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Now She is Witch
This is a witch story unlike any other.
Lux has lost everything when Else finds her in the woods. Her family, her lover, her home - all burned. The world is suspicious of women like her. But Lux is cunning; she knows how to blend into the background. And she knows a lot about poisons.
Else needs Lux's help to destroy the man who wronged her. But on their hunt they will uncover dark secrets that entangle them with dangerous adversaries.
From the snowy winter woods to the bright midnight sun; from lost and powerless to finding your path, Now She is Witch conjures a world where women grasp at power through witchcraft, sexuality and performance, and sometimes by throwing each other to the wolves.
'A story that will hold you tight and not let go' Stylist
'Mesmerising and evocative...There are echoes of everything from the Brothers Grimm to Angela Carter' Observer
'Powerful, imaginative, compelling - myth-making at its best' Val McDermid
'An impassioned reclaiming of female desire...absorbingly atmospheric' Daily Mail
'Spooky, timeless, feminist, inventive, unsettling' Viv Groksop
Lux has lost everything when Else finds her in the woods. Her family, her lover, her home - all burned. The world is suspicious of women like her. But Lux is cunning; she knows how to blend into the background. And she knows a lot about poisons.
Else needs Lux's help to destroy the man who wronged her. But on their hunt they will uncover dark secrets that entangle them with dangerous adversaries.
From the snowy winter woods to the bright midnight sun; from lost and powerless to finding your path, Now She is Witch conjures a world where women grasp at power through witchcraft, sexuality and performance, and sometimes by throwing each other to the wolves.
'A story that will hold you tight and not let go' Stylist
'Mesmerising and evocative...There are echoes of everything from the Brothers Grimm to Angela Carter' Observer
'Powerful, imaginative, compelling - myth-making at its best' Val McDermid
'An impassioned reclaiming of female desire...absorbingly atmospheric' Daily Mail
'Spooky, timeless, feminist, inventive, unsettling' Viv Groksop
333 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 12, 2023
172 people are currently reading
9639 people want to read
About the author
Kirsty Logan
82 books1,476 followersKirsty Logan is a professional daydreamer. She is the author of two novels, The Gloaming and The Gracekeepers, and two story collections, A Portable Shelter and The Rental Heart & Other Fairytales. Her fifth book, Things We Say in the Dark, will be published on Halloween 2019.
Kirsty lives in Glasgow with her wife and their rescue dog. She has tattooed toes.
Kirsty lives in Glasgow with her wife and their rescue dog. She has tattooed toes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 386 reviews
December 29, 2023
Actual Rating: 4.5/5 stars
“Perhaps coming so close to death, then stepping clean out of its jaws, made the world seem lighter.”
Mothers and daughters, witches and herbalists, masked mummers and cursed rabbits as hauntings all inhabit the pages of this dreamlike novel that reads like a dark European folktale. With her signature style, intricately woven storylines and simply stunning prose, Kirsty Logan did it again. I already suspected this woman to be a word-witch, and with this latest novel, she put her spell on me again…
Now She is Witch opens with a the stark image of our protagonist Lux burying the remains of her mother in a poison garden. Having lost not just her mother, but her home and roots to accusations of witchcraft, Lux sets of on a journey into the woods. What follows is her life’s travels, making her way from a group of vagrant theatre plays, to a final position as the kings food taster, all the while accompanied by a mysterious woman named Else, who she grows closely connected to.
This novel clearly falls in that neo-subgenre of “feminist-witch-fiction” has become so oversaturated in the past few years that I thought I was done with it. Although Logan’s take on it strikes some of the same beats, she made it feel fresher, darker and yet more tender than any I’ve read before.
This is a story of feminism, but not the obvious shouty-kind I’ve seen in the genre before. It’s about ghosts, grief, poisons and nature, motherhood, love and learning to trust in life again. It’s clearly a story of feminism, but not the obvious shouty-kind I’ve seen in the genre before. It’s also about ghosts, grief, poisons and nature, motherhood, love in all its different forms and learning to trust in life again. The realness of all these elements, in conjunction with the magical atmosphere of the setting and prose, made Lux’s story hit home all the harder.
