Thank you, Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Once And Future Witches is my first book by Alex E. Harrow. I haven't read her debut novel, Ten Thousand Doors Of January. But I have seen a lot of raving reviews for it and, I knew I needed to check out her feministic story of justice and women's rights movements with witching to aid the cause. It is a story told from the perspective of the three Eastwood sisters, and we get to know them intimately through the novel as it unfolds. The three estranged sisters come together in New Salem at a suffragist's march, pulled by ancient witching. They want to make the fight for women's rights count and decide to find out the forgotten ways and words to bring back the long-lost powers of the witching. As they move forward with their plans, strange shadows stalk and hunt them, putting roadblocks to stop their plans. While they are planning the witch movement to take down the male-dominated system, they also have to figure out a way to communicate with one another to resolve the broken bonds between them. The book tells the story of sisterhood, fighting for justice, and women's rights movements all woven together to bring forth a wonderfully crafted character-driven novel. The novel is a slow-paced book with the primary focus on the characters. The book took some time to get into because of the pacing. It also took some time to establish the main characters. But if you are patient and keep on reading it, you will enjoy it as you move forward. Each character had a distinct personality and unique strengths that helped them survive in life. I thought the characters were well-defined, and I loved how their different yet distinct voices stood out in the story. I admired how they came together and helped fight a corrupt system. I enjoyed seeing the development of the characters and found myself rooting for them as the story progressed. There were words of witching in the form of rhymes, and some familiar stories retold that were fascinating. I loved the witchy retellings that the author added to the book. The writing is beautiful, and the lyrical quality to it made it a compelling read for me. If you love slow-paced historical fantasy fiction with paranormal elements featuring strong female characters, then definitely check this book out. As I mentioned before, it's a character-driven story with strong themes of sisterhood, justice, survival, and fight for women's rights. I gave it 4-4.5 stars. The book was a unique reading experience, and I had a good time reading it.

A brilliant book about witchcraft and magic but predominately, sisterhood and solidarity.

The three main characters; June, Agnes and Bella are sisters but don’t share much in common other than blood. Each had a brilliant and loveable storyline but I think June’s was my favourite. She was strong and sassy but above all, had a huge heart and she would do anything to protect her family. A trait they all shared.
Their development individually and as a trio was strong throughout. I loved how they uplifted and empowered other women to come into their strength and understand their power.

The pace began quite slowly but increased gradually throughout and the ending was quite fast paced. It worked really well with the plot and I felt accurately depicted the rising tensions experienced by the characters.

Overall, a beautiful story and a fitting ending in my opinion. Definitely brilliant for anyone but especially those who need a little boost of esteem and what they can accomplish.

Thank you Orbit and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow is powerful, magical and very memorable.
It is 1836 and there are no such thing as witches any more, all that remains are a few simple charms and some knowledge about herbs passed down from one woman to another, hidden for fear of the burnings that destroyed so many families and towns in the past. When women go looking for power now they seek it in the ballot box, and the suffrage movement is on the rise in the town of New Salem despite opposition from the political elite.
When James Juniper Eastwood flees to the city in an attempt to escape her past, she does not expect to be reunited with the sisters who left her behind years before, Beatrice Belladonna and Agnes Amaranth. As a reader we get to see parts of the story from each of these women's perspectives and learn about the troubled upbringing they shared and the arguments and misunderstandings that tore them apart. Each of the three is very different, and the author has done a wonderful job of bringing each of them to life and imbuing them with distinct attributes and personalities. Ultimately the three will have to come together if there is any hope of saving magic and saving the city from a dark force that threatens to gain control. James Juniper is the determined firebrand, ready to set the world on fire if that is what it takes. Agnes Amaranth is more cautious, especially since she has more to care about and more to lose. Beatrice Belladonna is the bookish one who is questioning her growing attraction to a fellow scholar. Each of them have reasons to fear and distrust the others but they also love one another as only sisters can. Through her characters the author is able to explore topics like feminism, racism and discrimination in a powerful and compelling way that is an integral and important part of the story.
The world building and magic system in this book is wonderful, it takes the familiar idea of the Three, the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone, and in many ways turns it on its head. I also loved how the author was able to weave various well known and beloved fairy tales into the story , using them as vehicles for the hidden knowledge of magic. The author also incorporates real world history and historical figures into the book, particularly when it comes to the suffrage aspects of the story. As the title suggests , there is a strong theme of history repeating itself and this is layered over the course of the book. While the characters really drive the book, the plot is also really well developed and moves steadily towards a dramatic and empowering conclusion, and the use of language is simply beautiful, as I would have expected having read the author's previous book, the Ten Thousand Doors of January. It has a wonderful lyrical quality and an almost fairy tale feel at times. I loved this book about sisterhood and empowerment and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This book had everything I had been searching for packed into it! It had all the witchy themes I could’ve wanted, and more.

