Book Review: The Heretic's Daughter

Plot:
Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived (quoted from amazon.com).

What I liked:
I'm intrigued by the Salem Witch Trial era, and this book painted a haunting portrait of New England at that time. She didn't sugarcoat much of the harsh reality. She described the torture, the prison conditions, the backstabbing and the betrayals.
It was riveting. Almost the entire family ends up in the dark, dank cells of the Salem prison, and at that point it was especially difficult to put down.

What I didn't like:
The beginning was a little slow (this is the reason I have started about 3 times as many books as I have finished). Keep going though, it gets so good.
The torture and killing was really heavy. Those dark parts of our country's past are necessary to know, in my opinion, but that doesn't make them any easier to swallow.

3.5 out of 5 stars