The Forest of Moon and Sword is a well written tale full of atmosphere and tension, however it felt rushed and a little choppy in places and the ending in particular felt unrealistic, as though there should have been more to make it more believable but it had been cut to bring it down to a children's book length. Probably aimed at ten years old and above, this is an interesting story but falls short of being great.

The author manages to convey the atmosphere of the setting excellently, bringing life to the mid 1650's when the witch hunts were in full flow. Any woman or girl seen as 'odd' or strange, any local healer or herb crusher could be accused with little to no chance of defending themselves.

Art's mother is one of those women, and Art herself would likely have been condemned as well had she not hidden. But life in her small village is untenable now her mother has been taken, so disguising herself as a boy she sets off on a journey through Scotland and across the border to rescue her mother. On the way she finds friends and allies, but it is her own strength that will be tested.

It's a brilliant premise and largely well executed, but as mentioned above, I couldn't help but feel like important aspects had been cut to bring it down to size. This meant that whilst Art's character was well developed, the vast majority of those she comes across on her journey are less so. There's an element of magical realism here as well, but it isn't really explored at all. It either needed to be removed completely or explored in more depth, as what's left feels like a hanging thread that never really came together with the novel as a whole. Art's mother was another hanging thread; the entire story is about Art rescuing her from the dungeons and yet she gets perhaps a page or two of time in total, so I never really cared about her.

All in all, an enjoyable little tale but one that felt like it really needed to be fleshed out in far more detail. Parts of it felt choppy, like someone had over edited in order to bring down the page count but without thinking about how that would impact the pacing or the character development. The ending felt... a little too pat, a little too easy. I think editors and publishers need to remember that children don't necessarily have the attention span of a gnat and would far prefer a story with excellent pacing and characters than one that has been chopped down to size for the sake of it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

This historical middle grade was an enjoyable adventure story, but lacked some of the depth I would have liked to have seen in its discussion of the witch trials. While I liked Art's character, as she is a capable and strong girl, I felt that the story could have stood to explore her feelings slightly more; there seemed to be a real rush to get on with the plot and not enough time taken on page to really breathe life into her. She often states how she is feeling and then moves on quickly, without much depth. I found very few of the secondary characters memorable, for similar reasons - I wish the characters had been given more space to develop, as without a connection to them, the story as a whole feels a little rushed.

I was also slightly disappointed that there was no magic in this book! The marketing really made it feel like it was going to be historical fantasy, but it is straight historical fiction - not a bad thing, but just not what I was expecting, and so I found myself waiting for a twist that never came. This isn't a flaw with the book itself, of course, but it does explain to some extent why it seemed a little lacking to me.

Overall though, this would be a fun read for a child interested in British history, or one who likes their adventure pacey and exciting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this ARC

Unfortunately I did not get to read this book as I missed my chance. My apologises

I loved the premise of this book. Art's mother is taken from their Scottish village at the height of the 17th century witch hunts while Art is hidden away. Venturing into England, Art uses the skills learned from her brother and mother to make her way to Essex, home of the notorious Witchfinder General.

The book has lovely themes of working in harmony with nature (the herbal lore is detailed and well researched), love, bravery and self-acceptance. I raced through it over a very enjoyable afternoon and would have loved it to be longer!

This would be a great book for a Year 4 looking for something a bit more adventurous. The peril would be absorbing for this age group but not too scary.

Art Flynt knows the drill when hiding from soldiers; her mother has instilled this into her for her own safety, for she is proficient in the use of herbs for healing and the middle of the seventeenth century is not the time to be female and caught with potions. When Art’s mother is taken along with other women to Manningtree for a show trial in front of the Witchfinder General, Art leaves her disapproving aunt and the taunts of her former friends to try to follow her trail and try to see her one last time.
Art’s first person narration ensures that the reader shares her emotions and her perceptions of the events in the story, uncertain who, if anyone, she can trust, and terrified of running out of time before the Midsummer show trial which will inevitably result in execution. With plenty of period detail and a cast of strong, predominantly female, characters, this is a tense, exciting and absorbing tale set at a time of superstition, suspicion and conflict.