Although Logan’s style may not be for everyone, there’s no denying her incredible skill as an author. On a technical level, she keeps getting stronger and stronger with every release, and Now She is Witch is near perfection. Its pacing, its structure and its internally consistent motifs (Earthliness, light vs dark and the culmination of events at an equinox, the different “roles” a woman plays e.g. the maiden, the mother and the crown…) are so well thought out. Not even to mention the beautiful circularity of the story, and the way that shards from the first page fall into place and are mirrored once we reach the ending.
Now She is Witch has me sleeping easy again in the knowledge that I can keep my self-appointed position as chair of the unofficial Kirsty Logan fanclub. It may not be everyone’s favourite, but “objectively”, I feel like it’s her strongest work to date. Honestly, what I wouldn't give for a sliver, a morsel, a grain of sand in the oyster of this woman's writing-capability...
“Perhaps coming so close to death, then stepping clean out of its jaws, made the world seem lighter.”
Mothers and daughters, witches and herbalists, masked mummers and cursed rabbits as hauntings all inhabit the pages of this dreamlike novel that reads like a dark European folktale. With her signature style, intricately woven storylines and simply stunning prose, Kirsty Logan did it again. I already suspected this woman to be a word-witch, and with this latest novel, she put her spell on me again…
Now She is Witch opens with a the stark image of our protagonist Lux burying the remains of her mother in a poison garden. Having lost not just her mother, but her home and roots to accusations of witchcraft, Lux sets of on a journey into the woods. What follows is her life’s travels, making her way from a group of vagrant theatre plays, to a final position as the kings food taster, all the while accompanied by a mysterious woman named Else, who she grows closely connected to.
This novel clearly falls in that neo-subgenre of “feminist-witch-fiction” has become so oversaturated in the past few years that I thought I was done with it. Although Logan’s take on it strikes some of the same beats, she made it feel fresher, darker and yet more tender than any I’ve read before.
This is a story of feminism, but not the obvious shouty-kind I’ve seen in the genre before. It’s about ghosts, grief, poisons and nature, motherhood, love and learning to trust in life again. It’s clearly a story of feminism, but not the obvious shouty-kind I’ve seen in the genre before. It’s also about ghosts, grief, poisons and nature, motherhood, love in all its different forms and learning to trust in life again. The realness of all these elements, in conjunction with the magical atmosphere of the setting and prose, made Lux’s story hit home all the harder.
Although Logan’s style may not be for everyone, there’s no denying her incredible skill as an author. On a technical level, she keeps getting stronger and stronger with every release, and Now She is Witch is near perfection. Its pacing, its structure and its internally consistent motifs (Earthliness, light vs dark and the culmination of events at an equinox, the different “roles” a woman plays e.g. the maiden, the mother and the crown…) are so well thought out. Not even to mention the beautiful circularity of the story, and the way that shards from the first page fall into place and are mirrored once we reach the ending.
Now She is Witch has me sleeping easy again in the knowledge that I can keep my self-appointed position as chair of the unofficial Kirsty Logan fanclub. It may not be everyone’s favourite, but “objectively”, I feel like it’s her strongest work to date. Honestly, what I wouldn't give for a sliver, a morsel, a grain of sand in the oyster of this woman's writing-capability...
