Initial Thoughts
I’m not gonna lie to y’all. When I first thought about doing a book review of Wicked Girls, I was a little scared that I wasn’t going to like it. I have yet to write a review of a book that I don’t like. It was a little daunting to start a book with a narrative style that I’ve never encountered before. My first thought was “oh no, this looks boring.”
Well. I could NOT be more wrong. Not only was Wicked Girls interesting, but it was also compelling. I couldn’t put it down. (And I finally picked up Crooked Kingdom this week, so when I say I was actually struggling to put Wicked Girls down for THAT, y’all know that means it’s pretty good.) I was very pleasantly surprised by this novel!!!
I first got Wicked Girls for free when my high school library was getting rid of a bunch of older books that hadn’t been checked out in a while. This ended up being quite a big collection; I mentioned one of my picks in my Birth Date Books post back in August. It’s easy to see how this book might have looked unappealing for so long–a novel told in free-verse form?! Even though the Salem Witch trials are sooo interesting, not everyone is willing to take the plunge for a book written in this style. Luckily, it’s like a hidden treasure.
About the Author:
Stephanie Hemphill has been writing from an early age, and while she initially published poetry intended for adults, she always wanted to write for children and her books have reflected that.
Hemphill, author of a few YA novels and biographies, published her latest, The Language of Fire: Joan of Arc Reimagined, in June of this year.
In the Author’s Note at the end of Wicked Girls, Hemphill writes that she was most interested in “the greatest mystery” of the witch trials: what was it that compelled the girls to accuse people of being witches?
Synopsis
Wicked Girls follows seven girls living in Salem in the infamous year of 1692 when witchcraft accusations were rampant. Historically speaking, 19 people ended up being hanged: 14 women, 5 men. Over 140 people were accused. All seven of these characters are based on girls who actually existed, some of whose names were changed slightly.
From January 1692 to December 1692, these girls boldly accused men and women of being wizards and witches, which would lead to their imprisonment, and sometimes, their death.
This book looks at this group dynamic of these girls, and the very real possibility of cliques, drama, and damaging division. In a way, “Wicked Girls” is a clever play on “Mean Girls.” You get a real vibe of that throughout the novel.
Wicked Girls is told in multiple points of view, all first-person. Mercy Lewis, Margaret Walcott, and Ann Putnam Jr. are the main characters, from whose perspective we see this year unfold.
The free-verse form doesn’t at all detract from the storytelling, at least in my opinion. If anything, you read the novel faster because of it. My only complaint is that I feel like you would be able to get more about these characters if this was in “regular” narrative form. However, that’s not to say that you don’t get a very palpable picture of each of these girls’ personalities.
We watch as these girls pit themselves against one another, struggle in their own personal lives, and accuse their fellow Salem-dwellers of witchcraft.
Characters (& possible motivations)
I ~think~ we’re halfway through this book review of Wicked Girls :’) Stay tuned, folks.
*There is some sensitive material about the backstory of these characters, and as I dive into some plot details, later on, I’ll be mentioning some of those topics further.*
Mercy Lewis: 17-year-old orphan of the French & Indian War who is a servant in Thomas Putnam’s house. It’s inferred that she suffered physical abuse at his hands–possibly sexual abuse as well. She holds the lowest social status of the main trio. Mercy is probably one of the more likable characters; she’s worthy of your pity (at least at first, however, that’s sort of the case with all of the girls).
Margaret Walcott: the 17-year-old step-cousin of Ann Putnam Jr. She is of a lower social status than her cousin and initially views Mercy in a prejudiced light although she also sees her as a rival. She is catty, petty, & very insecure. Although Ann is much younger than her, she clings to her & dislikes how close Mercy is to Ann. However, as events unfold, she becomes very worthy of compassion and even gets close to Mercy.
Ann Putnam Jr: although she is the youngest, only 12 years old, she is the queen bee of this group. Her influence is certainly swayed by her adoration of Mercy, and sometimes, by her friendship with Margaret. She is the eldest child of Thomas Putnam and is a young lady of high social status–the most elevated of the group. She is lonely, neglected, and so unsure of herself, especially because she is so young. As time goes on, she becomes more manipulative and controlling, but it’s still easy to pity her home-life situation.
Dynamics (& more possible motivations)
Ann adores Mercy and tries to help her with her chores around the house. Mrs. Putnam neglects Ann, has suffered miscarriages and seems very bitter with the world in general. Ann notices that when she is a “Seer,” as all the girls are considered by many of Salem, her mother pays attention to her. It’s heartbreaking to consider that this could be the reason for her accusals.
Ann is pressured by Mrs. Putnam to accuse people whom she dislikes and has a history with. Mercy, when she gives in to “seeing” the Invisible World, also accuses people who harmed her family–she sees this as the only way to bring them to justice.
Margaret is falling in love with Isaac Faraar as all of this is going on. While this seems like a very sweet and innocent look at young love, it gets dark rather quickly. Eventually, Isaac pressures Margaret into premarital sex, which, back then, would mean a death sentence if it was found out. (It’s unclear to me whether or not she was raped.) Isaac is frequently cold with Margaret both before and after this takes place; he’s emotionally manipulative and is verbally open about his disagreement with the accusations of the girls.
Ann’s adoration of Mercy, as well as Mercy’s social status, is what first causes Margaret’s dislike and prejudice. Mercy becomes a seeming threat to Margaret’s happiness with Isaac, but that’s mostly all in Margaret’s head. However, Isaac will later reveal to Mercy that he and Margaret had sex, and he scoffs at Margaret. Mercy will later reveal to Margaret that she understands this kind of pain, and they will bond over that and become allies.
To wrap it up…
Well, that’s my book review of Wicked Girls done and dusted. It was thrillingly good. I seriously could not put it down. If you can manage to pick this book up, please do!! At 389 pages, it’s a surprisingly quick read, and not only that, it’s truly very compelling and deeply interesting. The last 17 pages of the book tell you about the actual girls, their counterparts, and the events that unfolded, as well as Hemphill’s note and her inspirations for this novel.
How did you like this book review of Wicked Girls? Would you be interested in reading this novel? Thanks for sticking with me in this bulk of a review hehe. Happy Halloween, I guess? See ya next week <3