Title: The Ninth Witch
Author: Sarah Langan
In: The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women (Marie O’Regan)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Horror, Witches
Dates read: 4th November 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Her feet were webbed; her hips wide.
She’s the ninth daughter of a horrifying man, and life has not been kind to her or her sisters. But, this ninth daughter is also a witch, and things may end up alright if she just trusts in her power…
The Ninth Witch is a gross, creepy, and seriously disturbing short story. It basically careens from one horrible moment to another as the story unfolds. And it’s just… not okay. Or comfortable. Or really anything that makes me have happy feelings when reading a story. But it is also a really good story, one which I would pick up again.
Although this story was seriously disturbed and filled with the horrors of being a woman, it did have a happily ever after. Which is probably why I would love to read this again. After all, I can put up with a lot of horrible nonsense in my stories, if there is going to be a happily ever after.
Ultimately, this story is one that is about the lengths that a mother will go to to protect her child. And the fact that you should really never get between a mother and child, regardless of what species / powers they have.
3 thoughts on “The Ninth Witch by Sarah Langan”