September 27, 2023
Scottish author Kirsty Logan blends historical fact with folklore and fairy tale to construct an unusual variation on a ghost story and queer, coming-of-age narrative. Set in a slightly-fantastical, reimagining of medieval times, Logan’s plot revolves around Lux, an outcast orphan on a journey that leads her to witness great terrors and unexpected wonders - from plague to witch trials to shapeshifting to an iconoclastic band of performing players, masked mummers who seem destined to cross her path wherever she goes. Lux’s goal is to avenge a terrible crime committed against her enigmatic, travelling companion Else. A crime carried out by an all-powerful, local lord. Logan’s novel is often brutal and visceral with graphic scenes that recreate the simmering violence of a time marked by its elaborate forms of discipline and punishment: the mortification of the flesh through flagellation; scolds’ bridals used on “outspoken” women; hunted animals; and plague victims boarded up and left to die. But this isn’t primarily historical fiction. The emphasis here is on storytelling, not just in Logan’s approach to her material but through an intricate exploration of roles on offer to women like Lux accused of witchcraft and devoid of social or economic clout - the parts she’s forced to play, and who gets to tell her story. Logan’s examination of issues of gender and power may not be desperately original but it’s thoughtful and heartfelt. The pace can be uneven and there are quite a few heavy-handed, bordering on melodramatic, scenes, yet I found this oddly gripping. It’s definitely manipulative but it’s also brooding and nicely atmospheric and I liked Lux as a character. Plus, the element of mystery was intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages until I reached the end.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Vintage for an ARC
Rating: 3 to 3.5
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Vintage for an ARC
Rating: 3 to 3.5
February 4, 2023
Breathtakingly beautiful
This is outstanding: a world that runs parallel to our own, full of the graceless hypocrisies of men and the petty (and not-so-petty) cruelties of disempowered women. So, yes, it’s a story of power and its warping, but also of love and courage and wisdom and beauty and a magic that runs deep in the earth. Most of all, it’s a story of the lies we tell ourselves and the truths that underlie them. I adored this book. On every level, from the poetry of the prose to Lux’s courage and sheer canny-ness, it’s absolutely essential reading.
This is outstanding: a world that runs parallel to our own, full of the graceless hypocrisies of men and the petty (and not-so-petty) cruelties of disempowered women. So, yes, it’s a story of power and its warping, but also of love and courage and wisdom and beauty and a magic that runs deep in the earth. Most of all, it’s a story of the lies we tell ourselves and the truths that underlie them. I adored this book. On every level, from the poetry of the prose to Lux’s courage and sheer canny-ness, it’s absolutely essential reading.
February 25, 2023
Eh. Not as good as I wanted it to be.
If you like full stops and capital letters, this is not the book for you.
If you like full stops and capital letters, this is not the book for you.
January 25, 2023
On my blog.
Rep: sapphic mc, nonbinary li
CWs: misogyny, rape, gore, violence
Galley provided by publisher
Now She Is Witch is part historical, part fantasy, an entwined mix of the two genres, such that you find yourself not quite sure. Are there witches, you ask, or is it just a societal delusion? Is there magic? This is a book that never quite answers those questions, but that’s not what it sets out to do.
This is a book where you sit down to review it and end up having to ask yourself, how do I even start to describe it? Reading it was a bit like a fever dream — completely immersive, hard to tear your eyes away from. What is the truth of it? What is Lux going to discover? How does it all tie together?
The plot in general is quite mysterious, strung together in a way that means you can’t quite tell what is truth and what is metaphor. Normally, this might be a little frustrating, but Kirsty Logan manages it so deftly that what it does is hook you further and further into the story. The longer it goes on, the more questions you have, and the more you want to keep reading. This is the skill in her storytelling, that I have another genre to add to the two listed at the start: mystery.
There’s also a folkloric nature to the whole thing, particularly the recurring motif of the players. Now She Is Witch feels like the making of a new one, while also fitting into the landscape of British Isles folklore more generally. Perhaps this is why it’s hard to define as a genre, with its mix of fantasy, history and mystery. Perhaps it should simply be defined as a folktale.
Another reason for this is the writing style. Again, this is hard to explain, and all I can really do is tell you to read it to find out, but there’s something magical about it, combined with the occasionally experimental nature of it (there are entire sections which are someone telling their part of the story, for example), which adds to the folktale feeling.
Honestly, I don’t know if any of what I’ve said has made all that much sense. I hope it has. But, on the off chance you have no clue what I’m rattling on about, all I can say is, read this book to find out.
