I really really wanted to love this book. It has everything I look for in a title, and I'd heard such great things about it. Unfortunately, it just didn't grab me. I kept finding myself picking up other books over this one, which is when I know for sure that it's not the right book for me. I forced myself to finish it for the purpose of reviewing it, but it just never grabbed me.

This is a story great for people who are into three things: 1. witches (duh) 2. sisterhood 3, fantasy I want to say that those three things make up the core of the novel and it was fun to read but unfortunately I must confess I'm more of a romance fanatic. While there were some elements of romance, nothing like other fantasies I read so I personally give this book a 3 stars HOWEVER it'd def be a 4+ star if you are into all the three things I mentioned above!

I received a free e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I wanted go give this author another shot. I'm still trying to finish Thousand doors. This one seems to be more about voting instead of witches. I will continue trudging on.

This was yet another thrilling journey from Alix Harrow: she manages to layer so much into her stories. In Once and Future Witches, one of the highlights was the evolution of the three Eastwood sisters -- their sense of themselves, as well as their conflicts and relationships with each other. I loved the way that Harrow moved between past and present in showing readers how they had become estranged from each other -- and I loved how important that estrangement turned out to be to the development of the story in New Salem.

I have certainly read stories about witchcraft and female empowerment before, but what elevates this one is the number of twists and turns, and the complexity of the worldbuilding around what it means to bring witchcraft back; as well as the insidious awfulness of the villain (which is important! it is relevant to not just engage in narratives of "girl power", but also to depict the levels of fury that women face.)

I don't know whether Harrow will ever return to this particular world, but I would certainly read more if she did.

The Once and Future Witches is coming from the critically acclaimed author who wrote one of my all time favorite books in 2019, The Ten Thousand Doors of January. She is back yet again in another magical read but this time we have a story that tries really hard to serve as kind of a love letter to witchcraft.

First off, I want to say that I immediately understood themes and undertones Harrow tried to make here and she really pulled off a lot of the ideas from the women's suffrage movement faithfully and respectfully. So let's talk about the actual story itself. The story is one I think is going to be a hit or miss for some people but the hits are really big, pretty well executed ideas that I think are worth highlighting. This follows the story of three sisters in 1893 where witches no longer exist except in parts of nursery rhymes. Unfortunately the witches have all but died in the last burnings. Any mention of them is met with animosity. So the Eastwood sisters who were estranged from one another for years, suddenly come together in the beginning of the novel to fight for women's rights while also bringing about an uprising for the rights of witches by remembering the forgotten words and ways.

While the first half of this book was quite slow for me, I wasn't fully enraptured (it's a big book so there's plenty of time to get lost in) It did pick up and ultimately I found it a gripping and triumphant story of women's agency and sisterhood.

Oh, this hit in the best way at the best time.

Clever alternate history that is just close enough to our history to be recognized. I quite loved the writing, the atmosphere, the inclusive feminist messages, how angry Juniper and Agnes were, and the way the magic “system” functioned.

It’s a long story but Harrow packs a robust, entire story into those pages. ★★★★★

Looking for a feminist fantasy book centered around three sister witches that also happens to be sapphic? Have I got the book for you. I felt like I truly knew each of the sisters in this and felt all of the same feelings they were feeling throughout this journey. I will say as much as I loved the witchy atmosphere this book was too long for me. I find long books pretty daunting to begin with and I had to restart this one a few times because of how slow the beginning was. Happy I finally pushed through and finished it though!

I've been describing this book to coworkers as ~if the scents from the perfumery company sixteen92 wrote a book~, which is honestly is very high praise since it's full of dark twisty witchy smells.
The book was great, I raced through it and could definitely see myself reading it again.

I loved Author Harrow’s Ten Thousand Door of January. So as soon as I saw this book, I had to read it.

The Once and Future Witches is a story not only about witches and magic, but also family, sisterhood, overcoming abuse and feminism. Set in an alternate 1800s world, the story is about Avalon Sisters - Belladonna, Agnes & Juniper. Even though they are sisters, they are very different from each other & they deal with abuse from their father in a way known to them. To escape the hurting, they run.. far away from their father.. far away from each other!

The storytelling is a little slow paced than I expected, but its still interesting to read the sisters drawing power from each other and using their combined power to heal. Its magical and also empowering!

Overall a 3.75/5 🧙‍♀️

Thank you Netgalley & Redhook for the arc.

This is maybe my favorite book of the year so far! I love historical fiction that focuses on Salem and the witch trials. I love how this book focuses on how powerful the women are and features such strong female characters. I loved the author's descriptions and writing style as well. I can't wait to read more from this author! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Gorgeous prose, as to be expected from Alix E. Harrow. While I overall enjoyed the book, I did find the plot slow and had to take some extended breaks while reading.

This book was such an interesting idea. Suffragette witches. Sisters separated and reunited. Not knowing who to trust. As was demonstrated in Ten Thousand Doors of January, the author has a beautiful way with words and paints a detailed description of the life these sisters led. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to more from Harrow.

Rep: LGBTQIA+, multicultural feature

Just as it says in its description, this book brings history and magic together to present a strong feminist tale.

The Pros: What worked for me

For a story that has so much historical context, the pacing was quite good. The author took time to develop the framework but also ensured that events unfolded quickly.

I love the use of mixed media – in this novel, the author included newspaper articles into the story and it made for great fun!

I really liked the characters in this story. Every female character had a distinct personality and was well created.

