5.0 out of 5 stars Will be keeping this one for rereading! Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 April 2024 Verified Purchase At first I was not sure, but then wham! I've never had tears for a character but this one got me welling up. Thought provoking, engaging, you really identify with the story line. Perfect for those with interest in any metaphysical path. ~ Caius, Amazon Reviews

This uses a dark historical feel, and the characters were everything I was looking for. It had everything I was looking for in this book, and I enjoyed how the characters were written. I enjoyed how Sally Walker wrote this and can’t wait for more with this author. ~ Kathryn McLeer (Reviewer), Netgalley

This isn’t just about a story of a modern woman trying to reclaim her ancient birthright as a wise woman or witch. In addition to that exploration, there is a lot of discussion about the Big Questions. Why are we here? What is Life about? This could have both silted up the narrative and turned the story into a heavy-handed, pretentious mess. What stops this from happening is that these discussions are nested amongst the coven and tend to occur once everyone is seated around a blazing fire. So, there is also a lot of humour threading through the arguments. What Moira does have going for her is a hungry, questioning mind that doesn’t let go of a concern, which I enjoyed and appreciated. There are also some lovely poignant moments that I found very moving amongst the arguing, questions and flashbacks. While this is an ambitious book that attempts to cover a lot of ground, this is one that will stay with me for a long time. And if you are interested in reading a book that attempts to take a look at what being a witch truly meant and can still mean – then give this one a go. ~ Sarah Higbee (Reviewer), Netgalley

Cygnus Review Heal Your Body ♦ Feed Your Soul ♦ Free Your Mind ♦ Love Your Planet ← PREV | NEXT → HOME / ALL / A WESTERLY WIND BRINGS WITCHES BY SALLY WALKER This is a thoroughly entertaining novel that doesn’t stand on its pedestal and claim to be Great Literature. It tells the story of an ordinary person who makes a big decision in her life and ends up having an extraordinary life. It’s rooted in spirituality and esoteric practices and it’s written from the inside so it treats Wicca and spirituality with the greatest respect. Moira Box gives up on her deeply unfulfilling Home Counties life where she is treated as a second-class citizen and decamps down to Cornwall, to its furthest edges, where she gathers around her a coven of like-minded ladies and plunges deeply into the past. The locations in Cornwall feel real and familiar. The book is lightly humorous and it’s uplifting because it describes someone’s personal empowerment and because it’s a positive advert for hands-dirty having-fun witchery. And there is mystery there too. ~ Cygnus books, http://www.cygnusreview.com/

I loved this life-affirming, intriguing story that combines paranormal and women's fiction. Moira is an interesting character, and I liked her past life and how she changed. Recommended. ~ Anna Maria Giacomasso (Librarian), Netgalley

It's a really interesting premise and once the story gets going it's a good read. ~ Cheryl Purnell (Reviewer), Netgalley

The concept of past lives was intriguing and historically fascinating. I felt it was easier to understand the character and have real emotion and attachment to her throughout their past lives. These scenes made me feel real emotion, and I just wanted to read more about them. I enjoyed the book and look forward to what this author may produce in the future. ~ Simply_ Bibliotaphs (Reviewer), Netgalley

Moira’s story is both sad and exhilarating. Her life started out rather hard but she took charge and left home when she was able to and discovered witches when she arrived in Cornwall. This is where things get interesting, as we explore three of Moira’s lives, the present and two past lives. This made for a pretty good read! ~ Cindi Austin (Reviewer) , Netgalley

The book looks at some of the more challenging times in history, the Elizabethan witch hunts and the Black Death of the 1300s, from a point of view that I haven’t read before, and I found it fascinating. It made the times more real, not just dates and events in history books but the reality of witches and women in a time so different to our present. I think the author portrayed the subject of witches and past lives well, and it has intrigued me to want to find out more. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy an alternate story which will pull you in and let you see a different side to some of the more famous events in history whilst also weaving a story that you will love. ~ Anna Headde (Reviewer), Netgalley