This follows the story of three sisters in 1893, where witches no longer exist except in parts of nursery rhymes and stories told to them from their mothers. The witches have all but died in the last burnings; any mentioning of them is met with animosity. The Eastwood sisters who were estranged from one another for years, come back together and join the suffragettes; to fight for women’s rights while also bringing about an uprising for the rights witches by remembering the forgotten words and ways.

The main characters, the three sisters are so different from one another - so distinct and complex - which makes the relationship between them complex too. They each have a fire within them, with differing goals and desires. This story focuses heavily on the subject of sisterhood, loyalty and coming together. I really enjoyed this element and revelled in the changing dynamics between the sisters and the differences in women. There are other noteworthy characters but in general anyone beyond the main three sisters were a little one dimensional.

The plot was fast paced and intriguing from the beginning which made me want to keep reading until I reached the end. I was hooked! The story headed in ways I wasn’t expecting and the author cleverly wove in themes and aspects that came into play later on in the book which was exciting to see. The stakes were high in this book and they stayed high which for me meant that I really didn’t know what was going to happen next. I loved the focus of nursery rhymes that we all knew as children being an element in this book.

There was a lot of commentary on various topics other than sisterhood such as racial prejudice with an isolated community of black women joining the cause against oppression. The discussions of women having less rights than men, being stepped on and treated like nothing, was particularly poignant. I thought the message of coming together in a shared anger and resentment against discrimination and the system was so powerful and the process of this was truly wonderful to see.

I adored the writing; I felt as though I was with the characters and truly experiencing the story. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

If you’re looking for the perfect witchy, feminist, character-driven read - this is it! I highly recommend it and this is absolutely a new favourite of mine. I can’t wait to reread this.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Little Brown Books for this ARC.

Witches seem to be rather trendy in 2020.  I've lost count of the number of witchy themed books that I have read, and have yet to read, this year. This book is a lovely, very feminist, kind of alternative history about three sisters in New Salem.  Witches apparently don't exist any more in 1893, but when the sisters join the local Suffragettes they start looking into the old folklore and superstitions in their fight for women's rights.

I loved the author's previous book, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and this new one is a more than worthy follow up. A beautifully written, magical read.

I loved this book! Definitely one for fans of Deborah Harkness, there’s a little of the same vibes from Outlander and strong female characters.

This book surprised me - but that’s on me and my original assumptions of witches in fiction - it’s been so rare that I find a book that takes it out of the stereotype, perhaps it’s just me leaning more to watching witches rather than reading them?

HOWEVER; boy did this book blow all my assumptions, early judgements and ideas out of the well!

The Once and Future Witches is a book of magic and battle, it brings the fight for women, witches and rights to this really reality based, humane level.

I laughed, cried, lost sleep and immediately called my sister because it made me miss her desperately!

This is a great book that gets dark when it has to, certain situations really pack a gut wrenching punch because of Alix’s will to show you all when it must be shown and you don’t always get that in fantasy books.

