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The Once and Future Witches

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Member Reviews

The Once and Future Witches introduces the story of three sisters thanks to a poetic writing, full of historical details. It's not always easy to picture an era that isn't yours but the precise historical elements allow the reader to fully immerse in the society of New Salem during the year 1893. As I said, the writing is quite poetic and so is the magic system, based on tales and songs passed from one woman to another.

The reader discovers all these elements through the eyes of the Eastwood sisters and I found the transition between the sisters' narrations to be very fluid. I had no attachment to any character, even if I liked Juniper's sharp tongue and hot temper, maybe because they were a bit stubborn and naive in their acts. They are less than perfect but it makes them much more human. I also had trouble with the large number of characters, some of them being present only in the beginning and at the end of the novel and thus difficult to remember. However, we have enough elements on each character and particularly the sisters to be involved in the story and continue reading.

What I liked the most was how Alix E. Harrow used history to tackle social issues that are still a part of our societies today. Witchcraft is just an excuse to create a plot evolving around the fight for equality and justice, and these for everyone. I agree with the representation of social movements this book presents. There isn't one side fighting against another. Instead, you have people with different ideas and values that are sometimes somewhat similar. And some of these people are ready to betray others because they don't have exactly the same representation of a subject.

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I was granted eARC access to The Once and Future Witches (UK release) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to whoever approved the request! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

This title has been on my TBR since the first reviewers of the US release were raving about it. When the UK release came up for eARC request I jumped at the change to read it! Alas, it didn't live up to the hype for me.

The trouble-plagued sisterhood of witches in this book is full of American Home Owners' Association comprised entirely of Karens level petty politics and I got bored. The premise is interesting, there's a plot there, and the writing is beautiful, but this book didn't convince me to actually care about any of the characters, so all I felt was annoyed and bored. DNF at 50%

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Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Group for sending me a copy of this book.

The Once and Future Witches explores the life of fairy tales and nursery rhymes in the context of a fictional historical setting. In this world, witchcraft is very real and is realised through 'the words, the will, and the way' of women. The narrative follows three sisters, Juniper, Bella, and Agnes and they are each the main character of the story in their own right. This was the first issue I had with the book, at times it became overwhelming and heavy because each of the main characters seemed to be fighting for their story to be heard the loudest and, whilst it began and ended with Juniper (arguably the most interesting of the three sisters), Agnes' story felt like the loudest of them all which overshadowed her sisters.

This book is full of representation, to the point that it felt like it was representation for the sake of representation. For example, once of the side characters is revealed to be transgender near the end of the book even though there's no hint towards this throughout the rest of the narrative and the revelation comes out of nowhere, it's simply there so the book can say 'hey look at me I have a trans character'. I liked the representation, don't get me wrong, but it did feel like it was just a little too much and added to the overwhelming feel of the book in general.

Another contributing factor to the book feeling overwhelming, which was both a blessing and a curse, was the world and lore building. The magic felt intricate and truly unique and the writing was beautiful in places in ways that made me shiver with delight; I believe that if everything else hadn't clogged the book up so much and made it feel so heavy, this world and lore building wouldn't have felt like such a slog. Unfortunately, because of the culmination of all of this though, it felt like too much and I struggled to keep up.

Overall, even though the ending felt drawn out (it could realistically have ended halfway through and potentially be split off into a better paced sequel), I did enjoy this book to a certain extent. I wouldn't rush to read it again, nor am I sure that I would recommend it to a friend unless I knew for certain that it would be something they could handle and enjoy, but I gave it 3.5 stars. Be warned, this is not a light, easy read. It is something that will take your time and patience to truly appreciate.

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I will be returning to review this later today, as I want to take my time and include some of the themes and quotes that stuck with me, but I wanted to say straight off that I loved this book! Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this ahead of publication.

I think we are trained to expect a fast pace, and a throwaway tale from witchy reads and magical tales, but this is slow-paced and delicious!

I think I will re-read this every October.

