DISCLAIMER: A copy of Red Runs the Witch’s Thread was sent to me for free in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to The Write Reads Tours and Silver Thistle Press for having me on this tour.

Blurb

Paisley, Scotland, 1697. Thirty-five people accused of witchcraft. Seven condemned to death. Six strangled and burned at the stake. All accused by eleven-year-old Christian Shaw.

Bargarran House, 1722. Christian Shaw returns home, spending every waking hour perfecting the thread bleaching process that will revive her family’s fortune. If only she can make it white enough, perhaps her past sins will be purified too.

But dark forces are at work. As the twenty-fifth anniversary of the witch burnings approaches, ravens circle Bargarran House, their wild cries stirring memories and triggering visions.

As Christian’s mind begins to unravel, her states of delusion threaten the safety of all those who cross her path. In the end, she must make a terrible choice: her mind or her soul? Poverty and madness, or a devil’s bargain for the bleaching process that will make her the most successful businesswoman Paisley has ever seen?

Her fate hangs by a thread. Which will she choose?

An eerie tale of lies, deception, and the supernatural from award-winning author Victoria Williamson.

Review

Christian Shaw is the reason malicious lies were spread condemning several women to their untimely demises. Now the past has come back to haunt her, how will she deal with the demons that reside in her mind?

The story is split across two time periods, 1697 and 1722, which follows two very different stages of Christian’s life. In 1697, she is an eleven-year-old who is being thrust into the throes of womanhood. Due to when the story is set, their views on womanhood are nothing like they are now. As the eldest of the family, Christian is expected to grow up, but she’s terrified as she’s seen her mother giving birth and does not want to do that herself. I believe that was one of her most relatable moments, as most girls/women likely find giving birth scary if they witness it.

The opposite side of this story is Christian as a woman when all of the horrid acts that she caused to happen have taken place. This is how I find her character to be polarising. Knowing what she did, does leave a sour taste in your mouth as you’re reading the 1722 period. However, I do feel she didn’t understand the consequences of her actions until she was faced with them. By which point, it was too late to stop the events from unfolding. In her adult life, she is now tortured by her past, but it’s difficult to know whether you feel sympathy for her or if her pain is deserved. You can feel as her mental state deteriorates in adulthood and it makes for an uncomfortable read.

It was extremely interesting to learn more about the thread-dying process and the witch trials as they’re both topics I’ve never had the opportunity to learn much about. Truthfully, I never would’ve thought about thread-dying if it hadn’t been heavily discussed in this book. The historical elements are well woven into the fiction.

All in all, I did really enjoy this book. It’s dark and disturbing, and will be well-received by fans of historical fiction.