River Witch by Cheryl Burman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From a young age Hester has always been different. She spends her time talking to the River. When she was only 4 years old, Hester met a strange man by the name of Aaron. He knows a lot about herbs and flowers and of their uses. He also can hear the voice of the river which is actually a goddess by the name of Sabrina.

Once Hester is older, her mind starts to wonder to the man she met years prior and of his knowledge. Her great grandmother healed the sick and hurt with her knowledge on plants and potions. Hester wants to be just like her. Hester decides to seek Aaron to teach her his ways. At first he is reluctant but once he realizes Hester will not stop until she gets her way, he decides to start lessons with her.

Hester’s mother has always been against natural remedies as it is seen as witch-like. She just wants Hester to be a normal lady, find a husband and birth his children. As Hester gets older, her mothers ambitions get stronger and Hester wants to flee the life her mother has laid out for her. She runs to Aaron only to find he agrees with her mother. He thinks it would be safer if they cease their lessons and Hester should go on to be a bride. This does not bode well with her and she decides to do everything in her power to get what she wants.

This book was not at all what I was expecting but in a good way. The synopsis doesn’t give this book justice. There is so much going on within the book and in different points of view which makes it even more interesting. I loved Hester, she was strong and independent (well as much as one could be in that day in age as a woman). She was determined and humble.

The only downfall for me personally is I found the book very repetitive. I found myself starting to read ahead when it started to say the same things which made immersing myself completely into the world hard.

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