Now She is Witch: ‘Myth-making at its best‘ Val McDermid

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This duality and internal conflict between the two women show how women during this age of witches and witch trials, could be convinced that women were the problem and men were the saviours.

Irgendwo zwischen magischem Realismus, historischem Roman, literary fiction und ein klitzekleines bisschen Fantasy. What I enjoyed the most is how each chapter had a different title (the first part at least) and the title defined Lux (Maiden, Poisoner, Wolf etc) and showed the different roles and labels women can be categorised into. She is beyond salvation and nothing can be done to save her or her soul, that is until one day when Else finds her alone in the woods. The littlest prick and all those stories will simply explode out, shrieking like fat in a fire, and anyone nearby can hear it all.

Kirsty Logan became one of the authors whose work I would definitely follow in the future and catch up on her past. Plus, the element of mystery was intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages until I reached the end.

Honestly, what I wouldn't give for a sliver, a morsel, a grain of sand in the oyster of this woman's writing-capability. Among many things, probably one of my favourite aspects of the story was the main character; Lux’s evolution throughout the story. It’s not a rehashed version of another witch trial, it’s taking the notion of witches and demonstrating the roles women have been forced to play for centuries, and the level of violence and scorn thrown their way by men and society throughout history. In the harsh world of Now She Is Witch, which would seem to be some version of medieval Europe, most girls and women are possessions for men either to harm or play with.It’s the perfect image – life atop icy precarity; festive warmth upon unforgiving cold – to set the stage for a tale whose protagonist will be confronted by many perilous contrasts. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. It’s little wonder that for a time Lux, who as the novel progresses becomes in turn an actor on a frozen stage, a servant in a hall of delicacies, a food-taster to a lord and companion to a fine lady, is tempted to turn her back on Else’s revenge and set her own dreams of finding freedom in the wild country aside. In this witch story unlike any other, Lux and Else join forces to take their revenge on a powerful man.

The strength of this novel is less in the plot but in the way the various characters navigate the strange, otherworldly realm that they inhabit. Some of the writing is beautiful, some is what I guess is 'stream of consciousness'; interesting, but too long and it gets a bit tiresome.The book also has enough action to keep you on your toes, while the other chapters; where the author takes the reader to reminisce about her characters’ past are long enough to slow your speeding heart rate a little. But there’s something about Kirsty Logan’s writing that seems to transcend the story itself; that reaches into the heart of a deep, dark, hidden history and pulls out a truth that resonates down the ages. With her signature style, intricately woven storylines and simply stunning prose, Kirsty Logan did it again.