I'm a pretty broad reader but it has to be said that novels about witchcraft is not something I would normally go for. In the case of The Familiars, I was glad I did. The book follows the story of Fleetwood Shuttleworth who is desperately hoping to finally deliver an heir. Fleetwood recruits Alice, a young and mysterious midwife who is accused of Witchcraft. The novel is a well-written and enjoyable book that centres around a well developed female friendship and characters that are deep and that arouse your interest. The novel is tense and suspenseful as well as intriguing and the conflicts are fleshed out and feel real and dynamic. As a debut novel, The familiars does well to ensure many will be picking up Stacey Hall's next novel.