Alix Harrow became one of my sought-after authors because of her mesmerizing novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, this book brought me to tears and made me saturated to an enchanting world of January. Harrow's stories are nostalgic, heart-warming, vibrant, and tear-jerker.

I am so excited that I have been approved to read her another novel. Since the themes are all about magic, especially witches, this caught my attention, and fell in love with the story.

The story revolves around the Eastwood sisters,

Agnes, Bella, and Juniper grow up by hearing magic and witchy stories that stick to them 7 years later. The sisters are separated and Juniper is the one left at New Salem. Because of circumstances that Juniper did, the path of the sister once again intertwined.

I loved the 1893 nostalgic vibe of the story. Though it was set in 1893, Harrow manages to write a vibrant and inspiring story of womanhood and sibling's love.

The relationship between the Eastwood sister is strong. Though circumstances may separate them, the love and concern they have for each other is what matters most and it was written very well. There are certain predicaments on each of the sisters but, that doesn't take away the bond of sisterhood between them.

The novel portrays also sexism in the 1800s. The thought of women is only for household material and not for greatness like in men. Harrow manages to characterize strong women in this story and also narrates the indifference with women and men at this time particularly with witches. The story also depicts the separation and disgust with witches, consisting of women rather than men with magic.

I loved Harrow's writing style and the concept of the story but there are certain moments in the novel that quite dragging but excusable. Nonetheless, The Once and Future Witches was another delightful novel of sisterhood, magic, and women in power.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
I really enjoyed this book!
I may be a bit biased but I love everything to do with witchcraft!
If you are looking for a unique Witchy book I definitely recommend this one!

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow

The Once and Future Witches' is an empowering story following the three Eastwood sisters -Juniper, Agnes, and Beatrice as they struggle for reclaiming not only women's rights but also witches' rights. The Eastwood sisters had separated a long time ago due to some misunderstandings. They are brought together by fate to reclaim magic feared by the people and to win the struggle against misogynic forces.
Not my usual genre choice of book but I was hooked from the first chapter . I haven't come across this author before but I very much enjoyed their style of writing .
A very entertaining read , fabulous characters , I loved Juniper , Agnes and Beatrice .

This is a brilliant story of three sisters who are drawn to a suffragette meeting, having been split up when they were younger. The events take off from there, but I will not spoil them by stating them, I just want to recommend the novel. The characters are so well drawn, and the story of witches is fantastic. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.

Harrow is an author to watch, both of their books have been entertaining, whimsical yet substantial reads. The plotting is great, the characters are intriguing. Here’s to a long publishing career!

I had great expectations for this novel, as 'The Ten Thousand Doors of January' is one of my all time favorites. But this book was completely different from the previous book, so I would suggest that you read this book with an open mind. The cover is just soooo stunning (just like the previous book by the author) and sets the tone for the story.

'The Once and Future Witches' is an empowering story following the three Eastwood sisters -Juniper, Agnes, and Beatrice as they struggle for reclaiming not only women's rights but also witches' rights. The Eastwood sisters had separated a long time ago due to some misunderstandings. They are brought together by fate to reclaim magic feared by the people and to win the struggle against misogynic forces.

The writing was amazing, as if the words were woven together with threads of magic and emotions. Each chapter began with a spell (slightly warped and darkened versions of well known nursery rhymes). I loved the way short, twisted versions of fairytales were included. The setting of New Salem, 1890's was mystical, eerie, dark and gives off just the right vibes for the story. The character development was great too. Each of the Eastwood sisters were unique and as different as people could be. Even the side characters were of great significance. I also loved the relationship building between the Eastwood sisters. I too have an elder sister, and although I love her, she drives me crazy, so I found their relationship very relatable.

The only flaw that I felt was that the pace was slow, and at times dead slow. The author may have done this to let the readers take in events, but it did not sit well with me. Towards the seconds part of the novel, the story turned more interesting, so after that point, the story and pace were complementing each other. And the ending was EPIC and was worth it!

I highly recommend this novel to everyone, especially for people who love fantasy or historical fiction and those who are looking for a powerful feministic read, to make you feel inspired and empowered.

I thank NetGalley and Orbit Books for giving me this wonderful opportunity to read and review this unforgettable novel. I also thank Alix E. Harrow for again writing such a beautiful, promising story to the world!

Alix E Harrow replicates the wondrous magic of The Ten Thousand Doors of January which I adored, in this character driven feminist adventure story in this fierce and beautiful homage to the power of women in all their forms, including the three female archetypes represented by the Eastwood sisters, the mother, the maiden and the crone. It is a time where the power of the history of witches and witchcraft has been diminished to virtually nothing, existing only in the below the radar voices and rhymes. It is 1893, the Eastwood sisters were once close, but splintered apart and estranged for many years, suffering at the hands of their abusive father, only to meet and be drawn together once again at a suffragette rally at St George's Square in New Salem, bringing their considerable strengths to join the fight for women's right to vote.

The three sisters are different and distinct characters in their own right, Beatrice Belladonna is the eldest, Agnes Amarath, and the youngest, James Juniper, have to face their personal history of pain and sorrow, and in order to deploy magic in the coming battle ahead, they will need the will, the words and the way, recovering the history and power of witchcraft to challenge the rule and domination of men. This is going to be no easy task, there are the widespread fears and divisions in the community and other obstacles on the dangerous path to changing and breaking the existing power structures that divide, discriminate and disempower, and there is a ruthless and menacing force that must be defeated too. In a twisted magical narrative, hope, unity and support is needed and sought amongst other marginalised sectors, such as the black and LBQT+ communities.

Harrow's prose is lyrical in her gripping, compulsive and spellbinding storytelling and her world building is stellar. I found myself totally immersed and caught up in the wide range of diverse characters, rooting for the sisters and their allies. One of the best things about the novel is how it echoes so many of our contemporary realities in the modern world and the issues that divide us, it is a thought provoking read on gender, women's rights, race, homophobia, sexuality, survival, feminism and more. This is a brilliant read, that for me felt so meaningful and captured my imagination, I loved all the Eastwood sisters, having to give up everything in order to gain the possibility of gaining everything. Simply wonderful and highly recommended. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.