The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch

I’m not alone in saying that Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite classic novels, and I’m always happy to see new retellings of it. One that I’ve greatly been looking forward to is The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub. As the title suggests, this novel focuses on the wild, youngest Bennet sister… but also she’s a witch! No one in her immediate family knows except Kitty and, well, there’s more to their relationship than you might realize. This is such a fun and exciting fantasy retelling, and one that I will heartily recommend to fellow readers.

Special thanks to Melinda Taub, Grand Central Publishing, Austenprose PR, and NetGalley for the review copy of this book!

Summary

Lydia Bennet is famous for being the silly sister who ran off with the disreputable Mr. Wickham, nearly ruining herself and her sisters in the process. Well, Lydia is here to set the record straight and explain her actions. First and foremost, she’s actually a witch, even if most of her family don’t know that. Second, her time in Brighton wasn’t just spent on frivolity and flirting; she was there to save Kitty and herself from a terrible, demonic end. And now, a year after those events, Lydia has a new mission: to save Georgiana Darcy from the tangled hexes that are leaving her debilitated. This is Lydia Bennet as we never knew her, still sassy and playful, but also full of resilience and magical power. 

Review

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch is the magical, witchy Pride and Prejudice retelling I never knew I needed. I absolutely loved this novel!

The whole book is told in an epistolary style, the bulk of which is a long letter—basically a full-length autobiography—that Lydia is writing to a secret someone. (We don’t find out who until the end.) It’s not until the last four chapters of the book that we see the narrative shift to (normal length) letters written by Lydia and a few other characters in the story’s exciting climax. 

Lydia’s voice may be the biggest standout of this novel. She has such a fun, strong personality, full of wit and humor and a self-centered air that is somehow charming. Throughout my reading, I took note of numerous sentences and full passages that made me laugh out loud. Her way of describing characters and scenarios is completely engaging and a joy to read. It’s also a wonderful chance to get to know this version of Lydia better, beyond the simple flirt shown in Pride and Prejudice. Here, we still see that spark of her character, but there’s more depth and nuance now. Lydia readily showcases her flaws and mistakes, but over time, we get to see her many virtues, too. 

Characters like Kitty, Mr. Wickham, Georgiana Darcy, and Mr. Darcy also flourish here. Kitty isn’t actually one of the Bennet sisters; she’s a cat that Lydia made into her familiar! And unlike the forgettable filler character Kitty was in Pride and Prejudice, here she has so much more personality. With her unique state of being, Kitty has her own limitations and wishes, but is also even more closely tied up with Lydia. Mr. Wickham, too, is quite changed. The author somehow made this villain into a literal demon here… and he’s actually better for it. It was fun to read about him and surprising to see the way his relationship with Lydia evolved over time. 

And of course, I’d be remiss not to talk about all the witchcraft going on in The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch! Lydia is a powerful witch regularly casting spells and paying the price, learning stronger spells, attending covens, and even battling witches, demons, and dragons. Her time in Brighton is actually a quest to save Kitty and herself, though who she can and can’t trust remains obscure. Especially with Wickham—a demon—hanging around. The author expands on lesser characters and adds entire new ones, some of whom prove to be instrumental to the whole story. Later, in the present, Lydia is spending time with the Darcys in an effort to save Georgiana from a nasty hex, and she’ll need every ounce of skill that she’s gained in the past year. 

Final Thoughts

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch is a must-read, whether you like Pride and Prejudice retellings, witches, or historical fantasy more generally. It’s a fun and utterly engrossing read full personality and imagination, with adventure and even some surprisingly welcome romance. I wouldn’t mind if this ended up being the first in a series… I’d love to see more of these characters and/or other witches! Regardless, I will absolutely read more from Melinda Taub, whatever she writes. 

Get the Book

You can buy The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch at the links below – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | PUBLISHER | BOOKSHOP | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Fantasy; Historical Fiction
Setting	England
Number of Pages	400
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	October 3, 2023
Publisher	Grand Central Publishing (Hachette)

Official Summary

A “wildly inventive and utterly addictive” (Julia Quinn) witchy reimagining of Pride and Prejudice, told from the perspective of the troublesome and—according to her—much-maligned youngest Bennet sister, Lydia.

In this exuberant retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves, Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat; Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would one expect from a demon? And if Mr. Darcy is uptight about etiquette, that’s nothing compared to his feelings about magic. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that for a witch, promises have power . . .

Full of enchantment, intrigue, and boundless magic, The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength, and romance of Pride and Prejudice—while offering a highly unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister.

Praise for The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch

• “Funny and fierce as Lydia Bennet herself, this book mixes witchcraft lore with Austen’s story to make its own unique magic. I’ll never look at Kitty the same way again…” ―Claudia Gray, author of The Murder of Mr. Wickham, a Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney Mystery
• “Taub’s wit and creativity shines through. . . A delight for both Austen lovers and fans of magical adventure stories.” ―Kirkus Reviews
• “Wildly inventive and utterly addictive. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m now 100% Team Lydia.” ―Julia Quinn