Hisdadukh is one of the most powerful charasheta sorceresses in Babylonia, fighting demons and inscribing protective amulets for hundreds of clients. Rava is her love, a student of the secret Torah and brother of her first husband Rami. Together, the pair navigates the difficult world of their magic and of the more trivial things in Jewish life in the fourth century. With Rava is the difficulty of a childless wife he must divorce and near-bankruptcy; with Hisdadukh lies the pain of being separated from her child and kept in the dark by her mother. Maggie Anton shows a beautiful picture of love from the magical and historical roots of Jewish societies long, long ago in ENCHANTRESS.

ENCHANTRESS really wowed me. I was absolutely floored. I wasn't expecting that a book so full of new information to me could hold my attention with both the history and the love story. My usual experience with historical fiction is one-sided; I either love the history or I love the fiction. ENCHANTRESS is one of the rare exceptions where I was absolutely enamored with both at all times. The historical background and weaving in of the characters is absolutely amazing. I cannot begin to describe how wonderful and refreshing it is when a historical novel explains things to you in such a seamless manner. Anton even includes a glossary in the back in case you miss something in the narrative.

I really loved Hisdadukh; the whole book is not only in her point of view but completely and totally inside her head. I love first person point of view, mostly because it is so hard to pull off successfully without slipping. I never doubted that Hisdadukh was our only source of information, not once. She is the perfect balance of confident and realistic. She has the power to back herself up both literally and figuratively. She is my favorite new character in a while, and I don't often say that. All the other characters are well done but the central character is the best hands down.

If I had one complaint, it would be that the jumps in time are not that well-labeled. We go from the birth of Hisdaduka and Rava's third child to the birth of their grandchildren without much in between. Other than this, I could find nothing wrong with the book which wasn't down to anyone's personal taste.

Not only did I learn a great deal about a historical period of which I was woefully uneducated, but I discovered a new favorite author in the process. I want everyone to know that Maggie Anton is a novelist who combines love for history with the respect for character that can only combine in sure-fire success. After ENCHANTRESS, I mean to read all the Maggie Anton that I can get my hands on, and I certainly hope you do too.