Reviewed by my co-blogger, Emma, on Novel Notions

‘Proper witching is just a conversation with that red heartbeat, which only ever takes three things: the will to listen to it, the words to speak with it, and the way to let it into the world. The will, the words, and the way.

… everything important comes in threes.’

‘Once upon a time there were three sisters…’ Three Eastwood sisters, to be precise. Agnes, Bella, and James Juniper. They live in a world where magic and power were female, once. Now it is all hushed words passed from mother to daughter, hidden workings and small tricks, all the better to stay beneath notice. For in this place, which is also our place, women are less than they were. They are made small by the power of men— and expected to stay that way.

The year is 1893 and in New Salem the suffragists are rallying for the vote. But the ballot box isn’t the only path to change and a little witchery might be what’s needed to counter the arrival of a new danger, one cloaked in shadows and sickness. Juniper certainly thinks so. But these are sisters are riven by their past, too uncertain with each other in the present. To have a future, they’ll need mend the hurts that broke them, find a way to bring back what was forgotten, and forge something new… something wild and witchy.

This is one of those books that you manage to keep at an emotional distance for only the briefest time before falling head over heels. The opening pages bring a smile as you immediately recognise that Alix Harrow is as just good as you remembered. Or perhaps even better. You marvel again at the beauty and lyricism of her writing, at how quickly she can show you the essence of a character, at how she transforms old tales into new. And then all of that is forgotten as you become lost in the story of these women, become part of their struggles in a way that feels transformative. For this is a book about the power of women and of family. It is history and myth and magic woven together, a literary fairy tale threaded with real world issues. It is a story for our time and for all times.

In following the journey of these sisters, the wider notion of sisterhood in all its forms and possibilities is opened up before us. This is a novel of connection and acceptance and openness and inclusion; a book about women who are fed up, no… angry, at feeling desperate, or trapped, or fearful for themselves or their daughters. Here women must find in each other the way forward, as always it is together that we are strongest. It’s not as easy as that, of course. There are hurdles in the forming of a community, especially when those kept down and pushed out by systems of oppression are also taught to be afraid of each other, to believe in the kind of stereotypes and limitations of other groups and individuals they so reject about themselves. This is especially relevant when it comes to racial difference. In the novel, as today, black women are vulnerable to more hatred, more prejudice, more persecution, and more exclusion. The hesitant and carefully deepening relationship between the strong, but isolated black community, focused through one amazing character in particular, and other characters within the book (I can’t say too much here, it’s spoilery) is sensitively but powerfully done. It made my heart sing to see so much togetherness, no matter how slow or cautious the process has to be. Even as the parallels of discrimination and division fill you with rage and bitter recognition, so books like this offer you hope. It suggests, and not gently, that we must all sacrifice, men and women together, to make the world anew, to create something better for us all.

I have never read anything like this and I honestly love everything about it. Even though I read this advance copy on my kindle, I know that it’s a novel I’m going to have to have for my own, a physical copy on my bookshelves to reflect the story’s place in my heart. I already can’t wait to read it again.

It will hardly surprise you to hear that this is not only one of my books of the year, but of all time. It could not have come at a better moment and I urge you all to read it.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

2,75/5 ⭐

I honestly, HONESTLY wished I could give this book more stars but I simply couldn't.
This is an unpopular opinion, but it's my personal experience with it so I'll just say it as it is.

I was very excited when I got this, I was sure that this is going to be such a great read for me and, in the beginning, it actually was, I was still pretty excited. But after about 1/4 of the book, I felt how I lose interest.
I couldn't feel any kind of attachment towards the characters and they sometimes felt too lost in their own world, too stubborn, too shallow for their own good.
There were also lots of other characters that appeared out of nowhere and as much as I wanted to remember all of them, they kind of overwhelmed and confused me.
Info-dumping was too a bit much at some points, extending the book more than necessary; I felt like it was too much for nothing that couldn't have been outlined in a few phrases here and there.

