Review - The Witches of New York
The Witches of New York
by Ami McKay
release date 10/27/2016
Chapter length: medium
4 out of 5 stars
According to the publisher, "The beloved, bestselling author of The Birth House and The Virgin Cure is back with her most beguiling novel yet, luring us deep inside the lives of a trio of remarkable young women navigating the glitz and grotesqueries of Gilded-Age New York by any means possible, including witchcraft...
The year is 1880. Two hundred years after the trials in Salem, Adelaide Thom ('Moth' from The Virgin Cure) has left her life in the sideshow to open a tea shop with another young woman who feels it's finally safe enough to describe herself as a witch: a former medical student and "gardien de sorts" (keeper of spells), Eleanor St. Clair. Together they cater to Manhattan's high society ladies, specializing in cures, palmistry and potions--and in guarding the secrets of their clients.
All is well until one bright September afternoon, when an enchanting young woman named Beatrice Dunn arrives at their door seeking employment. Beatrice soon becomes indispensable as Eleanor's apprentice, but her new life with the witches is marred by strange occurrences. She sees things no one else can see. She hears voices no one else can hear. Objects appear out of thin air, as if gifts from the dead. Has she been touched by magic or is she simply losing her mind?
Eleanor wants to tread lightly and respect the magic manifest in the girl, but Adelaide sees a business opportunity. Working with Dr. Quinn Brody, a talented alienist, she submits Beatrice to a series of tests to see if she truly can talk to spirits. Amidst the witches' tug-of-war over what's best for her, Beatrice disappears, leaving them to wonder whether it was by choice or by force.
As Adelaide and Eleanor begin the desperate search for Beatrice, they're confronted by accusations and spectres from their own pasts. In a time when women were corseted, confined and committed for merely speaking their minds, were any of them safe?"
The Witches of New York is one of two books I read as part of my Halloween season prep, and I truly enjoyed this book!
I'm trying to search for the right way to describe the setting, and the best I can come up with is "moody." The author writes the city in such a way that you can strongly feel the discrepancies between social classes and how it would be to witness these encounters. McKay also does a good job of writing the struggle between religion and the occult. The discomfort between these characters was palpable when reading about these clashes. The book is on the dark side, giving glimpses of how difficult this time and place in history was, without dwelling on the underbelly of the city.
Another thing that I appreciated about this book was that none of the witch characters were written in an over-the-top, stereotypical way. They were well-developed, normal people, who also happened to do magic. I think this was a really refreshing take by the author.
The one thing holding me back from giving this book five stars is the number of characters. While the main characters were all well-developed, the supporting cast was enormous. For me as a reader, I found the constant introduction of new characters to be a bit overwhelming.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I think it was the perfect book to read to get in the Halloween spirit. I could even see this being adapted as a spooky movie or T.V. show someday!
by Ami McKay
release date 10/27/2016
Chapter length: medium
4 out of 5 stars
According to the publisher, "The beloved, bestselling author of The Birth House and The Virgin Cure is back with her most beguiling novel yet, luring us deep inside the lives of a trio of remarkable young women navigating the glitz and grotesqueries of Gilded-Age New York by any means possible, including witchcraft...
The year is 1880. Two hundred years after the trials in Salem, Adelaide Thom ('Moth' from The Virgin Cure) has left her life in the sideshow to open a tea shop with another young woman who feels it's finally safe enough to describe herself as a witch: a former medical student and "gardien de sorts" (keeper of spells), Eleanor St. Clair. Together they cater to Manhattan's high society ladies, specializing in cures, palmistry and potions--and in guarding the secrets of their clients.
All is well until one bright September afternoon, when an enchanting young woman named Beatrice Dunn arrives at their door seeking employment. Beatrice soon becomes indispensable as Eleanor's apprentice, but her new life with the witches is marred by strange occurrences. She sees things no one else can see. She hears voices no one else can hear. Objects appear out of thin air, as if gifts from the dead. Has she been touched by magic or is she simply losing her mind?
Eleanor wants to tread lightly and respect the magic manifest in the girl, but Adelaide sees a business opportunity. Working with Dr. Quinn Brody, a talented alienist, she submits Beatrice to a series of tests to see if she truly can talk to spirits. Amidst the witches' tug-of-war over what's best for her, Beatrice disappears, leaving them to wonder whether it was by choice or by force.
As Adelaide and Eleanor begin the desperate search for Beatrice, they're confronted by accusations and spectres from their own pasts. In a time when women were corseted, confined and committed for merely speaking their minds, were any of them safe?"
The Witches of New York is one of two books I read as part of my Halloween season prep, and I truly enjoyed this book!
I'm trying to search for the right way to describe the setting, and the best I can come up with is "moody." The author writes the city in such a way that you can strongly feel the discrepancies between social classes and how it would be to witness these encounters. McKay also does a good job of writing the struggle between religion and the occult. The discomfort between these characters was palpable when reading about these clashes. The book is on the dark side, giving glimpses of how difficult this time and place in history was, without dwelling on the underbelly of the city.
Another thing that I appreciated about this book was that none of the witch characters were written in an over-the-top, stereotypical way. They were well-developed, normal people, who also happened to do magic. I think this was a really refreshing take by the author.
The one thing holding me back from giving this book five stars is the number of characters. While the main characters were all well-developed, the supporting cast was enormous. For me as a reader, I found the constant introduction of new characters to be a bit overwhelming.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I think it was the perfect book to read to get in the Halloween spirit. I could even see this being adapted as a spooky movie or T.V. show someday!
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