The magic was wonderful, with all these really well known fairytales weaving into the spells and the story in a way I’ve never seen before. It’s all a story of the past and a prediction of the future simultaneously and you almost don’t notice the genius of it and so still gasp at the twists and recite the spells wondering what each one might do!

This is a very character driven book; any environment is simply a foundation and lies a little bit on your knowledge of the time or how you picture it in fantasies because every part of this book is about the soul of each character.

The only flaw I had with this book; is there is a moment where that stereotyping of witches comes in, it’s very small and very quick but I just had to quickly groan at it as I passed it!

Ultimately this is a really successful book about sisterhood, blood and the strength of women who will be listened to, will be respected because if not; they will be feared. There’s a little bit of ourselves in each character and sister and there’s a real empowering, family-esque burning you get from this magical gem.

A huge thank you to netgalley and publisher for this one!

Once and Future Witches takes place in New Salem, America, in 1893 and offers an alternative history to the suffrage movement, combining the fight for equality with the fight for magic. The story follows three sisters, Beatrice, Agnes and Juniper, who as children were taught about witching from their grandma, and the secrets of their past. They learnt that there used to be many witches, powerful women, who were not afraid of men or made small by them. But those witches were burnt and murdered, and the new world came about, where all that was left was the small tricks passed down from mother to daughter.

We start the story from the perspective of Juniper, the youngest and fiercest of the sisters. She is on the run after being accused of murder, and holds a grude against her older sisters, who she believes have abandoned her. She soon finds out that both Agnes and Beatrice are living independently in New Salem, with no knowledge of the other. But after a strange act of magic, the sisters are once again drawn together, and by doing so they must learn to overcome their differences with one another, as they fight for power and to defeat a great evil.

Harrow has such a lyrical voice to her writing, her prose is stellar and whilst it can seem quite meandering at times, the story still moves fast enough that I found myself getting quite immersed with our cast of characters and their journeys, as well as the story of magic. She definitely manages to capture the spirit of her story, and I loved the alternative history that Harrow sets out for us, as well as the system of magic and how it has been smuggled down throughout said history.

Overall, this is a beautifully written, feminist read, and I would be highly recommend this for fans of both fantasy and historical fiction.

I received a free copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Once and the Future Witches was officially the most anticipated book of the year for me, so obviously, my expectations were sky high. And somehow, this book still managed to dazzle and astound me. I HAVE A NEW FAVOURITE BOOK PEOPLE!

This is one hell of a book – and I hate it that my words cannot do any measure of justice to its power and beauty. All I can say is – read it, you will not regret it. Read and absorb and revel in each of the 528 pages and I guarantee you, you will fall in love with it. I know it is a bit on the longer side, but I swear I would have happily read on even if this book was a 1000+ pages.

This review might be me just gushing on and on endlessly, but I will try my best to give you ample number of reasons to read this book.

The Once and the Future Witches is a glorious, fiery and powerful read. It is seething with anger – against the wrongs done against women for way too long, in different forms and manners for decades. In spite of being a slow paced book, I was so engrossed in the story throughout that I had literal goosebumps so many times. It is absolutely impossible to not be moved by the journey of the three Agnes sisters and the countless other women whose lives they touch. It is unlike anything I’ve read before and it has had a profound impact on me.

The beauty and sensitivity with which Alix E. Harrow talks about the anger, the bone-deep weariness, the desperation, the fear and the helplessness which came with being a woman during the late 19th century really gets to the reader. The three sisters represent women, their personalities and their struggles everywhere – the quiet librarian, who tries to approach each problem with practicality and knowledge; the hardworking and steady middle one, whom life has made believe that if a woman wants to be safe, she must become small and closed-off; and the youngest one, who doesn’t give two hoots about what the world thinks and lashes at it with pure fury. The character arc of the Agnes sisters and their evolving relationship is phenomenal and utterly seamless – you are in love with them before you even know it.

Apart from the Agnes sisters, The Once and the Future Witches features a diverse array of female characters – the prim and proper suffragist ladies, the Black sisterhood of witches who call themselves the Daughters of Tituba, the overworked and underpaid working class women and sex workers. It is amazing and empowering to see women from all walks of life united in their pain and power and standing up for each other through thick and thin.

