"incantation" was a dark, compelling read set during the Spanish Inquisition. Through the eyes of a young Jewish woman, Estrella, the main protagonist, the reader witnesses a world full of evil and senseless brutality. Estrella's life as she knows it is stolen from her thanks to jealousy and vindictiveness. While Catalina showed her true ugliness, Estrella was a shining light.

This novel brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion but it was this line in the final chapter that moved me the most: Some people say, Save yourself and you save your life. I say, Be yourself and save your soul.

A compelling read. ( )

I loved the poetic writing and the realism. ( )

a good historical fiction story that covers a topic often joked about (the spanish inquisition) but not often actually learned about. I liked that it focused on family and culture but I didnt like the romantic aspects much since I felt they werent properly fleshed out or necesary. Also, for some reason all the copy I read had all the dialogue in intalics instead of quotations which I found confusing. But thats probably just me being picky. :P ( )

I give this book 3.5 stars. It's a quick read about a Jewish girl and her family in the time of the Inquisition. I don't usually read books about religion but this one caught my attention and it ended up being a story about family, friendship and love but also about jealousy, hate and lack of knowledge that always leads to terrible consequences. It's a small story that tells how a young woman escapes from her home in search of a place that will accept her. This book reminded me of the Second World War and all the lives lost. Bottom line: we should never forget who we are and stay true to ourselves no matter what. ( )

I listened to this narrator (Jenna Lamia) read other stories and I was fine with her work but in this one she uses a Spanish accent that I am struggling with. Between that and the subject matter which is not a high interest to me, I'm going to "abandon" and move onto another Hoffman novel. DNF