Review for Boneset and Feathers by Gwendolyn Kiste

Boneset and Feathers is a beautifully written novel that I can genuinely say grabbed me from the first word. Set in a world where witches have come to resign themselves to a series of genocidal attacks from horrifically relentless witchfinders, it's also the story of a small village set just outside the central nexus of the witchfinders efforts, and with it, the story of a family destroyed by its own problems and the massacre of witches which have centered these horrors on the life of our main character, Odette. Odette, you see, is the witch who lived. After the witch-burning that took the lives of her family, she is also a figure with immense personal conflict and self-doubt, living in isolation in the woods and rarely ever coming into the village, even if she needs supplies. The villagers fear her, you see, and blame her for the things that befell their village and its surviving citizens. It doesn't help that on the one day that she truly must come into the village the birds have begun to fall from the sky, an omen of things to come.

Boneset and Feathers is a narrative I truly want you to step into and experience for yourself, in many ways I already worry I've said too much. Odette is a powerful voice expressing terrible things and I love what Gwendolyne Kiste has done with her story here, there are no wasted words or unexpressed experiences, you will genuinely want for nothing with her book and I sincerely hope you'll understand how much of a gift that actually is. Whether you're seeking a gothic novel, a book about witches and magic, or a narrative about perceived evil vs genuine evil this will absolutely satisfy, particularly if you want a novel that isn't overlong or too light on story. This is my first read from Kiste and I have already purchased some more of her work on the basis of this book. 

I was fortunate enough to been chosen to get a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.