Just like in Ten Thousand Doors of January, the writing is poetic and beautiful. I savoured every line of it!

The feminist themes were well done here. Yes, it was very in-your-face but the reader is clearly aware of that before getting into the story. I like the way the author took this theme and interwove it into the story so that readers were just as invested in the plot as the message behind it.
Throughout the book, there are short stories that take common fairy tales and “flip” them to show an alternate version – these were a highlight of the reader experience!

The Cons: What I didn’t like

While the author clearly did her research with the historical context, I wanted a bit more backstory for the magic systems mentioned in the story.

This is a personal pet peeve: I didn’t like Bella. She is one of the 3 sisters in the story and I found her annoying.

Overall, this novel really appealed to me. It was beautiful to look at and beautifully written. It functions well as a standalone with everything wrapped up nicely, but it was impactful enough that it kept me thinking long after I finished reading it. Although I preferred The Ten Thousand Doors of January, there is no doubt that Alix E. Harrow is a talented author. I cannot wait to read more by her!

This probably sits at more of a 2.5 stars for me, and that's mainly because of the pacing and sheer heavy-handedness of the themes. Also, the writing, while lovely and comforting in its own way, could get a little overwrought sometimes!

I appreciated the idea of this, particularly all the historical and literary allusions, but overall I was just kind of...bored? This was way, way, way too long and the plot kind of undulated in a weird way that made for very uneven pacing.

In contrast to the other folks who gave this lower ratings, I actually enjoyed the characters very much; I thought the sisters were quite vibrant and fleshed out, particularly Agnes, and I really enjoyed the side characters, like Cleopatra Quinn, and Gideon Hill, who made for a fantastic villain. Oddly, his scenes were always the most interesting parts of the book for me.

There is a very whimsical feel to the overall story, and I think I've come to realize that that style of storytelling is simply not for me, which is why I really struggled with this book and started skimming quite a few of the wordier bits by the second half. It's the sort of book I'm glad to have read, but am very relieved to be done with.

This book is truly wonderful when you look at the sum of its parts. Harrow crafts wonderful, flowery language, but at the same time that does drag the book out just a little. Overall, I loved the concept of this book and how it all fell together, as well as the larger social complexities.

I love this book! I love that it is fun and engaging and fantastical, and yet it can be so easily folded into a curriculum that includes not just literature but history and science and civics. Witches and suffragist is an unbelievable connection to make in the current social climate where victims of sexual assault are often made to feel marked like the witches in this book, and, yet, they stand and fight and petition for better lives. It is both relevant and high interest enough that an entire classroom full of kids can be convinced to read Atwood's "Half-Hanged Mary" or MIller's "The Crucible" or learn about Women's Suffrage or the rise of birth-control with increased interest and connection. Harrow has done classroom teachers a great service whether she is aware or not. I am definitely teaching it this year.

Our Take: We thought this was a very slow read. There’s some beautiful prose, but it’s so wordy at times that the reader can get lost in it and flip through five pages, only to forget the actual plot and details of what’s taking place. Things are also so overly described that it takes a long time for a scene to feel like it progressed. It took about 70% of the book before we were able to really get into this one - thus our low/average star rating. But once it got there, we were glued to the pages. We loved the strong female characters and how real life and practical the “she-made” magic was portrayed. Its power is in the words that have been passed down through generations (and even different cultures), which was a beautiful statement for this book to make about the bonds that form between women.

I was worried this would not live up the Ten Thousand Doors of January, as that is one of my favorite books. Luckily, this was a phenomenal read and one of my favorites of 2020.

3.5/5
"Magic is just the space between what you have and what you need" — and in the late 1800s, the women of New Salem are waking up to a powerful need for equal rights and acknowledgment. Enter the Eastwood sisters, drawn back together by a mysterious bond of sisterhood; drawn into the battle for rights by the undeniable needs of Sisterhood. "It’s easy to ignore a woman.” Juniper’s lips twist in a feral smile. “But a hell of a lot harder to ignore a witch.”

I love this kind of blended alt-history fantasy tale that leans hard into folklore and nursery rhymes and the power of stories and the fierceness of female friendship and enduring love. Harrow is very good at clever, satisfying character-driven storytelling. But I've also struggled through a few very good books recently, and this one joins the list — very good and a bit of a struggle. The writing is beautiful, the story is smart and well crafted, the characters are sharply drawn, and the setting is perfect, but it felt sluggishly paced at times and overlong as a whole. With a good trim, I think this would've sailed right into the 5-star range.

There used to be witches, but not anymore. Not since Old Salem was slaughtered. Now there are are no more witchy ways or word to help with the laundry...or are there? Mags has been teaching the ways and words to the three Eastwood sisters since they were little. But Bella and Agnes left home yeas ago, now Juniper has come to New Salem to find her sisters and escape her past. With her, Juniper brought her will and a secret she doesn't think her sisters will understand. Not long after her arrival, Juniper joins the women's suffrage movement, but when she uses witching at a demonstration, she's booted out/ Arm-in-arm with her sisters she leads a new movement of witches.

The Once and Future Witches is an incredible story with magic woven onto every page. the tale of the Eastwood sisters was such a delight. As seems to be the style of Harrow's writing, the pacing is in a category of its own. It feels fast-paced but then you realize you've only read a couple of pages. The great part of this is that it means there is so much story to love, but it may be frustrating for easily discouraged readers. Conversely, there is more than enough sisterly love, witchcraft, and action to keep interested readers completely engaged from beginning to end. What a ride!