All those aspects made the reading slow and a bit unpleasant for me, because between not really connecting with the characters and the too-much-information passages, I kind of forgot about my initial excitement regarding the book.

There were great aspects to it, I'm not being a little petty witch to forget about them. The book itself is well-documented, it's obvious that the author did her homework really well. The social, political and historical aspects are also strong here and the idea of, you know, powerful, magical, anarchist ladies is what I love to see in books.

I am so sorry I didn't like this as much as I wanted and I still want to like. But I cannot lie if my heart wasn't; there with it.

I loved the way this was written. It's quite a harsh story with a lot of difficult realities to face in it but it also manages to be magical and heartwarming at the same time.

There was a lot going on in the story but I don't think that any of the characters got lost in it, they were all well written with personalities that came across strongly. James Juniper was definielty my favourite character but I also liked Beatrice Belladonna - the shy and bookish middle sister that works in a library and has to dig deep to find the courage to stand up with her sisters in their fight to bring magic back to the world.

I loved the magic system and the way there was men's magic and women's magic and spells passed from parent to child so each family has their own knowledge and skills. Each chapter starts with a spell which is a nice touch that helps to bring the magic to life.

It was mostly well paced but it did take me a while to read. Mostly because I was enjoying the way it went in-depth into each character and their lives and I wanted to stretch it out but I also felt it dragged a bit in the middle and my interest started to wander. It picked back up towards the end though and it ended strong.

I recommend this to anyone that likes fantasy and stories about women and magic and standing up for what you believe in.

Alix E Harrow's debut novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, received rave reviews. I haven't read it so The Once and Future Witches was my first foray into Harrow's lyrical, poetic prose. I don't always have the best time with this kind of prose, I tend to either love it or hate it. But in The Once and Future Witches, I loved it and I'm very excited to read Harrow's debut now as well!

The Once and Futute Witches is set during 1893 suffragette America, where three sisters who have been seperated by time and betrayal, meet again when a spell that makes an old tower appear in the middle of New Salem pulls them together. The three sisters end up embroiled in a quest to bring back magic that will allow women to stand up to the world that has pushed them so far down.

It's difficult to know where to start with this beautiful book. The prose was just wonderful: so haunting and so full of imagery, it just completely envelops you. Despite the heavy detail and poetic prose, which can sometimes really slow down a book, it didn't feel slow at all. This prose just sucked me in and I wanted to stay reading this book for hours at a time. It's very reminiscent of Erin Morgenstern's work, who has the same ability to create this delicate, beautiful language that makes you never want to leave.

One of my favourite things about this world was the history regarding the magic. In order to stay hidden, magic is passed down through "women's things": children's nursery rhymes, fairytale stories, sewn into fabric. Each chapter starts with a spell, many of which will be familiar, twists on different rhymes we may have heard. Alongside these spells, there are occasional breaks for short fairytales that really help add to the sense of beauty and magic in this book, alongside a sense of darkness that comes with the original fairytales.

Are the three main characters a little one dimensional? Yes. James, the youngest sister, is the wild, uncontrollable one: Beatrice, the old crone obsessed with books and knowledge; and Agnes the beautiful warrior mother. They are a little surface level, I felt like Agnes was the only one that really got to explore her personality a bit more. She has a bit more depth as the sister who isn't fully on board with bringing back witches, as the one who is deep set in her bitterness at the betrayal years ago, and so I found her journey more interesting than the others. But what I loved most about the characters in this book is not the three sisters, it's the small, insightful moments we get with the host of secondary characters in this world. To me, this is where the emotion and heart of this book really sang. There was such a depth of emotion is such small moments that really touched me, and really emphasised this fight to defeat the darkness of men. There's Jeannie, the trans woman too scared to tell her friends she's trans until the end of the book when she reveals her shorn head inflicted on her by the prison system, who clenched her fists in meetings as they talked about the uselessness of men's magic, when it was the only kind she knew. There's the moment when Mr Lee, his face radiant and fierce, stands as the only barrier between Agnes and men who seek to burn her. There's Cleo Quinn, Beatrice's love interest, a Black journalist who in a moment of absolute power stuns you with her sharp words that the Black people living in New Cairo, her people, are always the ones to suffer most for others fights. It is these small moments and glimpses into these other characters lives that felt the most powerful to me.

