The Once and Future Witches
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. "A gorgeous and thrilling paean to the ferocious power of women. The characters live, bleed, and roar. "―Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author 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 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 A New York Times bestseller - Winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel - Named One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR Books - Barnes and Noble - BookPage For more from Alix E. Harrow, check out The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
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Readers say *The Once and Future Witches* is a beautifully crafted, emotionally powerful story celebrating sisterhood, female strength, and reclaiming...
"I guess something rose from my ashes, after all. Makes me wonder if maybe those phoenix stories were never really about birds in the first place."
Witches are long gone from the cities and towns - wiped away by fire and those who felt threatened by women with power of their own. Many years later, James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna, the Eastwood sisters, find themselves in New Salem, a city seemingly on the brink of...something. When Juniper sets her sights on joining the suffragist movement, only to realize their goals are not enough for her, the Eastwood sisters set in motion a movement of their own. Witches might not exist - but they will. All they need is the words, the ways, and the will.
This is one of those stories that's so beautifully written that I could tell I'd needed to pace myself. Separated for years, the Eastwood sisters have finally found one another again, as if by fate, or perhaps by magic. A tale of love in many forms, I was mesmerized. When I finally turned the last page my emotions were all over, I felt wrung out yet happy. Proud. The world-building was incredible and the use of the rhymes and songs - many I remember from my childhood - was perfection.
When I find a good standalone fantasy novel I feel like screaming from the rooftops, but since I can't do that, I'll scream here instead! Though it's a long story, and may take some patience, if you choose to pick up this book, I hope it's as magical for you as it was for me.
Witches are long gone from the cities and towns - wiped away by fire and those who felt threatened by women with power of their own. Many years later, James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna, the Eastwood sisters, find themselves in New Salem, a city seemingly on the brink of...something. When Juniper sets her sights on joining the suffragist movement, only to realize their goals are not enough for her, the Eastwood sisters set in motion a movement of their own. Witches might not exist - but they will. All they need is the words, the ways, and the will.
This is one of those stories that's so beautifully written that I could tell I'd needed to pace myself. Separated for years, the Eastwood sisters have finally found one another again, as if by fate, or perhaps by magic. A tale of love in many forms, I was mesmerized. When I finally turned the last page my emotions were all over, I felt wrung out yet happy. Proud. The world-building was incredible and the use of the rhymes and songs - many I remember from my childhood - was perfection.
When I find a good standalone fantasy novel I feel like screaming from the rooftops, but since I can't do that, I'll scream here instead! Though it's a long story, and may take some patience, if you choose to pick up this book, I hope it's as magical for you as it was for me.
How do I ???? Like???
I'm shook. I'm just gonna draw up one of my updates because it still stands :
i love everyone and mostly the author because the story, and the storytelling, are just so beautifully crafted and yeah my heart hurts and i won't have enough annotations sticky notes and i'm gonna use up my pens (i did run out on a few different colors of sticky notes).
Fairytales and History and feelings and characters and words : everything is magically interwoven together in the Once and Future Witches.
AND No one is left out. Yes it is about women, and witches, and power. But Alix E. Harrow has a place for everyone in this story, as everyone is needed for it to be.
Also the number of quotes in this, i'm -very obviously, by the tone of this review- OVERWHELMED.
I'm shook. I'm just gonna draw up one of my updates because it still stands :
i love everyone and mostly the author because the story, and the storytelling, are just so beautifully crafted and yeah my heart hurts and i won't have enough annotations sticky notes and i'm gonna use up my pens (i did run out on a few different colors of sticky notes).
Fairytales and History and feelings and characters and words : everything is magically interwoven together in the Once and Future Witches.
AND No one is left out. Yes it is about women, and witches, and power. But Alix E. Harrow has a place for everyone in this story, as everyone is needed for it to be.
Also the number of quotes in this, i'm -very obviously, by the tone of this review- OVERWHELMED.
Electric! I lived vicariously through these women and their collective rage, built up over centuries, and I loved every minute of it.
I’m always drawn to books that make me curious about the world beyond the page, and this one does that really well. You can feel the extensive research that has gone into it, and Harrow effectively uses historical context to heighten the tension rather than weighing the story down. It makes the conflicts feel sharp and real. There’s a lot of care in her writing. You can see the quiet respect she has for the women who fought, again and again, for rights we often take for granted today. The book is full of thoughtful nods and little easter eggs, and it handles the political conflicts of the time with distinction. At one point, I realised that if anyone checked my browser history, it would look like I’d taken up witching as a hobby.
If the first half lays all this groundwork, the second half is an emotional roller coaster. It’s intense, wrecking, exhilarating, and deeply cathartic. And while I find many fictional men crushworthy, Mr August Lee deserves a respectful tip of my metaphorical hat.
Overall, this is a confident, powerful, and very satisfying story.
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