Red Runs the Witch's Thread is an interesting take on a witch trial story - in these pages, we hear from the accuser. Based on true events that took place in Scotland, we are introduced to Christian Shaw, who's accusations at eleven years old sent seven to be burnt at the stake. Christian is now a businesswoman and the breadwinner of her family, seeking to perfect the bleaching process for her thread. Haunted by stirred up memories, Christian is thrown into her past and the madness is creeping back in. Will she make a deal with the devil in exchange for her success?

At times I felt this story really worked, but the repetitiveness of repeating things three times was not for me. I understood what the author was doing and I liked it at first, but it's over-use took away its effect. I wasn't invested in the story as time went on, but I do think many will appreciate this story. If you like horror-light stories about witch trials, I'd recommend this!

I didn't love this one but it definitely fit the bill of gothic and creepy. Inspired by Scotland’s final witch burning in 1697 and alternating timelines between 1697 and 1722 , it was definitely a new plotline for me to read from the mind of the accuser - not the accused witches. Especially interesting that the accuser is an 11-year-old girl who is basically having a mental breakdown after starting her 1st period (if anyone could benefit from sex ed, it's this girl). I liked the novella-style length and how it invoked the fear and hysteria of that time period, but really did not like the repetition of triplet phrases ("run, run, run," "red, red, red") and the ending needed to be more fleshed out, IMO. I also would've liked another POV, as Christian is insanely hard to root for, and it would've been nice to switch it up a little.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I absolutely adore a good witch story and this was as chilling and haunting as you’d imagine a book on the last witching burning in Scotland to be.

An 11 year old girl makes accusations of witchcraft leading to the death of 35 people, the story is told from various points of her life.

I really enjoyed the writing style, the book flowed well and from what I know of the Paisley witch trials seemed well researched and historically accurate. Would definitely recommend to anyone with an interest in these dark chapters of history.

Red Runs the Witch's Thread by Victoria Williamson

Paisley, Scotland, 1697. Thirty-five people accused of witchcraft. Eight condemned to death. Seven strangled and burned at the stake. All accused by eleven-year-old Christian Shaw.

Bargarran House, 1722. Christian Shaw returns home, spending every waking hour perfecting the thread bleaching process that will revive her family’s fortune. If only she can make it white enough, perhaps her past sins will be purified too.
Whilst I enjoyed it I did find myself occasionally thinking of skipping a few pages here and there but I'm glad I carried on .
Great plot and I,enjoyed the character Christian .

Late 1600s/early 1700s, Scotland.

This was such an interesting read as much of it took place AFTER the witches were tried and killed, and we are only in the head of the accuser. We follow our main character, Christian Shaw, who accused the "witches" when she was a young girl, and is the reason innocent people were killed over 20 years ago.

We get flashbacks to when Christian was a child and see the reasons she began to accuse the people around her. She is a very unreliable narrator as she really tries to hide and suppress things from herself.

I feel like you could go either way on whether or not you like Christian as a character, or at least feel some pity for her as she was just a child when a lot of these things happened.

The descriptions are lush and witchy and I really enjoyed my time reading this book while appreciating the fact it is based on true events.

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for a copy of this book for review.

Red Runs the Witch’s Thread is a historical thriller mixed with some horror. The book features an unreliable narrator, which I believe is done really well in this novel.

A small negative is there isn’t a lot of character development, with the exception of the protagonist, the rest of the supporting characters feel a bit one dimensional.

I really enjoyed the ending, I often find myself feeling disasstafied with the way a story is wrapped up but that wasn’t the case with this book!

I loved the fact the story is inspired by the Paisley witch trials, the last mass witch burnings in Europe. The story has sparked my interest in European witch trials and has sent me on a hunt (pun partially intended) to find other books covering this topic.

I absolutely loved this read. It does have a bit of a slow start but once you get through that it is such a fast paced read. Halfway through I thought I had the ending figured out and was pleasantly surprised that I was partially correct and there was a bit of a surprise at the end. I loved the way that this was written and the subtle darkness it had. I loved how the end told you the partial truth that resides in this read.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for giving me an ecopy in exchange for my honest opinion.

