To Condemn a Witch

Tales of the Witchborn, #1

by

Lisa A. Traugott

A gripping but grim tale of witches pursued by evil men in search of wealth and power.

To Condemn a Witch, although the second book published in author Lisa A. Traugott’s gripping Tales of the Witchborn series, is chronologically a prequel to last year’s To Rescue a Witch. This complex novel tells the backstories of many of the main characters of the earlier book, most specifically that of Eleanor, the Scottish orphan who went from the workhouse to the arms of a handsome married nobleman to banishment and a difficult life in the Virginia colony. Due to the complex nature of the plot, this proves to be a massive undertaking. While sounding like a romantic cautionary tale of historical fiction, the story takes a different, darker, and much more intriguing path, combining the political power gaming of rich nobles with the presence of witches and witchcraft. 

For the most part, all the main characters are surprisingly unlikable creatures. Eleanor, while a tragic figure on the one hand, is immature and manipulative on the other. Her paramour, Lord George Hallewell, who has also risen from the ashes of family tragedy, is weak, needy, disloyal, and greedy, while his wife, Lady Margaret Hallewell, is grasping, greedy, bored, and cruel. William MacLeod, the Scottish laird and attorney I so wanted to be the steadfast hero of the piece, while a strong figure, is a “fixer” for the noble privileged and often resorts to violent means to achieve his ends. His loving marriage to Fiona, a natural witch, is laced with neglect, arrogance, and mixed signals as he backslides on the promises he made her at their handfasting. Fiona is inconsistent in her willingness to stand up to William at times and keeps secrets from him that she shouldn’t. Fiona’s Aunt Matilda is a doubly intriguing character, burned at the stake as a witch 20 years earlier than the events in the book, appears as a ghost, and only during the local fire festivals, when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest. A bitter, drunk of a woman when alive, her mood hasn’t improved over the course of her half-life as it is, stuck between the physical world and the realm of the “Otherworld.” Still, she’s entertaining during her quick appearances, especially when she leaps from the ethereal to a physical presence when she occupies the body of Fiona’s poor, confused cat, Pooka. While these people may sound like terrible individuals (and some are), they are a delight when compared to the story’s villains: the aforementioned Lady Hallewell, Elspeth, Matilda’s former friend and coven sister, and the vicious witch hunter named Lord Blackmere. 

Set in Kirkhaven, Scotland, and London, England, in the early 1700s, the author crafts such descriptive and realistic backdrops for the events of the story that I felt I was there. From the glittering ballrooms of the Ton to rural Scotland’s villages and manor homes to rat-infested alleyways and hovels in London or the harsh wilderness of the Virginia colony, Traugott paints living, breathing pictures of what conditions were like 300 years ago. Of course, the time period, with its vast discrepancies between classes and genders, also informs the attitudes and, therefore, many of the actions, of the main characters. The lives of the poor and working classes, and all women, held little value for the ruling class of white noblemen, so many of the characters are treated as disposable or property. 

While the main characters may have low charisma scores, their stories were engaging, and I wanted to know how things resolved. However, some aspects of the characters’ histories were only hinted at for so long before they were revealed, and I began to feel like I’d missed a prequel to the prequel. Another issue that bothered me was the depiction of three-year-old Broderick MacLeod. While I realize children were expected to grow up much quicker then, I still felt Broderick seemed a couple of years more developed in his thinking, skills, and especially William’s treatment of him. 

TO CONDEMN A WITCH fills in or expands on much of the previously untold pasts of the characters in the series debut. I recommend it for readers who enjoy a gritty historical fantasy featuring tales of political power seeking, witches, and witchcraft. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Literary Life Book Campaigns.