The Silver Witch (Shadow Chronicles, #3)

by Paula Brackston

"A year after her husband's sudden death, ceramic artist Tilda Fordwells finally moves into the secluded Welsh cottage that was to be their new home. She hopes that the tranquil surroundings will help ease her grief, and lessen her disturbing visions of Mat's death. Instead, the lake in the valley below her cottage seems to spark something dormant in her a sensitivity, and a power of some sort. Animals are drawn to her, electricity shorts out when she's near, and strangest of all, she sees a new vision; a boatful of ancient people approaching her across the water. On this same lake in Celtic times lived Seren, a witch and shaman. She was respected but feared, kept separate from the community for her strange looks. When a vision came to her of the Prince amid a nest of vipers she warned of betrayal from one of his own. Prince Brynach both loved and revered her, but could not believe someone close to him wished him harm, even as the danger grew. In her own time, Tilda's grief begins to fade beside her newfound powers and a fresh love. When she explores the lake's ancient magic and her own she discovers Seren, the woman in her vision of the boat. Their two lives strangely mirror each other's, suggesting a strong connection between the women. As Tilda comes under threat from a dark power, one reminiscent of Seren's prophecy, she must rely on Seren and ancient magic if death and disaster is not to shatter her life once more"--

• ISBN10: 1250028795
• ISBN13: 9781250028792
• Publish Date: 21 April 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 30 June 2021
• Imprint: Thomas Dunne Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[celinenyx]

A magical tale which weaves through the lives of two women, one in the past and one in the present.

It has been one year since Tilda lost her husband, and she moves into the cottage in rural Wales they bought together. She has always been afraid of the water, but the lake near the cottage has a mysterious draw on her. As time passes, she starts having visions of a different time, featuring Seren, a Celtic witch.

Bringing together two story lines, one in a past time and one contemporary is a technique that is used by many authors, but often it is hard to create a plausible connection between the two. The Silver Witch handles this very well, letting the two plot lines converge slowly.

If I had to describe The Silver Witch in three words, they would be: whimsical, delicate, and mysterious. Inherent in these words is the fact that nothing is rushed - that would break the spell Brackston is trying to weave here. Although I enjoyed the slowly unfolding of the plots and connections, at times I felt there wasn't enough to keep me fully engaged in the story. This wasn't helped by the fact that Brackston writes in an adjective-heavy style, which grinds on my nerves after a while. The book has many lovely and haunting moments, but, especially in the beginning of the book, there are too few.

The Silver Witch is a haunting read drenched in Welsh countryside and Celtic history; recommended for lovers of magic realism.

[Beth C.]

Two lives, centuries apart. Intertwined in ways that neither could have imagined, battling an evil that could destroy what they both love the most. This is the basic premise behind The Silver Witch, by Paula Brackston. A story about history, love and grief, with a little bit of witchcraft in the mix.

Tilda Fordwells is still hurting after losing her husband in an accident a year ago. Before he died, they bought a cottage in a remote part of Wales overlooking a gorgeous lake valley. She finally musters the strength to move into their cottage and to begin working on her art again, when strange things start happening to her. As she tries to discover whether she is finally losing her mind in her grief, Tilda learns that - sometimes - the past truly can come back to haunt us.

I hesitated for a while before I finally decided to try this. My pile of books to be read gets larger and larger, so I am trying to be a little bit more selective in what I choose. However, the Celtic history is what finally drew me in, and I'm quite glad it did. I truly enjoyed the story, and the way it moved between the story of Tilda in the present and Seren in the past. Sometimes, the frequent back and forth can be disconcerting and disorienting, but that was definitely not the case here.

I not only enjoyed reading this book, I plan to look up the other books by Brackston and check them out as well. And with my huge TBR pile, this is saying quite a bit!