The Village Healer's Book of Cures is a novel about a young woman who is attempting to stay safe in a village that has turned against her while discovering the truth of what is causing troubling events in her village.

Mary Fawcett is a healers living in 17th century England, during the depth of the witch hunts in England. When a Witch-finder comes to town he begins teaching the town to hate those who are different and fear the healing work Mary has always provided for her community. After a death incites even more suspicion Mary fears for her life and the lives of those closest to her even while attempting to solve the mystery of the death.

This novel is a conversation between the way humans behave when scared, and our worst instincts, and the dive to heal even those who may have hurt us. Mary is a woman who has been wounded deeply by her life and by the start of the book has seen more death in her own life then she should have had to endure. Yet even with the worst happening all around her she sees the good nature of others and holds to it. She defends those she loves eagerly, and is willing to treat even those who have wronged her.

The setting is perfect for a twisty gothic that has turns you won't see coming, and a darkness at its core that could only be fed by the worst parks of humanity. The true evil in this novel is no grand monster but humans, and what monster could ever live up to the monsters we turn ourselves into? The grey over cast on the whole novel seeps across the pages and I found myself not wanting to read this one in a dark setting, despite this in no way being a horror novel. It unsettled me to face down the most vile parts of humanity with Mary, and at multiple times I was actively worried about her and her brothers safety.

I would recommend this novel to those who want:
- A dark and twisty gothic
- Mysteries that keep you hooked
- To face down the worst of humanity
- A historical novel about the witch hunts
- A gloomy atmospheric novel

I would avoid if you are a bit squeamish, or are looking for anything cozy or easy to read.

I received an ARC of this book at no cost/for free, I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased ( )

Sadly DNF at 35%.

I really loved the premise of this and I adore stories about women finding their power when everything is stacked against them.

Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me and I don’t have a desire to read past this point. The writing and characters fell flat for me (they all kind of blended into each other) and the pacing was really, really slow. I don’t mind slow if it’s intriguing, but this just wasn’t. Did not feel excited, or even interested to pick it back up after putting it down.

I'm saddened because I really wanted to like this. ( )

Sadly DNF at 35%.

I really loved the premise of this and I adore stories about women finding their power when everything is stacked against them.

Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me and I don’t have a desire to read past this point. The writing and characters fell flat for me (they all kind of blended into each other) and the pacing was really, really slow. I don’t mind slow if it’s intriguing, but this just wasn’t. Did not feel excited, or even interested to pick it back up after putting it down.

I'm saddened because I really wanted to like this. ( )

great story of the suspicion women who healed came under ( )

Witchcraft and alchemy, when they appear in literature, often do so in a young adult novel teaching about the difference between such crafting and reality. In a twist, Jennifer Sherman Roberts attempt to spin these entities into a tale of historical fiction geared towards adults. Set in 17th-century England – the age of Republican passions and Reformation excesses – this tale weaves together a sketchy “witchfinder” and a plain but strong village healer. The female protagonist seeks to help her neighbors and keep together the little family that she has. From this combination emerges themes about the enduring value of love, whether of family, of romantic partners, or of neighbors.

All Mary Fawcett has left in life are her younger brother and her small business healing her village’s ailments. However, when a “witchfinder” (patterned after a real historical character) comes to town, he sows dissension among once-amicable neighbors. Noble characters, like Mary, are thrown into jail for suspected witchcraft… even though, in truth, they were really just trying to help others out. In an era when Oliver Cromwell battled the King’s forces, abuses run rampant in England, and the law is loosely interpreted.

Roberts sets up a series of characters’ situations into a tight knot so that she can unpack them in one deft climactic ending. She seems to hint at the outcome throughout the book, but I did not anticipate the resolution’s precise form! Both life in an English village and life in London in the 1600s are profiled in a way that brings them to life. It’s hard to imagine life before the advent of democracy and modern science, but Roberts stimulates the imagination to do so.

While this book’s topic hovers around witchcraft and discerning fact from fiction, Roberts still uses a little hocus pocus (in Mary’s mysterious manipulations of characters) to make the plot work. I find this technique unfortunate because such magic seems to take away from the main thrust of a new era of emerging truth. While this tale is still good, this shortcoming, central to the action, prevents it from becoming great.

This book is geared more towards adult readers who can appreciate a setting of England in a prior era. History buffs will appreciate the nerdy emphasis on alchemy and the perversion of religious impulses. Not much keeps this from hitting a teenage crowd other than a prerequisite appreciation for history. I find themes centering around when to trust one’s neighbors eerily familiar in light of modern politics. Unfortunately, eminent so-called leaders still like to sow dissent and distrust in order to gain power. Roberts’ book can help us sort out truth from lies in a familiar scenario that, sadly, remains with us. ( )