Rep: sapphic mc, nonbinary li
CWs: misogyny, rape, gore, violence
Galley provided by publisher
Now She Is Witch is part historical, part fantasy, an entwined mix of the two genres, such that you find yourself not quite sure. Are there witches, you ask, or is it just a societal delusion? Is there magic? This is a book that never quite answers those questions, but that’s not what it sets out to do.
This is a book where you sit down to review it and end up having to ask yourself, how do I even start to describe it? Reading it was a bit like a fever dream — completely immersive, hard to tear your eyes away from. What is the truth of it? What is Lux going to discover? How does it all tie together?
The plot in general is quite mysterious, strung together in a way that means you can’t quite tell what is truth and what is metaphor. Normally, this might be a little frustrating, but Kirsty Logan manages it so deftly that what it does is hook you further and further into the story. The longer it goes on, the more questions you have, and the more you want to keep reading. This is the skill in her storytelling, that I have another genre to add to the two listed at the start: mystery.
There’s also a folkloric nature to the whole thing, particularly the recurring motif of the players. Now She Is Witch feels like the making of a new one, while also fitting into the landscape of British Isles folklore more generally. Perhaps this is why it’s hard to define as a genre, with its mix of fantasy, history and mystery. Perhaps it should simply be defined as a folktale.
Another reason for this is the writing style. Again, this is hard to explain, and all I can really do is tell you to read it to find out, but there’s something magical about it, combined with the occasionally experimental nature of it (there are entire sections which are someone telling their part of the story, for example), which adds to the folktale feeling.
Honestly, I don’t know if any of what I’ve said has made all that much sense. I hope it has. But, on the off chance you have no clue what I’m rattling on about, all I can say is, read this book to find out.
March 24, 2023
I'm generally both really wary and weary of feminist witch stories. As an early modernist, I fear that's an occupational hazard. I HATE the myth of the female herbalist/midwife/abortionist who only tried to help the poor villagers and then gets murdered because men hate women with agency. Research has proven time and time again that, despite what witch-hunting manuals may lead us to expect, witch hunters usually didn't go after midwives, who were well-respected and highly-valued members of their community. The few cases in which midwives were accused of witchcraft, their jobs as midwives were often coincidental. *END OF MINI RANT*.
Anyway, Logan dips her toes into that myth, her main character being a herbalist and abortionist, but manages to craft a story that does justice to the horrors of witch hunts and the disempowered position women held in medieval societies that never feels exaggerated. It's a dark story, and some truly vile and horrible things happen to the women in this book, but it never strays into gender-essentialist territory, which is what I usually loathe about those witchy feminist stories. Men do awful things not because they're men and men are inherently selfish and horrible, but because society puts them in a position where they can do these things (albeit to a varying degree depending on their societal status) and get away with them. Now She Is Witch meditates on these issues and Logan's stance is explicitly made clear, yet it never feels like it's too much.
But don't let me continue to hammer on how dark and feminist this book is. What it also is, is a magical story, and lovingly queer, and suspenseful, and beautifully written. Logan is incredibly good at creating striking imagery, and what is even more amazing is that she manages to write them in such a way that, though I was struck with their beauty, they never pulled me out of the story she was telling.
I feel people are somehow sleeping on Logan, which is a shame. Every book she writes is better than the one before (though I have to admit that, when push comes to shove, I probably love Things We Say in the Dark just a tad more).
Anyway, Logan dips her toes into that myth, her main character being a herbalist and abortionist, but manages to craft a story that does justice to the horrors of witch hunts and the disempowered position women held in medieval societies that never feels exaggerated. It's a dark story, and some truly vile and horrible things happen to the women in this book, but it never strays into gender-essentialist territory, which is what I usually loathe about those witchy feminist stories. Men do awful things not because they're men and men are inherently selfish and horrible, but because society puts them in a position where they can do these things (albeit to a varying degree depending on their societal status) and get away with them. Now She Is Witch meditates on these issues and Logan's stance is explicitly made clear, yet it never feels like it's too much.
