Book Review: Witchstruck By Victoria Lamb

Name: Witchstruck
Author: Victoria Lamb
Publisher: Random House
Release date: July 2012

Summary: Meg Lytton has always known of her dark and powerful gift. Raised a student of the old magick by her Aunt Jane, casting the circle to see visions of the future and concocting spells from herbs and bones has always been as natural to Meg as breathing. But there has never been a more dangerous time to practise the craft, for it is 1554, and the sentence for any woman branded a witch is hanging, or burning at the stake.

Sent to the ruined, isolated palace of Woodstock to serve the disgraced Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and half-sister of Queen Mary, Meg discovers her skills are of interest to the outcast princess, who is desperate to know if she will ever claim the throne. But Meg's existence becomes more dangerous every day, with the constant threat of exposure by the ruthless witchfinder Marcus Dent, and the arrival of a young Spanish priest, Alejandro de Castillo, to whom Meg is irresistibly drawn - despite their very different attitudes to her secret.
Thrilling and fast-paced, this is the first unputdownable story in a bewitching new series.

Review:

On hearing the summary of this novel it immediately had me desperate for a copy.

I have always truly loved the Tudors-dating back to my school days I really enjoyed studying it.
So for a series to be based on that time I was in awe.
The imagery and description of 'Witchstruck' has you on the edge of your seat.
It made me feel like a Tudor girl, minus the corset.
It's also made me long for a beautiful dress, that would be so tight I'd hardly breathe.
In meeting Meg I instantly loved her.
She's loveable, yet naïve and she also does the best she can for those she cares about.
The tension between Meg and witchfinder Marcus Dent is intense and hauntingly terrifying.
He's a horrible excuse of a man and poor Meg suffers so much at his hands.
Bereavement, betrayal, near-death and abuse are just a few things she suffers thanks to Dent.
At the beginning I thought Princess Elizabeth was a bit stuck-up.
But as the story went on the bond between her and Meg intensified.
Then as a reader I started feeling differently about her.
This book will have you on the edge of your seat.
I nearly missed my stop on the bus and could've overdone my lunch break.
You'd be hooked and eager to find out what was next.
The tension between Meg and the young Spanish priest, Alejandro was intense, confusing and lustful.
The sexual tension between the pair is apparent from their very first encounter.
What I truly loved about 'Witchstruck' was how intense and compelling it was.

Such an awesome way to start a thrilling new series, I am eager for more.