Virtual Book Tour: Witch Woman by Jeanette Baker

Description:

In two different centuries, four hundred years apart, the lives of Abigail March and her daughter, Maggie, play out along parallel lines, both women blessed and cursed by a selective birthright and marked with a startling mutation, heterochromia iridium, one brown eye, the other blue. 

In 1692 Abigail and three-year-old Maggie, are accused of witchcraft. Most women who found themselves facing the hangman’s noose during this shameful time are innocent. Abigail is not. Summoning her powers, she sends her child through a time portal into twentieth century Salem. 


Maggie grows to maturity knowing nothing of her birthright until her foster mother’s death bed confession. Using her clairvoyant abilities and the medium of an ancient spinning wheel, she resurrects her past through a series of troubling dreams. 
Meanwhile Abigail locates the time portal and slips through, changing her identity, hoping to find her child and bring her home through the narrowing portal. 


Unknown to both women are the dangers of the old world’s dark forces, a swiftly narrowing time portal, and a missing child who desperately needs Maggie’s “sight” a sight that continues to blur as her ties to old Salem strengthen.

My Review:

Witch Woman by Jeanette Baker

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Maggie just one day appeared in the oldest grave yard in Salem.  Annie McBride takes on the mantle of taking care of her, knowing that there is something special about Maggie.  Unfortunately, Maggie doesn’t learn what that is until a deathbed confession sends her back to the town where she was found.  Struggling through the past of 400 years ago, she realizes that it is affecting her present in more ways than one.  Will she be able to solve the mysteries of the past in time to save her future and the future of a little girl?

This book was good, but it was confusing.  And let me explain why.  First of all, the first several chapters were very slow, and a bit confusing.  Annie is an interesting character that seems very predictable.  When she suddenly has a dream and packs her and Maggie up, it makes no sense to me.  There is no back story to explain why she is suddenly packing up and leaving. 

Then there is the issue with the time line.  The times kept flipping back and forth from the 17^th century to 21^st century, and if you weren’t paying attention, it got confusing.  Also another issue with this is the chapters/sections written in the 17^th century didn’t go in a true timeline.  It was all out of whack, which also made it hard to keep track with what had happen or what was going to happen.  In the wonderful words of the Doctor, it was all “wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, big ball of stuff”. 

I did find the characters enjoyable, especially Maggie.  Though, Maggie’s catch phrase of “I don’t understand” did get irritating as she kept repeating it, even what was explained seemed pretty straightforward.  Scott was the wonderful realist in the midst of a supernatural story.  Think of him as the cornerstone that kept all the fantastical firmly rooted to the ground.  And his skepticism was welcomed, since it is possible that we would also find it hard to understand such ideas as time travel and magic.

Overall, it was a good book, and interesting read.  But it could have been a bit easier to read if there had been some semblance of a flow.  I do recommend this book. 

Happy Reading!


Cana