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. A funny book, based on a tragic childhood, where Moira, the lead character in the book, is ignored at best. One day she decides to go to Cornwall where she finds witches. I will not tell you anything more, or it would spoil the story, but I do recommend the book, as it is a good read. It is a comedy with real humour, I found it both funny and at times, heartbreaking. ~ Mary Hawkes (Reviewer), NetGalley

A Westerly Wind Brings Witches Sally A. Walker Review by Barbara Bamberger Scott With her debut novel A Westerly Wind Brings Witches, Sally A. Walker invites readers to delve into a deep pool of female frustrations, injustice, determination, and triumph that links history to fantasy, creating mystical moments, historical fact, folkloric motifs, and a hearty helping of humour. Walker’s twisting tale begins with Moira, a young woman of the modern era who sees herself as a failure, which leads Moira to Cornwall where she falls in with a coven of stroppy women and is initiated into the ancient art of witchcraft. There she will find eerie, embattled females who, like her, have chosen to gather and hover in an occult realm. Amidst strange witchy happenings Moira uncovers a past life as Hannah, granddaughter of a village wisewoman in the late sixteenth century, a time in which pernicious menfolk imprison women at will, a time when church and state feared women’s traditional community role and witch trials were at their height. Hannah’s plight and Moira’s desperate search for a satisfying solution will entail a fascinating flight from the 2020s to 1349, from Covid pandemonium into the pall of the Black Death. Walker has constructed this ambitious work centered on a woman’s slow but sure path to self-respect. In her words, Walker wishes to bring to new attention “a time when women lost their role in folk religion and disappeared from view.” She succeeds in exposing that historical crux through the experience of feisty females determined to be seen, heard, and acknowledged for their unique powers. The author’s rollicking humour, respect for language and intelligent handling of folklore and occultism in the epochs portrayed are imaginatively scattered around all the unexpected corners that comprise her saga. Conspicuously, the literary voice of theearly portion of the book set in modern times is distinctly different from the language and lore of the portions set in antiquity, indicating Walker’s considerable wordsmithing skills and diligent research. All these factors satisfyingly bundled gained the novel an award in the 2021 novel writing competition at A Woman’s Write (www.awomanswrite.com). In A Westerly Wind Brings Witches, Walker presents empathic females whose journey from desperation and denigration to confidence and optimism is acquired through personal grit. Her book will enchant readers from curiosity-driven young adults to world-wise crones, and anyone in between who has ever been able to crow, after expending admirable efforts, “I win through!” ~ Barbara B. Scott , Good reads

Honourable Mention runner up in A Woman’s Write 2021 novel writing competition: I'm enchanted by Walker's fresh - yet dry! - sense of humour and I know readers will be also. It's rare to find a writer so adept at making fun and pun of even the simplest or most ponderous material, while balancing it with intelligent observations and diligent historical delving. Within a framework of irony and exaggeration and vibrant settings, Walker places a credible, likable central character - Moira, who becomes a witch. A strong story with an enthralling premise that will attract female readers especially! ~ Barbara Bamberger Scott, Editor, A Woman’s Write

This novel balances rather knowing humour about modern Pagans with well informed dives into history. It’s a remarkable blend of comedy and compassion that manages to both make jests about some of our standard witchcraft fantasies while offering a compelling view of reincarnation and personhood. Full of unexpected things, entirely charming and well worth your time. ~ Nimue Brown, novelist, and author of numerous books on Druidry and Paganism, including Druidry and the Ancestors and Pagan Planet

A Westerly Wind brings Witches is a cunningly woven tale, reaching back from the present unto the ghosts of our past. Within its pages, Sally draws together the threads of community (its power and its pitfalls), patriarchal abuses of women and endurance, inner strength and transformation amidst the heady presences of the Land and the Otherworld. Thoroughly enjoyed.   ~ Gemma Gary, author of Traditional Witchcraft, A Cornish Book of Ways, founder of Troy Books