Constance, Connie to her family and friends, Goodwin is a colonial history professor specializing in the era of witchcraft, a.k.a. Salem. She is also a direct descendant of a woman who was tried and executed for the crime of being a witch. Sneaky comments from her mother and historical familial pattern have lead Connie to the realization that her partner, Sam, is in mortal danger. Now she must find a way to same his life, and hopes that her ancestors have the secret
I first read the synopsis and thought, "Sweet! Witches, a family history, actual pieces of history floating around, and action. What more could you ask for?" And then I was introduced to Connie, and I was disappointed. She was whiny, lack some common-sense (who doesn't have a cell phone with a crappy car?), and didn't seem to know her own subject matter. It took a lot longer than I hoped to read it because I stopped every time she did something ridiculous to take deep breathes.
The familial historical chapters were my favorite. I enjoyed reading snippets of fact combined with the imagination of an author. In this case, it was the ancestry that led up to Connie's concerns for Sam. Connie is trying to find a way to save Sam's life, while Temperance also did the same for her husband Obadiah. There were a couple of chapters dedicated to the woman accused and executed as a witch, so that did give a little bit of a spoiler to the ending. However, getting to the ending
I rated this novel 3 out of 5 stars, because it wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. It does start off slow, then a little over halfway through it picks up speed. Maybe if Connie hadn't been so whiny then I would have liked it more. I might decide later to read another book by Katherine Howe, but probably not one of the Lost Books of Salem.
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