Incidentally, it is these secondary characters lives that felt the most inclusionary as well. Without them, this book is token white feminism trying to beat down the man, the three white women tearing down structures of society with no thought to who actually gets hurt most by their actions (as Cleo is used to teach them...) Which is why I wish there had been more focus on these other characters. It's like Harrow tried to make her feminism more open and inclusive but she didn't quite go far enough: these characters did feel a little like side offerings to the main quest of these three sisters, used to help them reach their full power and take down the villain. I wish we'd seen more importance placed on those putting themselves at risk for the sisters.

But overall, I did find this book very enchanting. There is no question that Alix E Harrow writes absolutely beautifully, in a way that makes you completely entranced in a world. I appreciate her efforts to attempt a more inclusive fight for feminism but I do feel it could have gone a lot further. The best part of this book were the small moments with the characters around the sisters, the moments where other characters got to show their world and their hopes and their dreams and why they were fighting and I wish we'd had more importance and focus placed on these (at times infinitely more) interesting characters.

The most deserving 5 star read I ever did see.

From where will I draw the words to describe this book.
To come away from this read without wanting to shout from the rooftops and join hands with the women of the world, well I just can’t imagine it.

The Once and Future Witches isn’t just about the plight of witch women trying to survive and keep their ways intact. It’s about all with the will to find the ways to fight injustice and be free.

Not a single character is written without purpose, nor a place or time. You cannot help but feel a flurry of admiration mingled with dreamed excitement towards the purpose created and it will remain wrapped tightly around your soul.

The only disagreement I have is that Juniper, oh wild Juniper, there is no such thing as an excessive amount of books.

I just need to wholeheartedly say my deepest, most grateful thanks to Little, Brown Book Group for allowing me the chance to read and revel in this book. To cement itself amongst my most favourite and cherished. Alix E. Harrow will also be well and truly placed into authors I keep a keen eye out for.

After DNFing The Ten Thousand Doors of January I was a little worried going into this. However I definitely enjoyed this much more. I kind of want to give the other book a second chance.

Part one of this was slow paced. Which made me struggled a tiny bit. But once I got past that I flew through the rest of the book.

Despite flying through it I did find myself getting a little bored at times. Feeling like the story wasn’t progressing fast enough. The writing being so beautiful helped me here.

At its core the story is about sisterhood, protecting each other. Justice and fighting for women’s rights. Which I loved. Seeing how much the sisters care for each other. No matter what they believed about the past.

I didn’t think I was emotionally invested in any of the characters. However a death at the end got me a little emotional. Probably because the character sacrificed themselves to protect their family. How in that moment they showed no fear. Knowing their family would be safe.

The cast is deserve which going into this I didn’t know it had LGBTQ rep including a trans character. Although the trans character is briefly mentioned as being trans towards the end of the book.

The use of fairytale and children’s stories for the spells interested me. I’m not sure if that’s a normal witch story thing as I don’t read many. But I liked it anyway.

I will definitely pick up something else by Harrow in the future. I’d be interested to see her work in a series.

Stories featuring bickering/distant families isn’t exactly new or rare, but it is unusual to find one where all of the main characters have not been speaking and are borderline hostile towards one another. Even as they spend the book repairing their bonds and unravelling the secrets that pulled them apart to begin with, there’s still an undertone of distrust and uncertainty between them, a fragility to the healing that could break with the slightest misstep.

Our three heroines are backed by a diverse range of supporting characters, from animal familiars, to a crime boss who can't help but fall hopelessly in love with the bold-as-brass Agnes when she comes sweeping into his life unannounced. Foes who aren't foes, and friends who aren't friends, mixed in with twists and turns I wasn't expecting.

