Daughters of Nicnevin - Shona Kinsella - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Shona Kinsella

GENRE: Historical Fantasy

PUBLICATION DATE: November 11, 2025

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A historical fantasy about two witches in 18th century Scotland. Intriguing characters, loads of magic, many dark scenes though nothing gruesome on page. This absolutely didn’t go the way I thought it would, and I ended up constantly surprised. A slight repetitiveness, some modernisms in dialogues, and a lacklustre romantic subplot were the only major hurdles. A good choice for fans of dark historical stories with a generous dollop of fantasy. The cover and the blurb contains a major spoiler.

Plot Preview:

1745. Kilmartin, Scotland. In the early days of the Jacobite uprising, when the village men are away fighting and the women have to fend for themselves, their families, and their lands, the paths of two powerful witches intersect. Kilmartin resident Constance, married to a local laird and mother of three young kids, isn't aware of her witchy powers whereas Mairead, who passes herself off as a widow, has come to the village on the pretext of work but secretly seeking Constance. When some obstacles come their way, they ask Nicnevin, the Fae Queen of Witches, for help and protection. This decision leads to some unexpected consequences.

The story comes to us in the alternating third-person perspectives of Mairead and Constance.

There are quite a few historical fiction books with an element of fantasy, where women are shown as witches, and/or are subject to witch hunts. In most of these books, the “witches” are either not witches at all but ordinary women with a talent for healing or an unusual trait, OR they are witches but on the outskirts living solitary lives. Reading a book where the two leads are actual witches AND can really do magic AND are an active part of a community is a refreshing experience.

Bookish Yays:

🔮 The fact that this is a historical fantasy in the true sense of the word. Great history, great fantasy.

🔮 Mairead – strong in an understated way. It is tough to gauge her at first, so watching the unfurling layers of her personality makes for an interesting reading experience.

🔮 Constance. A surprise package in every way. I couldn’t predict most of her arc. A truly challenging character.

🔮 The alternate narrative POVs. Gives us a chance to know both leads well, especially as their nature isn't exactly similar. Using third-person was a good decision.

🔮 Nicnevin, the fairy queen from Scottish folklore. Loved learning about her and also seeing her be a vital part of this narrative.

🔮 The 1740s Scotland setting. New to me in both era and area. Good use of this timeline and location in this fantastical story. I wish I knew the history of this period better as I was initially lost. (ME problem, not BOOK problem.) But as the story progressed, the background of the Jacobites vs. “Red coats” became clear.

🔮 The interlude chapters, coming from various missives and proclamations. A great way of clarifying the historical developments without forcing them into Constance’s and Mairead’s POVs.

🔮 The unpredictability of the storyline. For the most part, I couldn’t guess the direction of the plot. There were constant surprises, and not always in a good way.

🔮 The plot is much darker than I had expected. A few developments left me horrified. It felt like a proper witchy story because of these scenes.

🔮 The cover art. As wild and intriguing as the two leads.

Bookish Okays:

⚔️ A slight repetitiveness in certain situations. These don’t hinder the story, but they do generate the feeling of “Not Again!”

⚔️ One character gets away with a lot. Not sure how I feel about this, though it is handled decently in the book.

Bookish Nays:

🎃 The caption on the cover (which is also present in the official blurb.) Such a huge spoiler! Good thing I didn’t read it until after completing the book. It ruins the surprise.

🎃 The romance subplot focusses too much on physical attraction. Not in a YA way but still annoying. Most of the steamy stuff is just hinted at, but there’s one explicit scene. I didn’t expect a lesbian romance in the story and I don’t think the book required it. The connection between Constance and Mairead didn’t need physical appeal as a justification. This point might not bother readers who love to “ship” leads. (Making it clear that I am not against Sapphic relationships; I just didn’t like its presentation in this book.)

🎃 The dialogues contain some obvious modernisms, which distract while reading. I don’t expect conversations to be written in 18th century English, but obvious anachronisms such as the concepts of “consent” and “self-defence” or phrases like “do the minimum necessary” and “be ready on three” can certainly be avoided.

Overall, I had been expecting a somewhat magical historical fiction but ended up with a strong historical fantasy. Most of the flaws are relatively minor. The layered characters and the darker turn of the plotline kept my attention throughout. What I enjoyed best was the uncertainly of the plot development. Even when I wasn’t a fan of what occurred, I appreciated being kept on the tenterhooks of suspense.

Definitely recommended to fans of dark historical fantasy. This is ‘witchy’ in the true sense of the word.

My thanks to Flame Tree Press for providing the DRC of “Daughters of Nicnevin” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.