Kathleen Kaufman

Alice can see things. She knows what is going to happen in someone’s life. She does not realize she is a daughter of the Cailleach or the hag. No one has taught her or made her understand her destiny.

Alice struggles through most of this story. Deep down she knows she is different but she does not quite understand what or how. She sees the future when she looks closely at someone. This leads her to a path of destruction many times, but she manages to pull herself away. She is much stronger than she thinks.

The author’s prose is wonderful. The story is extremely unique, however it is a little disjointed. Maybe if it was prefaced before each chapter which generation the chapter was about, it would have made it flow better. I did enjoy reading about the different generations with this strange “talent”. It would just take me a few paragraphs to figure out what exactly was going on. I was reading and ARC. So maybe this was corrected in the final copy.

All in all, the author’s writing in suburb. I would love to read more books by her.

I received this novel from Edelweiss for a honest review.… (meer)

Hag by Kathleen Kaufman

A swath of undeveloped land in Glasgow holds secrets, ancient, unnerving secrets that only the young can see as the old scoff mere folklore.

Alice Grace is six years old when a vocal force saves her from an eddy of sure demise. Shortly thereafter, she and her mum leave Scotland for Colorado and, presumably, a new life. One that Alice has seen, in varied versions, of her future. It’s an escape, but it doesn’t last.

Alice can also see other people’s futures, sometimes vivid realism, other times gossamer scenarios. But there’s more and she begins to remember.

Told in alternating time lines: the days of the Cailleach, the time of Alice, tho hers fast forwards a lot, and the days of all those between. Generations of daughters, born with a gift they would have to forget, tattooed with the sign to remind, filled the Scottish hills and the herbs that grow upon them.

A sweeping telling of many birthrights, repeating in varied, yet precut, scenarios. Culminating, at last, before setting off again.… (meer)