I loved the way magic worked, with spells being incorporated into common nursery rhymes and fairytale characters being real and manifesting in surprising ways. Everything about this story was enchanting and I was hooked from the first page until the very last word.

In Harrow's previous book, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, I grew frustrated with the over-use of metaphors and smilies, but in this story she has toned it way back and focused more on the characters and telling things as they are, which creates a much stronger piece of work with a stronger atmosphere.

This is one of my favourite reads of the year and I can't wait to get a physical copy when the book is released!

I truly loved this book. This is a story of three sisters, Bella, Agnes and Juniper, who were once separated from each other but have now found themselves at each others path once again in a completely new city, New Salem. The city is a hot-bed of women suffragist, who have been continuously fighting for their right to vote among other things and the sisters inadvertently becomes a part of their movement. The three sisters, who comes from a line of witches soon learns that they won't get their rights by just simple protests and they might need to add magic in the mix, if they want the citizens and authorities of New Salem to take them seriously. Thus begins the movement which changes not just the lives of these three sisters but also several other women who have been systematically oppressed throughout their lives.

I cannot stress this enough but Alex E. Harrow's writing is simply outstanding. The plot of this book truly has a beautiful soul and reading it was a very wholesome experience. I loved the unique exploration of myths, lore and legends in the book, it was done with so much thought and care. And I love how everything linked back to stories that were passed on from mothers to their daughters. Additionally, the characters were truly beautiful yet flawed in the best way possible. Bella, Agnes and Juniper are so different from each other, yet the bond the sisters share felt so real and pure. They love and they fight, there's a past between the sisters, a sense of mistrust but they are there for each other, when anyone of them is in need. Other characters such as Quinn, August and even Jenny Lind fitted so perfectly in the story. Plus this book has great representation in every sense.

I guess the only issue I had with the book was the pacing felt slow at times but I don't think it hindered my reading experience as after I finished reading the book, all I can feel was a sense of overwhelming happiness. I cannot wait to see what the author does next because she is now definitely on my auto-buy list.

This book definitely deserves all the hype its currently getting and more - the story is simply spellbinding and had me completely captivated and believing in the everyday magic again. I'm still processing it and just WOW! The Once and Future Witches is once of my favourite reads of 2020, and has a place on my all-time favourites list. I'm not even sure I can find the right words to do this wonderful story justice.

In an alternative reality, The Once and Future Witches follows the story of 3 sisters trying to survive in New Salem, with an added pinch of witchcraft, and the fight for women rights.
This story is beautiful, but also heartbreaking. I was cheering for our characters but also crying with them, they all felt so real.

I definitely wouldn't mind another book about some of the secondary characters, Miss. Quinn especially, or even a spin-off book that reads like a grimoire. I am so hungry for more when it comes to this world.

Harrow has created such a beautiful magic system that reminds the reader that magic is not just one thing, but it is everywhere and means something different to everyone; whether it be in the food we cook, our sewing and darning, or even little day-to-day sayings. These ideas are so well ingrained and baked into the story, I couldn't stop thinking about how everyday magic might be real. It definitely felt real whilst reading this spellbinding story.

Synopsis:   It's the year 1893 in New England's city of Salem, two century after the witch trials. The Suffragette movement had it's peak that year, when New Zealand granted women voting rights, and U.S.A. women fought for their rights. 

Three sisters - Beatrice Belladonna, Agnes Amaranth, and James Juniper - had a harsh history with their drunk and violent father, and thoughts of betrayal against each other. They were separated for years but found their way to the city of New Salem where witchcraft is forbidden, and women's dresses don't have pockets which could hide spell ingredients. 

Nearly everyone in this alternate history learns some words and ways for small witching tasks from their mothers or fathers - to smooth the hair, clean out stained dresses, or similar every day chores. Witches are looked down upon and not obvious, but it belongs to the world rather than to fairy tales.

