trigger warning
<spoiler>rape, arranged marriages, child murder, abduction</spoiler>

Warriors, Witches, Women includes a list of females from mythologies all around the world, sorted into the kind of role they fullfill - witches, warriors, so on. The set up is simple: Four pages per person, one being illustrated, and three on which you can read where this person is found, if she's a goddess, a spirit or something else. The author tried to give the first instance of their appearance in texts, how they could be seen as a modern role-model, and how they might be occur in modern media.

I liked this a lot. From the Gree/Roman, Egypt, Mesopotamian and Celtic pantheons I knew everyone, but so many other mythological persons were new to me. Of course, this can only serve as an introduction and it's not a complete list of every female mythological figure. But it's informative, has suggestions for further reading. You are entertained while learning something, and I know that I repeat myself, but I like that a lot.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Gorgeous book a book of mythology of fantasies of women. The sketches are gorgeous all the tales of these women are fascinating to read.Would make a perfect gift for your warrior women.#netgalley#quarto

What if history was written by women? What if mythology was shaped by women’s stories? Warriors, Witches, Women looks at stories and histories of women from around the world. They can be dipped into for inspiration - each character only takes a few pages. I think my daughter will love this.

I would have preferred to have this book in actual print rather than having to read it on my computer. Still, I did enjoy it and thought the illustrations and writing were lovely and informative. Particularly enjoyed the fact that the author included non-Celtic tradition female mythological characters, something that is often overlooked and there were indeed a couple I never heard of before.

This book is gorgeous and beautifully put together. Pared down, yet pretty illustrations accompany text that tells the reader about all kinds of mythological women. Perfect for older children, a word of warning though, a couple of the women are a little gruesome so maybe read first if intending to give to younger children.

Really enjoyed this book!

Warriors, Witches and Women is like a PR refresh for history's misunderstood and villanised women in history who are cautionary tales for women to behave.

I enjoyed learning about Goddesses and real women I'd heard of like Circe, Baba Yaga and Athena to ones I had a vague idea of like Jezebel and finding out about the historical roots of each of the myths and women.

All of the women come from different parts of the world and it's a fascinating way to find out how women are viewed across the globe.

Would highly recommend!

I have always loved Mythology since I was a little girl. And even if this love started early it has continued to be a part of me. And I truly believe that it will always be in my heart. When I read the description of this book, I almost started jumping up and down. That joy was even more pronounced when I received an e-ARC.


This book didn't disappoint at all. Kate Hodges managed to link old mythology to modern-day events such as climate change and the LGBTQ community. I was in awe of the amount of effort and research that went into this book. You could truly see that every word in this book was a labor of love.


The illustrations were marvelous. The artist managed to capture the spirit of each woman. This book was so aesthetically pleasing, from the colors used for every illustration to the placement of the text and art.


Even though this book is an impressive collection of information about fierce women, it was easy to read. It was also an astoundingly quick read. I originally thought that I would read the book slowly so that I could truly absorb the information that I had just read but I actually finished the book in a single day and I read a lot of it in a single sitting.


Kate Hodges also included women from most cultures and religions. I was honestly pleasantly surprised since I wrongly assumed that the majority of the book would feature Greek figures. I even learned about a few women, whose names I didn't even know.


I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in mythology, history or legends.


I believe that the main message of this book is both simple and profound: Women endure. Witches, Warriors, Bringers of misfortune... we endure. Our stories last and remain relevant.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I shall post this review on my blog Book Dragons on 4 February 2020.

5 out of 5 stars

We are the granddaughters of the witches you weren't able to burn.

I have read a few books regarding witchcraft and mythology but this I can't deny is my favourite. From the introduction I knew I would fully connect with the author. Reading the background of these women is so fascinating.

Kate briefly yet descriptively explains to background of 50 famous 'female big names'. Most I'd heard of but the I learnt something from each I didn't know.

I also loved the section of 'Bringers of Misfortune'. Including villians! I love it!

If you want to look into the history or iconic women I definitely recommend this. I flew through this. Everyone please read this. This is easily a new favourite for me .

I will be my review on Goodreads closer to the publication date. (I don't want people to forget about this read and purchase it straight away!)

