Release: August 6th 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Polygon
Source: Love Books Tour
Find it at: Amazon
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1648. Alie Gowdie marries Richard Webster during a turbulent time in Scotland’s history. Charles I is about to lose his head. Alie doesn’t know that she too will meet a grisly end within the year.
2019. Sarah Sutherland struggles to cope with the demands of her job, caring for her elderly father and on her daughter. She wanted to be an archaeologist. As a divorce woman in her forties, there seems to be no respite, no glimmer of excitement on the horizon. However, she has a special affinity with the Kilgour Witch, Alie Gowdie, of Sarah’s cottage until her execution in 1648. Sarah likes nothing better than to retreat into a world of sorcery, spells and religious fanaticism.
Her stories delight tourists as she leads them along the cobbled streets of her home town. But what really lies behind the tale of Alie Gowdie, the Kilgour Witch? Can Sarah uncover the truth in order to right a centuries-old wrong? And what else might modern-day Kilgour be hiding, just out of sight?
About the Author:
Born in England , Sandra Ireland lived for many years in Éire before returning ‘home’ to Scotland in the 1990s. She is the author of Beneath the Skin, a psychological thriller, shortlisted for a Saltire Literary Award in 2017. Her second novel, Bone Deep, a modern Gothic tale of sibling rivalry,an inspiration from an old Scottish folktale, will be out for publishing in the UK by Polygon in July, and in the US (Gallery) and Germany (Penguin) next year.
She also writes poetry, often inspired by the seascapes of Scotland’s rugged east coast. Her poems in anthologies, including Seagate III (Dundee), and New Writing Scotland have been widely on the print. She won the Dorothy Dunbar Trophy for Poetry, awarded by the Scottish Association of Writers, in 2017 and 2018. Sandra is Secretary of Angus Writers’ Circle and one third of the Chasing Time Team, which runs writing retreats in a gloriously gothic rural setting.
Sight Unseen Review:
I really enjoyed this book because there are just so many story-lines with few characters, that come together in a very interesting manner.
The author did a wonderful job with the characters. Sarah is mesmerizing in the lead, and I liked the various emotions she goes through. I also enjoyed her relationship with Grant. Moreover, I thought both of them had a very nice chemistry with a good mix of friendship and flirting. I didn’t think much of Grant in the beginning, but I adored him once he became John’s cater. Speaking of John, he was my favorite in the story! He is cranky and cribs a lot, but is very sweet, and I loved his story-line with the figures. I also learnt something new in the book about a syndrome which I was not aware of!
Another beauty of the story is how the author relates the past and the present with similar issues we face today. I also enjoyed the witch trials revolving around Alie Gowdie.
While I loved the above details of the story, I felt a few things could have been better. Firstly, I felt like the focus was a bit off. The story shifted focus equally between Sarah and John in the beginning, but later spent a lot of time on Sarah in the second half, pushing John aside. Also, there were some dialogues which sidetracked from the plot. On a side note, I also felt like Hannah’s relationship with Sarah was weak, and there was no closure to that part.
Apart from that, Sight Unseen was a fun story to read. It ends in a cliffhanger (which I did not see coming). Hence, I am excited to see how the story continue in the next book!
Blog Tour:
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Sight Unseen by Sandra Ireland Blog Tour hosted by Love Books Tour.