Juniper is an angry, wild, stubborn girl, and the best practiced of the three sisters in witchcraft which she learned from her grandmother. The eldest of them, Bella, is wiser, bookish, and shy. Agnes completes the trio of maiden-mother-crone with her sensible, strong character. All of them are witches and ultimately try to win back witchcraft and women's rights into the world.

But nothing is easy, and at the end witches have to burn - a formidable foe and dark mystery develops, opposing witches in every way.

Review: The novel won my heart alone with the combination of suffragists and witches as a fascinating motivational driver for the plot. Beware of getting sucked in by Wikipedia with the given links!

The suffragist's aspect got lost somewhere in the middle of the novel, but by then other topics - like several love stories, a political maneuver, and the resolution of the sibling's relations - took over and were overruled by witchcraft in the end phase. The author did a great job by juggling all those plot threads, building up tension, and keeping me on my toes with many plot twists, an intelligent and cunning foe, and ultimately finding a satisfying resolution. Yes, the witch burned, of course.

The narrative voice is dedicated to advanced readers and needs proper concentration: multiple narrators, frequent changes of pacing, and a large set of protagonists - most important awesome Cleopatra Quinn who deserved a novel of her own - contribute to the enjoyment. Most important are embedded stories retelling well known fairy tales from the witches' point of views - they are amusing on the side, because they adapt the "Sister Grimm" tales in interesting ways, and they are importing parts of the overall setting, because the witch spells are taken from them and play a role in their respective chapters. 

The setting is introduced slowly, refining the magic system through the course of the novel. It was great to see the coming-of-age of a witch while exploring the world - including many spells, familiars, male magic, the ever present broomstick, black and white witchcraft, as well as the counterparts from church and society, including the inquisition, torture, and the ultimate burning at the stake. If a witch gets angry - and they will do so - things can get ugly.

There is lots of rage, taking action without planning, suffering, but also the heights of a revolution, thoughtful insights, caring, and love. Readers' emotions aren't played with but come natural, because all of the sisters are relatable and likeable as different as they are.

While set in a alternate history, it is modern and relevant at the same time, because none of the topics of confronting a conservative society with lesbian love, feminism, BLM, and parental violence will get old in our times. 

I've yet to read The Ten Thousand Doors of January by the same author, but have a review of her Hugo finalist story "Do Not Look Back, My Lion" on my blog which I found awesome. Alix E. Harrow is easily on the way to favorite author.

The novel touched me emotionally, but also made me think and I was able to enjoy the novel on different levels, while at the same time it was highly adventurous and brilliantly told. I recommend it to advanced Fantasy readers who like lyrical prose and character-driven stories.

Arc received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Once and Future Witches is a story about Sisters, Spells and Suffrage. Three estranged sisters - Bella, Agnes and Juniper - reconnect in New Salem after the death of their abusive father brings them into each other's orbit once more. From there, they become entangled in a scheme to restore power to women through witchcraft, or "witching."

The strength of this book is definitely in its characters - each girl had a unique and distinctive voice as well as their own motivations. I kept reading in order to find out where these character journeys went. Unfortunately, the characters were all that kept me reading - the main plot was not particularly compelling. The antagonists were always a vague threat, although I did appreciate the commentary on how the police and press can be utilised against anyone perceived as 'different.'

3 stars overall.

eARC provided by NetGalley , thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK. All opinions are my own.

I feel so disappointed but I found this book to be very, very boring. I don’t think this book was for me but with all the other rave reviews, it might be for you so don’t write it off just yet.

Sorry first and foremost for the unpopular opinion, many, many people have found this book to be amazing but sadly it just fell really flat in a lot of ways.

It started off wonderfully; I mean who doesn’t love a witchy book! A stunning cover, title and synopsis really caught my eye.

At first I was really interested in the Eastwood sisters and what happened to them but soon, each and every character fell totally and completely flat and empty to me, I could not form an attachment to either of them no matter how hard I tried. At 6% in, I already felt devoid of interest and I knew this book just wasn’t working for me.

