Book Review: The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair
By Elizabeth Laird
Release Date: April 18th, 2012
Publisher: Mifflin Books for Children
Format: Paperback ARC, 420 pages
Get a Copy: 
           Barnes and Nobles
           Amazon

Goodreads Summary: In seventeenth-century Scotland, saying the wrong thing can lead to banishment—or worse. Accused of being a witch, sixteen-year-old Maggie Blair is sentenced to be hanged. She escapes, but instead of finding shelter with her principled, patriotic uncle, she brings disaster to his door. 

Betrayed by one of her own accusers, Maggie must try to save her uncle and his family from the king’s men, even if she has to risk her own life in the process. Originally published in the UK, this book has a powerful blend of heart-stopping action and thought-provoking themes.

Cindy's Review:  I'll start off with a few interesting facts I learned at the end of this book. 

 1) This book was first published in England.  

             I was surprised to this fact. I think one of the few others books I've read written from an English (UK) author was J.K. Rowling. And I love her books. 

2) This book is based on some real family history.

               Apparently, one of Elizabeth Laird's great-great-great-great-etc ancestors was accused of being a witch in 1698. That was a long, long time ago, but it kinda explains the main character's name.

3) In the seventeenth century in Scotland, many people were accused of witchcraft.

               I really find this funny. Like really. Witchcraft. Like really.

So these are some fun facts I found at the end of the book. I hope you enjoyed them! ;)

So back to the review...

The Cover: 

At first glance, I the woman was walking on water. I like the water's reflection of the sky and the sun, but if I look closely, I can see the sand popping up from the water. If you look closely, you can also kinda see the silhouette of Maggie. If you think hard enough, she can kinda look like a witch. Her tangled hair blowing behind her, her tall nose the shows up clearly, and her dress blowing in the wind. And according tot he people who accused her of being a witch, only a witch would stand in water in the cold. Moving on to the color. I love teal! Bluish, greenish hue colors. I just really do. So yesh, I love the color of this cover. And it's all teal-ish too. ;)

The Characters:

Maggie Blair is the main character of this book. When her grandmother, Elsbeth, was accused of witchcraft, she was also brought along to the gallows to be hung, along with her grandmother. There, she barely escaped with the help of an old-time friend, Tam.

Despite everything Tam helped, Tam also brought along a great trouble. Anna was the servant girl who openly accused Maggie for being a witch. Then later, when being asked, she said she was forced too. Ewww. I really really hate that girl. Ohmygawd. I just wanna kill her. Like right now. 

The Concept/Plot:

As you know, Maggie had barely escaped out of prison and she has nowhere to go. So she decided to go to Ladymuir, where her dad's brother, Hugh Blair lives with his family. There's the one big problem Tam brought. Anna, being a *****, I don't even wanna say it, she deserves more than just that word, omg, followed Maggie to Ladymuir. Then, charmspeaked Maggie's uncle and aunt. When Maggie tried to convince Hugh, Anna just denied everything, saying that Maggie is lying and delusional. 

Hugh Blair is a Convenant. He is going against the king's wishes and believes in a different religion than the one the king assigned. So when Anna betrays them, it was too late to turn back. With Ladymuir in chaos and destruction, there's only one thing Maggie can do. Stay there and add to the ruins, or go in search of saving her uncle, who was taken away to jail, and help bring back Ladymuir like it was before she got there.

The Ending: 

Despite everything, I must I enjoyed the ending. Even though there are some deaths, the deaths aren't ultra sad. In the end, Maggie was an honest girl, with a generous personality, despite everything, and I mean, everything she had gone through. 

The Good: 

It was a good and interesting read about witchcraft and I learned a little about Scotland's history. It was certainly an enjoyable read.

The Bad: 

I wish Maggie's cousin, Ritchie, wasn't actually her cousin, so she can fall in love with him.  I like him. He sounds like a cool person. Even when Anna was there, he stood by Maggie's side and believed her. Too bad though. I really wanted some romance. 

Rate: (1-10): 7.5

Happy Reading~