The Witch by Freida McFadden: My Book Review

Oh. My. God.

I loved this book!

I mean, I really, really loved it. The Witch by Freida McFadden was so good, so much fun, and exactly the kind of book I love getting lost in. I honestly didn’t want it to end.

In fact, I think I deliberately took my time reading it. Not because it was slow or difficult to get through, but because I was enjoying it so much. If I’d wanted to, I probably could have finished it in a day. Instead, I kept stretching it out because I wasn’t ready to leave this story behind.

And here’s something funny.

In one of my earlier blog posts, I mentioned that I wasn’t particularly interested in books about witches. But I think I need to clarify that statement.

When I said witches, I was picturing the traditional, standing-around-a-cauldron, casting-spells kind of witch. That’s just not usually my thing.

This was not that kind of witch story.

Instead, The Witch had exactly the right amount of witchiness for me. It was creepy, mysterious, full of history, and had just enough of the supernatural to keep me wondering what was really happening.

And the twists? Oh, I loved the twists.

What I Loved About The Witch

The History of Pemberton and the Town

One of my favorite things about this book was how Freida McFadden incorporated the town’s history into the story.

Julia Barlow returns to her family’s old estate, Pemberton, and quickly discovers that there’s a lot more to the house and its past than she realized.

I loved learning about the history alongside Julia. The events surrounding the witch trials, the stories that had been passed down, and the connection between the past and the present made everything so much more interesting.

And I especially loved how McFadden told the story through two different timelines.

We follow Julia in the present while also learning about Caroline in the past. I thought switching between their stories worked beautifully. Every time we learned something new about Caroline, it added another piece to the mystery Julia was trying to solve.

I already knew Caroline had been burned at the stake, so I thought I understood where her story was going.

Of course, I was wrong.

And I loved that even more.

Julia’s Connection to the Supernatural

Another thing that immediately pulled me into the story was Julia’s experience at Pemberton when she was younger.

Something happened to her there. Something frightening enough that she carried that fear into adulthood.

And it wasn’t just a memory.

It actually left a physical mark on her, turning part of her hair blonde.

I loved that detail! It made her childhood experience feel like something much more than an overactive imagination or a scary story she’d convinced herself was real.

Then, when she returns to Pemberton, strange things start happening again.

Naturally, I was hooked.

Was the house haunted? Was someone deliberately trying to scare her? Was there a connection to Caroline and everything that happened centuries earlier?

I wanted answers to all of it.

Henry and Everything He Knew About the Town

I also really liked Henry.

Well, most of the time.

I loved that Julia met someone who knew so much about Pemberton and the town’s history. He was exactly the kind of person she needed while trying to piece everything together.

But I also got so frustrated with him!

He could be incredibly dismissive of Julia and the things she was experiencing. And considering everything going on around her, I wanted him to take her seriously.

Of course, we eventually learn why he behaved the way he did.

And once again, McFadden managed to make something that annoyed me earlier in the book fit into the bigger picture.

Julia and Her Grandmother

I also loved Julia’s relationship with her grandmother, Letty.

Julia has plenty of her own problems when she returns to Pemberton, but she genuinely cares about her grandmother and wants to protect her.

That became even more important as the story progressed.

With so many people hiding things and so much uncertainty surrounding the house, I appreciated that Julia’s concern for Letty remained such an important part of the story.

And by the end, I was really glad things worked out the way they did for both of them.

Let’s Talk About Those Twists

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: The following sections contain major spoilers. If you haven’t read the book yet, skip ahead to “My Final Thoughts” to avoid ruining the surprises!

I don’t even know where to begin because there was so much going on!

First, Celia.

Or should I say, Ethel?

Finding out that Celia had killed the real Ethel and taken her place was awful. And then realizing how much she’d manipulated everyone around her made it even worse.

She used Letty because she wanted the house. She used Mick, too, making him behave as though ghosts were everywhere and helping create the impression that Pemberton was haunted.

Suddenly, so many of the strange things that had happened started making sense.

And I hated how thoroughly she’d taken advantage of people, especially Julia’s grandmother.

I was very glad Celia finally got what she deserved.

But what I loved most was that the explanation didn’t necessarily explain everything.

So, Were There Really No Ghosts?

This is the part I keep thinking about.

By the end, we’re led to believe that the haunting was largely manufactured. The strange events, the ghostly activity, and so much of what Julia experienced had explanations that didn’t involve the supernatural.

Except…

Who said “Ceeellliaaaa” on the recording?

And who, or what, whispered that name to Julia when she was younger?

That childhood experience was one of the reasons she was so afraid of Pemberton in the first place.

So, if there weren’t really any ghosts, how do we explain that?

I have my own theory.

I think Caroline really was there, and I think she was trying to protect her family.

Maybe not everything happening in Pemberton was supernatural. In fact, we know much of it wasn’t.

But I don’t believe that means nothing supernatural happened.

And I absolutely loved that McFadden left me with that question.

After everything was explained, there was still just enough mystery remaining to make me wonder whether the house had been haunted after all.

For me, that was the perfect way to handle the supernatural side of this story.

Caroline’s Story Wasn’t What I Expected, Either

I also loved what McFadden did with Caroline’s story.

Because we know early on that Caroline was burned at the stake, I thought I had at least that part of the mystery figured out.

I didn’t.

The truth behind what happened was another twist I didn’t see coming, and it made the historical storyline even better.

That’s one of the things I enjoyed most about The Witch. Every time I thought I understood something, another piece of information changed the way I looked at it.

Nothing was quite what it seemed.

I Loved the Ending

After everything Julia and Letty went through, I was so happy with how the story ended.

I particularly loved that even though the family sold Pemberton, the house would be preserved rather than lost.

And Julia getting to manage it?

Perfect.

After spending so much of the book trying to uncover the house’s history and protect her grandmother, it felt right that Julia would become part of preserving that history for the future.

I couldn’t have asked for a more satisfying ending.

My Final Thoughts on The Witch by Freida McFadden

I honestly can’t think of much I didn’t enjoy about this book.

I loved Julia. I loved the history. I loved Caroline’s storyline, the mysteries surrounding Pemberton, the twists, and that wonderful uncertainty about whether something supernatural had actually been there all along.

Even Henry, who occasionally drove me crazy, ended up being an important part of what made the story work.

And I especially loved that this wasn’t the kind of witch story I thought I wouldn’t enjoy.

It was the perfect combination of psychological thriller, historical mystery, family secrets, and supernatural suspense.

This is exactly the kind of book I want to read more of.

If you enjoy creepy old houses, stories that move between the past and present, mysteries with plenty of twists, and just enough supernatural activity to make you question what’s real, I highly recommend The Witch.

And if you’re like me and think you don’t enjoy books about witches, don’t let the title scare you away.

Because this one?

I didn’t want it to end.