There was also an overload of characters and a pretty straight forward, uninteresting plot which might have let me down since I am used to more action and intrigue. The pacing was just really off and there is a lot of info-dumping that I found very unnecessary. The most intriguing parts (to me at least) had very little page time and the more I read the more bored and disinterested I got.
The concept and the writing are absolutely stunning. Even the tone and voices used, but sadly, this was too slow-paced for me in every way.

I am still adding The Ten Thousand Doors of January to my reading list, I do really hope I will enjoy it better but I just found this very boring and nothing kept my attention.

I think this will appeal to a certain audience so I do suggest you give it a try.

Rating 2

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Standalone
Publish Date: October 15th 2020
Cover Rating: 8/10
Adult - Historical Fiction – Witches - Magic

<blockquote>“Witching and women’s rights. Suffrage and spells. They’re both …” She gestures in midair again. “They’re both a kind of power, aren’t they? The kind we aren’t allowed to have.” The kind I want, says the hungry shine of her eyes. [loc. 800]</blockquote>

An alternate 1893, more than a century after Old Salem burned to the ground, and the witches disappeared. The Eastwood sisters -- Beatrice Belladonna, Agnes Amaranth and James Juniper -- have each made their way to the city of New Salem, each harbouring long-nursed grudges against her siblings. (These grudges, founded on betrayal and abandonment and spite, are misdirected.) When they meet again after seven years' separation, all become involved with the nascent womens' suffrage movement. Though there's an undercurrent of something darker, something less polite, beneath the meetings and the banners. The Eastwood sisters might be witches, and they might be looking to reawaken their heritage.

It's easy, at first, to see the three as the triptych of maiden-mother-crone: fierce Juniper, sensible strong Agnes, shy bookish Bella. But “Every woman is usually at least one of those. Sometimes all three and a few others besides” [loc. 6523], and each of the sisters ends up uncovering, or rediscovering, or reawakening another aspect of herself.

There is a lot of plot in this novel, and the variable pacing and multiple narrators are sometimes confusing. I'd have liked to see more of the secondary characters -- particularly Miss Cleopatra Quinn, who is awesome, and whose history and heritage could have done with more exploration. But there is so very much to enjoy and to empathise with. Juniper, who sets everything rolling (or roiling), is certainly my favourite of the three sisters ('"You girls have done very well.” Juniper wants to write the word girls on a ribbon and strangle him with it.' [loc. 3715]), and her ferocity and fury feel painfully relevant.

Bella, the eldest, who's so fascinated with the old stories and songs, also fascinates. This is a world where the Sisters Grimm collected 'Children and Household Witch-Tales', where translator Miss Alexandra Pope inserted a few lines about moly into the <i>Odyssey</i>, where an Italian witch walked through nine circles of Hell. And it is a world where the most important things are hidden in "Women’s clothes, children’s toys, songs … Places a man would never look". [loc. 3936] The subtly-refashioned fairy tales that appear as interludes in <i>The Once and Future Witches</i> also reveal a culture where women had power, and men feared it.

There is joyful rage here, and suffering, and revolution and love and diversity. There is also, uncomfortably, a tailored plague that preys on the poor and the brown; some casual period-typical racism from white characters; and some subplots that are oddly paced or insufficiently explored. <i>The Once and Future Witches</i> is not perfect: but as a whole, and in so many of Harrow's lyrical urgent sentences, it lives and it sings.

[UK Publication: 13OCT20]

This historical fantasy is set in New Salem in the late 19th century. Witchcraft is forbidden. Women's dresses don't have pockets - else they might hide the workings for spells. The Suffragette Movement is trying to have a voice with the mayor and council of New Salem.

The three Eastwood sisters haven't been in contact for several years. Not realizing they're all together again in the city, the sisters become tied together by their witchcraft as the maiden, mother, and crone. Bringing back witchcraft is a daunting task - one that could restore women's place in society. Or get them all burnt at the stake.