Really loved this book! The illustrations in the book are beautiful and the range of women that are covered is fantastic. A really perfect gift for someone interested in mythology and heritage.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is another title for which I wish I had a physical copy, because it would make such a wonderful coffee table book or gift! This book is chock-full of fascinating stories and lore from cultures all across the world. There are beautiful illustrations for each different woman/goddess/etc. which make this a delight to read. I would definitely purchase this book as a gift for a friend or family member so they can enjoy its wisdom and learn about the belief systems and lore of different cultures!

I found myself majorly surprised twice by this book, both in the best of ways. First, while there is a sizable showing of figures from Greek mythology, they thankfully do not end up dominating the book as a majority, a phenomenon that I feel like I have unhappily encountered in too many mythological collections of stories and characters. Instead, they are just a fraction of a genuinely diverse array who hail from faiths, tales, myths, and traditions from around the world.

What proved to be just as unexpectedly rich were all the individual entries. Besides providing each woman's actual myth, they often included historical context and their cultural importance in both the past and present. There was even occasionally a thoughtful question or statement included just for readers to mull over.

Overall, this compendium does a marvelous job highlighting and honoring the great women tales from lands and cultures from all over, and lovers of all things mythology-related should not hesitate to go out and enjoy "Warriors, Witches, Women" at their first available convenience.

As the saying goes, history is written by the victor, and invariably that victor is a man. This has been the case throughout history and stretches back into the distant mists of mythology.

When I think of mythology my mind brings up images of Achilles standing triumphantly above the body of Hector by the gates of Troy, Jason departing Colchis clutching tightly the Golden Fleece and mighty Thor wielding Mjolnir.

Also I think of Medusa, cold and evil. Helen of Troy, beautiful yet treacherous and the Harpies, detestable bird like women lacking any redeemable features.

The history and mythology that we are offered focuses on the masculine celebrating aggression, strength and victory. There seems no place for more feminine aspects and those that are well known within popular culture are portrayed, often as not, as one-dimensional, evil temptresses nothing more than objects for their more illustrious male contemporaries. It is almost as if the world we know has been won through war and violence, there has been no growth, no birth, no female touch.

Where are the strong women? Where are the brave women? Where are the women who have changed worlds, lives and attitudes? Where are the women?

Warriors, Witches, Women seeks to redress the balance and focuses on the female characters who have, despite contributing enormously to everything that exists have found themselves demonised, marginalised and white-washed out of history. It is a celebration of women.

The book is broken down into five broad categories Witches, Warriors, Bringers of Misfortune, Elemental Spirits and Munificent Spirits. Each section details several mythological women either as individuals or as a group all of them represented by Harriet Lee Merrion's beautiful illustrations really capturing the essence and culture of the figure. The version I read was electronic and so I can only imagine how striking the published hardback will look, both in your hands and on your shelf.

There is so much diversity and representation with Haitian love goddesses, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and the Japanese Futakuchi-Onna all honoured within the pages. Rest assured though that the more well known figures are also included such as Freya, Artemis and the Banshee.

Each figure has a decent sized narrative describing the origins of their myth, how their role and opinion has changed over time and often a morsel of their story, from the original sources, along with a modern take on how they fit into our society now. You won't learn everything about them from this book, but as an overview it is peerless and will encourage you to seek them out yourself.

The writing style is fresh and informal with evocative descriptions, Kate Hodges is clearly both extremely knowledgeable and extremely passionate about the subject. You can really feel the love and respect which has been afforded to each and every figure.

You will read about gods you never new existed, weep for wrongs you never knew were committed and fear visitation from entities you never knew resided in the dark.

But beyond the illustrations, the history and the magnificent stories Warriors, Witches, Women raises some points worth discussion.

In these myths the women are frequently subjected to abuse, they are ignored and dismissed but unflinchingly they continue. They show characteristics which, were they men, would be celebrated but instead are used to paint them into villains. Compare the number of masculine entities who lurk in the dark of myth with the those of the feminine who wait with the explicit purpose of enticing and murdering men. Consider the modern use of gendered insults which derive from myth.

Are we any different? What exactly have we learned?

Honestly I couldn't recommend this book highly enough - read in in one go, dip in and dip out, regardless of age or gender you'll find treasure in these pages.

What was the main thing I learned from this book? That Medusa is neither evil nor a monster.

5/5

I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book is dynamite! Packed to the gills with mythology, Warriors, Witches, Women explores legendary female figures.
For having so much information it's a surprisingly quick read!

