The Witch of Delft

By: C. De Melo

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Renowned healer Lisbeth Vos concocts a cunning revenge against her childhood friend Hannah Brouwer for a wrong committed decades ago. The audacious scheme requires a marriage between Lisbeth's granddaughter and Hannah's widowed son. Desperate for her grandmother's attention and approval, Mila agrees to wed a man she doesn't know.

She begins entertaining doubts when Hannah proves to be a loving mother-in-law instead of the monster her grandmother had described. Mila is thinking and acting independently for the first time, going as far as initiating an illicit affair. Her refusal to commit a heinous act at Lisbeth's insistence results in shocking consequences.

With danger looming on the horizon, Mila discovers powers that have lain dormant beneath her grandmother's oppressive shadow. Now, she must learn to use her gift and salvage her only chance at happiness.

Holland's Golden Age comes to life in this suspenseful historical novel with a touch of magical realism.

©2020 C. (Christine) De Melo (P)2020 C. (Christine) De Melo

Great story!

Enjoyed the story. As always, C, De Melo transport the listener/reader to another time and another place beautifully.

Mila is a pawn

Gramma git her own karma. She made Mila's life a living h*ll carrying out her twisted wishes. What a twist at the end!!!! Freedom to live and love without being a pawn for evil 😈!!!!!! I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrator did a good job bringing it to life.

Didnt see that coming

This book was exciting from the first moment I started it. Story is well told and has you on edge. i cant get over how horrible the grandmother was. really goes to show you grudges are no good.

Very enjoyable story

I enjoyed the story a great deal. The main character is well developed as well as what ends up being her nemesis, her grandmother. I would have enjoyed a bit more development of the setting and the historical period, that was rather left in limbo other than the description of transportation, clothing, and common belief in spells and witches. Without giving any spoilers, I like the way the author works the interchanges between the main character and her husband, all the way through the end. I do recommend this read to people who enjoy this genre.

Another fun book from the Author

This, too was an enjoyable listen. The characters were well developed. The Main Character was extremely likeable. I enjoyed this book... and I look forward to more from this Author. The Narrator was good too, and the Character's voices were well differentiated.Thanks! This book was provided for free with an agreement of a fair review.

Great setting!

The heart of this plot is a love story and romance is not my thing. Yet C. De Melo made this book so engaging that I didn’t want to put it down. I love all the little details woven into the story; they really transported me to 17th century Delft. Mila is immediately approachable as a character. She is a little innocent and yet she also has this little kernel of forbidden knowledge: witchcraft! Yet she is embarking on the next phase of her life – marriage. So all sorts of new possibilities are opening up for her.

So while the romance plot was immediately predictable, I wasn’t expecting where the whole witchcraft thing would take us. Mila quickly settles into her new home, having recently treated Hannah’s latest illness. Hannah’s son (Eddo? Eelke? I’ll just call him E) is immediately smitten with Mila, but he has a bit of a roaming eye, which causes some drama.

I really like that Mila isn’t just some housebound baby-making machine. She’s got her healing herbs training (which runs in the family) and now she’s learning how to brew beer! Ah, to be a witchy alewife in 1692 Holland! But not all is tulips and warm goat milk; Mila’s grandmother (Lisbeth Vos) is interfering in her life. The plot slowly reveals Lisbeth’s true motives (which are described in the book blurb).

Ultimately, Lisbeth is the true villain of this tale but it’s not readily apparent from the beginning. I liked that it slowly became clear. She’s willing to use anyone as a game piece to attain her vengeance on Hannah, who she believes stole her one true love (Henrik) all those years ago. I did feel sorry for Mila’s mother, who was very meek. I wish the story had filled her out more, giving her more to do with the plot or at least more of a character. She’s just kind of a cowed woman, constantly belittled by her own mother (Lisbeth). Any woman could have stood in for this part.

Towards the end, things were looking pretty bleak for Mila. She’s in deep trouble and family, friends, and lover all turn their faces away from her. I was sure this was going to end on a low point. But there’s an unexpected twist at the end and I loved how it brought everything about. The story left me feeling satisfied and that some bit of justice was meted out. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Tanya Eby is the reason I gave this book a shot because I like her narrations. She doesn’t disappoint with this narration. She has the perfect voice for Mila, that of a young lady venturing into the next part of her life. I also really liked her crabby old lady voice for Lisbeth Vos. Her male voices were believable and she had enough variety in voices to keep all the characters separate. The pacing was good and there were no tech issues with this recording. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book. My opinions are 100% my own.

A surprisingly good story!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, to be honest. It took me about forty-five minutes to really get into it and to get used to the narration, but it turned out to be a story I couldn’t get enough of. Well written and well researched, with characters that lived and breathed on the page. Some twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting, which really held my attention.