“Naught remained of their bodies to be buried, for the crows took back what was theirs.”
An idyllic coastal cottage near a sleepy village. What could be more perfect? For Robyn Crowe, borrowing her sister’s recently renovated holiday home for the summer seems just what she needs to deal with the grief of losing her beloved husband.
But behind those pretty walls lie many secrets, and legends of a malevolent sisterhood—two witches burned for their evil centuries earlier. Once, both their vile spirits were trapped there. Now, one has been released. One who is determined to find her sister. Only Robyn stands in her way.
And the crow has returned.
The Malan Witch by Catherine Cavendish. Published by Silver Shamrock Publishing, 2020. Total of 119 pages.
Witches are not may favorite horror theme. No offence to them, it’s just not my fave. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way…. this was a really fun, quick read! I enjoyed this so much. 🙂
With an excellent, strong start, we get weirdness right off the bat. Just a hint of it at first, but then it was just getting stranger and stranger. Not too long after we started the book, we have full blown witch attack! And boy was she a nasty witch. Loved how she looked and acted. Very creepy and unhinged feeling.
The setting was just perfect. A picturesque (and remote) little cottage near a coast, a small quirky rural town, and stormy weather. All of the above made the witch feel even scarier. The spooky atmosphere helped set the stage for the confronting the witch. Or trying to confront her. She is a slippery little trickster! The descriptions felt alive, and it felt like I was there in that storm with the main characters…. although I would be hiding under the blankets and not facing the scary witch. D:
I love the cover of this book. Amazing colors and a dynamic design the really draws your eyes in. It does a great job of conveying a magical feel… but… unless I missed something, where was the lighthouse in the story? 😮 No lighthouse, but that’s ok. It’s still a beautiful cover!
The Malan Witch moves fast. I loved the pacing. Very quick and there felt like there was never a wasted moment. Very quick read. Before I knew it, we were already at the end fighting the witch! It did feel like the ending happened a little abruptly, and I was a tiny bit confused by the the outcome. I wish we had had a little bit more info about the white witch, a little more of her fight with the (dark?) witch, and what had happened to the white witch after the confrontation. It didn’t feel like the dealings between the witches was fully resolved? I’m not sure.
I knew the name of this author but I’ve never read her before. I have heard her name mentioned often in all the horror book forums and groups I visit. I had a delightful time reading this book and I’m looking forward to picking up more work from Catherine Cavendish.
Creature From The Book Lagoon 