But don't let me continue to hammer on how dark and feminist this book is. What it also is, is a magical story, and lovingly queer, and suspenseful, and beautifully written. Logan is incredibly good at creating striking imagery, and what is even more amazing is that she manages to write them in such a way that, though I was struck with their beauty, they never pulled me out of the story she was telling.
I feel people are somehow sleeping on Logan, which is a shame. Every book she writes is better than the one before (though I have to admit that, when push comes to shove, I probably love Things We Say in the Dark just a tad more).
February 1, 2023
Usually, I really enjoy Kirsty Logan's books. She is supremely talented and has a fantastic imagination, and I love that she weaves folklore and other elements into her stories.
I was looking forward to sinking into her newest novel, but I found myself distanced from it throughout. I did not connect with the characters, and I found the plot both a bit too drawn out and quite repetitive in places. I'm sure other readers will love this, but it did not compare to Logan's previously published novels or short stories for me.
I was looking forward to sinking into her newest novel, but I found myself distanced from it throughout. I did not connect with the characters, and I found the plot both a bit too drawn out and quite repetitive in places. I'm sure other readers will love this, but it did not compare to Logan's previously published novels or short stories for me.
April 19, 2023
I was really interested the the idea of reading a ‘feminist witch’ book but this book didn’t live up to my expectations. From the past perspective of lux I found the writing style of no capital letters or full stops really difficult to get through and lost the flow of the book.
February 25, 2024
I dnf'd this book, the writing style is very train of thought like half of the time which made it impossible for me to follow what the story was about and what I was reading did not register at all.
December 11, 2022
4.5
I’ve been a fan of Kirsty’s since her debut novel ‘The Gracekeepers’ and it’s no secret I love everything she writes. ‘Now She is Witch’, I’m very glad to say, is no exception either!
This book has no defined setting, or defined period, and yet it feels so incredibly atmospheric, steeped in folklore and hand-me-down stories. It has a feeling of somewhere ancient and snowbound where rumours of witches in the north are rife.
We meet Lux as she returns home from a ‘sanctuary’ she was forced to go to, she is greeted with the knowledge that her mother has been accused of witchcraft and is now dead. When the local village men come upon her house in the woods, claiming to be in need of tinctures, but clearly there to satisfy their other needs, a stranger named Else appears, alongside a wolf. Could Else be a witch from the north?
They set out on a journey through the woods together, coming across a troupe of mummers who show her the power of stories - the way they can be shaped and moulded to fit with what we want to hear, the way we can become someone else entirely, and the way stories themselves can evolve across time into something entirely different. But the life of a mummer, of playing a given role, is not for Lux, and both her and Else soon move on to a stronghold ruled by a lord who clearly holds ties to both Lux and Else, and there is a reason why Else has brought them here…
I have to admit to now becoming a little tired of novels about witches - but I love was Kirsty has done here. It’s not a rehashed version of another witch trial, it’s taking the notion of witches and demonstrating the roles women have been forced to play for centuries, and the level of violence and scorn thrown their way by men and society throughout history. It transcends time and feels both historical and modern at the same time.
But what I really love here is Kirsty’s vivid and folkloric imagination - I’ll never get tired of it! Such beautiful prose, as always.
As a sidenote - I’d really love it if Mister Gaunt got his own story…
I’ve been a fan of Kirsty’s since her debut novel ‘The Gracekeepers’ and it’s no secret I love everything she writes. ‘Now She is Witch’, I’m very glad to say, is no exception either!
This book has no defined setting, or defined period, and yet it feels so incredibly atmospheric, steeped in folklore and hand-me-down stories. It has a feeling of somewhere ancient and snowbound where rumours of witches in the north are rife.
We meet Lux as she returns home from a ‘sanctuary’ she was forced to go to, she is greeted with the knowledge that her mother has been accused of witchcraft and is now dead. When the local village men come upon her house in the woods, claiming to be in need of tinctures, but clearly there to satisfy their other needs, a stranger named Else appears, alongside a wolf. Could Else be a witch from the north?
