The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano

Time to Read: 6 hours

Review

I’m from New England, and the Salem witch trials were injected into my bloodstream right alongside Dunkin’ Donuts and a love for the Red Sox. So when I picked up The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano, I was already primed for history, magic, and a little hometown pride.

What I didn’t expect was the romance, or the fact that half of the story is told from the husband’s perspective. It was a pleasant surprise that gave the book more depth than your typical witchy tale. Instead of just relying on atmosphere, it pulled me into the emotional core of this marriage, and I actually found myself connecting with the characters in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

What Worked

There were multiple moments throughout the book where I got emotional. Yep, full-on tears. Catalano did a wonderful job developing Thomas and Margaret so vividly that I cared deeply about them and their family. When tragedy struck, I wasn’t just reading; I was feeling. Cue me, curled up on the couch, blubbering like a baby who just dropped their last munchkin on the floor. This story managed to be both mystical and heartbreakingly human, which made the magic feel even more grounded.

Here’s the wild part: from page one, we already know the fate of the so-called “witch.” Margaret, the cunning woman at the heart of the novel, is going to hang. It’s right there in the premise. Yet Catalano’s storytelling is so strong that despite knowing the ending, I found myself devouring each word like I hadn’t eaten in days. That’s not easy to pull off—when an author makes you desperate to keep turning pages even when the ending is no secret, you know they’re weaving real magic.

What Didn’t Work

As much as I loved the characters and the way their story unfolded, there were a few moments that pulled me out of the spell. The couple and their friends occasionally made bawdy, joking remarks that didn’t quite line up with what I know of Puritan-era customs. Don’t get me wrong—I’m all for a well-timed dirty joke—but in this setting, it felt jarringly modern. Instead of immersing me further in the world, those moments snapped me out of it, like when someone’s cell phone goes off during a horror movie.

That said, the author does address this in her note at the end. Catalano makes it clear that history has often “sanctified” Puritan culture in the retelling, and her goal was to show that these people were more complex and less buttoned-up than the version most of us know. I appreciated that perspective, even if the dialogue style occasionally clashed with my own expectations of the time period.

Final Verdict: Who This Book Is For

This book is for women like me—women who know what it’s like to be shoved into a box by the people around us. Halfway through, when the story shifts to Margaret’s voice, we see her transform into exactly what her accusers feared. She scoffs at their small-mindedness, refuses to bow, and ultimately leans into the image they tried to cage her with. We all know how her story ends, but that doesn’t stop us from rooting for her as she stands tall against those determined to silence her.

The First Witch of Boston isn’t just about one woman accused of witchcraft; it’s about courage, defiance, and reclaiming power in a world that demands conformity. For anyone who’s ever been belittled, dismissed, or told to fit a mold that didn’t belong to them—this story may just feel like a quiet rebellion whispered across the centuries.