The White Witch’s Daughter by J C Wade is a fascinating historical fiction novel full of betrayal, suspense, tragedy, adventure, and ultimately love.
I enjoyed reading this book. There is a bit of a language barrier at first because many of the characters are Scottish and their dialogue is written as such. In no time at all, however, I developed an accent in my head to go along with the characters lingo and had little problems reading it.
The tale actually flies by astonishingly well. It has a lively pace and the tempo keeps the reader fully engaged throughout.

“I’ve dreamt of your death for weeks now.”

The main characters are raw and simple on the surface yet intriguing and deep as one might imagine historical figures to be. They aren’t motivated by their emotions yet they harbor deep emotions. They only let them out in small doses, passionate moments of fear, anger, pain and attraction.
In Carlisle, England 1296, the unthinkable happens. Edyth DeVries’ mother, who is intelligent, outspoken and good with herbs, roots and flowers, healing people, is accused of witchcraft by a priest.

“My mother learned of a grievous sin committed by a man of God.”

In those times, you just didn’t accuse a priest of being sinful.
Edyth’s mother is hanged and during a rampage of protests, Edyth’s father is killed also.

“What if Father Brewer had been right? What if her mother had been a witch and Edyth had inherited the curse?”

18 years old, Edyth is now the daughter of a convicted witch. She has nothing and they will come for her next. The church has long tentacles that reach all over England.
The only solution Edyth can strike upon is her cousin Meg who lives in Scotland.
The English monarch is constantly putting down uprisings in Scotland. Scotland is a dangerous place for any English person to travel to, especially an unescorted woman. Edyth believes the English church officials can’t reach her in Scotland.
Edyth sees no other options and has no time to think it through further. They are coming for her.
Edyth decides to dress in her father’s clothes to look less conspicuous. She packs a satchel with supplies and memories, and has a rough map to follow.

“What is a river compared to all else you’ve overcome? It’s naught but another thread in your hero’s story.”

Riding her father’s horse, Harris, Edyth speeds away from home at the last moment as those that helped her escape are cut down. Great beginning.
The story then introduces us to Ewan Ruthven.
Through Ewan’s story, the reader’s eyes are opened to the broader conflicts between the Scottish and the English, as well as the French. Many Scottish lords are financially supporting England’s war against France out of necessity but they hate the English and are sending their sons and men to fight with France against the English.

“We are forced to pay for a war against France – our allies – by a king not of our making.”

Many Scottish leaders want to openly defy and resist the English but the English have proven to be too powerful and ruthless at times, destroying entire towns and slaughtering people.

“We must look at all options before declaring openly against the English,” said Ewan.

The English king chose Baliol to lead the Scottish but the Scottish don’t want a weak king chosen by their adversary as their leader.
There’s some history and some politics involved but it’s not heavy or overwhelming to the reader. It’s backstory that helps the reader get a clearer understanding of the dilemma facing the characters. We better understand why they make the decisions they do, the conflicts in their code of honor and personal feelings.
These people’s lives are conflicted nearly all the time. It’s not as simple as fighting and dying.
Meanwhile, Edyth is in the wild completely out of her element trying to remember things her father taught her in order to survive.
Unlike a lot of other books of this genre, Edyth proves to be a capable heroine because of her ability to survive, adapt and persevere rather than through hidden strength, unlearned skill or unexpected cunning. She doesn’t suddenly discover some hidden reservoir of abilities superior to trained and experienced individuals. She feels like a real person.
It is a romance novel as well but the romantic aspects of the tale occur far deeper in the story. These people’s lives are hanging by a thread. They are scared, confused, hungry and often lost. Romance doesn’t come easy to them.
When things finally build into truly romantic situations, it’s not part of some lustful, shallow attraction between characters but affection earned through time spent together behaving honorably and honestly. It is love grown and nurtured out of kindness and respect.
Eventually, Edyth has to face what she hoped to avoid – being tried as a witch’s daughter.
As I have stated, I really liked this book. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in The Thistle and Sword Trilogy. 5 stars!