Chapter by Chapter

When I first saw what Witchstruck by author Victoria Lamb was about I was both interested and hesitant. Interested because reading about witchcraft set in an era where practitioners of witchcraft were executed sounded like a fun time; hesitant because I would be reading a story set way way back in history. Me and historical fiction don’t get along great mainly because in most cases where I’ve been reading historical fiction the characters become so realistic to that point in time that everything they say and do just becomes unrelatable and distances me from the plot.

Luckily this was not the case with Witchstruck!

In the novel, main character Meg Lytton is a witch who has been aware of her abilities since a young age. Having learned how to be a witch from her Aunt Jane, both Meg and her aunt are aware that being discovered means a certain death. Currently Meg is serving the Princess Elizabeth, Queen Mary’s younger half-sister, in Woodstock  all because the Princess seems to have taken an interest in Meg’s strange abilities and strong knowledge of witchcraft in hopes of discovering whether or not she will take the throne.

 Things take a turn for the worst when, accidentally, Meg begins to risk exposure as a witch. Especially when witch hunter Marcus Dent begins to take a sudden dark interest and liking in Meg. Then, just when things seem like they can’t get any worse Meg meets a to-be priest: Alejandro De Castillo. The last thing she expects from him is to be as mysterious as he is and to be drawn to him in a way that has the potential to ruin everything she and her Aunt have worked so hard to keep hidden. Against all that, Meg can’t deny that the possibility of falling for him is very real.

What I did not expect from Witchstruck was to become so interested in the plot and characters. The way the novel is written and the way that the story and scenes are laid out and presented are really great. I was constantly left wanting to read more even when I had to put the book down, thinking “One more chapter…” And eventually one chapter became five and five became the whole book. Author Victoria Lamb does an amazing job at keeping the reader immersed in the story without overwhelming them. Which made the experience way better for me.

I was however in a love-hate relationship with the protagonist Meg Lytton. At times I would be cheering her on in the story, feeling like she was the best protagonist who was getting stuff done instead of moping around and whining. At other times… I would just be very annoyed with the ways Meg would go about situations to get stuff done. Sometimes she would be doing things based off emotion and at other times she was considering doing things involving herself and the novel’s antagonist to attempt and fix some of the problems she herself had caused.

Another thing that I was a bit iffy on when it came to Witchstruck was the romance. While Meg and Alejandro (*insert Gaga song here*) both had their moments that made my heart turn to complete and total mush I still find most of their relationship highly unrealistic. Alejandro is a kind, understanding and accepting soul but still I found that for him and Meg to be together required a lot of loopholes. So many loopholes that were made just so he and Meg could be together when I personally expected there to be some level of difficulty involving his religion and Meg’s witchcraft that would interfere with their relationship.

I would recommend Witchstruck to readers who are fans of historical fiction, readers who want a novel that will keep them addicted and to fans of witch-lore who want a read that is thrilling, romantic and gripping.