This one was a little slow and quite hard for me to really get into, having said this, I did end up enjoying it. So, it was worth sticking it out. If you're a fan of historical witch stories, it's worth a read.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is set in 1890 following Harriet Bishop who is a descendant of Bridget Bishop of Salem and sets out to help people using her 'magic' to stop her distant cousin, Frances, from harming his daughter Annis with dark magic. I loved the battles in the book and was on the edge of my seat. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Thanks again

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I loved this beautifully written story of witches in the late 1800s in New York. Harriet and Frances are both descendants of Bridget Bishop, who was hanged 200 years before. 17 year old Annis does not realise she is descended from a long line of witches. She is independent and would rather spend her time with her horses than finding a husband, Her stepmother has other ideas and wants to marry her off to bring a title to the family. Her stepmother and aunt practice magic in very different ways, Her great Aunt Harriet practices herbal magic while her stepmother, Frances, practices a darker type of magic to get what she wants, like a wealthy husband for herself and a title for her stepdaughter so she can climb higher in New York society.
On seeing that her cousin is up to no good, Harriet arrives to rescue Annis and inform her of her lineage and helps to guide her.
It was definitely a dark and fairy tale with all of the required elements, a wicked stepmother, romance, the struggle between good and evil and a happy ending.

I loved this author’s debut book, but when I finally got around to trying this one, it just didn’t match up. I couldn’t get into it. I found it really slow and I abandoned it half way through. Not for me and I wouldn’t recommend. I don’t think I’ll be reading any more from this author. Apologies to netgalley and the publishers for letting this linger on my ‘to read’ shelf for far too long.

This is a wonderfully written book which had me captivated from the first page
This book has a richly woven story that is all about finding your place in the world and growing up.
It’s about family, friendship and magic.
I felt the pace lagged a little in the middle

I loved Louisa’s other books, and this is now added to my list of ‘favourite books’! I loved the different perspectives from the characters.

The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan starts in 1692, when Bridget Bishop is killed for being a witch, and her two daughters inherit powers from her.  One daughter is about helping other people, and the other daughter is about helping herself.  Their children follow in these footsteps, and 200 years later, Annis is a descendant of the helping sister, and her step mother, Frances, is a descendant of the other sister.  And Frances has a plan to use Annis to establish her social standing in New York.

Harriet, Annis's great aunt, and also descended from the good sister, sees what is happening, and helps Annis. 

This is an enjoyable historic fantasy read, set in 1890s New York and England.  The character motivations ring true, and I was interested in what was going to happen next!

 The Age of Witches  was published on 23rd April 2020, and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and  Bookshop.org .

You can follow Louisa Morgan on  Twitter  and her  website .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Little, Brown .

DNF’d at 15%

Though I was intrigued by the premise I wasn’t quite taken with it and so I just stopped reading.
I kept meaning to return to it but in the end this was just wasnt for me.

The Age of Witches is the story of three women. Harriet, Francis and Annis are all descendants of witches, with the ability to use magic. Harriet is a herbalist, her cousin Francis dabbles in darker magic, and Annis, Francis's stepdaughter, is only just discovering her powers. The book is about strong, flawed women who know what they want and take it. It's about the use and misuse of magic, and about being a woman in a world set up for men.

The writing is absolutely beautiful, in typical Louisa Morgan style. There is so much detail, and the historical setting is really brought to life. The story is very slow moving, though, and it took me quite a while before I felt hooked in. The book has a similar vibe to A Secret History Of Witches, Morgan's previous novel, which I absolutely loved. Unfortunately, I didn't connect to the characters in this novel as easily as I did in A Secret History. I considered DNFing during the first half. I'm glad I didn't, because I enjoyed the later parts of the book a lot more.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an advance ARC in return for an honest review and apologise for taking so long to read this.

This novel was not what I thought it would be. I was expecting a plot about witches but with the witch-hunting, mob mentality and witches being outcast by society. This novel started that way but developed into a love story where the magic plays a part, but not the only part. In fact, I felt it could almost have been a love story without the magic part although I liked the character of Harriet.

What this story is a gentle story of love and magic, and I definitely recommend this novel for lovers of historical romance.

The Age of Witches is set in swanky New York in the late 1800s. Annis, 18, has the almost perfect life horses and stables which she loves. A moneyed existence and a father and stepmother who care for her - just. Annus doesn't know it but she is descended form a line of witches. Her stepmother Frances is one as is her (as yet unknown) great-aunt Harriet. Each women uses their knowledge of herbs spells and to improve their life or the lives of others.
Frances, unsurprisingly then had cast a spell to snare Frances's father. She is now set on doing the same to Annis and finding her a titled suitor in England - whether her stepdaughter likes it or not.
But she hasn't figured on Harriet secretly accompanying their journey too. Needs must and in secret she begins Annis's magical education in the grounds of the home she is staying in. Whose power is stronger and will Annis marry because she has been bewitched to do so?
This is beautifully told, utterly entrancing novel involving just the right balance of witchcraft, romance and the lives of gentry in New York and London. I loved it and will look to read more by this author.