The writing of Alix E. Harrow is pure magic – it enchants and binds readers in a grip and compels them to believe in the power of the written word. The book is an ode to folklore and fables and the love for literature. The Once and the Future Tales is itself written in the style of an ancient folk tale. As with The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Harrow’s writing compels you to believe that this tale is, in fact, 100% true. The sights and sounds described in each scene transport you to a different world altogether, one of old magic and green vines and smell of wild roses and ash. After highlighting almost every other passage I had to just give up and accept that every single line of this book is going to be sinfully rich and spellbinding.

To sum up, I am absolutely dazzled by this book and it has occupied a special place in my heart💖

Everything about this book screamed at me to request it. I felt absolutely delighted at being able to have been chosen to review it!

Witches and witchcraft? check.
Alternative history? check.
Empowered women fighting for their rights? check.

This book has everything and more. The bond between our three main characters was wonderful, I loved the way that the prose was written, and I just adored everything in this book. I can't wait to pick up more books by the author!

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 totally in love with it.This novel is full of twists and turns.I loved the main cast of characters and how Harrow justifies each character.
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It’s 1893 in New Salem North America, there are three Eastwood sisters Agnes, Bella and Juniper. They lived in a world where once was full of witches but now it is forbidden. Their tales and spells are now passed down from mother to daughter through fairy tales and books.
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Juniper, Agnes and Bella are fierce, formidable women in wildly different ways. They are also flawed, stubborn and inspirational.They all definitely go through a lot of development throughout the book, which makes them more likable compared to when we first meet them, where they are all broken in their own ways. Harrow brings the theme of sisterhood and familial bonding into this story.
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This book is full of adventure, and it is told, with powerful messages you’d come to expect from an Alix Harrow's story. I honestly love everything about it. It's beautifully written and is really a magical story. Please add this to your tbr pile soon cause you really don't want to miss this!!!!😍❤️

In an alternative history, witches have been relentlessly hunted. Their homes and books are destroyed and when caught they are chained with iron, tortured and burnt at the stake. The survivors hide their knowledge and spells in nursery rhymes and stories, passed on from mother to daughter.

A story of sisterhood, persecution, the fight for emancipation and the strength that brings women together. Inspiring and beautifully written.

Currently DNF (read 50%). 2.5-3*s

For some reason I struggled to really engage with this story. The premise is delightful and I loved its feminist streak, however there were a few things that really ate at me and took away my full enjoyment.
1. Repetition. Perhaps this is a stylistic element, however almost every paragraph begins by restating the full name of each character. This really distracted me from the reading and otherwise beautiful prose as it's as though I'm having to start from scratch. Maybe this writing choice was to make it feel more 'fairytale' like, but after a few chapters in, it started to become more irritating than anything else.
2. Miss Quinn and POC representation. There were a few small red flags in POC representation. The references to witches from other cultures such as the Sioux people and those from Africa were a little bit too flippant and quick. I'm sure it wasn't the intention of the author, but these passing comments made such representations feel more like token gestures to tick a box rather than a thoughtful use of such cultures. I'm not an expert by any means, however the representation of Miss Cleopatra Quinn was a little bit uncomfortable. For a start, there wasn't any indication that she was Egyptian, but classed under a general 'African-American' label, and yet by naming her after a prominent and famous Egyptian figure was a little misleading. Perhaps this name choice came from a desire to create quick associations and help the reader, or maybe it was to highlight that African-Americans do in fact struggle to place their heritages as a consequence of their heritage and so will also make these popular associations. But it was tiring.
3. The three sisters - Juniper, Agnes, Bella - are very trope-y to the point that they began to feel a little bit like caricatures of stereotypes. They all serve a purpose in the story (and they are very effective), but it again just added to the exhausting nature of my reading experience.