I very much liked the premise of this one and I did enjoy reading it on the whole although not as much as I thought I would. I liked Art as a character, she is courageous and resourceful, but I didn't feel that she and certainly not the other characters were as well developed as they could have been. I wasn't entirely sure the plot was developed as well as it could have been either and certainly the ending felt rushed and not entirely convincing. A real disappointment was that you didn't really get a sense of travelling from Scotland to Essex at all, there is very little sense of place or atmosphere here which is a real shame particularly in a historical novel. The herbal remedies were interesting although the detail was in sharp contrast to what was lacking elsewhere. Despite the flaws it is a book I think children will enjoy reading, it does highlight the dangerous world women lived in in the late 1600s, the threat of witchcraft accusations, the fear and intolerance within society. As I said at the start I did enjoy it but it could have been so much more.

I loved the setting and premise for this book, historical fiction based on the witch trials and witch hunters is something I definitely want to learn more about. The story features lots of strong, determined female characters, something that I think young teenagers would enjoy and the main character, Art, is a great role model. I also enjoyed the explanations of various herbal remedies and how people used nature to heal themselves before modern medicine.
I did think at times scenes could have done with more detailed descriptions. I felt that it bounced slightly and a few times I had to stop and check I’d not missed out a section of text to help me make more sense of the action. I also felt that Art’s journey went a little too smoothly, given the size of the challenges she faced.
I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to the older children in the primary school I teach at.
Thanks so much to netgalley, the author and publishers for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I received an ARC of this book from Orion Children's books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story is set during the English Civil War. It follows the story of Art, whose mother is accused of witchcraft and taken from their small village in Scotland to Manningtree in Essex to be tried (and likely executed) by the Witchfinder General. Alone and desperate, Art decides to make the perilous journey across the countries to find her mother and hopefully save her from this gruesome fate. However, time is running out and Art is a young girl in an unfamiliar country with only a sword, a rope and her mother's herbal recipe book to help her.

One thing I really liked about this book was its setting. I always appreciate historical fiction books when the setting is done well and I thought that the depiction of 17th Century England was both interesting and accurate.

Unfortunately, other than that I had quite a few problems with this story.

First of all, both the title, the cover and the mention of folklore in the book's description made me think this was a historical fantasy. Whilst there are some rather unbelievable (see next point for more on this issue) event in this book, they are all clearly rooted in the real world and one of the main points made in this book is that these women were not witches. They were just people who knew a lot of herblore and fell under suspicion because of their supersticious neighbours. There isn't really any magical element in this story, which because I was expecting one, I felt its absence.

Secondly, there are a lot of unbelievable occurances. The main character goes from being a quite child living in a small Scottish village to crossing almost the whole of England, mainly alone, in a few days. She has amazing horse riding and sword fighting skills that are just too unbelievable for a 12 year old girl to have had back then even with the excuse of secret lessons and practising in private. Plus she has even more skills that seem more there because the plot needed them than because they are realistic.

Thirdly, the book is quite short. As a result of this, plus the brief timescale covered in the story, all of Art's relationships seem to go from not knowing a person to being their best friend and willing to die for them in the space of a chapter.

Finally, the historical inaccuracy. I know earlier, I mentioned liking the setting and I really did. However, when you choose to include real historical figures in your books (Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General) you have to deal with the problem that the reader knows or can find out what really happened to them. I am happy for creative license to be taken by filling in the parts of their lives we don't know much about, but when an author changes concrete facts that we do know, I'm not a fan and it makes it difficult for me to recommend the book to the children I teach as I don't like giving them factually incorrect information.

Overall, this didn't quite live up to my expectations, but I did like the setting and writing style so I am still interested in reading other books from this author.

I went into this not realising it was a children’s book. However I really enjoyed it and thought it was a great introduction to the historical fiction genre for young readers. While it wasn’t overly graphic or violent, it also didn’t shy away from the reality of the era. I also liked the fact that it used the real life Mathew Hopkins, aka The Witchfinder General as one of the characters. As well as being a great story, it gives young readers an insight into this period of British history. I also felt that it had the feel of a fantasy novel. I’ve given this book four stars, it would have been five only for the fact that it was for a much younger age group than I fit in to.