They set out on a journey through the woods together, coming across a troupe of mummers who show her the power of stories - the way they can be shaped and moulded to fit with what we want to hear, the way we can become someone else entirely, and the way stories themselves can evolve across time into something entirely different. But the life of a mummer, of playing a given role, is not for Lux, and both her and Else soon move on to a stronghold ruled by a lord who clearly holds ties to both Lux and Else, and there is a reason why Else has brought them here…
I have to admit to now becoming a little tired of novels about witches - but I love was Kirsty has done here. It’s not a rehashed version of another witch trial, it’s taking the notion of witches and demonstrating the roles women have been forced to play for centuries, and the level of violence and scorn thrown their way by men and society throughout history. It transcends time and feels both historical and modern at the same time.
But what I really love here is Kirsty’s vivid and folkloric imagination - I’ll never get tired of it! Such beautiful prose, as always.
As a sidenote - I’d really love it if Mister Gaunt got his own story…
January 3, 2023
A slow burning, sinister tale of witchcraft and wise women, with complex, powerful, female characters. The plot was compelling, often creepy and violent, but flowed well. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
January 24, 2024
okay so i'm usually not big on fantasy books but i wanted to give this one a chance as it has such strong feminist and queer subtext but i honestly wish i hadn't. the plot was super predictable and stretched out unnecessarily. while i liked the premise, i didn't like the execution at all. the stream of consciousness parts felt super random and were incredibly hard to read so i had to skip them completely. i don't know why the author felt the need to mention fecal matters so many times but it felt extremely out of place. i don't wanna read the word "shit" for the next few weeks
September 11, 2022
This book is mostly dark, tense and somehow claustrophobic, absolutely crammed with atmosphere, and it's pretty much everything I'd like a book with witches in to be.
There some lovely tender moments too, so the whole thing doesn't feel too much.
The mummers added another layer, with stories within stories within stories.
I have to admit I'd not heard of the author before, so this came as a very pleasant discovery.
There some lovely tender moments too, so the whole thing doesn't feel too much.
The mummers added another layer, with stories within stories within stories.
I have to admit I'd not heard of the author before, so this came as a very pleasant discovery.
October 27, 2023
Victim, Refugee, Maiden, Servant, Whore, Poisoner. Witch. Welche Rollen stehen einer Frau offen, in dieser düsteren, mittelalterlichen Welt?
Ein seltsames, düsteres Buch. Irgendwo zwischen magischem Realismus, historischem Roman, literary fiction und ein klitzekleines bisschen Fantasy. Die Zwischenparts mit Lux' und Elses Geschichte waren teils mühsam, aber am Ende kam alles rund zusammen. 3,75*
Ein seltsames, düsteres Buch. Irgendwo zwischen magischem Realismus, historischem Roman, literary fiction und ein klitzekleines bisschen Fantasy. Die Zwischenparts mit Lux' und Elses Geschichte waren teils mühsam, aber am Ende kam alles rund zusammen. 3,75*
October 29, 2023
I was so looking forward to reading that book and unfortunately it didn't quite live up to my expectations. It was dark and claustrophobic, intense and brooding and yet it felt somewhat flat to me. I found it repetitive at times and couldn't connect with characters. This one just wasn't quite for me.
March 24, 2023
This is a beautiful, lyrical book of witchcraft, strong, wise women and folklore.
It’s written as prose which gives it a very poetic feel.
It’s written as prose which gives it a very poetic feel.
March 10, 2023
Review to come :)
January 16, 2023
I really enjoyed this creeping, sinister tale of witchcraft, such a hugely satisfying read, a kind of fantasy history, full of complex, powerful, women. The plot was so compelling, the pacing perfect, it just flowed beautifully, exactly what I’d expect from Kirsty Logan and her skilful writing. It’s a kind of revenge plot, but being female in a male dominated time highlights the power and powerlessness of women at this time. It’s a book that will stay with you long after you close the pages. Thoroughly recommended
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an honest opinion
September 24, 2023
4.5/5 stars
“What is a witch, anyway? I ask you: have you ever wished anybody harm? Have you grasped for a tiny bit of power when you had none? Have you been scorned and cast out? Then you too are a witch”
I find Witch stories can often get repetitive but this was a wonderful breath of fresh air. It was equal parts haunting, whimsical and lyrical prose as it was dark, sensual and full of feminine rage. the writing was truly exquisite.
