Beneath this stone lie the remains of Meg Shelton, alleged witch of Woodplumpton, buried in 1705.

After a messy breakup with his girlfriend, Alfie needs to get away for a while – so he decides to spend the summer holidays with his dad in a tiny village in the North of England.

In the local church graveyard, he chances upon a boulder with a strange inscription – and meets Mia, who then tells him about the local superstition surrounding the stone.

“If you walk three times around the stone and say “I don’t believe in witches,” Meg will come after you.’

Alfie, in a reckless attempt to show his bravery, accepts the superstition as a challenge. He thinks the story is nonsense. But it soon becomes apparent that he’s just made the biggest mistake of his life… 

My Review

“The first two times they put her in the ground, she dug her way out again. She was seen wandering around the graveyard at night.”

Everyone knows that I’m a taphophile. It just means that I’m interested in Cemeteries, Graveyards, and the darker side of life. There’s nothing like sitting down with a good book at a cemetery. It’s one of the most peaceful places on Earth. Plus if it has its own little tall tale, maybe that it’s home to a Witches Grave, then sign me up. So, when I found out that this story was about local lore of a Witches Grave, I dug myself out of the dirt to read this one and I wasn’t disappointed. 

North of England there is a tiny village named Woodplumpton. At the local church graveyard is a stone with a bizarre sign telling people who is buried there. Buried there is Meg Shelton who was murdered in 1705 after accused of being a Witch. 

Alfie and his Dad are in that village during a holiday for his Dad’s job. While Alfie is getting acquainted with the village, he stumbles upon the gravestone and is immediately interested. A tombstone rubber, Mia, notices him and tell him all about the superstition about that stone. 

She tells him that if he walks around the stone and chants, “I don’t believe in Witches”, Meg (the Witch) will come after you. Alfie never believed in those silly superstitions, so he does just that. What he thought was just innocent fun, instantly turns into dread as his life gets thrown through a loop. The Witch has finally been woken and has come out to play.

I am so glad that I decided to read this one. It centers around something that I’m very interested in and it inspired me to go revisit the local witches grave in Ashmore. This book was easy to follow, the characters were very likable, and you instantly found that bond that draws you closer to the story. The mystery was great and parts of this was very spooky. I mean, what would you do if you were showering and someone was standing outside the curtain… even though you were alone? Right? Instant goosebumps!

Alfie was a very strong character. Instead of brushing things aside, he actually got to know Meg for who she was and who she used to be. He was very mature for his age and that showed as he grew alongside Mia. My fingers are crossed for more supernatural mysteries with Mia and Alfie. 

The Witching Stone was a phenomenal spooky read. It had me hooked instantly and didn’t slow down. If you’re looking for your next spooky Halloween read, then this is it!! You won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait to read more by this author and to go on more Cemetery visits.

“‘Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out contagion to this world.”

Rating: 4/5