This was a really well researched and informative look at life for women who didn’t toe the line in the 1500/1600s. As someone reigniting a keen interest in this particular period of history I found it fascinating to read about not just female killers but the general view on, and treatment of, women of that time.
Whilst there are several accounts of women committing heinous crimes there are also paragraphs on “witchcraft” and lots of detail about general hierarchical treatment which was really insightful and has definitely given me lots of knowledge to take away from it.
I would definitely recommend if you’re interested in general life in early modern history & have already recommended this one to friends and family!

Thou Savage Woman by Blessin Adams is a compelling and thought-provoking exploration of the dark side of female history, focusing on women whose violent crimes captured the attention of Early Modern Britain. In this bold and meticulously researched work, Adams delves into the stories of women whose actions defied the gender norms of their time, offering a fascinating look at how society both feared and was strangely drawn to these murderous women.

Throughout the book, Adams brings to life the gruesome tales of traitorous wives, jealous mistresses, cunning poisoners, child killers, and vengeful witches—all of whom sparked public imagination in a time when violence, especially that committed by women, was rare. These tales were not only sensationalised in pamphlets, ballads, and woodcuts but also fed into the public’s fascination with female rebellion and the unsettling idea of women breaking free from the confines of domesticity and submission.

What stands out most in Thou Savage Woman is Adams’ ability to paint a vivid picture of the social and political landscape in which these crimes took place. Her background as a former police officer and historian shines through, as she brings a nuanced understanding of the motivations behind each murder. While women of the era may have committed violent acts infrequently, Adams uncovers the underlying causes—often domestic abuse, extreme provocation, or the pressures of living in a patriarchal society that offered few opportunities for women to control their fates.

The book is not just an exploration of crime; it is an insightful reflection on the role of women in history and the complexities of gender, violence, and power. Each chapter reveals a unique case that both terrifies and fascinates, and Adams challenges the reader to understand the factors that led these women to commit such brutal acts. The emotional journey is one of conflicting feelings: sympathy for the plight of these women, horror at their actions, and, as the author admits, a sense of frustration and even rage at the societal forces that pushed them to such extremes.

Adams' conclusion, in which she states that she found herself “caught between sympathy and horror,” perfectly encapsulates the complex emotions that arise while reading Thou Savage Woman. This book forces the reader to confront uncomfortable truths about gender, power, and violence. It is a must-read for those interested in the darker, often overlooked corners of history, and for anyone curious about the stories of women whose actions have been buried by time but still resonate today.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

A brilliantly collection of murderous women from the Middle ages!

Adams has put together an amazing amount of murderous women from a time period which (to knowledge) there was very little evidence or documents left to draw conclusions from. But Adams has collected an amazing amount of resources and research to put this book together which I love!

Highly recommend!

This book focuses on women who were accused of murder in Britain during the early modern period. Each chapter is about a different case, which makes the book easy to dip in and out of if you're looking for a quick shot of history. Some of the cases are moderately famous, such as Alice Arden, while others are more obscure. There is a fair variety of accused women, from teenage servants to elderly beggars. Each chapter gives a little context of their life and circumstances, and that of their alleged victim.

Some of the murders are blatant and gruesome, while for others it's less clear whether the accused women are guilty, and some are clear miscarriages of justice. Adams relates the events to the broader treatment of women and society's view of their place.

At times I did find this book quite repetitive. Often Adams seems to make a point, and then rephrase the exact same point a few sentences later. I also would have preferred it if Adams was clearer with her sources. There is a detailed bibliography at the back of the book, but the chapters themselves are full of unattributed quotes.

At times, of course, a book like this is bound to be a little bleak. However, Adams has a conversational style that makes it very readable. Many of the cases were genuinely interesting and they give an insight into the lives of ordinary - and extraordinary - people. I would cautiously recommend this book to readers who have an interest in women's history, the Early modern period or general criminal history.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thou Savage Women is an electrifying, unflinching look at the real women history tried to silence - outlaws, rebels, and survivors who refused to play by the rules.

With razor-sharp prose and research, Blessin Adams brings these women’s stories to life, stripping away myth and moral judgment to reveal the raw, complex truths beneath.

This book is as gripping as any thriller, but what makes it truly unforgettable is its deep sense of justice. Blessin doesn’t just recount history, she reclaims it, challenging the narratives that have long reduced these women to footnotes or villains. The result is a powerful, immersive read that feels both urgent and necessary.

