Book: The Witches of Cambridge: A Novel by Alice Hoffman
Reviewed by A Court of Inked Margins
Rating: 3/5
⭐⭐⭐½
I really thought The Witches of Cambridge was going to be one of those books I couldn’t put down. A secret society of witches, 1950s Cambridge, disappearances and history repeating itself? It had pretty much everything there to pull me in.
And in some ways, it did.
The atmosphere was probably my favourite part. There was something about Cambridge, Lilith House and the history surrounding the witches that I really enjoyed. I especially liked the parallels between the witch hunts of the past and the fear surrounding the McCarthy era. The historical side mixed with the magic gave the story something different.
But I kept waiting for that moment where everything clicked for me, and it never fully came.
The story was quite slow, and at times it felt like I was moving from one scene to another without really getting the chance to settle into what had just happened. There were some genuinely interesting ideas being introduced, but I wanted them to go further.
I felt similarly about Ava and Lauren. On paper, I loved the idea of these two completely different women finding each other through the Lilith Society. I liked their friendship and the contrast between their lives, but I wanted to know them more. I never quite reached that point where I was completely invested in either character.
It’s a shame because there is so much here that I normally love. The magic, history, mystery and witchy setting were all there; I just wanted a little more from the plot and characters to pull everything together.
The Witches of Cambridge wasn’t a bad read by any means, just not quite the read I thought it would be. I can see the slower, more atmospheric storytelling working really well for other readers, and I’m still curious enough about the world to see what comes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review The Witches of Cambridge.