A book that splits timelines can often be challenging to engage with even in such a book as this where the split is relatively short, thankfully the author has mastered the her craft well and this tale slows seamlessly with no need to reread parts to refresh one’s memory, a dark tale that thrills and enthralls, I will certainly be buying this when it goes to audible as well

Beware the serpent ★★★★☆

When Thomas Treadwater returns home from the English civil war he finds his father incapacitated and the new maid in prison for suspicion of witchcraft after being accused by his teenage sister.

At first, this appears to be a novel about the assizes and the witch-hunts of 17th century Britain, including real historic characters such as ruthless witch-finder John Rutherford and writer John Milton.

However, the rumours of witchcraft quickly give way to a more sinister and ancient force which stalks the farmlands. A force from the sea which has taken over one of their own…..

Moving between 1643 and 1703, we follow Thomas’s battle against an unthinkable evil which has kept him captive for years and which will force him to make a terrible personal choice.

A creepy and historic tour de force which reveals the real monsters stalking England’s shores.

It is 1703, and she is awake. An ageing man recounts the story of how it all began, while a storm rages outside.

It is 1643. England is in a state of civil war, and a young Thomas Treadwater, receives a distressing letter from his sister, Esther. Thomas, injured in battle, returns to Norfolk to find his home in disarray. Their cattle dead, Esther ailing, and their widowed father beguiled by a bewitching beauty.

As Esther’s conditions worsens and their father is suddenly taken by a stroke, something more sinister begins to surface; crashing down around Thomas’ life and drowning those in its wake.
Thomas must uncover the mystery of the horrors that unfurl before him, and live with the consequence of his actions.

Rosie Andrew’s haunting historical gothic debut is gripping, in every meaning of the word. The story coiled itself around me and refused to let go. Andrews uses meticulously researched detail, along with appropriately antiquated language and syntax, to absorb you into the narrative, and setting, of a troubled bygone England.

The use of a split timelines plot structure is implored skilfully, switching back and forth, between 1703 and 1643, at just the right moments to the betterment of the wider narrative, layering the tale and facilitating gradual revelations while leaving just enough keep you to enrapt in the mystery.

I was sceptical near the beginning of the novel, of a few choices made regarding characters, and yet, by the mid-to-end point of the novel, not only were each of these choices justified in a meaningful way, but I felt not a single aspect or minor detail was missed as narrative timelines rejoined. The payoff for which is one of the most satisfying conclusions to a novel I have read this year.

Not in a long time have I had such a visceral reaction to a story. Andrews manages to craft a tale that had my heart racing and reading into the dead of night; a fitting ambience for the compellingly dark tones of the novel which Andrews expertly delivers.

I highly recommend reading The Leviathan. If this is a debut, I eagerly await what comes next from Rosie Andrews.

I am certain this story will remain in my mind, lurking beneath the surface, for a long time.