When Nicholas’ brother dies, he finds himself becoming the unwilling clerk to infamous retired witch hunter, Judge William Percival, in order to claim his rightful inheritance. Even though the height of witch trials has been & gone, they seem to be on the rise again, and as Nicholas & Judge Percival travel across London, they find themselves in the midst of accusations, and the assistance of Percival is requested on numerous occasions. But Nicholas holds a dark secret which could implicate him and see him on trial himself - he can hear the dead sing - so being in the company of witch hunters past & present is extremely dangerous for him. Can he survive his time in service to Percival?

MY THOUGHTS
This book was such a dark, compelling and spell binding read that’s quite unlike anything I have read before.

I really enjoy historical fiction and this book did not disappoint with that, throwing the reader into 1645 England in the shadow of King James I reign and his destruction of women all over the country being accused of witchcraft.

“The dead do not rest easy, and I am full of their secrets”

This was such a spine-tingling quote, as to be in the midst of witch hunters & trials I thought Nicholas was so brave, as it really was a dangerous time to live, especially for him with his unique gift.

It’s definitely not a light read, and is pretty heavy on the details, but if it’s a genre and time period that you are interested in then it would definitely be a book to enjoy.

Thank you very much to the publisher for this ARC.

An interesting perspective on the witch trials around the time of the English Civil War, told by a man who is a reluctant apprentice witch hunter. The story is fast paced and takes us across the country - the scenes of travelling were particularly vividly depicted for me. A brilliant debut and I'll be keen to read more by Stacey in the future!

Books like this remind me of why I LOVE historical fiction.

The revels is a historically accurate and beautifully written story filled with three dimensional characters and some of the most powerful quotes I've come across. Honestly so much of the detailing of the witch hunting brings to mind women's struggles of today.

This was such a Atmospheric and perfect read, honestly one of the most haunting novels I've ever read and one of the best books of the year.

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I thought the premise was fascinating and the overall plot was really compelling, but my issues came with the structure. For some reason (and it's more than likely my problem and not the book's) I found the narrative a bit muddled and difficult to follow. This meant that for me, the key plot elements didn't have as great an impact as they should have done because the set up for them felt inconsequential. I also thought the characters were a little bit interchangeable, however I thought the author did a great job with Grace and the knot magic elements of the story were well done. Overall, I would recommend this one, but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an Arc!

The Revels is a very unique and creative book about a witch-hunter and witches. I found it to be a really captivating read and thought the characters were really strong and written well — especially as the book was told from the point of view of the witch hunters! Very unique and refreshing indeed.

The writing and setting was very beautiful and enthralling, I was really transported to 1645!

The characters were interesting and in-depth! Nicholas’ inner battle between trying to hide his identity and wishing to help those around his was really intriguing to read and added depth to his character.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and would recommend it to fans of historical fiction and those who love fantasy and supernatural.

Can’t get enough of these witchy books.
This one is different to the others I have recently read as it is from a male perspective which really highlights the huge gap between the genders, not so long ago.
You can feel the fear running through the pages.

This was such a unique take on the witch trend. I loved the male protagonist, the romance and the witch-hunters. I can't wait to read more from this author.

“I am no witch. I have not sold my soul to the devil for powers. What I am has never openly been whispered of, yet it is enough that people would hang for it.”

After his half-brother dies, aspiring playwright Nicholas Pearce is apprenticed to Judge William Percival, an infamous former witch-hunter who is under pressure to resume his old profession.
 
In a country torn apart by civil war, with escalating tensions between Catholics and Protestants, Royalists and Roundheads, and rumours of witchcraft, Nicholas hides a secret: the dead can speak, and they tell him their secrets.
 
Will Nicholas find the courage to speak up and save innocent lives, even if it means putting himself in great danger?

The stage is set and the witch-hunt is about to begin…
The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

It was a captivating read that had me enthralled from beginning to end. Highly recommend to anyone interested in historical fiction!

"The Revels" by Stacey Thomas is a book about witches and witch-hunting. Refreshing for the book to be told from the perspective of an apprenticed witch-hunter, who, compared to the self-proclaimed Witchfinder General, seemed fairly humane in his investigations. However this is down to a secret that he keeps about himself! Will definitely be on the look out for books by this new author.

I tried reading this, but found the topic was not what I was expecting, I also got the author confused with someone else I had read.

Women are once again hunted and accused with the resurgence of witch trials during the period of the English civil war. A young man is apprenticed to judge William Percival a man whose name is known across the land as he was a witch finder, however he has tried to leave his past behind. Nicholas takes up the position to escape his wealthy father and his past. However once in York Will and Nicholas find themselves caught up in a witch hunt which puts them both in danger. This is historical fiction with a touch of supernatural. It's well written although I did have an issue with modern language being used by a character in the 17th century. This brings home the terror those women faced and the violence carried out upon themselves just because of their sex.

I really loved The Revels by Stacey Thomas!
I was really excited to read it as it sounded amazing and the cover is gorgeous.
So I'm really happy that I ended up loving it!

The writing was beautiful and very atmospheric.
I was also highly entertained throughout.

I definitely highly recommend this book!
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was pretty much obsessed with this book as soon as I saw that amazing cover and heard it was set during the English Civil War, so thank you very much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This story follows an apprentice witch hunter who also awkwardly happens to have witchy skills of his own. We follow Nicholas who has to battle between trying to hide his own identity, but also wishing to help those accused. It was this inner battle which hooked me most. Nicholas is a very sympathetic and engaging main character and I loved watching his character develop.

Thomas's writing is simply sublime and a particular standout is the way she writes about the MC's ability to hear the 'songs' of the dead. Those sections are truly beautiful and haunting.

Dark, creepy and atmospheric. I really enjoyed this read and would recommend it to fans of The Leviathan as it also cleverly combines speculative elements with real world historic events.

Thanks NetGalley and publishers for the Arc of The Revels by Stacey Thomas.

I believe this is a debut for a very talented author, who for sure has a brilliant future.

I loved this book, from start to finish it grabbed me and I found myself flying through the pages. Well researched.

A well researched historical novel based on true events. Unfortunately, I didn’t really engage with the characters or the plot- there was too much crammed in as if the author was trying to cover lots of things, but I can see many others enjoying this original take on witchcraft trials. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy.

I’m a huge fan of historical fiction especially with witches and witch hunts so I was very excited to read this ARC

This is set in 17th century England where Nicholas finds himself an apprentice to Judge William Percival who used to be a witch hunter who is now being asked to bring back his profession
Nicholas has a secret which may cost him his life

I found this very atmospheric with a well written cast of characters, the book gives a good sense of time and place while it’s quite the page turner with its intriguing story
I thought the writing was beautiful and the author really gave us an exciting plot with interesting and life like characters
Really enjoyed this one

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

I don’t really read a lot of books about witches, this surprised me by how good it was! I had no idea this is a debut author, it was so well written I finished the book in no time. Highly recommend especially for fans of historical fiction.

3.5 stars

This book is incredibly readable.... I had to force myself to slow down, as the words were flying past.
Set in a world where any woman could be accused of being a witch, and then most likely loose her life, it packed full of atmosphere.
A great cast of characters, and a story that drags you right into the middle of all the action.
I believe this is a debut book, so looking forward to what's coming next.

A great novel set in 17th century England. Witchhunters abound and Nicholas finds himself apprenticed to one, but there's only one problem. He darent admit he can hear the dead. He finds himself torn between speaking up to help others or saving himself from harm. I wanted to reach the end just to find out what happened to him.