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Sarah L King
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The Gisburn Witch (Witches of Pendle Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Sarah L King (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 193 ratings
A tragic tale of friendship, passion and betrayal set against the backdrop of the Pendle witch trials of 1612, one of the most famous witch trials in English history.

Scandalised as a young woman after being accused of seducing Tom Lister, a gentleman’s son, Jennet Preston’s life is filled with shame and hardship. An outcast in her own village, she befriends the Device family in Blacko, and she is quickly embroiled in their world of folk magic and superstition, of old family feuds and dangerous reputations.

When fate intervenes to reunite her with Tom, Jennet risks everything for love and happiness, but when tragedy strikes Jennet finds that she is vulnerable to accusations for which she could pay the ultimate price. The Gisburn Witch is a novel about falling in love with the wrong person, making the wrong friends, and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Witches of Pendle
  2. Print length
    283 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    June 1, 2015
  6. File size
    2.4 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 3 books in this series.
This option includes 3 books.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a haunting, fascinating story. I had not heard of the Pendle witches, so partway through the story I looked them up. That was perhaps a spoiler, but I think it actually heightened the sense of dread and inevitability, which the author does very well in playing on through the last half of the book."- Deborah Lincoln, Author of Agnes Canon's War

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00XM4UA9M
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ethersay Publishing
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 1, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.4 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 283 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ Witches of Pendle
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 193 ratings

About the author

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Sarah L King

Sarah L King

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Sarah L King writes historical fiction and contemporary mysteries which she self-publishes via her own Ethersay Publishing imprint. These include historical fiction novels, The Gisburn Witch (2015), A Woman Named Sellers (2016) and The Pendle Witch Girl (2018), all set during the Lancashire witch trials in the seventeenth century. She is also the author of two contemporary mystery novels, Ethersay (2017) and The House at Kirtlebeck End (2019). Her latest novel, The Wax Artist, was published in 2021 and is the first in a planned historical mystery series set in Georgian era Edinburgh.

She also writes historical romance novels under the name of Sadie King, and has Regency romance novels published by Harlequin Mills & Boon.

Sarah L King was born in Nottingham and raised in Lancashire. After graduating with a degree in History from Lancaster University, she moved to West Lothian, Scotland where she now lives with her husband and children. When she’s not writing, she loves long country walks, romantic ruins, Thai food and travelling with her family.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
193 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • P. Sikora
    5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting Historical Fiction Novel
    Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The story is based around the events that led up to the infamous witch trials of Pendle in Lancashire, England during the early 17th Century. The specific story we follow in this book is that of Jennet Preston, a woman who was from the village of Gisburn which is in the neighbouring county of Yorkshire. Scandalised as a young woman after being accused of seducing Tom Lister, a gentleman's son, her life is soon filled with shame and hardship. As an outcast in her own village she befriends the Device family in Blacko and is quickly embroiled in their world of folk magic, superstition, old family feuds and dangerous reputations. When fate intervenes to reunite her with Tom, Jennet risks everything for love and happiness, but when tragedy strikes Jennet finds that she is vulnerable to accusations for which she could pay the ultimate price.

    My first comment on the novel is in regards to the pacing, the novel does start off relatively slowly as King attempts to introduce the reader to Jennet herself and the society she lives within. Then, as the story progresses the pace gradually increases until the final part of the novel flies by as the tension builds and the drama unfolds. I pretty much read the final quarter of the novel in one sitting as I really wanted to know how this obvious tragedy was going to unfold. Other than that, the writing was very competent and it had a decent descriptive element which really helped to bring out the obvious love felt by the author for the Lancashire countryside and climate.

    In regards to the characters, I found myself quite split as there is basically nobody in this book who you could define as being a classical "good guy"; even Jennet herself acts and behaves in a manner which I didn't always like. I actually found myself moving from an initial feeling of pity for Jennet, to frustration with her, to mild anger and then back to feeling a sense of pity for her again. King has basically tried to create people with flaws and defects in an attempt at providing an element of realism within the novel which is commendable but at times it did lead to me wondering if I would end up caring about any of them by the end. Thankfully, as mentioned above, I did feel sorry again for Jennet by the end and I especially felt a sense of empathy for her husband, William who had suffered a lot throughout the novel.