This story was rather slow. So slow, I lost interest. The characters couldn't hold my attention, I couldn't connect with them, which would have reading a rather slow story made easier.

DNF

I wanted to read a witchy book, and this fit that really well. I liked Annis and het great aunt Harriet, smart women who have their own opinion in a time where that is not the standerd or accepted. A little romance but mainly Annis who learns about her witch heritage and fixing problems her stepmother is causing. Enjoyed this, have to read her other book as well.

The blurb for The Age of Witches, in almost equal parts, misleads but also tells the reader exactly what is about to happen. One additional sentence, telling the reader the actual conclusion and one need go no further. I wish I had taken more time to fully read the blurb, as strange as that sounds because I wouldn’t have wasted my time trying to get through it.

Harriet is a do-gooder, using her apothecary knowledge to help women.
Francis is one dimensional and greedy.
Annis (which means pure) is naive and headstrong, she knows her mind and knows nothing about life.
If you are looking for characters that don’t break the stereotypical mould of feminine archetypes, this is the book for you. I’m very much in the minority when it comes to the enjoyment of this book but I’m okay with that.

In terms of storyline and plot, there are some very interesting threads that tease the reader but they don’t lead anywhere. I would have preferred more depth on the kind of spell work Harriet uses but instead, we are treated to excessive amounts of internal dialogue or flashbacks that don’t really move the story forward. The reader is constantly reminded that the craft Francis works is dangerous and could result in death but instead of giving the readers a fright, Morgan keeps the pace gentle and floats over the idea.

I’m also very conscious of how, in other reviews, I have commented on how sometimes reviewers review books because it wasn’t what they wanted from the title and the blurb. I acknowledge that this has happened here in this review but for me it goes deeper than just not getting ‘what I want’. The story is weak, the characters are caricatures and I’m just not convinced by what I read.

The Age of Witches is the first book I couldn’t finish in 2020. I closed it and moved on at 42%, which is 20% more than it deserved after bringing in such an obvious male character for Annis to “fall” for.

In 1890 Harriet Bishop our first witch, forages in Central Park for herbs and creates potions for healing – a traditional occupation for the Wise Woman. She has a great niece Annis who was soon to be coming into her ‘powers’ and would need instruction as to the use of them, Harriet does not trust her sister-in-law Frances to do this correctly, if at all. Frances dabbles in black magic after all. And Frances is not Annis’ real mother. It is directly down the Bishop line that the strongest magic flows and Frances is not quite a direct descendant.
The Bishop women are strong but some want power more than to help others and this novel looks at how women in this time and age could find power – and use it. A novel about strength and determination and matriarchal lines of power.
Written in a suitable style for a turn of the century novel without being heavy but literary and stylish.

Harriet Bishop and Frances Allington are distant cousins, descending from a long line of witches. Annis Allington, is Frances’ step-daughter but also Harriet’s great niece, her mother passing away when she was very young. Frances has done what she can to make sure she will no longer live in poverty like she did when she was younger. She has married a wealthy man, and is working on getting her way into the elite 400 families in New York, including a scheme to make a glorious aristocratic match for her headstrong and reluctant step-daughter, Annis, using the same strange power with which she ensnared Annis's father. To save Annis from this dark magic, Harriet reveals to her Frances' misuse of their shared birth right and kindles in Annis her own nascent powers. Together, Harriet and Annis must resist her stepmother's agenda, lest she, and the dashing young lord she suspects she could come to love, lose their freedom, and possibly their lives.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting with this, I thought it was going to be more witchy than it was but it was still very enjoyable. I really enjoyed where the story took me and the characters worked so well and I liked the way they were written.
The story would have been better for me if it wasn't so predictable in places. There were many aspects of the book that I could figure out for example with the love interest, the story around James and his current circumstances was a nice read, but I think I knew what was going to happen as soon as he was introduced.
I especially enjoyed the way the story followed the relationship between the ladies. It was nice to see strong women supporting strong women and having some fiercely determined females at the basis of the story.
Overall it was a nice story, like I said I would have preferred more witchcraft throughout the story, which I was expecting from the title, but I did enjoy what was included. It was a nice comforting read that you can sit down with a nice cup of tea and lose yourself in, especially this time of year.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great characters, but a slightly underwhelming plot. Just a little slow for my taste, but still a good read.

A historical story of witchcraft set in the 19th Century.

We follow two sides of a family descended from the Bishop family of Salem, one uses magic for good, the other evil. As Annis reaches womanhood, will her future be formed by her evil stepmother or her good aunt.

I enjoyed the story, although the tropes were a little too fairytale for my liking, and much of the plot seemed to centre on the love affair of Annis and Marquis James.

I would recommend to a lover of will they/won't they romance fiction.

This was a book with a lot of promise but it didn’t really get off to any kind of good pace I found it quite dull and didn’t want to pick it up because it felt like nothing was really happening.