The Witch's Kind: A Novel (urspr publ 2019; utgåvan 2019)

I am, in a word, disappointed.

The book's description and title led me to believe this is a story about witches. Reasonable assumption, right? This is not at all a story about witches.

This is a story about a young woman and her aunt, living a secluded life right after WWII. These two women have occasional premonitions, which is their only "power." There is absolutely no witchcraft. We do have a lot of drama, a strange baby, hints at alien life, and government conspiracies.

The pacing is slow. We're given long passages from the past, meant to explain and lead into the present situation. At the one-third point, so little had happened that I was bored and skimming. By the halfway point, I was too bored to bother and I gave up.

If the title and description had better reflected the content, I probably wouldn't have read this book. At the very least, I'd have been prepared for a totally different type of story.

*I received a review copy from the publisher, via Amazon Vine.* ( )

This was a wonderful inspiring book that has strong female characters. I really enjoyed how it wove a sisterhood during a time when gender was a big issue, and the hard choices that is faced when trying to protect the people you love. It had just enough mystery and suspense to keep me going all the way to the end. ( )

Oh, my Goddess this was a good book! The story had me entranced from the fist words, and the characterizations were so strong that I think these people are people I actually see every day in my day to day life.
It has women in love, a war or two, a mysterious visitor from the seas or maybe from the stars, and yes even a dog. Oh, and lots of conflict. Because what story by this author would *not* have us biting our nails hoping it all turns out OK with yet one more tragedy along the way. ( )

A magical realism/historical fantasy story, The Witch’s Kind completely captivated me. It’s the story of Barrie Anne Blyth, a young woman in the time of WW 2, and her aunt Charlotte, who raised her. Barrie has a past with a man who turned out to be not what he seemed: a college man who joined the service when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. This past led her to a run-down farm that her husband bought without telling her; while she knows nothing of farming, she quickly learns from neighbors, books, and just doing. Soon she has a thriving food garden and flock of hens, right on the Hood Canal. When her husband disappears, she continues the farm on her own. When her dog, Willow, finds a new born baby on the beach, she takes it in, and Aunt Charlotte comes to stay with her a lot of the time.

The baby, Emma, isn’t quite “normal”, but Barrie loves her. She lost her own baby after only a few hours, so she’s ready for a baby, no matter what. Her long lost husband, Will, returns and has his own plans for the child. Government agents hang around the small town and the farm. Barrie and Charlotte invent stories to cover Emma’s origin, and try to keep her secret covered. There is never a time to feel secure and relax.

I LOVED this book. It’s a hard one to classify; my first thought was magical realism, but there is also sci-fi, women’s fiction, historical fantasy… so much, blended together to get a book that I sat up most of the night reading. The descriptions of the town, the farm, the canal, Port Townsend, the Olympic Peninsula, are all wonderful and bring things to life. It’s an area I love anyway, and to see it through the lens of the 40s was great. I loved Aunt Charlotte. I liked Barrie, too, although I was impatient with her in much of the flashbacks, as she was learning about life and growing up. Five stars. ( )

This just wasn't for me. I thought I was getting into a really good (maybe a bit creepy and mysterious) book about witches. What I got was something that felt like it didn't really know what it wanted to grow up and become. Was it about witches, WWII, the CIA, aliens, mermaids?? It was too much for me. I thought it needed to pick a subject a delve deep instead of skimming the surfaces of so much. What I did love was the author's ability to plant the reader very firmly in the location and era. From the first page you are drawn into the 1940's Pacific NW and it was really well done. Maybe this just needs a different title? Maybe I was just disappointed I didn't get what the title inferred? Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy to read in exchange for my honest review. ( )