The King's Witches

Told through the viewpoints of three women, this is a novel set in that disturbing and hysterical era in the late 1500s when King James VI of Scotland (later James I of England) becomes convinced that his scheming cousin, Lord Bothwell, has recruited witches in order to take over the throne and results in the infamous torture, trials and burnings of many women.
 
Anna is the King’s reluctant young Danish bride whose ship is damaged and delayed by tremendous storms on her way to Scotland, allegedly caused by witchcraft. Kirsten is her lady companion who has knowledge of Scottish ways and must educate the young Queen. Jura is a maid living at North Berwick who has rudimentary and innocent knowledge of ‘charmes’ and potions that help people.
 
Anna submits to her duty, but her heart is elsewhere with her tutor, Henry, and she doesn’t want to get pregnant so she can have her handfasting union with James annulled. Kirsten is a dark horse and is in secret communication with an unknown person in Scotland. Jura becomes the victim of her despicable employer Baillie Kincaid and flees to practice her skills in the Canongate area of Edinburgh.
 
There is a satisfying major twist in the inevitable result although the personal links between the women feel a bit contrived. The men of the church are the usual bigots who seem to get off on cruelty. Henry is shadowy and unconvincing. Jura’s quaint semi-Scots dialect can be distracting. And the current trend delving into the nature of the relationships between King James and his male favourites is given another outing.
 
While the background settings are well done and the novel is a good introduction to the topic of the witchcraft trials, it’s not the real story. *  There are some minor historical anachronisms that have slipped through as well, e.g. using the colour ‘navy’ blue – this didn’t come into use until nearly two centuries later with the creation of naval uniforms.
 
Three-and-a-half stars.

*  The non-fiction work "Bothwell and the Witches" by Godfrey Watson is recommended for anyone wanting to read more.


amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

Booktopia

---