Catherine is a mean spirited and selfish woman who seems slightly off balance. Instead, it turned out to be more of a strange romance novel. I wanted a mysterious story with witches using their magic and ghosts creeping about the place.

The Witch of Willow Hall is not what I expected. If you like a ghost story on a slow burn then this is the book for you! Read more My rating is based on my personal bias and those who like the genre will probably disagree with me. A dormant power to control oneself and one's environment, that is almost domestic in nature. It was quite believable that this is the type of witchcraft that may have been practiced in Salem (or may even be around now). The witchcraft was not in-your-face which I actually liked.

The narrative being written in the present tense throughout took a bit of getting used to, but it was not as awkward as in other books where I have encountered the style. I liked how the characters were developed, and felt a lot of sympathy for Lydia. It is more a romance than anything else, really, since romantic relationships are the central focus of the tale. I would not call this a paranormal mystery as there isn't one all-encompassing mystery to drive the story. The beginning was quite slow, with many hints of scandal - incest, fratricide, witchcraft, hauntings etc. I do not like ghost stories! To be honest, if I knew this was a Gothic ghostie, I may not have picked it up!

The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox