Kristina A. reviewed on 8/12/2019 + 1528 more book reviews

The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe has readers traveling to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2000. Professor Connie Goodwin is up for tenure and working on a book which leaves little time to spend with Sam. Things have been tense between Sam and Connie since he mentioned marriage and Connie told him that she does not believe it is the right time. After a visit to her mother and a chat with Liz, Connie is gobsmacked with unexpected news. When Connie's research reveals that Sam's life is in danger, she teams up with Zazi to save him from a deadly curse that has affected her family for centuries. The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs begins ten years after The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane ended. While The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs can be read alone, I believe it would have been beneficial if I had read The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (it is in one of my TBR piles). Katherine Howe is a detail oriented writer. Her comprehensive descriptions allowed me to visualize the people, places and items. I especially enjoyed the depictions of Granna's cottage and the libraries. I could tell that the author did thorough research for this book especially with the inclusion of the Latin names for plants. There was also a cipher in Latin. We learn about the world of academia as Connie teaches her classes, helps doctoral students with their dissertations and navigate the doctoral program, deals with students who need extensions (there are always a few) on assignments, grades papers, talks with fellow faculty members and prepares her tenure packet. While Connie is the narrator for most of the novel, there are chapters that take us back in time. Those flashbacks allow us to learn about Connie's ancestors and their magical abilities. The pacing is slow in the beginning with it increasing later in the story. There was a section or two that I found a little confusing and would have liked more clarity. Those who wanted more of Connie's story after reading The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, will enjoy delving into The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs. I appreciated the epilogue at the end with the surprising reveal. The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs has a fatal curse, a concealed spell, an antique skeleton key, a spellbinding tome, a magical lineage, and daring witches.

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