"The Village Healer's Book of Cures"

The Village Healer's Book of Cures by Jennifer Sherman Roberts

Amazon First Reads Pick

Pages: 256 Genre: gothic historical fiction

Rating: 4 Stars

This book brings us to 17th-century England in the middle of the witch crisis. Mary Fawcett is a healer who has spent her life taking take of the people in her village. Things are good for her, until Witchfinder Matthew Hopkins arrives and is convinced there's evil afoot. Now the healing skills that the town has always treasured Mary for are considered suspicious, making Hopkins get a little too close to her and her brother (who she has been in charge of since her parents' passing). Things go really downhill when one of Mary's patient's husband is found murdered, his body carved with strange symbols. Hopkins is sure it is proof of the dark arts, and Mary is forced to trust a stranger: an alchemist with an unnerving awareness of these strange events. Mary must figure out how to outsmart the witchfinder, clear her name of all charges of evildoing, and not put her brother in any danger.

This book is different than what I would normally go for, so I was a little nervous about it (I actually only picked it because it started with a V... ), so I was pleasantly surprised to find how much I enjoyed it. It wasn't perfect, but I had a good time reading it.

My favorite part of this book was the atmosphere. While I was reading, I was in 17th-century England. Granted, I don't know enough to know if it was accurate, but it worked for me. Roberts' commitment to the voice of Mary — a widowed woman in that time period — really brought the story together. She seemed very realistic and natural in this role. I also just really enjoyed the environments themselves. I struggle with picturing locations, but the emotional impact of Mary's town was enough to make it real to me. I would read a million more books from Roberts if they could all capture the same feelings that this one did.

Admittedly, the writing itself did not always match up to the quality of the ambiance of the story. There were times it felt rather juvenile, and I was constantly frustrated with Roberts' insistence on telling instead of showing. Sometimes it works, but there were many moments where a reveal or connection would have felt more fulfilling if I had been allowed to make it myself. Regardless, I did think the story was generally well-crafted, and I did get quite invested in it. My qualms with the writing were not enough to affect my overall experience.

I will say that I wanted more for the romance. This is a very strange request for me, but I actually appreciated that subplot. Unfortunately, it always seemed as though I was being held at arm's length. I understand that this is a period story which makes courting customs different, but every moment of tension just immediately fizzled out, and their conclusion was more of a business deal than a romantically-motivated proposal. I think there needed to be more intimacy between the two characters (not sex, to be clear, just more personal) throughout instead of just to hit a plot point.

Overall, this book was good. I had fun reading it. The time period and societal differences were presented through a fascinating set of characters. So, even though I had some issues with the writing, it wasn't enough to ruin my experience.