A lesser known aspect of witch trials--the 1697 Scottish trials. This story follows a devastating, haunting, and vivid mental deterioration. All due to the failings and crimes of the distant past. Most of this story was compelling but characterization--our POV as well as other cast members--was significantly lacking. And the writing was irritatingly repetitive.

As posted on Goodreads:

Red Runs the Witch’s Thread is a gothic psychological thriller that packs a big punch in a short read.

What I really loved about this book is how the narrative is entirely different from other books about witch hunts/executions. Christian Shaw, the character at the center of our story and alleged victim of witchcraft, is not only an unreliable narrator to us, she’s an unreliable narrator to herself as well.

A woman with a myriad of issues (not least of all PTSD), we see her past in flashes of what she remembers and what she has blocked out to protect herself. Was she the victim of witches, or was she just afraid of the unknown?

Ms. Shaw is by no means a likeable character, but over time you can’t help but feel a measure of pity for a woman whose maturity was stunted the way that it was, as well as for those who suffered the ripple effect around her.

The shocking twists, unique perspective, and masterful ending (chefs kiss) make this a short but great read for those who can’t get enough stories about witches.

(Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.)

"Red Runs the Witch's Thread" just didn't work for me. I didn't like the writing style and, while I liked the premise, the story and its resolution just wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Silver Thistle Press for the ARC.

Interesting and a little confounding. There were so many elements of this story that were great and quite a few that felt off-track.

The historical setting was great and very interesting, considering the reality of something like this actually happening.

The characters felt one-dimensional like they weren’t complete. If the novel had been longer, potentially I could have felt more or connected more with the characters.

There was a lot of mystery regarding some artifacts of the story, but the whole time I was reading, I felt like they were going to end up being too obvious and they did. Again, I felt like if the story were longer, maybe it could have been kept more shrouded or more confusion about what was going on and who did what could have added to it. The supernatural elements of the story felt good and I would have loved to see them fleshed out further.

The terror/dread of the main character and the purity trauma she felt was the author’s greatest accomplishment in the story. You truly felt it and felt like you could understand it, even in the present world we live in.

Overall a good story with some great elements that I believe had the potential to be excellent.

I received an e-ARC and am giving my honest review

This was a very interesting novella. The twists and the idea of "madness vs witchcraft" was super well done and such a good topic! I loved how it's loosely based off of a true story as well.

christian shaw was eleven when she pointed her finger and named witches. seven people died, hanged and burned in the name of her accusations. now, years later, she is a woman trying to rebuild her family’s reputation, drowning herself in the delicate art of thread-bleaching, but the past does not stay buried. guilt and history haunt every strand.

red runs the witch’s thread is a gothic, psychological tale steeped in history, based on the real 1697 paisley witch trials. victoria williamson weaves past and present together with sharp, immersive prose, building a world thick with superstition, fear, and the weight of consequence. christian is not an easy protagonist—her choices, her self-interest, the monstrous echoes of her past—but that’s what makes the book so compelling.

while the book is atmospheric and gripping, some moments feel more distant than they should, holding the reader at arm’s length. still, the storytelling lingers, and the themes of guilt, redemption, and the inescapability of the past make this a haunting, worthwhile read

I got to 58% and DNFed. The story had good promise, but it felt like it was running in circles over the red, red, red and the ravens but it never really seemed to be going anywhere. I can confer myself that she strangled the babies because she’s so terrified of her period and what sex will bring, but this felt so drawn out. By 58% nothing had really happened in present day and I felt myself start to rush the reading to see if anything at all exciting would come up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Silver Thistle Press for providing the ARC for an honest review. Outside of Goodreads and Amazon, my review can be found on my insta, the.alis.trials. Reviews will be posted within 24 hours.

Red Runs the Witch’s Thread is a haunting and thoughtful short novel that blends historical horror with psychological fantasy in a compelling and unexpected way. Loosely based on the real 1697 Bargarran Witch Trials, this 170-page story draws deeply from fact while weaving in fictional elements to flesh out the narrative with emotional depth and historical atmosphere.

