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It’s historical fiction you want?

Well, The Making of a Witch delivered.

Go read it now!!! 🌺

Now, before I start my review:

Dear seventeenth-century England, you were deeply unwell. 🧐

Usually, I am not a big fan of books that begin with the main character’s childhood.

I often find them boring or imprecise: adults trying to write children, but making them sound either too grown-up or too conveniently innocent.

But in this case, Judy Molland did a great job. 👏

Alice’s childhood voice felt real to me.

The way a child’s mind moves from one topic to another—thinking about A, suddenly jumping to B, returning to A, and somehow ending with C—made complete sense.

I remember thinking like that as a child and never feeling lost inside my own head. I do not think I have often read a book that captures that movement so easily and naturally.

Another thing I usually do not enjoy is when children in books sound like Anne of Green Gables, constantly talking, talking, talking.

I find that kind of child character annoying, so when Alice began asking questions, I was afraid the book might go in that direction.

But it did not.

The author managed to bring to life a smart, clever child without making her annoying or making her sound like an adult wearing a child-sized bonnet.

That is a big thumbs-up from me.

I also loved how Alice’s voice changed as she grew older.

It was wonderfully written, to the point where I wanted to jump into the book and say:

“Alice, please stop being so hard-headed!”

I suffered many times while waiting for the worst to happen.

Again, the author showed her skill by taking the reader right to the edge, making me want to stop reading for a moment because I was afraid of what might come next, and then allowing me to breathe again.

“Oh no, that’s bad…”
“Okay, okay, Alice is fine.”

That feeling stayed with me until the end.

I was nervous and scared for Alice many times, and that is a good thing because it shows how much I cared about her.

I gave the book four stars because, at times, it felt a little slow and repetitive. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In those moments, I needed more tension.

I needed more stress.

I wanted the story to push me harder.

But I have tremendous respect for the writer because the amount of research behind this book is very clear.

From herbalism and full-moon practices to the real historical events connected to Exeter, you can feel the work, the care, and the seriousness behind the story.

The history is not simply decorative wallpaper. It shapes Alice’s life, the danger surrounding her, the choices available to women, and the fear that could transform knowledge, independence, or difference into evidence against them.

Then I reached the ending.

And the ending destroyed me.

I cried when I discovered why Judy Molland wrote this book.

Suddenly, the passion and love I had felt while reading made complete sense. 🌺

That final revelation did not merely add context. It reached backwards through the entire story and made me understand the heart behind every researched detail, every danger, and every page devoted to Alice’s life.

So yes, four stars, mostly because of those slower moments when I became bored.

But I may change my mind in a few days, because I really did enjoy the read.

I also think The Making of a Witch is deeply underrated.

It deserves far more attention, far more readers, and far more conversation than it currently receives.

Historical-witchy-fiction readers, go find Alice. 🌺

Best for readers who love

historical witch fiction, seventeenth-century England, carefully researched women’s history, herbalism, folk practices, authentic coming-of-age voices, intelligent and stubborn heroines, slow-burning dread, real historical events, emotional author notes, and books that make the past feel frighteningly close

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Leave a comment below and tell me what you thought. Did Alice make you nervous too? And did the ending emotionally ambush you after you thought you had survived the seventeenth century?

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I review with honesty, psychological attention, emotional evidence, and full Lupe Farkas reader-chaos mode.

lupe@lupefarkas.com