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"Once upon a time there were three sisters"

After what felt like forever I finally finished this book. I wanted to like this book, I really did, but unfortunately I didn't 😖😖😖

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

I started by saying that I totally didn't know what to expect, I only knew it was about witches, which is kinda obvious.🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️ After reading few pages I realized it's also about fighting for woman's right and secrets and revenge. 🫀🗡️

"The Ladies Union of Giving the Bastards What's Coming to Them"

After getting kicked out of suffrage movement our three heroin sister's start's their own witchy movement. 🔥🔥🔥

"Witchy as hell"

My main problem with this book was writing style. It was soooo slowwww🐢🐢🐢 I never dnf books, but I considered it many times reading this book because reading it felt like being tortured in hell. 👿👿👿

"May sticks and stones break your bones, And serpents stop your heart"

Overall the plot wasn't really bad, it has it moments, but it was too slow. I didn't care about characters nor I understand their motives. I wasn't interested if they die☠️, their secrets were predictable and ending was too🤡 I just wanted this pain to end😩😩😩
2/5⭐

"What would we be recruiting them to, exactly?" Juniper says, "Hell-raising"👻👻👻

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Book UK for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

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HHave you ever read a book with such good writing that you kind of want to cry, and that’s before you even take into account the magnificent characters and incredible story? And when it comes to review it, you just kind of want to flail your hands around like Kermit after a few cocktails? The Once and Future Witches is, without a doubt, the best book I’ve read in 2021.

As an aspiring writer, this book is kind of devastating because I could never, but as a reader, this book is. Well, Kind of devastating, but in the best way. It is a feminist book, sure, and even though the antagonist is a man, it is not a man-hating book. It’s a story about magic, witchcraft and an incredible community that comes together to defy the odds and I love an odds-defying story. I love that there are so many characters to root for; this is a book in which the background characters come alive, as much as our three heroines. I cannot stress enough how clever this book is. It starts out by introducing us to the three Eastwood sisters, who are deeply dissimilar to each other. The recurrent themes of Crone and Mother and Maiden are woven through this book, together with fairytales and a cleverly gender-switched history (the Grimm Sisters, and Alexandra Pope).

You do not meet a character like Juniper very often; she’s special and she’s stubborn and she’s fierce and she’s not always likeable but she’s impossible not to root for.

She’s the fierce one, the feral one, the witch who lives free in the wild woods. She’s the siren and the silky, the virgin and the valkyrie; Artemis and Athena. She’s the little girl in the red cloak who doesn’t run from the wolf but walks arm in arm with him deeper into the woods.

Her sisters, Agnes and Beatrice, are just as compelling, with their own ferocity, Mother and Crone. Agnes is driven by the force of her love for her unborn daughter and Beatrice, a librarian without a library, comes into her strength too, and hers is a wonderful love story, as she finds herself entranced by Cleopatra Quinn.

This is a story about how the Eastwood sisters find their way back to each other, and back to witching, and it’s a story about so many revolutions, which ripple out from the town of New Salem. It’s a story about witchcraft – the way, the word and the will: That’s all magic is, really: the space between what you have and what you need.

This is also a story with superb LGBT representation; not just the evolving relationship between Beatrice and Cleo, but look out for the story of Jennie Lind, too.

Rating: 5 stars (I’d give it six)
TL;DR: A gorgeously written book about witchcraft, and sisters, and power.

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A beautifully written atmospheric read about the three witch sisters! I was sucked right in into this magical world of witchcraft. Harrow's writing is blissful with elegant evocation of atmosphere and her descriptions are encapsulating.

I however struggled to connect with the characters of Beatrice & Juniper. That being said, the narrative & story line more than made up for it. Harrow explores the complex relationship between them and her imagination is simply fantastic.

I highly recommend this for all fantasy readers!

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I can't recommend this book highly enough. The story is an absolute romp - Harrow barely pauses for breath as plot twist follows plot twist. I couldn't put it down.
It's also brilliantly written. The description is perfectly judged, as is the balance between action, description and emotional inner life of the protagonists.
The themes are very much of the zeitgeist. You will find retold fairy tales, women struggling for liberation, concerns of class consciousness, anti-racism, interpersonal turmoil.
A lesbian relationship is at first hidden between parentheses.
A headstrong youngest sister searches for her destiny.
An unexpected pregnancy allows the reader to wonder about the links between witching and women's physical autonomy (and the threat this poses to the patriarchal order).

'The preacher called it the Devil's darkest work, but Mags said it was women's work, like everything else.'

There is so much packed into this book. A feminist reading would be very satisfying, but I don't want to give away the plot.

If you like stories about witches, politics, Victorian history or sisters growing into their adult selves and working out new ways to relate to one another, you will like this book.

It keeps you hooked right until the end.

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An excellent read – rounding up to 5 stars.
The three sisters whose perspectives you get to see have distinct voices, their own problems and conflicts aside from the main story, and are all interesting characters.
The cast of characters overall is quite big with all of their allies, the women’s rights association and the sisters' workplaces but it never reaches a point where you might get confused. Even minor characters are distinct enough to be memorable.
The chapters start with spells/nursery rhymes or short-form fairy tales but with a different spin that puts the witches in them in a different light.
The writing is beautiful and gets even more vivid and visceral whenever the sisters work magic.
I’m not big on reading romance plots but the two that played a role in two of the sisters’ lives were great.
Some parts of the magic system were not as clear to me as I would have liked but then again magic is a wild thing...