The Once and Future Witches tackles some serious things - women's rights, black rights, and LGBTQ+ rights.

I loved the complex characters of the three sisters. Alix Harrow did a fantastic job giving each one her own unique voice and POV. This a haunting but enjoyable read that left me in tears but wanting more.

The Once and Future Witches
5⭐

"There's no such thing as witches. But there will be"

You might think this is just a light magical tale about three sisters. Bound together by fate, and their Grandmother's fairytales and rhymes.
But it's so much more than that, making it the perfect read to sink into this Autumn!
Transporting you to an atmospheric Salem in the late 1800's, shrouded in mysterious mist, with characters which seep off the page to bewitch you!
And a tale about the true meaning of sisterhood.

And it's far darker than just a superficial fictional tale. Because the author has managed to link witchcraft to the suffragette movement, both leaning heavily on well researched historical fact.
An alarming period, which piqued my interest, causing me to fall down the Wikipedia rabbit hole!
Circe's Madeline Miller wrote an incredible article in 2018 for The Guardian, asking why powerful women have been, and continue to be cast as witches.
In the late 19th century, revolutionary suffragette Matilda Joslyn Gage said that the persecution of witches had nothing to do with fighting evil or resisting the devil, but that it was an entrenched social misogyny which was repressing the intellect of women.
And anyone foreign or different often falls prey to these allegations.
Reading about the witch trials which were followed by the Suffragette movement allowed me to pause and appreciate that although this novel is fictional, that the element of truth (which may feel far fetched) is in fact far greater than you'd ever imagine!
And appreciate how far society has changed due to the courage of women fighting for rights I might today take for granted, even though 10 August has been declared a world day against witch hunts, because witch hunts still take place in some parts of the world!!

This novel is satisfying in ways you'll want to shout about.
Peppered with all of the witchiness you might be craving this time of year, the crone, the maiden and the mother all making an appearance.
Serendipitous links which make the magic feel realistic and feasible, and a reminder that we fight for a better world for our daughters!

|| THE ONCE & FUTURE WITCHES ||
Once upon a time there were three sisters; the Maiden, Mother and Crone.

Together they learned to survive on their own after having lost their mother so young, left bare to their fathers tormenting rages, and brought up by Mama Mags, their grandmother who taught them the ways of devious witching; how to survive in a cold world where no woman can stand up for herself, set to cower behind in their husband’s shadow. Their words of no value. Witches are in hiding in the world, their magic looked down upon, called horrid things by egotistical men, while men’s magic is acknowledged and accepted, intensifying the degree of sexism in society.

Juniper, the youngest, has left home, their abusive and cruel father finally dead, in search of her beloved sisters who betrayed her. She’s feral, angry and out for revenge, determined to bring all magic back to the world and make men cower in their shoes.
Agnes, the middle sister. She’s beautiful, sly and iron-willed, selfish in her ways to save her own skin. She wants nothing to do with her sisters or anyone. She wants to be Nothing, if only to protect herself.

Beatrice, the eldest. She’s quiet, observant and clever, her head always stuck in a book. She keeps her heart and secrets close, eyes always on the ground (or on a book). What stood out about her narrative was how she kept her true and deepest thoughts within parentheses, as in fear anyone would see and voice them. She was definitely my favorite of the sisters.

When the sisters face each other again after a strange and long-forbidden magic arises they are determined to recover it, and bring beauty back into their magic-less and drab world, to answer the pull of magic that calls out for them. But there’s something lurking in the shadows, something that wants to stop them.

The writing is bewitching (pun intended), so magical and beautiful. And the little spells at each start of a chapter were so enchanting and entertaining to read. I suppose its mainly character-driven, though the underlying plot really did pique my interest. The book is written in all three of their perspectives and not once did I lose interest in either. Each of them was captivating in their own way, all standing out from one another in their actions and thoughts. Within the book, there are increments that include dark versions of the sappy fairy-tales that we read before bedtime, their endings gruesome and dark. After Old Salem and its witches burned down, and all magic forbidden, daughters of witches hid spells within various fairy-tale books, songs and rhymes to continue the line of magic and pass it on without suspicion.

