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vikaoverdrive's review
5.0
This is not for the faint of heart, the squeamish or the HEA crowd, for sure. The writing is great, all of the descriptions are so vivid that, as you read, its hard to not recoil in horror. I took my time absorbing this one, and so should you.
farfalle's review
4.0
This story is about a young woman who is accused of being a witch and is subsequently tortured, tried, and executed as a witch in 1600s Germany.
What I really enjoyed was how this story highlights the senselessness of the witch trials--all it takes is someone to cast doubt upon someone else, and they come under suspicion. Suspicion is enough to condemn them. That initial report does not have to be motivated by, you know, the truth or anything resembling it. While this comes up in other works, I think here--where it focuses on one person's short journey and boy does it not hold back--it is much more uncomfortable of a truth (in a good way for the reader). But at the same time, in this work, the interludes regarding satanic rituals cast doubt upon what you think you know about the young woman and whether she is in fact a witch, or at the very least whether she's got some bad motives (but don't we all?). The same is true of her confession, and the way it's worded, or at least that's how I read it.
The prose was good; the use of specific verbs with certain sounds and connotations lends the book a macabre and harrowing atmosphere. I thought the torture scene in particular was fantastic; it captures pretty well my understanding of what happens to a lot of people while in situations like that, including the distancing from the self. Overall, the story was horrifying because it happened to so many women (and others, but a lot of women). I also really enjoyed the framing of this story, which to me spoke to woman's position in this patriarchal society--they are accused, tortured, and tried by a system set up by and set up (at this time at least) to serve primarily men (the church and the state). The trials that the main character undergoes (all sorts of violations to her body, over which she lacks control) just highlights how little power and agency women had. And when they tried to take agency for themselves, like the main character here, they were punished. A great read.
What I really enjoyed was how this story highlights the senselessness of the witch trials--all it takes is someone to cast doubt upon someone else, and they come under suspicion. Suspicion is enough to condemn them. That initial report does not have to be motivated by, you know, the truth or anything resembling it. While this comes up in other works, I think here--where it focuses on one person's short journey and boy does it not hold back--it is much more uncomfortable of a truth (in a good way for the reader). But at the same time, in this work, the interludes regarding satanic rituals cast doubt upon what you think you know about the young woman and whether she is in fact a witch, or at the very least whether she's got some bad motives (but don't we all?). The same is true of her confession, and the way it's worded, or at least that's how I read it.
The prose was good; the use of specific verbs with certain sounds and connotations lends the book a macabre and harrowing atmosphere. I thought the torture scene in particular was fantastic; it captures pretty well my understanding of what happens to a lot of people while in situations like that, including the distancing from the self. Overall, the story was horrifying because it happened to so many women (and others, but a lot of women). I also really enjoyed the framing of this story, which to me spoke to woman's position in this patriarchal society--they are accused, tortured, and tried by a system set up by and set up (at this time at least) to serve primarily men (the church and the state). The trials that the main character undergoes (all sorts of violations to her body, over which she lacks control) just highlights how little power and agency women had. And when they tried to take agency for themselves, like the main character here, they were punished. A great read.
milkcatremedies's review
5.0
so so so Goth - morbid, gruesome, terrifying. A depiction of love in the margins, when the center of a community is so grounded in violence and fear. Love it.
julieuh's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I think Gretchen is the only person that could get me to read about literal torture. I look forward to her next work.