Red Runs the Witch’s Thread
By
Victoria Williamson
Book Info
Genre: Historical Fiction/Adult/Supernatural
Length: 250 pages
Published: April 2024 by Silver Thistle Press
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.
About the Author
Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.
Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.
Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.
You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com
This is my fifth time reviewing a Victoria Williamson book as I know now that I will not be disappointed. Red Runs the Witch's Thread crosses different genres so beautifully that it gives you goosepimples and doesn't spoil anything having not stuck to one.
I thought Christian was a strong main character even though i found her a little bit off and quite unreliable which is cleverly shown in two time lines when christian was 11 and then when she was an adult.
I'm not going to go into detail on what the meanings of the book were for me but I 100% believe that this would be perfect for a Book Club. What I will see say is I was getting The Birds vibe directed by the one and only Alfred Hitchcock. You may wonder why I mentioned such a film as in my head Red Runs the Witch's Thread felt like a film playing in my head.
For all the above reasons Red Runs the Witch's Thread 5 big fat stars. Victoria has done it again.
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