Faces in the Smoke By Ruth Hallam
Faces in the Smoke
By Ruth Hallam
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Rating 4.5/5
Synopsis
A story of love, hate, murder and witchcraft. Strength and survival through generations, battling against a terrifying curse that will blight an entire bloodline.
This is the story of a witch called Beatrice, whose curse upon her family’s bloodline has long reaching consequences for her descendants.
Tess is the first to be the victim of her aunt’s curse, being that there will be no living male born to the bloodline. As the strong female characters of this story must survive this curse, lasting and loving relationships are developed.
The story will take us back through Beatrice’s life, how through desperation and manipulation she turns to prostitution at the early age of 15, in the year of 1619. It will tell of her attachment to a young girl in very similar circumstances, who both cling to each other and become non-blood sisters. They will go through untold hardship at the hands of local gentry, and meet his long-suffering child bride wife, where, between the three of them, they will develop a bond through love, and sisterhood.
Beatrice and her sisters will learn the art of witchcraft, initially use of concoctions and remedies, but as tragedy befalls the three, their witchcraft turns dark and will ultimately end in their capture and death.
The curse will not die with them.
My Thoughts
Ruth Hallam’s *Faces in the Smoke* is a haunting tapestry of **generational trauma, dark magic, and resilient womanhood**, woven with gothic intensity and historical depth. At its center lies a curse — born from betrayal, grief, and desperate power — that echoes through centuries, blighting a family’s bloodline and binding the fates of women long after its originator’s death.
The novel opens in the present with **Tess**, the latest in a long line of women haunted by a terrible inheritance: *no living male will ever be born into their family.* As she navigates this shadowed legacy, the story peels back the layers of time to **1619**, where the curse began — with **Beatrice**, a young girl forced into prostitution, hardened by suffering, and eventually turned toward the forbidden path of witchcraft.
Hallam’s writing moves fluidly between eras, immersing readers in Beatrice’s tragic yet fierce rise as a witch alongside her two chosen sisters. What begins as survival — healing herbs, shared protection — slowly descends into vengeance, darker rituals, and ultimately, their brutal capture and death. But the curse they unleash refuses to be buried with their bones.
What elevates *Faces in the Smoke* beyond a typical tale of historical witchcraft is its focus on **emotional bonds**. In the face of cruelty and isolation, the women of this novel form **intense, complex relationships** — not just romantic, but deeply **sisterly and maternal**. These connections serve as the novel’s heartbeat, even as curses and shadows threaten to smother it.
Hallam masterfully blends **themes of love, hatred, survival, and feminine strength** across timelines. Her prose is evocative, filled with dark beauty and aching vulnerability. While the story is steeped in magic and myth, its emotional impact feels deeply real.
**Final Thoughts**
*Faces in the Smoke* is an emotionally rich, darkly lyrical exploration of how the past refuses to stay buried. Ruth Hallam conjures a world of witches, curses, and powerful women who endure — not in spite of their pain, but because of it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
Recommended for: Fans of **historical fiction with a gothic edge**, readers of **witchcraft and generational curses**, and those who loved *The Familiars* by Stacey Halls or *The Once and Future Witches* by Alix E. Harrow.
Highly Recommended!
Comments
Post a Comment