Gallows Hill
by Lois Ruby
Salem, Massachusetts – 1692
Thomas is marked as an outcast the moment he steps off the ship from England. As a Quaker, he’s outnumbered and distrusted by Salem’s Puritans. And as an orphan without any useful skills, he has nowhere to live and no way to earn his keep. In a stroke of luck―perhaps good, perhaps not―he’s taken in by the aged widow Prudence Blevins, who’s rumored to be a witch.
Patience has tried all her life to be a good Puritan―obedient to God and to her elders―and all her life, she has come up short. But her orderly world is upended when her younger sister, Abigail, falls victim to a mysterious affliction. The same torments have stricken other Salem girls, who claim they’re being bewitched by servants of the Devil. Soon the girls, including Abigail, begin accusing neighbors of witchcraft.
As the community becomes consumed by suspicion and fear, Thomas and Patience search for the truth. To protect those they care about, they will have to question everything they think, their faiths, their loyalties, and their places in Salem.
4 out of 5 fairies
This was a great story, set during the Salem witch trials. I loved Thomas and Patience, and I like the twist of Thomas being a Quaker, as usually you here about the Puritans when reading about the trials. My only real complaint is I’m not crazy about the use of present tense. It didn’t flow very naturally, and I think first person narrating with the use of past tense would’ve worked better. That said, the story is compelling, and Ruby does an excellent job of bringing characters and setting to life. If you have a teen/YA reader who has an interest in the Salem witch trials, this is a great fictional read to gift them!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads
Lois Ruby is the author of fifteen books for middle-graders and teens, including STEAL AWAY HOME, SKIN DEEP, and THE SECRET OF LAUREL OAKS. She and her husband live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the foothills of the awesome Sandia Mountains. Lois explores lots of haunted places, including ghostly locations in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and even a few spooky spots in Australia and Thailand. No spirits have tapped her on the shoulder yet, but she hasn’t given up hope.
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