OVERVIEW
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Following the successful Witches of Scotland podcast and campaign by Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell, this book was born. OMG! This incredible book will stay with me forever. The subtitle says it all: "The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women".
Salem, Massachusetts, receives all the publicity, but around 4.000 people (mainly women, of course) were accused of witchcraft for a much longer time in Scotland. This non-fiction book explores the histories of primarily Scotland as well as Salem, England, Norway, and the current day (yes, you read that correctly).
I'm in awe of these two courageous, outspoken, and amazing women. I would love to be their friend, but since that is unlikely, I will settle for "being a quarrelsome dame" against the patriarchy!
OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars
Writing: 5.0 stars
The writing is excellent, tongue-in-cheek, and incredibly sarcastic. Be still, my witty heart!
Both of the authors are top-notch writers who write beautifully about a horrific subject matter that is an obvious passion project. This is strongly researched material, but in no way read like a boring textbook!
The explanatory footnotes throughout the book are at the end of each chapter. So you can toggle back and forth in your reading, or read them all at the end of the chapter. Such a lovely touch!
Since this is a highly researched non-fiction book, there are a lot of resources, including a Reading Group Guide, Information About the Witches of Scotland Tartan (I had seen this on Instagram and hadn't put it together), Glossary of Scots Words, Select Resources (by chapter), and Image Credits.
Character development: 5.0 stars
There are thousands of characters in this book. Accused, convicted, condemned, and executed witch hunt victims (actually murder victims in my viewpoint). If available, the accusers and judges (powerful men and religious leaders who salaciously examined the accused for prurient reasons for the "mark of the Devil") are named, as well as the location. The biggest commonality is that the vast majority of them were women. Patriarchy, much?
Unfortunately, due to non-existent, "lost", or never created court records so long ago, some of these victims have no names, backstory, location, or ending to their stories. Hopefully, this information will someday be found and these victims acknowledged and remembered.
Storyline: 5.0 stars
The storyline is brilliant! It explains the reasons these victims were accused and what a money-grabbing racket it was. Many of these victims have their accusations, backstories, and murders explored and explained.
Geez, I would have been in big trouble during these witch hunts as I am outspoken, have moles and skin tags, can be quite quarrelsome at times, and am a woman.
Memorable/Informative: 5.0 stars
The biggest takeaway is that a witch hunt does not mean what politicians (cough, right-leaning) such as #47 use it for. Not shocking, at all!
Also, as someone with about 21% Scottish ancestry, I am pretty certain that I had someone in my family who was accused or an accuser. What a sad legacy!
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Perfect and powerful!
Book title: 5.0 stars
The Title and Subtitle are on fire!
Highly recommend
NetGalley eARC/ebook
How to Kill a Witch by Zoe Venditozzi & Claire Mitchell
315 pages
Sourcebooks
FUTURE release date: 9/30/2025
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
TRIGGER WARNINGS
Violence, violent murder, executions, sexual content, sexism, misogyny, suicide, grief, war, classism, xenophobia, and graphic cursing and sexual content.
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