    Overall, I did really enjoy the book, it isn't a genre I read regularly but I think it was a well written, successful attempt at trying to bring to life a real historical tragedy with people full of their own hopes, weaknesses and flaws. If you are interested in exploring a Historical Fiction novel that takes a look at some of the lives of the common people within English 16th/17th century society rather than royalty etc. then I think you should give this book a try.
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  • Jody Fernandez
    4.0 out of 5 stars Pendle Witches
    Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2020
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I had never heard of the Pendle and it's witches. Always up for a new story. Slow start introducing the main characters but picked up quickly
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  • Jelane
    5.0 out of 5 stars Such a Beautiful Story
    Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2015
    Format: Kindle
    I'm shocked that this book doesn't have more reviews. It is beautifully written and a must-read for lovers of historical fiction. Due to the topic this book is based on along with the description, I knew things probably wouldn't end well for Jennet. Regardless, I maintained hope throughout that things would somehow work out, that maybe the author would throw in an HEA just to make readers happy. Maybe she did and maybe she didn't. You'll have to read it to find out. But I will say that ending was heartfelt and had quite an impact on me.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • sasha king
    5.0 out of 5 stars So sad....
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 24, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    So sad that so many innocents were killed back then due to fear, anger, jealousy or superstition. Now a days we did name these 'bewitching' as having strokes, heart attacks or epilepsy to name but a few. I loved the way the author built up a story around very few facts of Jennets life mainly how and when she died and connecting her to Thomas Lister Snr due to her name being the last words recorded he said wen he died. It's a totally believable story how this woman's life led up to such terrible events that unfortunately many women also suffered around this time due to the witch trials...A worthy read for sure..
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  • Artist in Residence
    4.0 out of 5 stars I didn't put it down until it was done.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 12, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I bought this originally to support a local author. I don't typically buy 'romance' but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The story is well researched and the characters are believable. It's an easy read and well written. I didn't put it down until it was done.
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  • Michael
    5.0 out of 5 stars Difficult to put down, a brilliant read.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Where to begin? The Gisburn Witch is a novel which follows the life of Jennet Preston over many years. As to be expected in any novel which undertakes such a long period of time there are often gaps of several years between each chapter, but the author did great job in working in important information for the reader without it feeling forced. As a reader I welcomed this more than just as the tools for the story but I found myself generally interested in Jennet's life. What struck me about this novel is that I only really felt bad for one character and it wasn't the one I expected from the outset. I won't reveal details as I do think this novel is truly worth a read, but it did me take by surprise. That's not to say the other characters were undeserving of empathy and compassion, but in some ways they were their own worst enemy.

    There wasn't much that I considered negative about the novel. To nit pick certain sections felt a bit rushed or to put it another way only lightly touched on situations which I think could have been expanded upon. I feel this would have conveyed the mood and feelings of the character better and would have been welcomed. This is nitpicking as I said and certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel.

    The book itself is an easy read and very hard to put down, in fact I read it within two sessions as I just wanted to continue with the story until completion. I never once felt bored, tired or struggled to get to the end of a chapter. Being historical fiction a lot of the characters existed and witch trials certainly took place. Being generally ignorant about the witch trials I knew nothing of them except they happened within England's past. This book has triggered a curiosity though and I will certainly be doing further reading on the Pendle Witches, if this was part of the authors intentions than she certainly succeeded.

    I really do recommend this book, even if it's not a genre you generally read.
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  • Brian
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Gisburn Witch
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Really good read enjoyed the way the story was written around the true events of the Pendle witches trials looking forward to the other two books in this series just stated book two. I’m loving the books especially because I live in the area and while researching my Holgate family tree back to (1696 Christopher Holgate)so far they were all living in the Pendle area but need to go back further to 1612 ?
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  • Daisy270609
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Thrilling Take on a Classic Tale
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 12, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Having studied Witchcraft and Drama as part of my English Literature degree, I have always been fascinated with the witch trials and the case of the Pendle Witches. This book did not disappoint me. Written in vivid detail with captivating imagery, it transports you back into the past, and places you within that fearful period of time. Having thoroughly enjoyed The Gisburn Witch, I instantaneously moved on to King's next book in the series, The Woman Named Sellers, which is equally as captivating.
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