An adventure story that will also teach you something useful? Sign me up!

Set during the reign of Mathew Hopkins, the self appointed WitchFinder General who killed as many as 300 women in England and Scotland, this book follows a young Scottish girl as she attempts to save her healer mother. Herbal remedies feature heavily as Art has some training herself and meets another young girl who knows some as well.

This is a brilliant action story that also teaches a little bit of history. My only reservation would be that some of the dialogue sounded stilted and odd, but it's possible the two girls were speaking Latin or something as they were from different countries. As well, my copy was a proof and the dialogue may have been completely revamped before publication.

Even given that, this is a fantastic read, one that I very much enjoyed and will be happy to recommend.

It’s June 1647 in Scotland and strong, out-spoken women who spend their lives helping others are being arrested and tried as witches. We meet twelve-year-old Art who must hide and watch as her mother is carried away by soldiers. Will she be one of the women killed immediately or will she be taken to England to be tried by the heartless Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins?

The town where Art was born is no longer home, no longer safe. Worried that she might also be considered a witch, Art decides to run away and travel south to Essex on a quest to rescue her mother. Along the way, she meets new friends who understand her plight and risk everything to help her stop the evil man before the summer solstice and more women are murdered.

This is a story of strength, determination and bravery. It reveals the horror of a time when strong women who had done nothing but show compassion for others were feared and persecuted – a time when many people blindly accepted what they were told by those in power and feared speaking out in case they too were accused of witchcraft. Readers will be carried back through history to adventure with Art and experience these heart-stopping moments first hand. They will learn that being true to themselves is more important than conforming to expectations, no matter what the stakes.

Thank you to Orion Children’s Books for this powerful book!

I really looked forward to reading this book, as this period of history has fascinated me. Art's journey to find her mother was complex, and I enjoyed reading through the twists and turns. Sometimes, I felt like more could have been said - almost as if it had been edited, but this didn't detract from the enjoyment overall. There were quite 'raw' parts to the book, particularly in the fighting scenes, and the times in the castle. Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed Art's venture, and it is a great book to introduce younger readers to what was a horrific time for women. Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC.

The Forest of Moon and Sword is a fascinating historical adventure set during the English Civil War which centres on the persecution of women who practiced herblore, and one courageous girl’s determination to fight back in order to save someone she loves.

It is June 1647 and twelve-year-old Art Flynt is hiding alongside her mother and a small group of other women who have been accused of witchcraft when they are discovered by the Witchfinder General’s soldiers. Art escapes and witnesses the cruelty of the soldiers towards the accused women. She discovers that her mother will be taken far from her Scottish home to Essex where she will be executed with many others at the summer solstice. She has promised her mother that she will stay with her Aunt in Scotland, but this is a promise that Art is unable to keep …

Feeling the strength of hatred and prejudice against the accused women in her community, Art makes a determined and courageous decision to travel to Essex, disguised as a boy, and rescue her mother, but she only has eight days before the summer solstice: will she be able to make the perilous journey, avoid discovery and save her mother before it is too late?

Stories about witchcraft in its historical context both fascinate and horrify me. I thought that the blend of historical fact, air of mystery and building of tension worked really well. The sense of injustice, hatred and prejudice against these women who helped in their community as herbalists and healers permeates the story.

It is into this world that Art undertakes her rescue mission, showing great inner strength, courage and determination. I really liked that there is a thread of other-worldly mystery woven into the story as well as the historical background of Matthew Hopkins relentless hunt for witches during the English Civil War.

On her journey, Art rescues a young girl accused of witchcraft and they soon become firm friends. Mercy proves herself to be a loyal and true friend who is willing to take great risks to help Art in her daring and dangerous rescue mission. The friends also meet a boy called Elijah, but will he prove to be friend or foe?

This is a powerful, exciting and immersive historical adventure where fierce, daring girls fight against the prejudice and hatred being shown towards those they love.

