Title- The Once and Future Witches
Author- Alix E Harrow
Author- Alix E Harrow
Series- N/A
Published- 2020
Page Count-528 pages
Publishing House- Orbit
Genre- YA Historical Fantasy
Rating- 4/5 stars
About the Author
I've been a student and a teacher, a farm-worker and a cashier, an ice-cream-scooper and a 9-to-5 office-dweller. I've lived in tents and cars, cramped city apartments and lonely cabins, and spent a summer in a really sweet '79 VW Vanagon Westfalia. I have library cards in at least five states.
Now I'm a full-time writer living in with my husband and two semi-feral kids in Berea, Kentucky. It is, I'm very sure, the best of all possible worlds.
Taken from Alix's website
Plot
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.
Taken from Goodreads.
Opinions
I had seen The Once and Future Witches floating around for a while before I decided to pick it up. At the moment, I am very interested in feminist, gothic horror books and a book about witches in Salem in the 1800s sounded right up my street. Unlike most readers, I hadn't heard of Alix's other book, The Ten Thousand Doors of January. I decided to read this book around Halloween as it felt appropriately spooky for the season.
One of the main elements that I loved about this book was the three sisters featured. Their relationship felt very real and authentic. I also liked that they each had distinctive voices as each chapter was from the perspective of a different sister. All were going through their own issues and all had their own goals. I kept on feeling that I had to have a favourite sister, but they were all so different it was difficult to pick a favourite. Each was just as fierce and as loyal as the other. I really admired their relationship.
It comes with no surprise then that this book was a very feminist strong book. Not only from the main characters, but from the themes being discussed. Harrow used the theme of witchcraft and paired it alongside the women's struggle to get the vote. It made for an exceptionally compelling read. As a feminist myself, I strongly resonated with some of the themes discussed in this book. It also didn't just tell one side of the story, it covered a wide range. From lower class women to high society women, white women to women of colour, international women. It even featured queer women through the relationship between Bella and Cleo. It felt well rounded and if it hadn't covered all these issues, it wouldn't have been the same book that it is.
One of the reasons I had to knock off a star was because I found the pacing very slow. It took me a few chapters to get into. The first time I tried to pick it up, I couldn't make it through the first chapter, but I'm glad I tried a second time. Personally, I quite enjoy fast paced stories. This one sort of meandered along for a while. The pacing may have been slow, but I found the time jumps quite difficult to wrap my head around. Agnes, the eldest sister, finds out she's pregnant at the beginning of the book and by halfway through the book, she had already had her baby. I think finding a balancing between pacing and the timeline of the novel would have made it an amazing novel, but because in my opinion, it didn't do that, I had to take a star away.
Another reason I was unable to give the book five stars was because at time the magic system was lost on me. As far as I'm aware, I believe it might be based on actual magic used at the time the book was set. I would have personally benefited from a bit more explaining as I just couldn't wrap my head around the magic system. I did love the way that words were powerful and that female magic was more powerful than male magic.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would consider reading more from Alix E Harrow in the future. I found this a fiercely feminist novel with some spooky elements thrown in. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in feminism and witchcraft.
Carenza :) x
