Available Now
Book length - 416 pages Publisher - Zaffre Worldwide - www.bookdepository.com Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com I want to thank www.bonnierzaffre.co.uk for providing me with a copy of this book for review. ABOUT THIS BOOK Fleetwood Shuttleworth is 17 years old, married, and pregnant for the fourth time. But as the mistress at Gawthorpe Hall, she still has no living child, and her husband Richard is anxious for an heir. When Fleetwood finds a letter she isn¹t supposed to read from the doctor who delivered her third stillbirth, she is dealt the crushing blow that she will not survive another pregnancy. When she crosses paths by chance with Alice Gray, a young midwife, Alice promises to help her give birth to a healthy baby, and to prove the physician wrong. When Alice is drawn into the witchcraft accusations that are sweeping the North-West, Fleetwood risks everything by trying to help her. But is there more to Alice than meets the eye? As the two women's lives become inextricably bound together, the legendary trial at Lancaster approaches, and Fleetwood¹s stomach continues to grow. Time is running out, and both their lives are at stake. Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other. MY REVIEW Breathtaking, emotional, and powerful in every sense of the word, THE FAMILIARS by Stacey Halls is a stunning portrayal of fear, friendship, truth and betrayal of power and I have no doubt that this will be on every 2019 book of the year list at the end of this year. Fleetwood Shuttleworth deeply loves her husband Richard and has settled in their home, Gawthorpe Hall, which doesn't hold the haunting memories of her childhood. But she knows that everyone treats her like a child because she is seventeen and struggles to show her inner strength to those around her. As she carries her child, Fleetwood is desperate to provide Richard the heir that he so desires, but when she comes across a letter that she was never meant to see, it throws her world into turmoil. Desperate to see this baby survive and herself along with it, Fleetwood comes across a quiet woman in the woods, Alice Gray, who is a midwife and she immediately hires her. And with Alice in her life, Fleetwood begins to feel better and stronger and experiences friendship for the first time in her life. But the countryside is rife with accusations of witchcraft and with power-hungry people in power, nobody is safe. Can Fleetwood protect herself and her baby while helping someone she has come to trust beyond measure? There are so many layers to this story which all combine to really wow your senses as you read. The harsh and brutal reality of the witch trials flares to life and makes you realise how cruel and hard it must have been for women at that time. Fleetwood is a vulnerable character at the beginning and as a mother, I wanted to protect her which became an even stronger inclination as the story developed, but then Fleetwood began to embrace her own strength and it was powerful to encounter. The danger, the desperation, the need for someone to listen and care, are evident from start to finish and will draw you in instantly but it is the strength of these two amazing women that will make your breath hitch and your heart race. THE FAMILIARS by Stacey Halls is a masterpiece and I cannot wait to read more from this talented author. AUTHOR BIO Stacey Halls grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire, as the daughter of market traders. She has always been fascinated by the Pendle witches. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and moved to London aged 21. She was media editor at The Bookseller and books editor at Stylist.co.uk, and has also written for Psychologies, the Independent and Fabulous magazine, where she now works as Deputy Chief Sub Editor. The Familiars is her first novel. For more information: Website - www.thefamiliarsbook.com Twitter - twitter.com/stacey_halls Instagram - www.instagram.com/staceyhallsauthor/
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
WelcomeHi fellow bookworms. My name is Linda and I'm a reviewer & blogger, wife & mother who loves all things books! Currently ReadingUPCOMING BLOG TOURS
Privacy PolicyNo-one may use Books Of All Kinds content without my permission. Books Of All Kinds does not share personal information with third parties nor do I store information about your visit to this blog for use other than to analyse content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at anytime by modifying your internet browser's settings. Books Of All Kinds is not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice.
Archives
November 2023
|