The Once and Future Witches

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.

Title: The Once and Future Witches

Author: Alix E. Harrow

Genre: Mystery / Horror

Hardcover: 528 pages

Publication Date: 10/13/2020

Publisher: Orbit

Language: English

ISBN: 0316422045

ISBN-13: 978-0316422048

GOODREADS

My Review

Loved it! 🧡🧡🧡

As I finish The Once and Future Witches, I find myself tucked in neatly in a circle of salt, not wanting to dare the world around it. With the scintillating aromas of woods and potions, enraptured in spells and bindings, I have found my calling long hidden in the folktales of my youth. Witches are real. They are still among us hidden in the codex of stories, humming their powers till the day for a reawakening marks their full return.

Harrow has done a marvelous job connecting fictional elements and tethering them with realism. Above and beyond are her abilities to breathe life into her characters and create amazingly vibrant settings. If despair or beauty, her words give voice to every detail, every scene, every still life, every circumstance not to be missed. A most magical feast to read and experience. If I was delighted about The Ten Thousand Doors of January, I was duly amazed by the consistently beautiful writing of this tale of Juniper, Agnes, and Bella. Never have I felt closer to the way of witches as with this atmospheric read.

New Salem, the city without Sin:

We have three witches, separated after childhood through difficult circumstances. James Juniper Eastwood is the youngest of the trio and "WANTED FOR MURDER AND SUSPECTED WITCHCRAFT"; Agnes Amaranth Eastwood is the middle sister, the steady one, strong and unflinching; Beatrice Belladonna Eastwood is the oldest of them, wise and quiet.

At the spring equinox of 1893, one of them is lost, one of them is weak, and one of them is the fool. A moment deeply rooted in their pasts that separated them once and becomes the reason to reunite them after all.

Their story is told in five parts with pages of old Tales interspersed, like THE SLEEPING MAIDEN or THE TALE OF THE WITCH WHO SPINS STRAW INTO SILVER. Some are true to form, while others are slightly changed. Other famous ones are made reference to and each chapter begins with a rhyme or other famous lines and is explained as spells such as this for example:

Sugar and spice

And everything nice.

A spell to soothe a bad temper, requiring a pinch of sugar & spring sunshine.

The sisters are bound by an unfinished spell. Despite their differences, they find themselves together in the town square at the wrong time. This leads to their forming of the Sisters of Avalon. They are tangled in the movement of suffragists, quickly gaining momentum as more and more women sign up for the cause. However, the town with its different leaders and associations isn’t keen on the way of witches spreading and so, before long, they are chased, or trapped, and worse, burned.

This tale is told in each main character's pov providing insight to internal conflicts and ideas while the plot is off to a slow and engrossing rise. Amidst, new captivating and enigmatic persons enter the story changing the initial ideas of the sisters. So, Beatrice meets Miss Quinn, a journalist from NEW SALEM'S DEFENDER who becomes an important part of the movement and aid to the witches, plus a welcoming interest of the romantic kind. The feckless, fearless gambler Mr. August Lee, who finds his match in Agnes with all his wit and banter, hiding behind the drunken façade adds that little something-something and pulls his weight albeit initial trials.

Together and apart, these ladies battle their own demons while coming to terms with their past and each other. Without the proper form of communicating their differences, they find unity in their movement but the ultimate test will tell if their bond is unbreakable. The stakes determine what is to be and how their story steers the future of all witches everywhere.

This novel was such a brilliant journey for me. In Harrow’s way, she lets us believe that those rhymes and folktales we know are put together with hidden messages and spells. They are remembered by our daughters and passed onto the next generation. What an amazing way to look at a tale of witches this way. The idea alone is fantastic.

Along with the witchy themes, there is truth found such as in that of the suffragist’s movement and stories of Old Salem with tunnels under the city built by slaves.

There’s an unexpected dark side and turn of events that keep the reader glued to the pages till the ending subsides gently with room to dream on and conjure hope and speculation. A tale for the adults as this novel was as close to taking you back to childhood as it explains these folktales still exist today, while we are all grown up!

I love what the author did there, I love the creative thinking, and Harrow’s writing is nothing short of stellar.

A must-read!

Enjoy!