The Once and Future Witches

by Alix E. Harrow

16 hours 3 minutes, Unabridged, 1 pages

English language

Published Oct. 12, 2020 by Hachette B and Blackstone Publishing, Redhook.

ISBN:: 978-1-5491-8642-4

(4 reviews)

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.

An homage to the indomitable power and persistence of women, The Once …

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

An homage to the indomitable power and persistence of women, The Once and Future Witches reimagines stories of revolution, sapphic love, motherhood, and women's suffrage—the lost ways are calling.

4 editions

ju reviewed The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

A really great book

5 stars

It took me a while to finish this one, not because it's boring, quite the contrary. There is plenty of action, and Harrow makes you care about her characters in such a way that the tension and set-backs are almost too much at times. As in her other novels, she knows how to dig in the themes of loss, anger and reconciliation. Her vivid prose drips metaphors much better than this one, and her use and reinterpretation of fairy tales and children rhymes is really interesting. A fun and terrific book!

Adam reviewed The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Excellent, but a bit much in places.

4 stars

There is a huge amount going on this book, probably a bit too much. It's a wonderful story about three sisters, witchcraft, and a fight against injustice. I love the half fantasy, half real world, the snippets of re-told fairy tales, the magic. The three sisters are all great characters, with very different approaches and views on the world. On the other hand this is a big book, with a bit too much going on. There's so many side stories and characters who appear and disappear that it's kind of hard to stay engaged with it all. I think there was a desire to show all the different sides of the struggle, but it's just a bit too much for one book. This is really good, but The Ten Thousand Doors of January is better.

Michael Gouker

rated it

March 16, 2021

Benjamin Asher

rated it

Jan. 28, 2023