The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Title: The Heretic's Daughter
Author: Kathleen Kent
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 332

Summary:

Sarah Carrier was six years old at the time of the Salem Witch Trials. A time of extreme intolerance, hysteria, disease and betrayal, Sarah lives through seasons of fear, anger and confusion.

Sarah always had a difficult relationship with her mother but through the story, she finds out more about her mother than just the tough exterior she showed. Her mother tells Sarah to lie. To tell a lie that will condemn her mother but save her own life...

Review:

This book is raw and absolutely honest. It's everything you never want to live through. Kathleen Kent, who is a direct descendent of Martha Carrier's, creates a horrifying story about family, sickness and intolerance.

I've always been interested in the Salem Witch Trials and this book was just the thing to understand the life of the accused. At first I thought Sarah would be an innocent little girl, like we all look at six-year-olds but she was an opinionated protagonist who wasn't as innocent as most people think of when they think of young children (then again, she lived in a very guilty time).

There were times when I wanted to jump into the book and smack around some people (especially during the trials) and there were times when I wanted to cry.

Although, the book did seem slow at some points. I stopped reading it for a while after I started and then picked it back up again because I need something to read. I'm glad I picked it back up because it definitely got better.

Sarah learns about betrayal, lying and heresy during this story but she also learns about the love her mother has for her.

This is a good book for those who like historical fiction. For those who like romance or light reads, this is NOT the book for you. It is a very heavy read especially near the end.

I'll give this book:

7 Roses!