And Some Have Witchcraft Thrust Upon Them

by P.A. Latter

Jane has always prided herself on her rational pragmatism. But after being made redundant, she struggles to adapt to a new lifestyle in leafy suburbia, where she is appalled by the superstitions of her neighbours and horrified when rumours circulate that she practices witchcraft. They seem to believe she can solve all the petty problems of their comfortable lives, but not everyone is happy with a witch in their midst. Jane ultimately faces being burnt at the stake – but all is not quite as it seems.

176 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 11, 2021

Reviews

[Tess Ailshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This really should have been a pleasant read, but the sense of "Oh, yeah, I should have told you this a while ago" was jarring the first time and simply annoying the second. I didn't find it an effective technique, and would have preferred the narration more clearly cover the added information in its own timeline.

So, after having read the whole thing, and dealing with the dropped-in story fillers, I still don't know Jane. Is this novel simply the setup for further books in the series? It sure feels unfinished. It seems there's no real shared experiences to keep Jane in touch with Tarran; while she purports to want to be accepted as a local, she's more than willing to perpetuate a sense of "different"; she seems to be waiting for something to tell her she's a witch without having to do any mental exercise to see how she fits in.

In all, while it was quite a suitable afternoon read, it did not pique my interest in the subsequent stories.