I really enjoyed this beautifully written and atmospheric book.

Set in 1643 Norfolk, we follow our protagonist Thomas Treadwater, a solider called home by his sister Esther after some dramatic and mysterious events take place in his family home. On his return home Thomas discovers that his father is dangerously ill and the household servant, Chrissa Moore has been imprisoned for suspected witchcraft. Thomas is a rational and fact-focused man who believes there must be an explanation for what has happened and seeks to uncover the truth.

I liked Thomas' perspective in this book and watching him navigate the witchhunts happening around him that place every woman in danger of suspicion with his loyalty to his sister and household staff was really well handled in the plot. There are elements of mythology and the supernatural in this book which I thought worked really well and enhanced the tension and mystery that runs throughout the book.

The historical setting was described beautifully with the dark gothic elements creating a perfect backdrop for the story being told. There was never a dull moment in the book and plenty of twists and turns to keep me engaged to the very end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury/Raven Books for the ARC.

I was drawn into this gripping, gothic tale from the outset and didn’t want to put it down! The writing is beautiful and really immerses you into the story.

It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel and I cannot wait to devour more by Rosie Andrews!

The Leviathan - review📚

The Leviathan is Rosie Andrew's Debut book, featuring mythical monsters, war experiences, family bonds and love.

The story starts in 1703 but very quickly the timeline is switched and the reader is presented with the main storyline in 1643 and so will be along the book, what is not my favourite kind of narrative, although after the first chapters, it serves the story well!

We are introduced to Thomas and his wartime experiences, to his family,more specifically, his sister Esther and his father.
A letter will make Thomas return quickly home, after all, he is not one to ignore his sister call for help!
Esther believes Chrissa has witch abilities and has cursed her father and ruin their family. On the other hand,  Thomas believes are not similar to his sister and the truth and facts are more important than anything else.
The position of women during this troubled times, especially due to witch trials, is clear and worrying!!

For me this book was darkly gothic,sometimes a bit scary but overall, fascinating!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for my #gifted arc.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I went into it with such high expectations and it did not disappoint. The only thing that let me down was the pacing but everything else - the plot, characters, setting - all made up for that.

Darkness, Madness, Intrigue, this book is filled with so much. At first, I thought the book was going in one direction but was pulled into another. An interesting read. 3.5 Stars

I loved this tale set in the mid 1600s to the early 1700s. The writing was excellent and really brought the atmosphere and the stories of myths and monsters, witchcraft and superstition to life on the pages. I was immediately drawn into the story and loved how everything flowed seamlessly. Thomas is a great character and the story follows him as he returns from the war to discover his father battling a mysterious illness, his sister terrified, and accusations of witchcraft all around. The story is told in two timelines but both have Thomas as the main narrator as the mystery unfolds. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

This is such an impressive debut, so much so I can’t wait for more books by Rosie and I’m already sad there isn’t. Set during the Civil War, a time of paranoia and fear, witchhunts and manipulation, there's a lot more going on here than your basic civil war historical novel. Rosie’s writing is absolutely stunning , this book is all I could ask for a fantastic tale of superstition, family, loyalty and sacrifice that held my attention from the very page to the very last. This is a must-read and I think will be one of the best reads of the year.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A wonderfully gripping and atmospheric story set in 17th century Norfolk. I love tales of witchcraft and was instantly drawn to this book. I am pleased to say it did not disappoint.

Wow, what an accomplished debut novel. I binged it in two sittings as it was so engaging and beautifully written with fully-formed characters.
The gothic novel is set in the 17th century and follows the return of soldier Thomas Treadwater to his family home, however all in not well. His family is in tatters, the farm is in ruins, the servants are imprisoned and the suspicion of witchcraft is rife. I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, so just go read it and discover the history and fate of The Leviathan for yourself.
The author has a great talent for storytelling and is destined for great things in the future.

Not my cuppa at all…

I would like ot be able to say that I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. However, after the initial stint of reading. Today is the third day since I strarted to read this, and I’ve had two full days where I haven’t even wanted to pick it up.

Please don’t let this detract from what I am sure is a wonderful story. It just doesn’t do anything for me.

Status: DNF

Norfolk, 1693 and Thomas Treadwater is a soldier in the English Civil War. He receives a letter from his sister claiming that something is wrong, that a new servant is behaving improperly and begs him to come home. By the time he arrives he finds his father gravely ill and the servant facing charges of witchcraft.

This is Rosie Andrew’s first novel and I was blown away by her writing. You are instantly transported into the past with her rich descriptions of the people and surroundings of Norfolk. She really captured the insidious nature of witch hunting and managed to evoke genuine unease when reading about the possible prosecution of the servant Mary.

Initially, much like Thomas, we dismiss the idea that there is actual witchcraft at play but gradually there is a creeping sense that there is something otherworldly occuring. Thomas’s sister Esther is the accuser and one issue I had with this book is that Esther isn’t entirely likeable so I never felt like I was on her side or empathised with her.

In the second half I felt like the pacing really slowed down and it almost felt like a different book. I really wanted to connect with the characters but something was just lacking for me. There were many things I enjoyed about this novel and I’d definitely read future books by this author, but sadly I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to.

I absolutely loved this dark, atmospheric, twisty turny tale which fully transported me to 17th century Norfolk and had me hooked from start to finish.

I love historical fiction and The Leviathan has such a beautiful cover, I couldn't resist downloading it!

