The Familiars, Stacey Halls
The Familiars, Stacey Halls
5 Rating(s)
List: $24.99
On Sale: $6.99

The Familiars

Author: Stacey Halls

Narrator: Billie Fulford-Brown

Unabridged: 9 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/19/2019


Synopsis

From the Author of the Sunday Times Bestseller, Mrs. England!

In 1612 Lancaster, England, the hunt for witches has reached a fever pitch…

But in a time of suspicion and accusation, to be a woman may be the greatest risk of all.

Fleetwood Shuttleworth, the mistress of Pendle Hill’s Gawthorpe Hall, is with child. Anxious to produce an heir, she is distraught to find a letter from her physician that warns her husband she will not survive this pregnancy.

Devastated, Fleetwood wanders the estate grounds, where she catches a young woman poaching. Alice Gray claims she is a local midwife and promises to help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby. But a witch-obsessed frenzy sweeps the countryside. Even woodland creatures or “familiars” are thought to be dark companions of the unholy. And Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft.

Time is running out. The witch trials are about to begin. With both their lives at stake, Fleetwood must prove Alice’s innocence. Only they know the truth.

Set against the real Pendle witch trials, this compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives of seventeenth-century women. Ultimately it raises the question: Was witch hunting really just women hunting?

About Stacey Halls

Stacey Halls was born in 1989 and grew up in Lancashire, England. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and has worked as a journalist since the age of 21, writing for publications including The Independent, Fabulous magazine, Stylist and Psychologies. She lives in London with her husband. The Familiars is her first novel. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer on December 19, 2021

Four surprising witchy gothic also frustrating stars! I cannot really believe in this is a debut novel because the story is so well crafted, detailed and smartly written. Well if it’s just first work of this writer, I voluntarily like to read her future works. So this is two women’s amazing fight and......more

Goodreads review by Shelley's Book Nook on October 05, 2023

My Reviews Can Also Be Found On: The Storygraph and The Book Review Crew Blog The best thing about this book is the fact that it is loosely based on real events and real people. I decided to read this book because of the season as it is listed as gothic historical fiction, throw in some witches and I......more