The year is 1647 and Scotland is under the control of a witch-hunter. Innocent women are being captured, drowned and hanged, all for the sake of a few measly coins. It’s impossible to know who to trust. Twelve-year-old Art lives alone with her mother, who makes natural remedies for those in need. Their peace is destroyed when the witch hunters raid their village and capture her mother. Art must try her instinct, and her mother’s wisdom, as she sets out on a seemingly impossible quest to travel to England to rescue her only parent - all before the summer solstice.

The premise of this book is excellent and it has all the ingredients to make a wonderful story - it’s an exciting historical adventure; it has a strong and confident female protagonist; it’s filled with messages about respecting nature and valuing differences; it’s unpredictable and inspiring... Yet, it just didn’t quite work for me. It feels disjointed as if parts of the narrative have been cut. The plot jumps and conflict resolves too easily. Things don’t thread together in the way I would want them to.

I think The Forest of Moon and Stone has a lot of potential but unfortunately it just doesn’t tie together effectively enough for me. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to preview this ARC.

A story of witchcraft, determination and friendship. The story is set in 1647 Scotland. Art, a 12-year-old girl, whose mother has been taken, along with other women, accused of being a witch. As the soldiers near the room which the group are hiding in, her mother tells her to go to her aunt’s house (and to take her ‘recipe’ book with her). Art painfully watches the group of women being taken away, before disguising herself as a boy and leaving with her horse – Lady.

Determined to help free her mother from the Witchfinder General, before execution day, she makes her way to Essex, England. Along the way she witnesses atrocities of women being accused of witchcraft, but also encounters people who offer help.

One of these people is Mercy; a girl who, when Art first saw her, had her hand bound to her foot, and was about to be thrown into a river – drown and it turns out that she is not a witch; float and she is! Just before she is pushed from the bridge, a small group of mysteriously black-cloaked people appear. As Mercy falls into the water, and begins to sink, Art jumps in after her, cuts the rope which binds her, and re-surfaces. The commotion that she is greeted with, allows them both to escape.

Amy Raphael, the author, has obviously researched the witch trials as there are many references and details about that time in history. I am sure that anyone with a love of adventure, determination and an understanding of the power of friendship, will enjoy reading this book.

This was a brilliant read. Anything witch related and I will read it.

The story opens in Scotland where our protagonist, Art is thrusted into a world of danger as her mother is kidnapped by the Witch General for execution. Set in the 1600s when the witch trials were at their peak, this story showcases what determination and belief can do.

As a teacher, I look for inspiring and uplifting books with a little bit of magic thrown in and this will definitely be on our shelf.

Art encapsulates bravery, honesty, with a hint of self doubt that is absorbed by true and honest friendships whether human or animal.

I have read very few adult books this year, but those that I have read have been almost exclusively historical fiction – the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel and the last in the series of the Damian Seeker series by S. G. MacLean. Although my interest in history is mainly in the reigns of the Plantagenet and Tudor monarchs, the seven Seeker books are set at the same time as this new middle grade read – the middle of the 17th Century, when England was under the rule of Oliver Cromwell and the Witch Trials were well underway.

For many people, this time period is possibly one that they know very little about but with my appetite whetted by my adult reading and having had the Witch Trials brought once more to my attention earlier this year by the astonishing A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll, when an email dropped into my inbox inviting me to request this title – with its absolutely glorious cover – from NetGalley, how could I possibly resist?

It is mid June 1647 when we first meet Art, who is anxiously waiting the most unwelcome arrival of English soldiers in her Scottish home town. Hiding in the dark attic alongside her mother, Art is painfully aware of the presence of several other women sitting there too: women who are strangers to her, having arrived only that afternoon. As they wait for the inevitable to happen, her mother makes sure that Art is prepared for what she must do when the men arrive.

After a long wait, the peace of the night is shattered when the soldiers finally arrive and force their way into the house, searching for the women. As Art hides herself away as planned, her mother and the women are taken and told that following the formality of a trial, five of them will be executed at dawn for the crime of witchcraft, while one will be taken away to England. Having watched the proceedings from the safety of her hiding place, Art reads a letter that her mother has left behind with her telling her that she expects to be taken to Manningtree in Essex. Within the letter, she reveals to Art how she is to be guided on the path her life is about to take, and instructs her to take her mother’s recipe book from a drawer in the kitchen, advising Art to only show it to those she trusts, in case it is mistaken for a book of magic.

