Witches by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Story: 8
Presentation: 8
Total: 18
Publisher: Damnation Books
Paranormal Romance
To Purchase

Blurb: Amanda Givens is careful how she uses her powers. She doesn’t want the people of Canaan, Connecticut, to know they have a witch among them...even a good, white witch. For years, she’s lived quietly in a remote cabin in the woods with Amadeus, her feline familiar.

 When she’s wrongly blamed for a rash of ritualistic murders committed by a satanic cult, she knows she can’t hide any longer. She’s the one the cult’s after. More than that, she’s the only one who can stop them and prove her innocence. In doing this, she’s drawn back in time by the ghost of the malevolent witch, Rachel Coxe, who was drowned for practicing black magic in the 17th century. Now, as Amanda tries to rehabilitate Rachel's reputation in an effort to save lives, as well as her own, she has to rely on a sister's love and magical knowledge, and a powerful sect of witches called the Guardians, to help her get home safely.

Review: This book is not only about about witches, good or evil. It is much, much more. With a cast of wonderful characters, this paranormal read will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the very last page. It is a very sweet story about witches that could change even the most cynical's mind.

Amanda, a white magic witch has rarely used her powers in recent years. Especially in public. She knows the rules. Every spell costs a price. Big or small. Public use is strictly against the laws of witches. It's penalties are far greater. For if a witch were seen to be using her powers by a normal everyday person, it would mean fear and hysteria all over again for her kind.

Years of sadness in her life--the death of her mother, being labeled and chastised as a "freak", and the sudden loss of her beloved husband a few months ago--finally take their toll. Amanda is brought to the very edge of temptation and she wants her husband back. She would give anything to be with him again...after all, even a witch can only take so much. Caught in the throes of a summoning the dead spell, her familiar Amadeus saves her from sure damnation. Or so it seems.

When the outbreak of a sadistic, satanic cult murders occur, Amanda is reminded not only of the Witch Trials of her ancestors, but also a time in which she was physically forced to leave the town she grew up in. But living in Canaan, Connecticut should be easier for her. She stays to herself, bothering no one. Amanda throws herself back into the work of making pottery, tending to her home and visiting friends once again. Until, she is told her name has been written in the blood of the latest murder victim. Living with only her very opinionated cat/familiar Amadeus leaves her very little protection against what looks like a modern day witch hunt. Rarely do people ever change. Superstition and fear control even the most open minded when disaster strikes close to home. Amanda has now become the hunted.

Is it all about the difficult, intricate story of good versus evil? Or is it about the price we would be willing to pay to have the one we love more than anything back in our arms? Could it be--both? There's a fine line. Who wouldn't be tempted to cross it, just to hold their once in a lifetime love again?

You will have to read this book and decide for yourself. For, things are never really that simple.
Thank you Kathryn Meyer Griffith. I really enjoyed this book and I didn't want it to end. I became so involved in Amanda's life. I could feel her pain and her joy. It was almost as if she were a friend. And I really wanted to know more about her sisters and how their lives turn out. I am especially curious about Amanda's niece and whatever became of Rachel's children.

I recommend this book to everyone YA and older. A story with substance, fantasy and history. An emotion stirring, at times heartbreaking read that I am so glad I had the privilege to read.