On the more positive, I really do love Alix Harrow's beautiful descriptions. She is a mistress of words and I am in awe of how she can pull together such beautiful images to describe harrowing things.

Maybe it gets better in the latter half of the book. I do intend to read the full thing at some point, but right now I found the repetitious prose and POC representation exhausting and de-motivated me to keep on reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for luring me in with this recommendation and the gorgeous cover art. Thank you to Alix E Harrow for providing such an amazing story for this ARC review. All the opinions expressed below are my own.


"Witches and women's rights. Suffrage and spells. They're both...a kind of power...the kind we're not allowed to have."

I'm not often drawn to books involving witches to be honest. I love an annual viewing of Hocus Pocus (who doesn't?!) but that is usually where the affinity ends.
If anything can change my nonchalance, I suspect it may be Alix E. Harrow. This is the first piece of work I have read by the Hugo award winning writer and I don’t need any tarot cards to predict it will not be the last. From the outset of The Once and Future Witches I was hooked: the worldbuilding alone is amazing; you can immediately picture the mills, avenues, squares and slums of New Salem as well as the mysterious tower that pulls our three main characters together.

The three Eastwood sisters themselves are another work of art. Juniper, Agnes and Bella are fierce, formidable women in wildly different ways. They are also flawed, stubborn and quite frankly, inspirational: by linking women’s rights and witchcraft this fantasy novel suddenly becomes more real and relatable to the modern female reader, despite being set in 1893. We empathise, sympathise and rage right alongside the Eastwood sisters on their quest for equality in a male-controlled world.
However, not even witches can act alone and the Eastwood sisters have an amazing cast of supporting characters surrounding them. Impressively, not a single one of these characters can be accused of being two-dimensional: the character development that Harrow has invested into this novel is incredible and must have taken so much work! From the Suffragette’s secretary to the skin-crawling villain to the women and men fighting (and witching) side by side; every single character is substantial and memorable. The sarcasm within Juniper for example is hilarious and even the traditional figures of the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone refuse to conform to stereotypes: I LOVED it!

The format of this novel is very clever and practically forbids you from becoming too comfortable by peppering the main story with “witch-tales”. These complement rather than distract from the storyline and also provide small changes that make you smile – such as the tales of the Sisters Grimm.
Do not be fooled though: the use of witch-tales does not prevent The Once and Future Witches from being an incredibly modern piece of writing. Topics covered include sexuality, gender identity, feminism, race as well as smashing the patriarchy: all interspersed with magic, betrayal and a hell of a lot of emotion.
I would however argue that some topics are slightly too mature for the novel to be considered YA, the description of torture and suggestions of sexual abuse probably push this book firmly into general/adult fantasy fiction novels.

The Once and Future Witches is a future bestseller in my opinion. This unique, powerful novel provides characters that you can’t help but empathise with; slow-burning, intense relationships; the trials and tribulations that come with sisterhood and plot twists at every turn.
This book will swallow you heart and soul, make you laugh, make you cry and leave you bereft at the end.

It is a must read!

The second Netgalley book in a row where I have had to stop and breathe while the words 'What a book' run round and round my head. The Once and Future Witches took me a week to read (a very long time for me), a week in which I started a new job and had to get through the difficult fourth chapter of my own book (always a stumbling block) and yet held my dreams and thoughts despite all those important external factors. This rich, mesmerising, clever book deserves to be huge.

There are, of course, three sisters. James Juniper is the youngest and she's on the run, just seventeen, full of anger and hate and loneliness and accused of murder. She ends up in New Salem, a town full of upright citizens, unlike Old Salem, now overgrown ruins and ash, where she finds her long lost sisters. Agnes hiding her beauty under drudgery, Bella hiding in books. But this is no joyful reunion. Bella and Agnes betrayed each other and they both betrayed Juniper.

