Review: The Betrayal of Maggie Blair - Elizabeth Laird

Synopsis: In 17th-century Scotland, everyone knows the devil is real. Everyone knows that witches exist. Everyone knows that saying the wrong thing can get you hanged . . . When Maggie's grandmother is accused of witchcraft, the sixteen-year-old has to run for her life. With English soldiers on the march, nowhere is safe - certainly not Ladymuir, where her uncle is determined to defy the king. And wherever Maggie goes, disaster follows. When an old enemy turns up at Ladymuir and settles in as one of the family, Maggie knows that trouble will result, but even she can't imagine the deceit and betrayal that's to come . . .

Review: A beautifully written and intriguing story that anyone would enjoy. I certainly did. Maggie is a strong, practical-minded young woman who conquers her fears as best she can and really tries to do her all at whatever task is set before her. She is independent without developing The Attitude that so many female characters have in today's literature. The villains are easy to dislike, and the nice characters easy to like. The most frustrating element to this story is how readily Maggie's relatives don't believe her when the "old enemy" shows up with a contradicting story. I could not help but exclaim out loud, "Are you really that dense?!"

Content is very light. There are some sexual alludements, but they are not at all detailed, and are brief. The writing style is not spectacular, but it is good in its simplicity, conjuring up beautiful images of the Highlands and downs, and of how rough life was. The Author presents the Reader with a fairly balanced view of Covanenters (Presbyterians) and Catholics, showing that not all Catholics were horrible people, and not all Presbyterians were peaceful.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Betrayal of Maggie Blair, and intend adding it to my collection.

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