The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

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This book is so good! I’m pretty sure I read the majority of it aloud to the Hubs and giggled through 90% of it. It’s so, so, so good. So good. It’s so good that I know that anything I have to say about it won’t do it justice so just know, it’s amazing.

Ok, we have the three Eastwood sisters: Beatrice Belladonna, Agnes Amaranth, and James Juniper. It’s 1893 and the three of them grew up with a horribly abusive father who drove them apart, and because of many different events, they haven’t seen each other for over seven years. Agnes has been working her fingers to the bone at the cotton mill, keeping her head down, and trying to stay out of reach of the disgusting and grabby foremen. Beatrice has found a comfortable job as a university librarian and has lived a simple and quiet life on her own. After Juniper finds herself on the run from the law and wandering the city of New Salem, she discovers that her sisters have been in the city all this time, completely unaware of each other. The three of them are drawn together when Beatrice unknowingly recites a spell that creates a mystical connection between them and opens up the gateway to the magical library of Avalon, the center of all magical knowledge. Hurt and betrayed that her sisters left her alone with their abusive father while they began new lives, Agnes sets off to join the newly formed suffragist movement, but not to earn the right to vote. Agnes wants to bring back magic. 

That’s right-witches are real and Agnes and her sisters are all witches. With the help of women from all over New Salem, the three sisters set out to bring back the black tower of Avalon and restore magic to all women. 

I absolutely love alternate history, especially when it’s alternate history with magic. Magic is a known element in this version of New Salem and the men fear nothing more than a female witch. Men are allowed to practice magic but women are threatened with burning if they dare to cast any type of spell, even one as simple as making your hair look good. You can’t have a witch uprising without an evil witch hunter, and that part is played by Gideon Hill, a mysterious man of power that has a cult-like following in New Salem. This book also contains my absolute favorite catnip - books with hidden stories. The stories that were told to the girls by their grandmother held vital information disguised as fairy tales. As the story progresses, these hidden stories become a shared theme amongst many of the women who join forces with the sisters.

Of all the sisters, Juniper is my favorite. She is fearless, driven, and wants nothing more than to tear down the patriarchy. She runs headfirst into every situation and never backs down. Even though she feels her sisters betrayed her, she’s still willing to sacrifice herself to keep them safe. The relationship between the three sisters is very complicated. They all have their own secrets to protect, but they also have some serious misunderstandings about each other’s motivations. The sisters find support for their cause from women all over New Salem. I really enjoyed how it was such a diverse group of women, and a few men, who were so supportive in providing shelter, spells, ingredients, and moral support and there are some interesting ties to the history and lore of the underground railroad. 

This is another chunker of a book, coming in at over 500 pages in the hardcover version. My last few reads were all big books, but all moved very quickly and this one just flew by. In between many of the chapters, there are fairy tales from the sisters’ childhood that provide clues to the source of the witch’s magic and I loved seeing how they fit into the story. While the story itself is pretty grim, the women face torture and death if they are caught practicing magic, the book never feels bleak. If anything, Juniper’s drive to smash the patriarchy and her complete lack of regard for authority help to keep the tone lighter and it’s there are many parts that are downright hilarious. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to hear what others have to say about it. If you would like a copy for your own collection, or as a gift for the witchy book lover in your life, you can find ordering information here:

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