When Evalina is imprisoned for witchcraft, will her supernatural bond with animals be her curse or salvation?In 1854, Evalina Stowe witnesses the murder of her brother by Dr. Dowdrick, an enraged client at the tailor’s where they work. Desperate to stop him, she rouses a swarm of wasps that sting the doctor while she stabs him with scissors, and then flees. At a subsequent job when birds race to … birds race to her defense, Evalina is declared a witch and sent to Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary.
While imprisoned, Evalina is horrified not only to learn that Dr. Dowdrick is still alive, but he’s experimenting on inmates. Determined to get inside his Eclectic Medical School, to expose his nefarious activities, she’s passionate about protecting fellow prisoners, especially Lewin, a child thief who knew her brother, and Birdy, a kind, resilient Welsh man serving time for a worker’s death while blasting granite for the railroad.
Evalina, her friends and her “wild beasts” work against time to unmask Dowdrick’s crimes when she participates with him in a symposium, showcasing Philadelphia’s premium doctors. If they fail, not only will the doctor’s evil deeds continue unchecked but Evalina and her crew will surely be hung.Actual historical figures such as Dr. Thomas Mutter and Charles Dickens spice up this fantastical thriller brimming with historical gems set in Philadelphia’s renowned penitentiary. Won a second place spot in The 2019 Valley Forge RWA Sheila contest.
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Witch of the Wild Beasts by Catherine Stine is fantasy/historical fiction about a girl in Philadelphia who has been sentenced to two years for allegedly calling beast and having them do her dirty work for her. The first instance was when she “called” a swarm of wasps to attack the man who was killing her brother. Believing him dead, she ran and was not arrested until a bird strangled a man who was attempting to beat her, by ramming his head and body down the man’s throat. She hadn’t really, although she had made pets of the birds. She hadn’t realized her power until then. In prison she manages to make friends of mice and insects as well as some people until she discovers a plot wherein a malicious doctor was experimenting on the inmates, to heir detriment.
This was an interesting story, looking at a multitude of things from a different perspective. Evalina was bright and hard-working. Her parents were dead and she had been responsible for her small brother. She had responded too slowly and he was dead. She was not a criminal or a witch but the story enumerates how people made both of those accusations and convinced others, simply for their own gain. It also illustrates the nefarious hold unscrupulous medicine men have over an unsuspecting public. She discovers than she can manipulate animals, but more importantly she can manipulate greed. This is in many ways a morality tale of the unfairness of prison, the greed of public officials, and the power than people have over one another. It was an intriguing and interesting story.
I was invited to read a free ARC of Witch of the Wild Beasts by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #witchofthewildbeasts