Victoria Williamson captures the chilling core of these events through the eyes of Christian Shaw—both as an 11-year-old girl central to the witch accusations, and later as a haunted adult grappling with guilt, faulty memories, and unraveling sanity. The inclusion of historical details—like Christian’s role in accusing 35 people of witchcraft, seven of whom were executed, and her later success in thread bleaching—grounds the story in reality. At the same time, the author cleverly introduces invented characters and fantasy elements that add tension and mystery.

The book’s greatest strength lies in its psychological exploration. Christian’s mental decline is portrayed with grace and intensity, and the writing style shifts just enough to reflect her fractured state of mind without confusing the reader. The dual timeline is handled effectively, and the fantasy-infused ending was unexpected but satisfying.

This book leans heavily into themes of purity, blood, and femininity, with repeated references to menstruation, bleeding, and the symbolic soul cleansing through thread bleaching. It’s a motif that works well for the story’s tone and themes but may not appeal to every reader. The focus on female bodily experience makes this novel particularly resonant for a female audience, though anyone interested in historical horror or feminist gothic fiction will find something to appreciate.

My only reason for holding back the fifth star is that while the writing is solid and evocative, the story occasionally felt like it could’ve benefited from just a bit more development or character expansion, particularly in the adult timeline.

Overall, Red Runs the Witch’s Thread is a well-crafted, eerie, and poignant tale that lingers after the final page. A strong recommendation for readers who enjoy short, unsettling stories that blur the line between history, horror, and fantasy.

I absolutely loved the summary of this book, it sounded dark and sinister, and something that I would really enjoy. Unfortunately, the story fell a bit flat for me. I loved the beginning, but as the story progressed there wasn’t a lot of ooomph. I didn’t feel myself on the edge of my seat or daring to look away from the page. I was ready for it to end.

An effective horror novella about Christian, a woman slowly sinking into madness. When she was a child and had her first period, Christian had a bit of a … break. Slipping into fear, paranoia, sleepwalking and religious fervor, she ended up accusing several women in the area of witchcraft, of killing newborn children and cursing her with a sickness. As an adult, she still has periods of lucidity but the specter of her past, her terror of blood, her fear of her own periods borders on body horror. She looses time, slipping back and forth from the past to the present with nothing but fear to keep her company.

It’s moody, atmospheric, and effective. This will make a perfect re-read come Halloween. Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me an ARC to review.

Paisley, Scotland 1697. What a read! Based on the true story of the Bargarran witches who were tried, hanged and burnt at the stake when 11-year old Christian Shaw accuses 7 people (one who was a servant) of bewitching her. The storyline of this book though fictionalized is a haunting read of Christian, now an adult who is continually tormented by the memories of the innocent people she accused during her relentless pursuit of becoming a successful manufacturer of thread. Interspersed with episodes of madness, Christian cannot at times discern what is real or what are the crazed images she sees usually involving black ravens flying outside her windows. Told through flashbacks as a child and the events leading up to the mass execution of those seven this was a gothic, haunting,spellbinding read. The history behind this book actually angered me to know that Christian Shaw went on to become a successful businesswoman seemingly getting away with blood on her hands and what about the families she destroyed? According to the author's notes at the end there is a campaign to clear the names and formally pardon those accused and convicted of witchcraft. That should be of utmost importance in my opinion. Recommended.

Big thank you to author Victoria Williamson for a tremendous book and NetGalley for a copy of this in an exchange for my honest opinion, all thoughts on this are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Silver Thistle Press for this free copy of "Red Runs the Witch's Thread."

This novella was based on the true story of Christian Shaw, who was highly regarded as the founder of the thread industry in Scotland. But as a child, she was the main accuser of the Bargarran witch trials.

This creepy book opens 25 years after the witch trials. We live in Christian's madness as she remembers events that drove her to claim that she was being attacked by the witches.

Hauntingly atmospheric!

I loved the historical aspects of this book and the fact it was inspired by the last witch burning in 1697. The multi timeline was written perfectly.

Overall this was a great quick novella that you can read in one sitting. If you’re looking for a witchy book with gothic vibes and set in Scotland… that is perfect for you.