To Rescue a Witch

Tales of the Witchborn, #2

by

Lisa A. Traugogg

Absorbing tale of treachery, betrayal, secrets kept and long overdue to be revealed.

To Rescue a Witch by Lisa A. Traugott is an absorbing tale set in 1730s England and America’s Virginia colony, with treachery, betrayal, and revenge all in play because of an aristocrat’s young illegitimate daughter. Scottish attorney William MacLeod travels from England to Virginia and back again as he seeks to take the girl to her biological father, Lord George Hallewell, her origins and existence steeped in secrets, some of which William himself is responsible. 

The story is fast-paced, urged along from multiple points of view, with the main plot narrated through the eyes of William and the traumatized and abused child, Annaliese. The story is often brutal, with repeated incidents of sexual assault and other physical abuses of the young girl. The story is historical fiction about the weak, vulnerable, and powerless at its grittiest. Annaliese is viewed as chattel, no different than livestock, and she grows up knowing only the pain and abuse meted out by her stepfather and his creditors. She is ignorant of how to live in society, struggling with proper language, comportment, or even how to dress herself in the accepted clothing of the day. 

William’s wife, Fiona, is home in Scotland, keeping their family and the estate together. She’s a skilled wise woman who works secretly, having promised her husband to refrain from practicing the more magical aspects of her knowledge because witchcraft is illegal. She struggles with visions of the future that are sometimes unclear but always true in the end. 

 William has his own struggles. He has a dark capacity for violence lurking just under the surface that he’s released on several occasions at the behest of his old friend and employer, Lord Hallewell. He’s trained as an attorney and is normally a kind and generous man. These bouts of brutality are constantly at odds with his true nature. 

However, William is not the villain of the piece. Besides, Annaliese’s horrible stepfather is Lady Margaret Hallewell, the wife of Lord George. I found her to be a fascinating and despicable character, scheming and manipulative, using every womanly wile available to gain the advantage over the men in her life, and she’ll stop at nothing for her revenge, including destroying her husband, William, Fiona, and a little nine-and-a-half-year-old girl. 

The story contains vivid descriptions and details of life on land and at sea during this time. To modern eyes, it is dirty, dangerous, and brutal in many ways, but there are glimpses of unimaginable splendor and wealth in the aristocratic circles. The lack of autonomy, freedom, and power is shown in frightening detail with respect to the indentured, enslaved, and married women. 

I recommend TO RESCUE A WITCH to readers of historical fiction who like action and adventure and are interested in stories of witchcraft and witch trials. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.