These are the words the reverend of the Lilin Assembly of Our Lord repeats to his parishioners each week. Steve and Nicole Warby think it’s just a metaphor, until Nicole takes a walk in those woods and comes back changed. Something came out of them with her, and the simple small-town life they’ve always known is forever altered when they discover the dark secrets buried deep and those intent on keeping them there. Fearing for his wife’s sanity, and his own comfortable status in the church, Steve is unsure if he wants to help or ignore the problems. The reverend believes there are witches in the woods, and he thinks Nicole is only the most recent.
Conjuring the Witch is a dark, haunted story about what those in power are willing to do to stay in power, and the sins we convince ourselves are forgivable.
Are there witches in the woods? Or has the reverend twisted religious dogma to his own interpretation for his own agenda? That is the question to be answered in this stunning work of horror fiction by Jessica Leonard.
Nicole Warby is searching for her niche in this world. She wants to make her husband happy and fit in with the church ladies, but she is pretty sure there must be more to life than cooking and cleaning and being submissive to her man as the reverend constantly preaches.
Her husband Steve is a sort of go-along to get along kind of guy. He wants his wife to be happy but he is also sometimes embarrassed by her behavior.
As much as they are warned about the woods, Nicole feels something pulling her towards them. Sure they are a little dark and spooky but just maybe they have a story to tell.
Nicole is not quite the same after her venture into those woods and the congregation will never be the same either.
I loved this book! I loved Nicole and her refusal to just bow down to hypocritical oppression. The reverend gave me the creeps from the start. I could almost picture him as a smarmy sort of salesman pitching himself as speaking for God, and telling people how to run their marriage as if he had a clue about how marriage works. I can't say that it was a big surprise to find out what is really in the woods, but I didn't need it to be a shock in order to enjoy this atmospheric story. It spoke to me on so many levels.
5 out of 5 stars.
My thanks to Ghoulish Books.
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