The Witches of New York (Ami McKay's Witches, #1)

by Ami McKay

WITCH - noun. A woman thought to have evil magic powers; one credited with usually malignant supernatural power; especially: a woman practicing witchcraft with the aid of a devil or familiar. To those who say the world holds no more magic, I respectfully ask, are you certain of this? For this night, within the candlelit walls of a room near Madison Square, three witches are alive and well - one born of cunning, one born of ghosts, one born of wishes yet to be fulfilled. Eleanor St. Clair, Adelaide Thom and Beatrice Dunn have gathered to prepare for an evening among Manhattan's elite. By divination, enchantment, spellcraft and seduction, they'll carry out their work in the drawing room of a grand mansion on Fifth Avenue. Without the aid of a medium's cabinet or false knocks on table or wall, they'll peer into the future and call upon the dead. They have no need for the trappings of Spiritualism. 'Ready or not, it's begun...' Compelling, enchanting and utterly unique, The Witches of New York invites you on a journey ranging from high society Manhattan to the hidden voices of the budding suffragette movement, and on to the web of secrets that connects them all.

• ISBN10: 1409143503
• ISBN13: 9781409143505
• Publish Date: 19 May 2016
• Publish Status: Cancelled
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
• Imprint: Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Caffeinated Aspects:

• In a nut shell, this is the story of two witches helping a new witch find her place in the world during a highly religious, dangerous time in America. Eleanor St. Clair and Adelaide Thom own a Tea shop and welcome Beatrice Dunn into their home. She is a powerful young untrained witch.



• The tea shop was delightful and catered to women's needs. I loved that it was run by women for women. McKay used the store setting to highlight the climate for women during this period, and it felt natural and enlightening.



• Paranormal elements from ghosts to talking birds will delight listeners. McKay breathes life into these elements allowing readers to believe in magic, ghosts and more. The witches are aided by a talking Raven and a mischievous pair of Dearlies.



• Richly detailed with spells, lore, and witchcraft.



• McKay is to be commended for the research that is evident as the reader finds themselves amongst the good people of 1880 NY. Her depictions of the streets, townsfolk, climate, and dangers were outstanding. Atmospheric and beautifully crafted McKay pulls you into the tale and its characters.



• THE WITCHES OF NEW YORK weaves suspense, mystery, and magical realism into a believable tale. Steeped with religious overtones, we have a vigilante removing sinners and those practicing witchcraft or possessed of demons from this earth.



• The characters themselves are all unique, quirky and memorable. I enjoyed the banter amongst them and felt as if I were with them in the dark shop.



• Religion, oppression, prejudice and women's rights are all woven into the tale and offer plenty of discussion for those looking for a book club read/listen.



• Julia Whelan narrated and does a splendid job of capturing the female narratives, ominous tones, and ghostly entities.



• The ending wrapped up nicely, but the door was left open with a little suspenseful thread. I would definitely revisit these characters and story.

Decaffeinated Aspects:

• While I loved all the gritty details surrounding life in 1880 and the attention to witchcraft and its history, at times it slowed the pace down making listening difficult. I think had I read this, setting it down and picking it back up wouldn't have made it feel cumbersome at times.



• There were a few threads and characters I felt could have been eliminated from the tale. They did not further the plot and this would have made for better pacing.



• The audio lacks some of the rich details the print copy delivers. Newspaper clippings, drawings, and spells.

Audiobook provided by the publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[wyvernfriend]

Occasionally a slog but it was an interesting read. Sometimes vered into academic exploration of the uses of Witch as a condemnatory word about women who don't fit rigid societal boundries.