Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer working on her dissertation But her mom calls her last minute asking for help to go through Connie's grandmother's house. While going through her grandmother's house, she comes across a key with the words Deliverance Dane written on a piece of paper attached to it. This launches Connie onto a quest for a book that will help her understand not only her family history but the Salem Witch Trials as well. She starts to have nightmares and begins to wonder if she is tied to that part of history more than she could ever imagine.
Katherine Howe has a great debut novel on her hands. Not only because of her love of history but the detail was really good. Yes some liberties were taken but not much at all. I was impressed how well the book flowed from the past to the present. The characters had depth and the bad guys were not always so easily figured out. The journey she had Connie take was one that took some time but never felt like it ended abruptly.
I really liked Connie from the beginning. She didn't follow the normalcy in life but she knew something was out there for her. It was just a matter of time to finding out what that could be and possibly could be used for her dissertation Her best friend Liz kept her grounded and asked her the tough questions even more so than her mentor Professor Chilton. Professor Chilton drove me bonkers. I understand wanting to push the limits and do your best. But there were times that I felt he was going a little too far. Behind the scenes was Connie's mom Grace. She knew the job ahead of her daughter wouldn't be an easy one. Yet she kept encouraging her to seek deeper. There were times that I found Grace a little out there but as the story unfolded things made a lot more sense.
This is one book that captivated my attention and I was so excited to get my hands on it! Katherine Howe weaves a story that just won't let you go from the beginning to the last page. The twists in the plot had me guessing to see what the book really was. The ending surprised me quite a bit and I was pleased with how it ended. I cannot wait to see what this author does next and hopefully it's something soon. Even if that means it's an entirely different subject.
Katherine Howe/New Author/ Salem Witch Trials/ Magic/ 371 pages/ Favorite of the year/ 5 out of 5
I was going to wait till tomorrow but I cannot! This book was sooo good! I just had to share. My friend Nancy on Bookfoolery and Babble read this one and I had to pick it up! Great story and I hope this author writes more!!
