A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan

A Secret History of Witches was a random buy that popped up on my Amazon suggested purchases. I had bought some other books about witches and witch trials (there will probably be a theme here) and this is the one that piqued my interest the most when they had all arrived.

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

The novel tells the story of five generations of witches from the Orchiére line or Romany gypsies. In 1821, six Orchiére sisters, their husbands and children, and grand-mère Ursule are fleeing from Brittany where they are being pursued for witchcraft. When all hope seems lost, Ursule pulls out her scrying stone that belonged to the grand-mère of the grand-mère of Ursule and recites these simple words:

"Mother Goddess, hear my please:

Hide us so that none can see.

Let my belovèd people be." (p. 6)

She then prophesies that her family will find an island where they can live in peace and she stays holding the spell all night so that her family will be safe. In the morning, the youngest Orchiére, Nanette, finds her grand-mère has passed away, and it seems the magic has died with her. However, Nanette is able to summon her powers occasionally, usually when threatened. From there, each generations power grows steadily stronger.

(Source: Giphy)

The book is told in five parts: Nanette (1834), Ursule (1847), Irène (1886), Morwen (1910), and Veronica (1937). Each of them are all very different, but very much the same. Nanette grew up knowing the history of the Orchiéres and the craft. Ursule learned of it when she came of age, but did not fully believe in it until it was too late. Irène was raised knowing the history, but did not believe in the evils the craft could hold. Morwen was given a brief history and forced to teach herself mostly everything. Veronica knew nothing of any of it until World War II struck. Each of the women are fierce and formidable, even without the craft backing them up. They all have a familiar: a grey cat, a horse, a fox, a horse, and a dog. And they are all filled with passion.

(Source: Giphy)

A theme that I noticed throughout the book is that when the women use craft against an innocent, it effects them and they lose something they love. When Ursule conceives from an affair and Nanette brews a simple so that Ursule's husband will sleep with her and think the child his, Nanette's life comes to an abrupt end. And, although not an automatic loss, when Irène walks out on her mother because she does not want the life of a simple farm girl, she eventually finds herself back there. Veronica probably learns the lesson in the worst way possible in that she is not able to conceive after having an abortion to hide a pregnancy from an affair while she is still unmarried. However, we are never given the final answer to if Veronica is the end of the Orchiére line. 

I really had an issue with Irène. Not because of the writing, but because she is a total bitch. She doesn't realize what her mother did to make sure she came into the world and has a roof over her head and that she is well cared for. And unlike Ursule's father, Sebastian (Irène's father) at least comes around as often as he possibly can. And when she becomes a mother, she hopes that Morwen does not inherit her power, not because she fears her daughter being persecuted as a witch if anything were to happen, but because she wants the power to remain with her. She would rather the power die with her. 

(Source: Giphy)

I was uncertain of how I would feel about the book once I started it. It took a few chapters to pull me in. I think partially because of the time period, but also because Nanette is so young in the first few chapters and both aspects made it hard to relate. But once she "came of age," the story picked up and I was hooked until the last page.

Rating: 7/10

Author: Louisa Morgan

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Paranormal

Dates Read: May 14-18, 2018