurts less every time."

Young Abbey's life is heartbreaking. Her family treats her as if she is less than human and she suffers much abuse by the ones she should be able to trust and should love her unconditionally. She finds an unexpected love from a realm of darkness and light. What she fears the most becomes her hope and her solitude.

Long into adulthood, she continues to encounter many difficulties. When she goes in search of a place of peace, what she finds is not what she expected, and her life once again begins to unravel.

There is so much dreamlike unreality, really makes one question what the reality is, but the wonderful prose brings the magic to life. There were lots of dark elements but also a tale of finding love and protection where least expected. It was not at all what I was expecting which made it all much more captivating. What started out in darkness, ends in a beautiful story of love and redemption.

An atmospheric tale of dread, darkness and light, and in the end, love wins!!

[Jerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on the book. I enjoyed the originality of the story and the fact that for a very long time I wavered back and forth whether there was really a witch or whether it was a psychological issue. My original rating would have been 3.5 stars but there were just enough grammatical issues that made me stop, back up and reread. Unfortunately this broke up the flow of the story for me.

[Rebecca Sanders-thorpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The writer really draws you in and paints a clear picture of the characters and the events in the book. Very creepy, but very entertaining and jaw-dropping!

[Mack Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in a rural community, Abbey lives a life of isolation and abuse. Seeking deliverance, she moves between the nightmare of her reality and the nightmare of a surreal landscape of the supernatural. With tight and evocative prose, Crone delivers horror that is at once terrifying and enchanting. Horror fans should not pass this one up.

[Savannah Blandino · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been awhile since a book made me feel emotional. I connected with Abbey on a deep level. There were spooks and scares but I consider them tame compared to the real horror the story described. All in all an excellent read and I’m really glad I purchased this book. Everyone deserves a Faelith. I wish I had a Faelith, and I hope I am a Faelith to someone out there.

[Angela]

Revolting.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Weave of Magic, Terror and Love

I found this book by chance, wanting a scary book and deciding to look for books about witches using the word. "Crone", and I am so glad I did. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, the detailed descriptions of the places that made me feel as if I were there, and the ending. Parts of it were frightening, which is just what I wanted, but the plot was unusual, and I appreciated that. I read it straight through and enjoyed every minute, never bored.

[Danielle Yeager · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was different than what I expected and I'm so glad it was. It started with the abuse of our heroine, weaved vivid description and magic throughout, and ended with love. This is the first book I've read by this author and definitely will not be my last! Loved it!