Their world is a late Victorian world where women fight to be heard. But it's a world where women aren't just denied the vote, they are denied their birthright. Witches have been purged over and over, in flame and with torture and fear. Women's dresses don't include pockets so they can't hide spell aids - and thus prove their goodliness. But all around witching flickers, in stories and fables, in the secrets mothers whisper to their daughters, in samplers and recipe books and family histories. And when the sisters meet their fear and loneliness and need for change makes witchcraft visible to the women (and men) who yearn for freedom and to those who would seek to burn it - and them - out.

Beautifully written, expertly plotted, unbearably sad at times and yet full of hope and wit, The Once and Future Witches is a clever, inventive, feminist fantasy. Highly recommended.

“Once there were three sisters.”

‘The Ten Thousand Doors of January’ was my favourite read of 2019 and ‘The Once and Future Witches’ is my favourite read of 2020. I know there are still plenty of pages to fall in love with this year but trust me, friends, this is the one!

The wise one, the strong one and the wild one. There’s a bit of each of us in at least one of the Eastwood sisters; hopefully all three. This is a story of sisters and suffragists. Of fairytales and the power of words. Of survival and sacrifice. Of transforming the story you were given into a better one. Of “witchcraft most wicked”.

“The wayward sisters, hand in hand,
Burned and bound, our stolen crown,
But what is lost, that can’t be found?”

Sometimes you read a book that feels like it was written with you in mind. Sometimes characters will draw you into their world and you feel like they’re kin or, at the very least, kindred spirits. Sometimes a story speaks to your soul in such a way that when you lift your head after the final page you are certain you grew wings while you were reading. That’s just some of what this book was for me.

I want to ramble about characters, surprises and heartbreaks, love found and battles waged but, consistent with other books that have so deeply worked their magic on me, this review is more personal. Sorry if this isn’t the review you were looking for.

“Don’t forget what you are.”

As I read I felt my spine straightening. My will strengthened. My courage blazed. My heart opened, warming and knitting itself together, even as it broke. My tears threatened many times before the inevitable ugly cry (it was so ugly!). This was the perfect book for me at the perfect time.

I made a deal with myself weeks before I started reading. I had a really difficult task ahead of me and I wanted this book to be my reward for completing it. Not allowing myself to dive in before I won my battle was its own special brand of torture but knowing the witches were waiting for me spurred me on. Being able to finally immerse myself in the lives of Agnes, Bella and Juniper was worth the wait. And then some.

I now have a task equal, if not greater, to face than the one that preceded it but this book has fortified me and given me the courage I need to shine a light on the next shadow on my path.

“Together they dared to dream of a better world, where women weren’t broken and sisters weren’t sundered and rage wasn’t swallowed, over and over again.”

I can’t wait until someone I know has read this book so I can get all gushy about the specifics. Until that time, a warning: if you see me out in the wild, prepare yourself. Our interaction is likely to consist of me emphatically telling you to “Read this book!” as I shove it in your face. Protect your nose accordingly.

“Maleficae quondam, maleficaeque futurae.”

Content warnings include “Child abuse, both physical and psychological; parental death; arrest and imprisonment; mind control; pregnancy and childbirth, including forced hospitalization; racism; sexism; homophobia, both external and internalized; threat of sexual assault, averted; torture (mostly off-the-page, but alluded to); execution (attempted); child abandonment; major character death.” The author lists these on Goodreads. I’m adding to these the mention of abortion, on page death of an animal, physical abuse of an animal and sexual harassment.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group, for the opportunity to fall in love with this book early.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

"The Once and Future Witches" is a feminist tale about sisters, witches, and emancipation in a world dominated by men. Old Salem has burned down and the old Witches have been burned with them, but three estranged sisters reconnect in New Salem and discover that their magic isn't entirely lost.

I quite enjoyed parts of it, especially the queer romance, but it was too long for me in many parts. I didn't really like Juniper and it made me skim-read her parts of the story. I also hated the part about Eve.

This feminist take on witches in the US was nice, however.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for providing me with the e-arc for The Once and Future Witches in exchange for an honest review.

