The Witches of Riegersburg, an historical novel by Julie Anne Stratton begins in the castle for which it is named. Located in southeastern Syria, Riegersburg castle is the site of the witch trials conducted between 1673-1675.
It is 1664, and Baroness Elisabeth von Galler, the owner of the castle, is preparing for the celebration of Walpurginsnacht, a springtime ritual also known as Beltane. We watch the celebration through Elisabeth’s eyes as she leads the people through the rite. In the following chapters we read of the trials, and the death of Elisabeth’s lover and accused witch, Katarina.
From there, the story jumps to the 1930s, where Katarina Lilienthal, a descendant of Elizabeth living in Austria, learns witchcraft from her Oma. When Katarina marries a Jew in 1938, her world is thrown into chaos. Disowned by her family and hunted by the Nazis, Katarina, her husband, and their daughter, Suzanne, are helped by the local Resistance and escape to America.
Three chapters later, it is 1960 and Katarina struggles with her youngest child, Marie.
And, finally, we are brought to 2009 and Marie’s daughter, Sarah Lilienthal, a young woman who, at twenty-five years old, is a photojournalist who travels the world. For me, this is where the real story begins.
When Sarah gets word that her beloved Oma, Katarina, has died, she is grief-stricken. At her Oma’s funeral, she is given a book that contains a letter from Oma describing the family history and asking Sarah to tell no one. Sarah goes to Riegersburg in search of her heritage and the truth of the book. She encounters present day witches, uncovers secrets from the past, and discovers the family who had disowned her Oma so many years ago.
In my opinion, the story might have been better served by spreading the backstory leading to Sarah’s generation throughout the novel or adding more conflict to the prior generations. The escape from Nazi Germany especially could have been so much more dramatic.
Although The Witches of Riegersburg starts slowly, it is an engrossing novel that details the history of Riegersburg and the family ancestry. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction and/or novels about witchcraft.
**Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review
Susannah Willey Writes 
Oh, this sounds great!!
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