I loved learing about mythological women and spirits from around the world. I wish it had gone more in depth about each one though. It was a good geeral overview however and I enjoyed it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of.

This book is a bit of a puzzler. I was incredibly excited to learn about a variety of female lore and whilst the list of them is sufficient, the explanation within is a bit of a letdown. If you're looking for rudimentary explanations of babba yaga, the furies, and pele with beautiful art then this book will serve your purpose. However, the writing itself leaves a bit to be desired. I didn't find the stories written in a compelling way which is so unfortunate given the vibrancy of these historical matriarchs. I wanted to love this book but it just left me wanting.

A truly gorgeous book (one perfect for a christmas gift or even just as a decorative piece to spruce up a coffee table!) that carefully and lovingly recounts tales of mythological women from cultures across the globe. It revels in their strength, their duality and their passion, and sheds far more light oft-overlooked figures of male-dominated mythologies. Brilliant just to flick through, or to spend an hour reading and researching.

I have been unable to download this book. It would be better for publishers to indicate that they are unable to provide a copy for Kindle as this can affect a readers feedback score.

In this case, I have rated three stars so my score is not affected.

This is a beautiful book - I thoroughly enjoyed it - for people wanting to get to know some female mythological characters, some of which are still revered today. Hodges brings up both more well-known goddesses, spirits and fairies, but also some that might not be that familiar to everyone, and she spans many different regions of the world., not just the Greco-Roman region, but also Basque, Hawaiian, Welsh, Lithuanian and Vietnamese deities, fairies and other characters are introduced for the reader. Their stories are presented and modern examples of their importance for everyday lives of people and popular culture are woven into the text.

The illustrations by Harriot Lee Merrion are beautiful and adds a lot to the overall appeal of the book.

What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? What do you want to be known for?

Warrior? Goddess? Monster? Witch? Queen?

Harbinger?

Ghost…

Uh, I think you all know what I would choose.

Witchy Ghost Queen remixed with Goddess

This world is made of mythos. History is laced with fact and fiction and they intertwine. We have prayed to the Gods and Goddesses, sent our strongest soldiers off to wars, we dare not speak the name of certain spirits in fear of invoking their wrath.

We learn to not repeat mistakes but we also learn because it is fundamental to know and it is FASCINATING. History is rich and it is sordid and it is messy and I absolutely love it.

I don’t think I have to hide the fact that I loved this book and how it highlights women: good and bad, fact or fiction.

Warriors, Witches, Women is an illustrated book that showcases women from all around the world. These are the women made up up legends. The first chapter?

Witches

I’ve never heard of Morgan Le Fay but I learned that she is a British Fairy and Enchantress. The book also provides us with a really handy description and her history which I…am crying over.

Another favorite entry of mine is The White Buffalo Calf Woman, an Indigenous American/Lakaotan Spirit who taught the Lakota Sioux Tribe tribes their most precious ceremonies their most precious ceremonies and environmental practices.


It is books like this I love the most because they go into such careful detail into teaching us important history.

Growing up, we always got a very white washed version of mythology and it was frustrating as a black child. All of these great people and they’re all…white. It’s stinging. This book does a great job in showcasing various figures of color such as Mami Wata, Cihuateteo, Yennenga , Futakuchi-onna.

Of course, my creepy ass is also happy in the ghost section. I nearly wept. SO MANY GHOST FIGURES I KNEW NOTHING OR NEARLY NOTHING ABOUT? I’M…so happy you guys.

This is a gorgeous book. The writing is impeccable and the artwork is amazing. Each entry has its own art and a lot of effort and love was put into it. You can absolutely tell. I plan to buy this when it’s available because an ARC copy doesn’t do it justice and I need my daughter to read this as well.

Luckily we live in a time where she doesn’t have to go through what I did and doubt that just because her skin is dark doesn’t mean that her history isn’t rich in mythology.

Her background is full of goddesses, strategists, elementals. Strong women past and present. It all leads back to her and she too will be known as legendary.

Thank you very much to publisher and Netgalley for this copy of my ARC. All opinions are my own,.

I wish I could give more than 5 stars.

This book is DOPE. Such a cool concept, so well executed. I find it important to celebrate the female past and mythical, rather than only focusing on what we want to change in the future. This book does that and more. Not to be missed.