#hesterfox

[vellumreviews]

The Orphan of Cemetery Hill - My Review

The Orphan of Cemetery Hill is a delightful, gothic mystery set in 19th century Boston. While maybe not as dark or as riveting as The Witch of Willow Hall, I still found myself enjoying The Orphan and read it in one sitting.

Inspired perhaps by the period's penny dreadfuls and the actual crimes of Burke and Hare, The Orphan follows the story of medium, Tabby Cooke, as she navigates life as the adopted daughter of a cemetery keeper. Tabby is also young orphan secretly sought after for her uncanny ability to speak with the dead. Her distant family seeks her to profit, others seek her for more nefarious reasons.

Interspersed with the story of Tabby’s gift is a murder mystery surrounding a young lady and series of grave robberies in addition to a love story. The love story was sweet but maybe a little unbelievable given the short, limited encounters Tabby had with this person. I was expecting more flashbacks to her child hood to help build the foundation but it was still nice.

4 stars for The Orphan is Cemetery Hill. Perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper, Jacaby, Rivers of London and more.

xx

Susan

[bucolicbook]

A Magic Deep and Drowning by Hester Fox

Pub date - 6/24/25

Clara looks forward to being married. Not for love, but for escape.

A retelling of The Little Mermaid (with a twist), set in the Netherlands in the 1600‘s, full of folklore and allegory, A Magic Deep and Drowning was so well written and obviously well researched, it succeeded in pulling me in right away.

I didn’t love the instalove between Clara and Maurits, but I did really like the story.

This was my first time reading the author, and I enjoyed this so much, I can’t wait to read more.

Recommended for those who love fairy tale retellings, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid this is also well suited for tween and teen readers.

Thank you to Graydon House and NetGalley for the DRC

A Magic Deep and Drowning by Hester Fox

[memoriesfrombooks]

The Book of Thorns

A blog about books and book reviews

The subtitle of The Book of Thorns by Hester Fox reads "an enchanting tale of two sisters connected by magic." However, the story is not really about the sisterhood or the magic. This is a dark story of war, abuse, survival, murder, and vengeance, not a story of sisters united across time and place because of a shared gift. Reader beware: The book also includes some explicit scenes. I walk away, sadly not the reader for this story. 

Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher’s blog tour.

[rqd-reads]

My next witchy read courtesy of @htpbooks 🤩 A Lullaby for Witches by @hesterbfox, available now 🔥 [sleeve by @galaxyinkdesigns] — synopsis — Two women. A history of witchcraft. And a deep-rooted female power that sings across the centuries. Once there was a young woman from a well-to-do New England family who never quite fit with the drawing rooms and parlors of her kin. Called instead to the tangled woods and wild cliffs surrounding her family’s estate, Margaret Harlowe grew both stranger and more beautiful as she cultivated her uncanny power. Soon, whispers of “witch” dogged her footsteps, and Margaret’s power began to wind itself with the tendrils of something darker. One hundred and fifty years later, Augusta Podos takes a dream job at Harlowe House, the historic home of a wealthy New England family that has been turned into a small museum in Tynemouth, Massachusetts. When Augusta stumbles across an oblique reference to a daughter of the Harlowes who has nearly been expunged from the historical record, the mystery is too intriguing to ignore. But as she digs deeper, something sinister unfurls from its sleep, a dark power that binds one woman to the other across lines of blood and time. If Augusta can’t resist its allure, everything she knows and loves—including her very life—could be lost forever. ________________ #HarperTeen #HarperCollins #ALullabyForWitches #Bookstagram #HesterFox #Bookish #EBook #Fantasy #YAFantasy #HTPBooks #Fantasy #WitchyBooks (at Saint Joseph, Missouri) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ2b-dRrUOg/?utm_medium=tumblr

[jennblogsbooks]

‘It’s the season for some witchy reads. Fall always calls for some ghostly and spooky books. I’ve realized I don’t have nearly enough! . 🧦 . 💬 What is your favorite ghost story? My top faves are The Haunting of Hill House and The Woman in Black. . 🧦 . THE WITCH OF WILLOW HALL by @trotfoxwrite is a deliciously creepy book and the perfect read for a dark, stormy Fall night 👻 . 🧦 . Thank you to @tlcbooktours and @harlequinbooks for the free copy! . 🧦 . Blurb: . New Oldbury, 1821 In the wake of a scandal, the Montrose family and their three daughters—Catherine, Lydia, and Emeline—flee Boston for their new country home, Willow Hall. The estate seems sleepy and idyllic. But a subtle menace creeps into the atmosphere, remnants of a dark history that call to Lydia, and to the youngest, Emeline. All three daughters will be irrevocably changed by what follows, but none more than Lydia, who must draw on a power she never knew she possessed if she wants to protect those she loves. For Willow Hall’s secrets will rise, in the end… . 🧦 . #socksunday #sockstagram #socksofinstagram #thewitchofwillowhall #hesterfox #graydonhouse #gothicfiction #spookyreads #ghostlybooks #spookybooks #tlcbooktours #jennblogsbooks #ghoststories https://www.instagram.com/p/BopuRpsh5fL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=kiofiopdpopo

[throneofshatteredbooks]

GIVEAWAY 🍁🍂 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Hey everyone happy Friday!!! Today I’m partnering up with @tlcbooktours to bring you The Witch if Willow Hall. Which I really enjoyed! It was a really good fall read. If you love historical fiction and you love witches you’ll really enjoy this. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ SYNOPSIS: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Two centuries after the Salem witch trials, there’s still one witch left in Massachusetts. But she doesn’t even know it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Take this as a warning: if you are not able or willing to control yourself, it will not only be you who suffers the consequences, but those around you, as well. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ New Oldbury, 1821 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In the wake of a scandal, the Montrose family and their three daughters—Catherine, Lydia and Emeline—flee Boston for their new country home, Willow Hall. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The estate seems sleepy and idyllic. But a subtle menace creeps into the atmosphere, remnants of a dark history that call to Lydia, and to the youngest, Emeline. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ All three daughters will be irrevocably changed by what follows, but none more than Lydia, who must draw on a power she never knew she possessed if she wants to protect those she loves. For Willow Hall’s secrets will rise, in the end… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Giveaway Rules •Must be following me, @tlcbooktours @trotfoxwrite and harlequinbooks • Like this photo •Share on your feed for up to 24hrs •tag some friends down below who would love to read this book. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #hesterfox #thewitchofwillowhall #graydonhouse #ghosts #gothicfiction #literaryfiction #spookystuff #mustread #tlcbooktours (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/Boie3-JlJDV/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1emsj8080wyka