Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
May 1, 2012/in Fiction 14+ Secondary/Adult /by Angie Hill
BfK Rating:
BfK 194 May 2012
Reviewer: Ferelith Hordon
ISBN: 978-0552566117
Price: £12.99
Publisher: Corgi Childrens
Genre: Fiction
Age Range: 14+ Secondary/Adult
Length: 368pp
Buy the Book

Witchstruck

Author: Victoria Lamb

Meg Lytton has a gift; she is a witch just as her aunt is, with a real talent for power. However, this is no fantasy land. This is England in the 16th century, a time when witches are held in suspicion and witch hunters make it their business to unmask them. At this time Mary Tudor rules, keeping her sister Elizabeth away from court, a virtual prisoner. Meg, as lady-in-waiting to the young Elizabeth, finds herself in a perilous position, pursued on the one hand by the fanatical, Marcus Dent, witchfinder, and on the other by the handsome, charismatic Spanish priest, Alejandro de Castillo. The scene is set for a swashbuckling romance with the added frisson of the supernatural.

By choosing to set her tale in this period, Victoria Lamb provides herself with the perfect setting. Not only will it be familiar to her audience, not least from the television series ‘Tudors’ with its flamboyant style which is mirrored here, but it is a time of drama and change. There is the character of Elizabeth herself, nicely portrayed with her known interest in the supernatural and the focus for anti-Catholic conspiracies. It is these conspiracies that provide the sense of danger in the narrative, while the presence of the devastatingly handsome Spanish aristocrat, Alejandro, who is also a priest, introduces romantic tension.  There is enough historical detail to create a sense of period, while dialogue and action rather than extended description, ensure the plot moves along briskly. Meg is a lively heroine, and Victoria Lamb has cleverly taken a conventional romance, given it added colour and numerous plot twists to keep her readers on tenterhooks. They will certainly want to find out what happens next. An enjoyable recommendation for older readers – even adults – for whom gothic romance is their favoured genre.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Angie Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Angie Hill2012-05-01 00:00:542022-01-11 10:08:23Witchstruck

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue Bfk 272 May 2025
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Margaret McDonald and her editors Alice Swan and Ama Badu win the 2025 Branford Boase Award

July 9, 2025

‘The magic of poetry by heart’ Champions of the 2025 National Poetry Speaking Competition Announced

July 8, 2025
IBC

New National Year of Reading launching January 2026

July 8, 2025

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2025 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
Stunt Bunny: Medal Mayhem The Dragonsitter 
Scroll to top