The Last Witch

C.J. Cooke has cast her spell on me with her wonderful and beautiful writing of The Last Witch! Once I was bewitched, I had a hard time putting this gripping, mesmerizing, chilling, dark, chilling, and atmospheric book down! This is the 5th book I have read by C.J. Cooke, and I can’t wait to read more of her addictive, thought provoking and beautifully written books.

The Last Witch transported me to a time where women had no rights. They were considered the property of their fathers and then their husbands. They were considered to be the weaker sex and yet they were feared. Or shall I say, whomever was accused of being a witch was feared! It was a time where anyone could accuse someone else of being a witch and the accused person would be whisked away, tortured, and tried for performing witchcraft. While Helena is imprisoned with the other woman, another woman accused shows a cursed witch totem she smuggled in, a ghostly presence is seen and experienced.

Helena Scheuberin is accused of being a witch and taken from her life of luxury to a life chained up with other women and plunged into a world of darkness, pain, devastating loss, and horrific conditions. Father Kramer has made it his mission to rid the world of witches, and he will not be deterred in his mission.

This book was dripping with atmosphere, tension, dread, and danger. I found this book to be not only gripping but thought provoking as well. I was appalled at those who so easily accused others of being witches and how people came out in droves to watch the trials, torture, and executions of the women. I was angered at the evil men who abused their power and hid behind their religious cloaks.

I also couldn’t help but wonder, why no one alive during the witch trials wondered why the accused witches didn’t use their powers to free themselves? They were accused of causing crops to fail, children to die, and using all kinds of magic. If they could do all of that then surely, they could free themselves or use some magic to get free. Was that question ever raised????

I couldn’t help but be angered by the injustice of it all. Outspoken women, those who used herbs, widowed women, or women who walked to their own beat, were tragically killed for being ‘witches’. Where did the true evil lie? Not in the innocent women and children who were put to death but in those who pointed their fingers in those women’s direction and by the power hungry and evil men who tortured and killed in the name of God.

C.J. Cooke did a tremendous job of setting the scene. Her beautiful and vivid descriptions had me feeling as if I was right there amongst the women as they tried to survive. I applaud C.J. Cooke for creating characters that I cared for and characters I loathed. It is obvious that she did a tremendous amount of research, and it paid off with this incredible book.

Beautifully written, dark, atmospheric, thought provoking and hard to put down! If you have not read a book by C.J. Cooke, do yourself a favor and put this one on your reading list.

Highly Recommend.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperCollins and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.