I read Alix E. Harrow’s The Ten Thousand Doors of January towards the start of lock down and I was completely surprised by The Once and Future Witches. It is a completely different standalone story, at its soul a tale of sisterhood, justice, and fighting for woman’s rights, all bound into the wonderful world of witchcraft, perfect for Halloween.

In New Salem in 1893, witches and witchcraft don’t exist, women have no power or control in a male dominated society. This is the world James Juniper encounters as she runs away from the pain and hurt of her past. Juniper’s sisters Agnes and Bella left home years previously, and both have built new lives in New Salem, but Juniper’s arrival brings with it the stirrings of witchcraft, the healing of previously broken bonds, and the fight to transform women’s rights.

This book is told very much through the perspectives, voices, thoughts and memories of these characters. Three sisters...and we all know how important the number 3 is to witchcraft! Each character is distinctive, empathetic, and brings a strength and dimension unique to them to the story.

The story also brings forth challenges beyond those of women denied the vote, denigrated and dominated, it also challenges culture, colour, and there is a lovely LBQT romance that will charm your socks off.
However, for me the pacing is a bit hit and miss. Initially the story puts in place characters, background, plot and challenge, but there were moments when despite Harris’s gorgeous literary descriptions and prose, it felt like it dragged and I had to wade through. Yet, other moments flew by at a rate of knots and I was desperate to keep reading - the ending is a true ride of a rollercoaster!

I liked this more than I thought I would...woah nelly that opinion was a bit strong 💪 let me gather myself. Yes well - I liked this. “The maiden, the mother and the...er other one” I can’t get enough of that stuff, the power of three and the luck of seven. Dark towers coming out of the clouds (in a totally non-phallic way) and crashing into public squares then vanishing again, the Sisterhood ✊ great stuff. This is a a fairly large book but the story rips along with a three point perspective from each of the main ladies who are at first glance very different characters and the prose is very nice bordering on the poetical at points which is fine by me.
The three sisters are all engaging in their way Bella is a bit of a bore but she livens up by the end. Agnes is obviously the best character she had the best attributes of her other sisters and actually makes decisions for herself. Ivy is the cocky younger sister who looks like fun to begin with but you wouldn’t want to live with her.
The best thing about these ladies is that they swear. It has always bothered me that characters faced with life threatening/apocalyptical situations don’t swear - I know that I would be turning the air blue if I were in their position so this was refreshing.
All the equal opportunity boxes are also ticked and it’s a bit “up the women” but that not overwhelming and there’s even a couple of Not All Men representatives. One of them a hot blonde with the heart of a lion, the other a middle aged nerdy librarian - top drawer Good Men. All bases covered. However I did find it annoying that the only “bad” woman turned out to be under control of the “bad” man and she redeemed herself in the end. I found that a bit trite. Women can be bitches too you know.
All in all though this was a good read I enjoyed it. How’s that for praise!

I absolutely loved 10 000 Doors of January and expected to fall in love with this one as well. Unfortunately, I couldn't. I tried to finish the book three times and I give up. It's not bad. The writing is exquisite. It's just I don't care about the characters.

If I revisit it in the future and change my mind, I'll update the feedback.

Thanks to Netgalley, I was able to read a digital ARC of The Once and Future Witches, which I consider to be a glorious feminist approach to Witchcraft in literary form. The plot revolves around three sisters: James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna, who have - at different times in their lives - escaped their abusive father and drifted to the town of New Salem. Though at first, none of them are aware of their other sisters’ presence.

An ominous magical occurrence draws them together, though at first the bond between them is frayed. Remembrance of their grandmother’s tales Witchcraft and the poetry of spells help fortify them - and their allies - against the oppressive dangers of the patriarchy and the witchfinders who would do them harm.

I loved the research Harrow must have put into crafting this lengthy and beautiful novel. Her historical knowledge of witches, fairy-tales and nursery rhymes are woven together to create a magical realist world and I loved each and every page.

It is my sincere hope that Alix E. Harrow will write many more novels, as I’ll be front of the queue for anything she sets her mind to write!