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I loved reading this book so much. A story of feminism written by a women for women, showing us a cast of diverse women fighting for themselves, their sisters, their daughters, their mothers and anyone else who matters deeply to them.

Set in 1800s America, during the fight for women's suffrage, three witch sisters come together to cause trouble and help women across the country while uncovering the lost magic of their ancestors, stolen from them by men.

This book kept me gripped and entertained all the way through, I never wanted to put it down. There was moments that made me cry, feeling the deep relationship and sisterhood between the sisters of Avalon. Cannot recommend it enough

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Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Just the title had me already invested in this book. It is a beautifully written debut novel. The power of women was a strong feature in this book and how they will fight to get back the power they once had.

I really enjoyed reading this story and it had a good mix of classic witches lore and nursery rhymes which all built into the plot. If anyone wants a different take on a feminist story then I would recommend giving this one a go.

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I loved the concept of this book, and the way the narrative hung together, bringing witching, feminism, fairy tales and folklore together. It’s amazing for that.

But it really dragged and was hard to get into. After about half way I started to feel more connected to it. And I could really marvel at how the author has bought together so much in this book, the social history and the connection with women’s historical journey was excellent and a little awe inspiring. But as just a book to sit in the sofa and read I really struggled to enjoy it.

However, I must say that the author can definitely write. Maybe a little more sharp editing would have been good.

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An interesting concept linking the use of nursery rhymes and traditional stories with … well that would be telling. I enjoyed the journey and hoping there will be future adventures,

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Firstly a huge thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for granting me an ARC.

SUMMARY

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

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

MY THOUGHTS

I'm not going to go into how much I adored the book, how much I loved it (I did) without first admitting that it took me longer than I would have liked to get through the first half of the book. I felt like I was becoming the Crone of the original three. Ten days it took me to read, although I'm more mad at myself for that. That said I really did enjoy reading the book and once I was past the 50% mark? Hoo boy. The second half of the book took me around 2 days max to read and I was not prepared. I mean, I was, the story was essentially leading us to what would happen but mentally I was not prepared. Physically I was not prepared. When the book hit its crescendo I felt it in my very core. It's a strange thing to feel, the sense of empowerment. I don't think I've ever reacted in such a way before. My skin tingled, my lips smiled of their own volition. I truly could not control the reaction to the way these women fought back against their oppressors and said NO. We will not be made to lay down and let you walk all over us. We will stand, united, and show you men that we are not simple women. We are witches. Also I loved that the term witches didn't only apply to the women and that they had men's magic as well.

I loved how classic nursery rhymes became spells, classic myths became truth. The truth about who Gideon Hill really is. I won't spoil it, but suffice it to say it was cleverly done. All of the characters were amazing. I loved Juniper and her wild ways, her wild determination to bring magic back to the world and her love of the use of the word horseshit. I loved Agnes and her courage and her steel determination that her daughter would face a better world. I loved Bella and the way she transformed from a meek librarian to a force to be reckoned with.

If, like me, you pick up this book and you find the first half of it to drag, don't put it down. Keep reading, I promise you it's worth it.

You can find my review on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4238211747

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For me, The Once and Future Witches falls firmly into the category of "books I expected to really like but inexplicably didn't." That's OK. It happens. I don't think it's any fault of the book itself. This is a five-star read for many people.

Taking a step back and looking at things objectively, there is much to admire about this novel. The cast of characters is almost exclusively female, which was really refreshing to see. This is also a strongly feminist tale, something all too rare in fantasy and which is very much to be championed here.

This book wasn't quite my cup of tea, but if you enjoy a strong folk tale flavour to your fantasy, this could well be the ideal book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, Little Brown Book Group UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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A glorious amalgamation of magic, fairy tale and history, The Once & Future Witches takes the late-19th century women’s suffrage movement and reimagines it in an alternate version of America, where witchcraft has been suppressed but the ways and words survive. The central characters – sisters Juniper, Bella and Agnes – are strongly drawn and the plot is compelling, with a suitably villainous antagonist.

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In 1893, there is no such thing as witches. They have all been killed in the purges of the centuries before. But the three Eastwood sisters have the will to bring witching back. Now all they need are the words and the ways. Set against the backdrop of the Suffragette movement, the sisters must overcome their differences, their fears, and perhaps something more sinister than even their darkest dreams to find themselves, and the magic they know lies waiting.

