Review of The Revels by Stacey Thomas

The Revels is set in 1645, a time where the fear of witchcraft and the sport of witch-hunting was at its peak after King James I became increasingly paranoid about witches partnering with the Devil to assassinate him. This led to everyone accusing women of being witches for any reason, which 99% of the time led to the death of the accused.

𝑨𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆'𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔.

This quote had me sighing at the irony that reflects the contemporary life of women. How many times are women scapegoats for the acts of their male counterparts? For example, the #MeToo movement and a woman coming out to speak against a more powerful male. In 1645, would the victim be accused of witchcraft? Let that sink in.

Back to Nicholas, he is partnered with infamous former witch-hunter Judge William Percival, who is under pressure to become as brilliant as he once was. As rumours of witchcraft increase, we begin to understand Nicholas and his source of empathy - he can hear the dead, will he use this to protect the innocent, even if that means putting himself in danger?

𝐌𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠.

The whole storyline is both enlightening to this time in history and captivating thanks to Stacey's GORGEOUS writing. I found Stacey's writing style to be atmospheric and intoxicating. The way that she builds relationships creates her three-dimensional characters (Nicholas swoon) and creates the story. I felt like I was transported onto the cobbled streets of 1645, and I didn't want to leave. I loved the budding relationship between Nicholas and acquaintance Athamia, as well as seeing Nicholas learn more about himself, his maternal heritage, and the rippled effects of where the book ended. Historical fiction perfection!

Review by Danielle.

The Revels was published on 20/07/23 by HQ Stories.