I originally started this book when I was 10 or 11, and it's stayed with me. I don't recall finishing it, and reading it now as an adult, I'm pretty sure I can guess why.

In short: it's kind of dull. Nothing really happens.

It's advertised as a paranormal historical fiction, but the paranormal is very, very mild and could simply be explained away as young Mary being lost, depressed and wishing desperately to see her grandmother again. Much of the book involves her being stuck on a boat to America, then travelling through the woods to get to the new settlement. The ending is very rushed (though her long diary entries would have you believing otherwise) and it ends incredibly abruptly.

There are so many things that could have been done differently. Firstly, Mary has been raised to believe her mother is dead, but then she appears the day of her grandmother's execution and shoves her on a boat to America. Why? Dunno. Never explained. She sure as hell doesn't know anyone on the boat, so this is probably worse than staying in the UK.

Then she is in America. Has made some friends. Travels to the new settlement. Meets a few Native Americans. Dresses as a boy. Gets accused of witchcraft.

The diary entry ends mid-sentence, which as a child I thought was so cool (I do recall skipping to the end, but not reading the book through), but it's very unfullfilling as an adult.

Simply put, I wish so much had been done differently. But, as a child, this really did cause my curiousity of the witchtrials to bloom.