“So what does a woman do if she is already poor, already powerless? She finds a poorer woman and blames her.”
This is the perfect gothic, fairytale-esque witchy book to read in autumn
“What is a witch, anyway? I ask you: have you ever wished anybody harm? Have you grasped for a tiny bit of power when you had none? Have you been scorned and cast out? Then you too are a witch”
I find Witch stories can often get repetitive but this was a wonderful breath of fresh air. It was equal parts haunting, whimsical and lyrical prose as it was dark, sensual and full of feminine rage. the writing was truly exquisite.
“So what does a woman do if she is already poor, already powerless? She finds a poorer woman and blames her.”
This is the perfect gothic, fairytale-esque witchy book to read in autumn
March 6, 2024
Witchcraft/fantasy/history/feminism. I galloped joyfully through the first 80% before it became confusing. I was left wondering who was who, what was happening and why so much talk of bodily functions. Ick. I think the stream of consciousness style worked well in audio format. Ms. Logan, you have me hooked.
November 24, 2023
Piensas que es una historia que has oído muchas veces y después wow
October 31, 2022
This was a truly wonderfully written book, so atmospheric, evocative and strange. It throws you in at the deep end and slowly unravels a story around you -- whilst simultaneously weaving a tapestry of imagery and very modern observation that really draws the imagination in.
This is one of the most "modern" examinations of a very real historical phenomena that I've read -- it thrives on the vagueness of its setting, neither a historical fiction nor a fantastic allegory. It's a very stylish and competent read -- I've read a few things by Kirsty Logan before and never really enjoyed them, but I've always appreciated their ability to string together words in a compelling way. I'm very pleased to say that I loved the writing again here, but I found the storyline equally palatable.
The synopsis of the story is fairly straightforward -- Luz, a young woman, thrown from a monastery she never chose to go to, is chased out of her hometown by odious townsfolk accusing her of witchcraft. Saved by a strange companion with a wolf at her beck and call, the pair travel to the nearby stronghold, where both their fates seem to be tied up with that of the mysterious and dangerous Lord . . .
Of course, there's more to it than that -- but in many ways not really. The strength of this novel is less in the plot but in the way the various characters navigate the strange, otherworldly realm that they inhabit. The relationship between Lux and Else was very carefully done, and there was a real slice of humanity to be found in so many of the various characters Lux falls into step with along the way. I really enjoyed the vibrancy of the world Logan conjured.
The book contains some very dark and harrowing content, and seems wound around the concepts of womanhood and personhood and all the insidious little parts of society along the way. I think the big topics were given due respect and breathing room for the most part, although of course that feels like a very personal rubric.
I was given a free ARC from Netgalley I exchange for a review.
This is one of the most "modern" examinations of a very real historical phenomena that I've read -- it thrives on the vagueness of its setting, neither a historical fiction nor a fantastic allegory. It's a very stylish and competent read -- I've read a few things by Kirsty Logan before and never really enjoyed them, but I've always appreciated their ability to string together words in a compelling way. I'm very pleased to say that I loved the writing again here, but I found the storyline equally palatable.
The synopsis of the story is fairly straightforward -- Luz, a young woman, thrown from a monastery she never chose to go to, is chased out of her hometown by odious townsfolk accusing her of witchcraft. Saved by a strange companion with a wolf at her beck and call, the pair travel to the nearby stronghold, where both their fates seem to be tied up with that of the mysterious and dangerous Lord . . .
Of course, there's more to it than that -- but in many ways not really. The strength of this novel is less in the plot but in the way the various characters navigate the strange, otherworldly realm that they inhabit. The relationship between Lux and Else was very carefully done, and there was a real slice of humanity to be found in so many of the various characters Lux falls into step with along the way. I really enjoyed the vibrancy of the world Logan conjured.