The twists and tricks will give you chills. It will make your heart stop beating, always fearing for the worse. Throughout the book you get to witness the character arc of each sister as she fights her own battles, as they come to terms with their dire past and learn to love each other again, fierce and binding. The raw and burning love between them will scorch you to the core. This book is a mix of torment and despair. One minute you’re all giddy and the next you’re tearing up over the unfairness of it all. Though the book was pretty long, the characters and writing more than made up for it. I cannot recommend this enough; feminist witches, dark magic, fairy-tales, cloaks and hidden towers. It’s got it all. A perfect fall read, in my opinion.

||THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND PUBLISHER FOR THE CHANCE TO READ AND REVIEW THIS BOOK||

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for sending a copy of this book.

I'm really gutted about this but I've DNF'd the book 10% in. I'm not a fan of flowery writing and unfortunately didn't realise that this book would consist of that at the time of requesting. I really wanted to love this one as well.

Thank you again for gifting this too me.

Alix E Harrow’s, ‘The Once and Future Witches’ is a book with a righteous temper.

Telling the story of the three Eastwood sisters, Juniper, Agnes and Bella—brought up in witchcraft, an old witchcraft that has been otherwise lost to the rest of the world—and their part in fighting for women’s suffrage in a subtly alternate late 19th century United States, this is a powerful novel about the struggle of all women to be seen and heard, and to determine their own lives. It’s full of love and wit and guile, and quick and clever words. And anger. And temper.

At times, the temper can make it a hard read - not because of the uncomfortable subjects, but rather that the beats of this book are irregular, and the pace gets distracting in places. But you have to ride this storm to get the best out of this book, because this is a story about hard truths told in hard ways, and it reflects the hard battles women face. The Eastwood sisters turn pain into truth, and truth into power, both in trying to win the right to vote and in trying to defeat a magical threat that doesn’t want the balance of power to shift in the witches’ favour, and will burn them alive if it can.

Fans of HG Parry, of Jeanette Ng, and those finally discovering Octavia Butler, will all find something to connect with here.

Powerful, compassionate, wrathful, this is a book alive in every line. I can definitely recommend it. It comes out on October 15th in the UK, find it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Once-Future-Witches-Alix-Harrow/dp/0356512479

An ARC was kindly provided by Little, Brown Book Group.

I’ve read a few books about women’s suffrage and plenty of books about witches, but this is the first book I’ve read that has mingled the two subjects. The result is a great read about three sisters and the struggle to overcome their abusive childhoods in order to become the magical and powerful women they were destined to be.

Each sister was well developed and characterised. I really enjoyed the themes of sisterhood, re-empowering the disenfranchised and the strong beautiful thread of LGBTQIA+ representation. It was also interesting to read about the struggle for women’s suffrage in a US context: most of my reading so far has been very UK- and Pankhurst-based. If I had any criticisms, it would be that perhaps the book was slightly over-long and there were some parts I found unbelievable, even in a magical version of the world.

However, the book was a solid 4 star read for me and I can imagine that there are many readers who will absolutely love it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Like the gorgeous love child of Sarah Waters’ historical fiction and your favourite collection of fairy tales, with a pinch of Angela Carter to add piquancy. I loved the language and the imagery that coiled through the book like rampant ivy. I loved the mix of real and fantastic in this magic realist tale of those who fight social injustice and human brokenness, of those who struggle with the gap between what they have and what they need, of witches across time. The Eastwood sisters were far more than the archetypical crone, mother and maiden. I followed the narrative as it moved between their viewpoints, each time thinking ‘ahh, yes, she’s my favourite’. The novel takes so many elements that are familiar and makes them fresh, creating a compelling story that I really didn’t want to put down. I recommend it to fellow fans of Alice Hoffman.