The Once and Future Witches is a historical fantasy novel set in New Salem in the late 1800s, where three estranged sisters, Juniper, Agnes, and Bella, reunite and discover their latent magical abilities, embarking on a journey to revive witchcraft to empower women during the suffrage movement. The story weaves together themes of feminism, sisterhood, women's rights, and the power of magic, drawing on nursery rhymes, fairy tales, and historical events to create a compelling narrative that blends fantasy with real-world struggles for equality. The writing style is described as lyrical, emotive, and descriptive, with a focus on character growth, intricate world-building, and a strong emphasis on themes of empowerment and solidarity among women.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include child abuse, violence, racism, witch burning, and themes surrounding oppression.
Has Romance?
There are romantic elements in the story, but they are not the central focus.
From The Publisher:
In the late 1800s, three sisters use witchcraft to change the course of history in this powerful novel of magic, family, and the suffragette movement.
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 and Future Witches reimagines stories of revolution, motherhood, and women's suffrage-the lost ways are calling.
Praise for The Once and Future Witches:
"A gorgeous and thrilling paean to the ferocious power of women. The characters live, bleed, and roar. I adore them, and long for witchcraft to awaken in all of us. Harrow makes it feel possible, and even likely."-Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author
"A glorious escape into a world where witchcraft has dwindled to a memory of women's magic, and three wild, sundered sisters hold the key to bring it back…A tale that will sweep you away."-Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author
"This book is an amazing bit of spellcraft and resistance so needed in our times, and a reminder that secret words and ways can never be truly and properly lost, as long as there are tongues to speak them and ears to listen."-P. Djèlí Clark, author The Black God's Drum
For more from Alix E. Harrow, check out The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
Named One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR Books
Barnes and Noble
BookPage
Ratings (61)
Incredible (6) | |
Loved It (22) | |
Liked It (14) | |
It Was OK (11) | |
Did Not Like (8) |
Reader Stats (272):
Read It (68) | |
Want To Read (159) | |
Did Not Finish (10) | |
Not Interested (35) |
2 comment(s)
I love the history about witches and the myts and lure. But I have yet to find a book or other format with witches that I enjoy. I don't know why but something about witches in books and so on just don't work. But I love reading about them in non fiction
3.5*
A bit draggy and slow. It should have been at least a 100 pages lesser....
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