Thou Savage Women is a fierce, beautifully written testament to defiance and resilience. If you love history that reads like a revolution, this is a must-read.

I really enjoyed this! As far as non fiction books go, I thought it was entertaining and easy to understand. The chapters were divided well and I found the stories and the women interesting. Adams added just enough personality into the writing without it becoming overbearing or distracting from the facts. Certain parts were very gory and detailed but that was to be expected from a book on this topic. A really interesting and engaging non-fiction.

Oh, this book is everything! I really liked learning more about how the world saw female killers in the early modern era. This book explores some of the most famous cases and it was well-written, thought-provoking and amazingly well-researched. I read it in a heartbeat and I've already added Adams' other book to my TBR pile!

Another brilliant offering from Blessin Adams! As a lifelong history nerd with a morbid curiousity in true crime - a socially acceptable trait these days - this is the perfect combination of historical weirdness and captivating crime and punishment. I was a huge fan of Blessin's first book, GREAT AND HORRIBLE NEWS, this author has a gift at taking facts and details and turning them into a compelling, page-turning read. What I love about this author's work is it's not necessarily about the scandalous crime and gorey detail, Blessin offers thoughtful commentary about the way women were perceived and how this reflected in treatment and judgement in the face of crime. I tore through this in the space of a weekend and I would highly recommend to lovers of both fiction and non-fiction.

Thou savage woman

I liked the idea of this book but it was a little too detailed for me i found myself skimming some of the details to get to the route of the story .
Maybe i just wasnt in the right mindset for a true crime book . I may come back to this in the future and give it another go

Thanks as always to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc.

After reading Blessin Adams’ first book we were absolutely hooked on her work. Whilst it’s no secret historical crime and crime fiction fascinates us, it’s a topic that needs a sensitive but engaging approach. In steps Thou Savage Woman…

In Adams’ latest work we meet female killers (and some who were simply accused) throughout the early modern period. With no attempt to sensationalise, we meet women who found themselves in circumstances that for us are unimaginable. Peppered with rich primary source detail, the reader learns about broadsides, pamphlets and ballads which highlighted the female killer as the most depraved kind of criminal; turning the social and domestic order on its head.

Without giving too much away, this book is unputdownable. Adams approaches her topic with the skill of a crime writer, but the experience of an ex police officer (which she is).

Buy Thou Savage Woman now and step into the crime ridden streets of Early Modern Britain 🔪

‘Thou Savage Woman’ by Blessin Adams is a true crime history book of female killers in early modern Britain. It includes dark tales from Tudor times of women who felt compelled to kill for a variety of reasons, and given the period there is significant intersectionality with institutionalised misogyny and accusations of witchery. Many of the tales were gripping, gruesome, sad and horrifying.

While the introduction and conclusion were strong and thematic, I did find some of the chapters repetitive - we were told multiple times about the same execution methods, strange occurrences considered as evidence and why poisoning was considered a uniquely female crime. It almost felt like a reference book to read specific instances separately rather than a compelling narrative.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher 4th Estate via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thou Savage Woman by Blessin Adams was a book I finished reading wanting more. It is fairly short for the range of content that could have been covered, but this does mean Adams' writing is rich, well-researched and contextualised within the Early Modern period. The chapters focus both on women who killed for gain, others who killed for freedom, and many who were convicted for crimes they didn't commit at all, thanks to the increase in witchcraft trials under King James I.

This is what I enjoyed so much about Adams' writing - each woman is humanised within the context, demonstrating how crimes committed by women were, and continue to be, sensationalised by the public and the media because of how at odds a woman with agency is with patriarchal norms. Adams provides superb historical and social commentary that continues in its relevance today.

This was an interesting book about female killers during the time of the Tudors and the Stuarts, what made it interesting is that in this book I found the stories of women I had never heard about, women who shocked the society that they lived in. Society hasn't actually changed all that much when it comes to how female criminals of any description are viewed.

In a world where media is obsessed with true crime it is interesting to know that this was also the case in Early Modern Britain where the notoriety of criminals was the subject of much gossip. However the treatment of females was different to males - a female killer was an abomination and sent the locality into a frenzy. In this book Adams focuses on a select number of tales, each illustrating the different facets of female killers. For some the accusation was justified, serial killers and husband killers, for others they appeared in the wrong place at the wrong time and were falsely convicted. Whilst this is a short book, it is perfectly formed and immensely readable.

