January 2026-The First Witch of Boston > Likes and Comments

This is the discussion for our January 2026 read The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano. Please mark all spoilers.

I look forward to reading this but won’t get to it for a week or two.

I am a new member and this book is in my TBR. Excited to be here.

Welcome, Frances!

I'm on hold with my library so waiting for the hold to come in.

I am about halfway through. I’m interested in the setting but am not loving the writing. For me the author falls prey to some of the usual pitfalls of a first-time author, such as not trusting the reader enough. She has a character tell a joke in dialogue and then feels compelled to tell us that it’s a joke. Similarly, she feels the need to tell us over and over that the protagonist feels foreboding about another character’s words. I think readers enjoy a book more when they discover such things for themselves.

Bummed my library doesn’t have this! I look forward to getting my hands on a copy though.

Finished it; reviewed here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I recommend people not read the review if they plan to read the book; there are no spoilers, but it might color your view.

Will be starting this next week and now feel a little ambivelent after reading Abigail's comment in msg #6. As she suggests, I'll wait until after I've read the book before reading her review. Thanks, Abigail, for the heads-up 🧚‍♀️🙋🏼.

Valerie Book Valkyrie wrote: "Will be starting this next week and now feel a little ambivelent after reading Abigail's comment in msg #6. As she suggests, I'll wait until after I've read the book before reading her review. Than..."

My standards tend to be rather demanding! So don't take my word for it necessarily. It's an interesting story.

I just finished this book. I think the topic is compelling. The bold choice at the beginning is what made me want to continue reading. However, I agree with Abigail’s assessment about the writing style of the author. Less is more.

I really enjoy this book. However, I had a hard time feeling that the characters were people that would have lived in 1646. While I enjoyed reading about them, I never connected with them.

For myself, I felt very good about the characters and their actions. In every generation, there are stand-out people who are 'ahead of their time'. These two fit that description.

Very well done!