Rating: 9/10
So, this was fantastic. I am in awe. It’s a little slow in the beginning, I’ll admit. The thing about it though, that really makes it stand out, is how women-centered it is. It’s not just that all the female characters are incredibly complex – it is that the story, essentially, is about them. The men in the story are there to further the women’s plot lines- they are barely even supporting characters. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where women were so clearly the focus, to the point that men don’t even really feature. This book wouldn’t pass a reverse Bechdel test, and I think that’s lovely, considering how many books don’t pass the actual test. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate men, and I love reading books with complex male characters. But we have so many of those, so many stories where women are reduced to supporting characters, that I find it incredibly satisfying to have a book where women are so clearly the center of that universe, especially for a book set in Henry VIII’s court, where women were so often considered disposable. Here, Anne is unapologetically ambitious, but that doesn’t make her unforgivable, or even a bad person, just complex. Here, Cecilia is a betrayer. Margaret Pole hates being a witch because of her faith. Grace is consumed by anger. The women live and laugh and love, and hate and betray and scream, and have their own agendas, and the author acknowledges that that’s okay. That’s human. Everyone has agendas and desires, including women, only we are condemned for it.
And on. the female characters, I want to add that this is the best portrayal of Jane Boleyn that I’ve ever read. It offers an explanation (one that involves magic, so I understand it isn’t a historical one, but it does extend a bit) for her actions that I find satisfying. I want to read about women who are vain and resentful and ambitious and arrogant. Women who are unattractive, women who are beautiful, women who lean into their femininity, women who are tomboys, women who want more, women who want to break the system, women who want to work within the system. This book, yes, is about witches, but more essentially, it is about women. And, to me, that is what made it stand out.
Bookworm's Haven 