A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin Review
“The days of killing women for their connection to the earth, for the power they wielded, were not gone. Not entirely. But they were changing.” A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin
There are few things that will get me to pick up a book faster than witches and witch trials. I’ve been completely obsessed with them for as long as I can remember. A witch was my number one Halloween costume I wore on repeat.
So when I read about A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin, with its dual timelines connecting a present-day woman to another woman living through the witch trials of the 1640s, I was immediately sold. No questions asked. Could not wait to get my hands on a copy.
And while I liked this book, I finished it with only one thought: I wanted so much more of everything!!
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A Time of Witches Summary
A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin follows two women separated by four centuries. In the present day, Lilith begins experiencing strange visions and a heightened connection with nature after her mother’s death. As she uncovers secrets about her family, she finds herself connected to Sybil, a healer living in 1645 England during the height of the witch trials.
As their stories intertwine across time, Lilith must uncover the truth about Sybil and the generations of women whose lives have been shaped by magic and persecution.
My Review of A Time of Witches
Where The Magic Lived
The historical timeline was, without question, where the magic lived for me. Sybil’s story in 1645 completely drew me in, and I found myself wishing we had spent so much more time in her world.
Madeline Martin’s historical research on the horror of witch trials is evident throughout. The absolute horror of this time should never be softened, and the uncomfortable details painted a vivid picture of what these women actually went through.
A Time of Witches asks what happens when women inherit the generational wounds and the power of the women of their past?
I wanted Lilith’s modern-day story to echo Sybil’s experience somehow, showing that while the witch trials may belong to the past, the unjust ways women can be judged and condemned have not disappeared. That connection could have made the two timelines feel even more intertwined for me.
A Time of Witches Time Travel
Time travel is always someething that pulls me into stories, but I have to admit, I was confused. As an Outlander girlie, I’m accustomed to time travel rules being a little more well established and explained, so I found myself asking, “Wait, when are we? How did we get here? What exactly is happening?” more than once…
I loved the idea of the timelines intersecting, but I wanted a clearer understanding of how the time travel worked.
A Time of Witchers Mothers & Daughters
One of the overall themes I found myself thinking about the most was how the women in this story experience and choose what to do with their power.
Lilith reflects on her mother, “whose death changed everything.” After her mother’s death, Lilith’s connection to the rhythms of the moon and sun intensifies, as though a part of her that had always been there finally begins to awaken.
That made Sybil’s relationship with Jacinda especially interesting to me because Sybil knows what Jacinda is capable of, but she also knows the danger a woman could face with this power. So, she gives Jacinda an iron bracelet to prevent her from feeling her connection to nature, a way to hide her gifts.
And then Jacinda gives Lilith something completely different: choice.
By the end of the book, Lilith has the opportunity to make a different choice for her goddaughter, Amara. Rather than deciding that Amara’s connection to nature is too dangerous and must be hidden, Lilith allows her to choose what she does with that power.
That distinction matters. The gift isn’t that Amara will be protected from danger, it’s that her power belongs to her.
“The days of killing women for their connection to the earth, for the power they wielded, were not gone. Not entirely. But they were changing.”
A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin
After generations of women having choices made for them, perhaps that is the real change: women deciding for themselves what to do with their power.
A Time of Witches Authors Note
I don’t know that I’ve ever said this before, but I trully LOVED Madeline Martin’s author note. There’s something so special about seeing how long an author has carried and curated an idea and how much historical research went into finally bringing it to life.
Knowing that A Time of Witches was a story she had wanted to write for more than twenty-five years, thanks to a recurring dream she had as a teenager about being burned at the stake, made the book feel so incredibly personal.
A Time of Witches Audiobook Review
I also listened to the audiobook alongside reading the ebook, and Saskia Maarleveld’s narration was truly fantastic. Her distinct character voices made switching between the timelines especially easy to follow.
She differentiated the characters’ voices so well that I genuinely thought there were two narrators.
I seriously didn’t realize there was only one narrator until right now… writing this review.
A Time of Witches Final Thoughts
Ultimately, I liked A Time of Witches, I just didn’t love it, and I think that’s because I could see so painfully clear how much more it could have been for me.
I didn’t finish this book wishing it had been a different story. No, not at all. I finished it wishing it had gone so much deeper into the story it was already trying to be.
I could see the bones of a story I would have absolutely devoured, but so many elements felt like they were only on the cusp of becoming something truly extraordinary without quite getting there.
The historical setting was fascinating, the premise was compelling… I just wish the book had gone deeper.
⭐⭐⭐ Thank you so much NetGalley, Madeline Martin, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!