Having previously promised her mother that she would go to her aunt’s house, Art does so – leaving on her beloved horse Lady. Here she is made to feel very unwelcome – not only by her relatives, but especially when she visits the local church and the vicar’s sermon praises the soldiers for their actions and spouts vitriolic untruths about Art’s mother. Following the service, the local children turn on her and she realises that she will need to leave, deciding to travel to England in an attempt to find and rescue her mother.

After disguising herself as a boy, Art rides south and along the way meets a strange woman who has been expecting her and who warns her against the Witchfinder General before giving Art an amulet to protect her on her journey. Continuing on her way, Art then comes across a young girl called Mercy being tried as a witch by being thrown, bound, into a river. Putting herself in enormous danger, Art rescues her and the two of them become firm friends, with Mercy promising she will do all she can to help rescue Art’s mother.

As the two of them get closer and closer to their destination, will they avoid being caught? Can they trust those who they meet on the way and will they be in time to save Art’s mother from being executed as a witch?

Magic as a theme in stories has been around since stories began, but here the witches are not witches at all – rather they are wise women whose knowledge of herbs and remedies has placed them in great danger. Additionally, it is clear that some of the women accused have been betrayed by those around them for whom the prospect of a reward for passing on their names has proven to be too much of a temptation. For anyone reading this in the 21st Century – whether or not they have read A Kind of Spark – it seems incredible that this sort of thing went on 400 years ago; yet it did.

Close attention has been paid by the author to the types of remedy available and although I would not claim to be an expert in this period in British history, the book has clearly been well-researched both in this respect and in its portrayal of the Witchfinder General who really existed. The mutual dislike between the Scottish and English at this time, when they were separate countries, is played down somewhat throughout the book, which is probably a good thing in a children’s read. As an English woman married to a Scottish man, there have been times when I have been acutely aware of how – even today – there is still a residual amount of friction in some quarters between the two countries and with the possibility of Scottish devolution in the near future it is good to see that any animosity is not presented as a big issue here.

This is a great adventure story for those readers in Year 4 upwards who are ready for books which go into more depth in their storyline and are more serious, but are not ready for some of the books on my class shelf which contain a greater degree of peril. That is not to say that this is in any way a fluffy book: it isn’t, but much of the narrative is spent on the details of the journey and the folklore contained within its pages, rather than on the protagonist being put in mortal danger.

I very much enjoyed reading this, and am sure it will be popular once it has been released on January 7th next year, which is just around the corner now. A very big thank you to NetGalley and to Hachette Children’s Group for allowing me to read it in advance.

Not entirely a book that was for me, but the author is a great writer so I'd be willing to still read more from this author in the future.

Art's mother is taken away and accused of being a witch, leading to Art going on an adventure to save her. She tries to use nature and all she learned from her mother to guide her.

On paper, the premise is great and I loved the idea of it. The setting was done very well actually and I enjoyed the peril and tone of the book, as it is rather dark. However, I thought there was some imbalance in tone due to some unrealistic events that happen in the end that contradicts said tone. There was a lot of convenience that took me out of the story and it did feel like this could have benefitted from being longer to really give the story justice.

I also didn't really feel a connection to characters and felt myself a little dejected from the story by the end. All in all, I think this could be a great read for others, so don't let me put you off. There is also a swear word in the very first chapter, and some scenes of violence, just to let you be aware if you are going to give this book to a child.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC of this book.

I have really mixed feelings about this one to be honest.
First of all, I think the overall general premise of this book was really good, and I enjoyed that aspect. I also really enjoyed the strong independent girls in this book and how they came together to get the job done that they were aiming to do. Definitely a strong message to be sending to young girls.

