Just an entertaining and easy read.

If you ignore the slight plot discrepancies, pretty good.

Did not finish

Slow read due to little conflict and relatively low stakes, but okay in the end.

enjoyed the book.

There is so much to love about this book in spite of its tragic storyline about researching the lives of women descended from a woman hanged in the Salem Witch trials.

First, is the title. It piqued my interest from the moment I read it. Next comes the list of characters. Each is intriguing in his or her own right, and especially as their bloodline is traced and the importance of their names in succession is revealed. Third, the plot line held my interest, as did the descriptions of the libraries and their old books, the hidden house with its almost sentient garden, and the magical little dog that appears and disappears unnoticed.

Finally, that the storyline is set amidst the rigorous and often frantic halls of academia and scholarly research is a unique and brilliant touch.

I’ve read many fiction and non-fiction books centered around the Salem Witch trials, and this is definitely among the top 10.

My only regret with this book is that I wasn't reading it over a vacation where I could spend hours curled up in a chair reading it. I read it when I could and perhaps that is why I found it a little confusing at times. I also wanted to keep a dictionary on hand! There were an abundance of new words for me but not in a way that should deter someone else. They were scattered through out.

*Possible Spoiler*
I was continually irritated with Connie, the main character for not fully following Deliverance Dane's family line. I was surprise it didn't occur to her to follow it in an attempt to find out more about the family and perhaps her story. We the reader find out a good deal about Deliverance but Connie really never does.

I was also irritated with her mother Grace and the way she treated Connie. It explained itself some later on when Grace said Connie never seems to see what is right in front of her. I understand that is what Grace wants to teach her, embrace herself, open her eyes to what is right there but she never seemed to respect the path Connie was taking. Grace being the free-spirit-sort you would think she would understand that a little better.

Connie not see what was right in front of her, or following her instincts became more and more obvious throughout the book, especially with Prof. Chilton. Her insticts were continually telling her not to trust him.

We never did learn the mystery of Connie's little companion, Arlo. I understand he is a witch's, umm crap I forget the term for pet/spirit companion/guide oh well, but was he the same little dog that Deliverance & Mercy had?

I loved the way this story wove the past and present together into the narrative. The flash-back scenes of the Salem witch and how the lives of her descendants were affected by her execution were wonderful -- it made me want a whole book of just that Colonial family! In the present storyline, though I didn't always agree with Connie's actions -- and indeed she seemed to take a long time to make some connections that I thought were pretty obvious -- I liked her very much, and her progression through the story. **spoiler**I would have preferred if her adviser's actions had been more nuanced and subtle; I think that would have made for a more a more interesting and surprising ending.**spoiler** But this was a great book that really made me want to read more witchy stories!

I loved the characters in this book, and the story was really fun. Lots of fun local references and history. Highly recommend this one!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a very entertaining October read. I thought Katherine Howe did a fantastic job for her first novel. I loved how her current day characters entwined with the historical aspects of the book so personally. Knowing that she is a direct descendant of Elizabeth Howe and Elizabeth Proctor was interesting to know as I was reading the story.