Norfolk 1643. Civil War is tearing England apart and reluctant soldier Thomas Treadwater is summoned home by his sister Esther, who making what seems like outlandish accusations about their servants. Thomas is fully aware these are strange times, with misogyny and jealousy between neighbours fuelling mass hysteria, resulting in witch trials across the country. He prides himself on being a rational, modern man, but by the time he arrives home, his father is insensible from a stroke and the farm animals are all dead. Is the cause malicious? Or is something more supernatural at work...

I found the book a little hard to get into at first (I've always struggled with the authentic language sometimes found in historical novels), but once I got into the story I was completely gripped. This isn't another 'witch trials' novel, but something darker with some clever twists. I couldn't help smiling at the thought that the 'witch hunter' really didn't know what he was getting into!

The Leviathan leans towards gothic horror, as Thomas tries to sort out the facts around the strange events affecting his family. There's even a touch of romance. I loved the atmospheric setting and the mounting tension as Thomas finally confronts what has wrecked such havoc on his family. I'm not sure I would have made his decisions, but this is a fabulously entertaining story - the perfect read for a dark and stormy night!

Thank you to Rosie Andrews and Raven Books/Bloomsbury Publishing for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

An engrossing and atmospheric debut novel from Rosie Andrews that is part historical fiction and part fantasy. Very well written and researched, and set in a part of the UK that I am very familiar with. I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.

I’ve been looking forward to reading The Leviathan from the moment I first heard of it, and saw the seriously stunning cover, so my expectations were high going in! Happily I can say those expectations were actually exceeded! The story follows Thomas, a soldier returning home from the Civil War in 1643. He has been called home by his sister who believes a servant in their house is behaving in a sinister fashion with their father. By the time Thomas arrives home, this servant is imprisoned and accused of witchcraft. As more and more emerges about these murky events, a dark and possibly supernatural tale begins to take form.

I don’t want to give too much away about the plot and how the mystery unravels itself because it is a real joy to experience so I would hate to ruin it for any reader! The Leviathan is gorgeously evocative and steeped in gothic atmosphere and a fabulously sinister undercurrent. The writing is truly beautiful – often almost poetic in its nature – whilst the historical detail feels well researched and rich in detail. I think anyone who likes their historical fiction with a good dose of superstition, myth and darkness will love this. Highly recommended!

Told over different timelines this book is atmospheric, dark and quite disturbing. Such a fantastic read that had me hooked from cover to cover

What a gothic novel dream of a book! This is an atmospherically dark and gripping debut of twists annd turns through the whole book.

The Leviathan is a debut and I thought it was great. I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next. I really like historical fiction with supernatural undertones so knew I was going to enjoy this. The book takes unexpected directions once Thomas comes home and the Witchcraft investigation is underway which I didn’t expect and made the book even more enjoyable. This is a terrific read.

Absolutely awesome story on a Leviathan scale! I loved every page of this book - it has everything - demons, witches, a witchfinder, a lost child, a monster, a love story, a murder mystery and the 17th century setting places the characters in a time where superstition was being replaced by reason - which makes the story even more compelling. I read this in one sitting and didn't want the story to end!

Phew…where to start. Why is it always so much more difficult to write a review for a book I loved? Since finishing this book I have ordered every special edition I can find and have booked tickets for an author talk later this month. It’s also my next book club pick. Yeah, it’s that kind of good.

The novel is split across two timelines and tells the story of Thomas Treadwater as a young soldier in 1643 during the English Civil War, and years later in 1703 as an elderly man in his 80s. In 1643 Thomas returns home after receiving a desperate letter from his sister Esther detailing suspicions of witchcraft in their home. From there, things spiral in some wholly unexpected ways.

One of the things that makes this book such a class act is the historical detail. I don’t think I’ve read a book set during this period since reading The Children of the New Forest when I was a child and Andrews has done a fantastic job of bringing the period to life without ever getting bogged down in political history. The main issues and conflicts of the period are clear but don’t ever take over the main narrative which is so often the case with period novels. The evocative setting also gives the novel a clearly defined sense of time and place. I’m not usually a huge fan of male protagonists but Thomas is a compelling main character, and I came to genuinely love him by the end of the novel. The supporting characters are interesting too, in particular Chrissa and Esther, and there are surprises revealed about almost everyone - nothing is ever quite how it seems in this novel.

The feeling of claustrophobia and tension builds slowly throughout the story until the true nature of the witchcraft accusations is revealed. What I probably loved most about this book was that it actually took risks with the supernatural element of the story. So often with these kinds of books, there is either a human explanation for the phenomena, or it’s kept so subtle and ambiguous as to make one question whether there was anything supernatural at all. However, in this novel, Andrews actually takes risks with this element of the story and it makes the book so enjoyable to read compared to others. There was a two-day power cut due to storms in my area when I read this book and its dark, brooding creepiness was greatly enhanced by reading it in the pitch dark, listening to the howling winds. Delicious.

The story also links in the real-life character of the poet John Milton which I didn’t realise until later on in the book which provided a really fun ‘a-ha’ moment. I really enjoyed the links made to his visions of demons and his great masterpiece Paradise Lost. It’s difficult to reveal more specific plot points about the novel without ruining some of the surprises for people and the revelations in this book are such a joy to discover so I really don’t want to do that.

It’s hard to believe such an accomplished piece of work is Andrews’ first novel and she has done an amazing job with this one, I am genuinely in awe at her talent. Anything else she writes will be an instant buy for me in the future. Suffice to say I loved this book. Read it! (Get the Waterstones Exclusive Edition if you can because the edges are to DIE for)