A look at female killers in the Early Modern period in Britain (roughly the 16th to 18th centuries CE), where the plethora of ballads & pamphlets would have had us believe that female killers were fairly common at this point. This book examines the evidence & argues that then, as now, most murders were committed by men & that those committed by women were sensationalised. Violence was thought to be in the nature of men but against that of women so women who killed were therefore going against the natural order of things.

There are examples here of women who killed under different circumstances, from escaping domestic violence to being accused of being a witch & the penalties thereof. Women have killed for various reasons, sometimes even because they wanted to, but they have always seemed to be deemed worse than male killers in the court of public opinion.

I thought this was an informative read about an intriguing subject. Coincidentally I read a book about Alice Arden earlier this year - before that I had never heard of her & she crops up in this book too. I didn't find it quite as good a read as the author's first book & there was some repetition in the chapters but it was interesting.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Williams Collins, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

An interesting and well-researched book delving into the crimes of women killers. Not only giving the detail of their crime but providing the context of their situation, often at the plight of being a woman without rights and an unjust justice system in favour of men. The women were deemed savage for their crimes and often burnt alive as punishment. Even the sentencing and punishment of women compared to men was unfairly balanced. Blessing manages to weave in black comedy with each story whilst balancing with compassion for what women endured in historic times.

Repetitive in language and analysis in each section : in need of editing

This was probably inevitable in some ways : many women accused of witchcraft, for example, were so accused because they were a bit outspoken, stroppy, opinionated, and/or old and plain. Women in the period ‘the early modern period’ as Adams endlessly calls it – had limited options to be ‘acceptable’ and certainly being a bit ornery and opinionated was not one.

Females were also subjugated to ‘honour and obey’ their husbands, and if those husbands were brutal and unpleasant, and prone to violence, there was little justice available. Rape within marriage, for example, did not exist as a crime. Some women turned to murder as the only escape. Some women were also unpleasant and violent, just as some men were. Then, as now, there was more salacious interest in badly behaved women because women were ‘supposed’ to be nice and nurturing.

The conclusions, after each account of each woman’s ‘crime and punishment’ inevitably were repeats of previous accounts.

The annoying repetitions in the work were linguistic/stylistic. As Adams was writing about a specific period, and established that she was writing about ‘the early modern period’ there was no need to be constantly reflecting ‘in the early modern period’. Likewise, there were so many times when the repletion of a person’s name could have been replaced by him, her, he or she. I was surprised no editor had suggested such tidying.

I did however appreciate the ‘epilogue’ where Adams concludes that, for all the fact we no longer boil miscreants in cauldrons, burn them alive or hang them, all as entertainment and public spectacle, we still seem salaciously keen to be a baying excitable mob doing the equivalent of throwing refuse at people in stocks, hidden behind anonymity on social media platforms.

Laws may have changed for how miscreants – perceived or actual are dealt with, but we can’t really congratulate ourselves too far that we have advanced. Lynch mob mentality is still easily aroused

I really enjoyed this book. It was about the history of true crime, in particular female murderers. It was set around the 16th and 17th centuries in Britain and includes several true stories. Women in this period rarely killed and when they did it was often because of extreme provocation or domestic violence. There is scandal and brutality but the author writes with empathy. I can only imagine the amount of research that went into it. I really enjoyed the book and was able to learn so much. I wanted the explanations and understanding. I couldn't put the book down despite the injustices I was reading about. I very much look forward to more books by this author.

This book was interesting but I was engaged by the storytelling for each woman, but I feel a little underwhelmed overall. I feel like I'm missing the 'why' of it all - although it does show the misogyny faced by some of these women in these circumstances (whether they're actually killers or not), these doesn't feel too well illustrated. In the case of some chapters, the women are accused of witchcraft and face unjust death penalties, whereas other chapters the misogyny women faced at the time seem to have little to do with it. Maybe this book will appeal to true crime fans who like a gruesome story, but I wanted the book to have more of a thesis or a point.

Blessin Adam’s comes across as an enthusiastic narrator of true crime from the past. I read and enjoyed an earlier book of his and this outing considers eight very different cases. He places each in the context of their time and details the crime and the outcome. Iits an interesting slant on a particular slice of social history. Women have always been treated in a different way to men and the witchcraft stories are heartbreaking. There are a couple of tales that resonate with the present, which is frightening shows how little, in some ways, things have changed, My only slight criticism is that sometimes his enthusiasm fir his subject lets him get carried away. Some better editing to keep the pace but without quite so much when it leads to repetition of detail.