I think the issues I had with this book were the pacing and the editing which kind of bounce off each other with this book. I feel like this book was originally maybe 350-400 pages and was then edited down to 288 pages that it now is, but without another round of proper editing afterward. Some of the paragraphs just feel like they've had entire chunks taken out of them part way through a conversation or a scene and it's not been rework to then make some semblance of sense which therefore throws the pacing off. The ending was something else that bothered me as well. It all just ended a bit too neatly. The virtually impossible mission of Art rescuing her mum just appeared to go off without a hitch and it was just a little bit too convenient and unrealistic for me.

I also wanted to mention that there is a swear word in the first chapter and that this is a relatively violent book, considering its a middlegrade. Five 11-12 year old girls sword fighting with soldiers and described in reasonable detail about how they disarm/harm them.

I really do this this book could have benefited from another 100 pages, just to flesh it out a little bit, give us more time getting to know the characters a bit more and slow the ending down a little bit.

I, unfortunately, have to admit that this is the first book in a long time that I didn't enjoy virtually any aspect of.
Initially, I was extremely excited when I heard about the premise for this title.

A middle grade set in 1600s Scotland following a young girl who attempts to save her mother from the witch trials. I enjoy Scotland as a setting and am hugely interested in this period of history, so of course I jumped at the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

However, I had so many issues with this story in terms of writing and plot.
Firstly, the style of writing is extremely simple, to the point of it reading as stilted and choppy.
The dialogue between characters and even inner monologue is so awkward and unrealistic, especially for a young girl living in the 17th century Scottish countryside. I don't know if this unrealistic dialogue was an attempt at speech likely of a historical setting but it really took me out of the story so many times because of how many issues I had with it and how unenjoyable it was of a reading expereince.

The characters had absolutely no personality that I could see. They were very much a cardboard cut outs with little to no fleshing out. The fact that our protagonist had to save her mother was the only thing I could see in her character. Her mother who we barely see in over 200 pages is hardly even worth mentioning for how little she featured. There weren't even any flash back scenes or memories to show the reader the relationship between mother and daughter so they would be invested when she gets captures by the Witchfinder's soldiers.
The fact that this capture happens the first few pages in the book is another issue I had with pacing throughout the story. We jump huge sequences of Art travelling from Scotland to England, one paragraph she's in Scotland and then jumps to her suddenly already having crossed the border and is now well within England. Again, here I have huge issues with realism as a child of 11 or 12 would really struggle with this journey, having no help and the small amount of food she took from home.
Granted this is a middle grade story and I don't expect the same level of plot detail as I would from a YA or adult novel, however, children are smart enough to understand when plot doesn't make sense to them and need to be given more credit. Making this writing seem quite lazy and underdeveloped with its planning and level of detail.

Coming back to the awkward dialogue, every single character that Art meets through her travels none of them have a natural flowing conversation. They, each after one paragraph, start to delve into their own personal feelings and history which makes no sense why they would act that way to a complete stranger, and a child at that, in any realistic context. We meet characters for a few pages to then never hear of them again, which is a huge pet peeve of mine and again just seems indicative of bad writing.

Another pitfall associated with bad writing is shoe-horning too much detail or research into writing that isn't relevant or natural for the context or scene. This happens throughout multiple passages in the book, rather than using descriptive language to build a scene for the reader, the author just continually lists off every type of flower or tree in the area, which certainly isn't the same thing. Also, there is very basic level research done into the historical period (or at least reads that way) where again it seems like the characters are just learning off paragraphs of a Wikipedia article on historical context or use of medicinal plants.
Unfortunately, this was some of the worst dialogue and writing I have seen written, in children's or adult fiction.

Time and time again I came up against issues with the unrealistic situations in this book. Namely the fact of an 11 year old travelling alone with little to no trouble, guards letting Art, as a stranger, into the castle stronghold with no questioning, and especially, the fact that Art disarms and kills 3 guards by herself when freeing her mother from the dungeon. The plot conveniences were way too on the nose even for a children's story and the wrap up to this entire mission was so rushed and badly written, in my opinion.

It always saddens me to come away from a book not being able to take anything away from the reading experience, however I strive to always be honest in all reviews.