The Witch by Freida McFadden is a psycho-thriller featuring a haunted house with family secrets buried inside presented in dual timelines. A feast for Thriller fans.
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“Every night, the grandfather clock stops at exactly 3:41 a.m. The lights flicker without warning. And a disembodied voice cries for help outside Julia’s bedroom door.”
Book Review: The Witch
Okay, Freida… I see what you were trying to do here.
The Witch is definitely one of McFadden’s more unusual books. I will surely not have guessed who have written this book unless read. We get a creepy old mansion, witch trials, a dual timeline, family secrets, ghosts, murder and enough twists to make you question whether you were reading a thriller or accidentally wandered into a haunted history lesson.
And honestly? The dual timeline was probably my fav. part.
We follow Julia in the present as she returns to Pemberton for her grandmother, while Caroline’s story is set in 1692, when being accused of witchcraft could get you killed. Caroline’s chapters interests me more because it had got tension building around the plot. There was genuine danger, paranoia.
The present-day storyline, unfortunately, didn’t hit quite the same way.
The romance also didn’t do much for the story. Henry was there, Julia was there… apparently romance was supposed to happen.
The pacing was another issue. I was intrigued early on, but there were parts which will make you a little bored. (very slow paced)
Thankfully, the ending brings the chaos.
The twists are easily the strongest part of the book. Some twists genuinely surprised me, you are not able to predict the mysteries, is something which i liked in this book.
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For me, The Witch is at 3.5 stars, mainly because Caroline’s storyline, the atmosphere and those final twists kept me going, while the slower modern-day plot, romance and some of the paranormal elements are not my favourite.
A creepy house, a centuries-old mystery and enough family secrets to make me grateful my relatives don’t own a mansion.
| Genre | Thriller |
| Number of Pages | 352 pages |
| My Rating | 3.5⭐⭐️⭐️ |
| Release Date | October 6, 2026 |
The Witch by Freida McFadden Summary Spoilers
Julia has lost her job, her apartment and pretty much her financial stability, so she heads back to Pemberton, her family’s ancient Massachusetts estate, to help care for her grandmother, Letitia. Seems like a simple enough plan, right? Well… this is a Freida McFadden book. Obviously, the house has other ideas.
Pemberton seems creepy from the start. Things which if i were to be there, i’ll question straight away:
- The grandpa’s clock stops at exactly 3:41 every morning,
- lights flicker, (common horror movie….stuff)
- a woman crying outside her bedroom, (again)
- and strange things keep happening around the house. (obvious)
“Being accused is sometimes enough to make you guilty.”
Now if we see Caroline’s story, it’s far more complicated.
In 1692, Caroline is married to wealthy merchant Archibald Eldridge and befriends Hitty Atkins, an herbalist accused of witchcraft. After Caroline publicly defends Hitty, she becomes a target herself. Molly Howe, Caroline’s servant, gives false testimony against her, and Caroline is eventually convicted.
And here comes the first HUGE reveal.
Caroline and Jonas now have a problem: they’re fugitives.
Meanwhile, Julia is uncovering another horrifying secret in the present. The woman she believes is her great-aunt Ethel isn’t Ethel at all.
Other McFadden Books: The Intruder by Freida McFadden
The Witch Ending Explained:
Celia has spent years maintaining the deception, with groundskeeper Mick helping her. The supposed haunting was largely made to frighten people away from discovering what was buried at Pemberton.
What follows is a hunt by Celia and subsequent action-thriller. (very fast paced) So the house wasn’t haunted by a witch waiting to take revenge after all.
It was hiding murder, stolen identities, buried bodies and generations of secrets
Quotes:
“Some family secrets are better left buried.”
Is The Witch worth reading?
I appreciate that Freida tried something different here. This isn’t your usual fast-paced psychological thriller. It’s part historical mystery with paranormal & murder mystery twist to it.
Would I read it again?
Probably not.
Did I enjoy parts of it?
Definitely.
Read Psychological horror books such as House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, if you like this.
Who should read it:
- If you like reading about creepy houses with dual timelines
- If you are fan of psycho-thrillers with paranormal mystery.
- If you are a Freida McFadden fans who want something different from her usual thrillers
- If you looking for a spooky mystery for Halloween reading.
Books like The Witch by Freida McFadden:
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
- The Ex by Freida McFadden
About the Author:
Freida McFadden is NY Times bestselling author famous for her thriller novels like The Housemaid, Never Lie, The Inmate etc.
If you are a fan of Freida you can read the best Freida McFadden Books Ranked.
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