Lilith is the daughter of the sixth Duke of Radnor. She is one of the most beautiful young women in London and engaged to the city’s most eligible bachelor. She is also a witch.
When her father dies, her hapless brother Freddie takes the title. But it is Lilith, instructed in the art of necromancy, who inherits their father’s role as Head Witch of the Lazarus Coven. And it is Lilith who must face the threat of the Sentinels, a powerful group of sorcerers intent on reclaiming the Elixir from the coven’s guardianship for their own dark purposes. Lilith knows the Lazarus creed: secrecy and silence. To abandon either would put both the coven and all she holds dear in grave danger. She has spent her life honoring it, right down to her charming fiancé and fellow witch, Viscount Louis Harcourt.
Until the day she meets Bram, a talented artist who is neither a witch nor a member of her class. With him, she must not be secret and silent. Despite her loyalty to the coven and duty to her family, Lilith cannot keep her life as a witch hidden from the man she loves.
To tell him will risk everything.
My Thoughts :
I am a huge Paula Brackston fan and actually met the author in Cardiff one dreary Saturday morning. It was a total accident but it was obviously meant to be because her books have been some of the best stories I have ever read. So it is with a heavy heart that I have given The Midnight Witch only 2.5 stars when all of her previous books have been worth more than the top score of 5. I even contemplated giving up on the book but I kept going till the end and am, in a way, happy I did.
Lilith is a strong female character trying to keep her life on the track she wants and not on the one everyone else wishes. A witch who is unsure but determined about the role she has to play in the great Lazarus Coven she lives a life full of secrets. Her mother is in mourning and has no knowledge of the paranormal elements of her family and Lilith's brother seems to be a magnet for trouble. Lilith is engaged to be married but it is obvious that her heart doesn't belong to him.
Meeting Bram sets everything into motion. There is more to the story but the romance that blossoms between the two is the catalyst for everything. It is a nice story and sometimes an interesting one. There are magical moments and there are devastating ones too. There are lots of bits and pieces of the story that are fascinating and exciting but despite The Midnight Witch having everything it needed to be a powerful and five star read it constantly felt flat.
The historical setting of London before World War One is captured wonderfully but the Downton Abbeyness of it all is too over powering. The Midnight Witch is an emotionally filled roller coaster but the characters don't seem to be on the ride. The story constantly felt like it was missing something and I sometimes wondered if like in a film some scenes had been cut or shortened so the book wouldn't go on longer than allowed.
All in all this was a bit of a disappointment or I was expecting too much. Maybe the lack of a Welsh element, which has been present in all of the previous books, is the reason for my so-so feelings about this book. However looking over on Goodreads it seems that I am in the majority when it comes to my feelings about The Midnight Witch. Not that this makes me feel any better. I actually would have preferred to praise this book .
Alas! I am not giving up on this author! I eagerly await the next book, The Silver Witch, which is due out in April. I see it is set in the lovely land of Wales (I may be a little biased seeing as I am Welsh) and I am sure the magic will be back with a five star review!
1 comment:
I don't think I have read about this author before Amber, and I am sorry you did not love this book as you love the rest of her books. Still, I am intriguid by this, and as I have no expectations at all (and never watched downton Abbey) perhaps I wlll enjoy it more.
Post a Comment