Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 4/30/2019 + 1272 more book reviews

This is the second part of Speaks the Nightbird which for some reason the publishers decided to split into two volumes for paperback. I finished the first part, Judgement of the Witch several days ago and really enjoyed the story of a witch trial which took place in 1699. This second volume of the novel tells how Matthew Corbett, the clerk for Magistrate Woodward, tries to prove Rachel's innocence and the steps he takes to set her free. The novel delves into the hysteria of the times and how innocent people were blamed for unfortunate events that affected the well being of small towns and villages. Matthew slowly pieces together the truth which leads to a nefarious plot to try to make the town of Fount Royal come to its end. But why is this necessary and how was it done?

This novel was very compelling and kept me turning the pages through it's entirety. Not only was the story engaging but there was such a vast amount of information about the time-period it was set in. This included the day to day lives of the people in the village and how they viewed religion and superstition. There was also some vivid descriptions of the medical practices of the time that were somewhat stomach turning including bleeding the patients and using "blister cups" to draw blood to the surface. Of course these practices did a lot more harm than good. There were also details of the native American life in the area at the time that were quite interesting. This is the first novel in a series featuring Matthew Corbett. I will be reading more of these.

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