The book contains some very dark and harrowing content, and seems wound around the concepts of womanhood and personhood and all the insidious little parts of society along the way. I think the big topics were given due respect and breathing room for the most part, although of course that feels like a very personal rubric.
I was given a free ARC from Netgalley I exchange for a review.
April 24, 2023
Now she is rally cry.
January 14, 2023
Now She Is Witch is a beautiful and twisted dark tale of feminine power in a time when a woman with power was deemed to be in league with the devil. The journey of Lux, and her strange companion Else, feels eerily familiar, showing how even after centuries, women with power are still held with suspicion. A brilliant stand-alone story to read on cold, wintery nights with the wind howling and the rain pouring outside.
This beautifully, dark story sees Lux go through her darkest moments, with parts of the novel being written with no punctuation, as Lux talks to Else about her past, her trauma and what led her to where she was at the beginning of the book. There were moments in this book that were extremely uncomfortable, however, they were meant to be. Lux's description of her time with 'Him' at the sanctuary, and when the narrative shift's to Else for one part, her description of the 'large man on the large horse' was harrowing.
Logan is a phenomenal writer. She has written a masterful story of feminine pain and power. The importance of choice and desire are at the centre of this story, things that these women were either denied or given very little of. Throughout the book, people retell their stories back to them, twisting them so the women become the villains, seductresses, witches.
The differences between Lux and Else are like day and night, peace and vengeance. Lux wants to survive and keep her head down, Else wants to destroy and burn. This duality and internal conflict between the two women show how women during this age of witches and witch trials, could be convinced that women were the problem and men were the saviours.
This beautifully, dark story sees Lux go through her darkest moments, with parts of the novel being written with no punctuation, as Lux talks to Else about her past, her trauma and what led her to where she was at the beginning of the book. There were moments in this book that were extremely uncomfortable, however, they were meant to be. Lux's description of her time with 'Him' at the sanctuary, and when the narrative shift's to Else for one part, her description of the 'large man on the large horse' was harrowing.
Logan is a phenomenal writer. She has written a masterful story of feminine pain and power. The importance of choice and desire are at the centre of this story, things that these women were either denied or given very little of. Throughout the book, people retell their stories back to them, twisting them so the women become the villains, seductresses, witches.
The differences between Lux and Else are like day and night, peace and vengeance. Lux wants to survive and keep her head down, Else wants to destroy and burn. This duality and internal conflict between the two women show how women during this age of witches and witch trials, could be convinced that women were the problem and men were the saviours.
June 23, 2024
I’d probably give this book a 2.5 star rating but I can’t round up in good faith. This is probably the closest book I’ve come to not finishing. It does pick up in the latter quarter of the book but it’s not enough to save it overall. As other readers have said, the language is foul for foul sake and shock factor and does not add anything to the book. The storyline is pretty loose and gets lost in the odd writing style, I found. Not a book I’d recommend to friends unfortunately.
June 25, 2023
DNF at 27% I didn’t get on with the writing style. It was either no full stops, lots of amphersands and inconsistent capitalisation or a sort of dreamlike prose which kept me at arms length. By a quarter of the way through I want to care about at least one character and I didn’t. Going to soft DNF, I may try it again in a different reading mood.
January 9, 2023
A stunning, sharing and beautiful read with its own world and takes you into its own unique medieval world adjacent to our own but full of depth, wonder and danger. I loved it
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
January 7, 2024
«now i am laden with crosses - hundreds hundreds hundreds-
so much holiness enough for an army of unholies -
but these are for me only i have enough sin for a hundred hundred hundred girls & i keep it all crammed tight overflowing thronged & bursting all inside one girl»
so much holiness enough for an army of unholies -
but these are for me only i have enough sin for a hundred hundred hundred girls & i keep it all crammed tight overflowing thronged & bursting all inside one girl»
January 11, 2023
Her best yet.
October 26, 2023
Dnf at 90 pages in. How did I get 90 pages in and still not understand what was happening??
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