The Eastwood sisters are a ragtag bunch of protagonists: June with her fierce ambition and biting ambition; Agnes with her suspicion and inner conflict; Bella with her paranoia and self-worth issues. In archetype, they’re all characters that I love, but in practice I had difficulty connecting to them in this book. I think something about the balance of the perspectives didn’t quite work for me, though there were plenty of moments that I loved.

I did, however, enjoy the writing style and pacing of this book; even when I had difficulty connecting to the characters, the story pulled me in and along. The second half of the book, in particular, was difficult to put down. The reworked fairy tales scattered throughout appear at logical moments for the plot, which I enjoyed, and often contained little hints and easter eggs.

I also appreciated the queer representation in this book. Without giving too much away, the early concept of there being “women’s magic” and “men’s magic” is unpicked very neatly, with some lovable and subtle characters whose stories both do and do not hinge on their identities.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½

Genre: Fantasy, Historical
LGBTQ+ Representation: WLW, MTF
Trigger Warnings: Torture, Burning
Would I recommend this? Yes.
Would I read a sequel? No.

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The subject matter was right up my street, and I have seen this book around a lot on youtube and advertising so I was super excited to read this. However, it didn't live up to the hype for me.

Started with a Bang, but lost interest in this the more it went on.
The pacing is way off with this book. I feel like it was about 100 pages too long!
I did enjoy reading, but it was a bit tedious and slow at times - the writing was a bit too wishy-washy and whimsical for me. Too much faffing about - get to the point!

I also struggled with the amount of characters. I always find it hard to keep up with books that have too many characters, and this book was one of those!

This book was just OK.

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There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be. “The Once and Future Witches” by Alix E. Harrow follows the story of three sisters living in New Salem in the year 1893. Juniper, Agnes and Beatrice Eastwood join the suffragists of New Salem in a quest for women’s rights. Without even realizing, they are caught in a whirl of spells, forgotten ways and shadows which turn the women’s movement into the witch’s movement.
This being my first ARC, I was very excited when I started reading the book. The synopsis sounded unique and I liked the idea of a book about feminism which also incorporates witching, especially because it isn’t such a mainstream theme in fantasy books. I ended up giving this book 3/5 stars and I honestly wish I could give it more but at the same time I can’t bring myself to. There were some things I disliked and others which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Reading the book, I could clearly tell that that Harrow was well documented when writing, which I think is a great achievement, but for me personally I thought there was just a little too much information than needed. I enjoyed the base idea of the book: women fighting and trying to gain rights while also reconnecting with the lost ways of magic. The writing is a combination of beautiful and bizare, there are a lot of quirky word combinations such as “rose-eaten” which I found refreshingly creative. I think the reason I only gave this book 3 stars is because I personally couldn’t connect to any of the characters. Each of the three sisters represents a certain category: Juniper=the wild tomboy, Agnes=the caring mother figure, Beatrice=the wise one, yet I still felt that they weren’t developed enough. There were also a lot of other characters and at times it got confusing, becoming hard to keep track of all of them. As for the pacing, I found this book a little slow. It’s not the fact that there isn’t a lot of action, but I feel like all of the information that was put in slowed it down significantly.
Nevertheless, I still think that The Once and Future Witches is a good book! The idea of the story is bright, it puts forward important thoughts about women’s rights and will definitely stand out between other books. It wasn’t my favorite read, but at the end, when I was reading the last page I found myself tearing up because in my opinion it was quite and impactful ending!
As a conclusion, here is a quote from the book which I found empowering: “A sister. A friend. A woman in want of a better world.”

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I don't know how to explain the kind of witches and witching that I have in mind when I say this, but out of all the books that I've read that have witches one way or another, this is the first one where I felt like it truly Gets It. I'm thinking of teta Pehta, a herbalist from some quite prominent tales and films where I'm from - the character many people here first think of when they hear the word "witch", and I feel like she'd get along with the witches in this book.

I really loved the whole design and execution of this book - the little spells in the beginning of chapter and how they were tangled into the chapters that followed and the story itself; some well known fairytales that made an appearance, the division into different parts - it really added to how much I enjoyed this book.

The revelation of who the villain was in truth was "!!!", I liked that a lot. The ending felt a little rushed and I think it could have been executed a little differently, but that's a personal preference.

I also found this book very, very well written - even if I hadn0t cared for the plot or the characters (which was not the case!) I would have finished reading this AND enjoyed it simply because of how comfortably readable this author's style is.

And lastly - I really enjoyed the plotline of how the fight for women's rights was entangled with witchcraft. Though I found it to fade into the background sometimes, I still think it did the characters justice.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book, it was one of my favourite reads this year!

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