Alix Harrow's The Once and Future Witches carries the reader along on the Eastwood sisters' no-holds-barred battle to bring the ways and the words of witchcraft back into the hands and the mouths of women in 1893 New Salem. The sisters have been estranged for seven years, but are brought back together by the potential of magic to heal the wounds they've inflicted on each other and to restore power to women in a time when they can't even cast a ballot for mayor. This feminist historical fantasy novel demonstrates the tenacity of women who have endured child abuse, imprisonment and torture, homophobia, and sexism throughout their lives, but who refuse to quite fighting for what is right, and rightfully theirs. Readers of The Ten Thousand Doors of January will find the same beautiful writing style here, paired with a heavier subject matter and even higher emotional stakes. Be forewarned that The Once and Future Witches may inspire you to take to the streets for a cause that you're passionate about, with your trusty familiar at your side.

What I liked:

🖤 Character-driven plot (told in 3 swirling POV's)
🖤 Nice genre-blending (historical fiction --> fantasy --> magical realism --> paranormal)
🖤 Ya Ya Sisterhood
🖤 Spectacle-wearing, book learnin' librarians (aka: my soulmates)
🖤 Miss Cleo Quinn, who just so happens to be a trouser-wearing journalist *ahem* queen *ahem*
🖤 Sapphic representation + longing
🖤 Evocative, emotional prose
🖤 Magic that's passed down: preserved through stories, through word of mouth
🖤 Realistic portrayals of oppression, abandonment, abuse, misogyny, motherhood etc.
🖤 Bella, Agnes, and Juniper evolve into much more than their Maiden, Mother, Crone archetypes
🖤 Themes of courage and perseverance; of love and sacrifice; of power and powerlessness
🖤 Most important of all: BADASS WITCHES UNITE

What I didn't like:

🖤 Pacing: sometimes slow, other times off-kilter
🖤 Took time to tether myself to the premise because I wasn't clear where it was headed in the beginning

This was a clever and symbolic historical twist on women and their "witchy" rights. Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the ARC! 3.5 stars

You had me at suffragist witches. And after the brilliance that was Ten Thousand Doors of January, there was no way I wasn’t going to pick up Alix Harrow’s sophomoreL novel. I’ll bring the hemlock if you bring the thistleseed, ladies!!
Taking place at the tail end of the 19th century, we meet the Eastwood sisters: Beatrice, Agnes and James (or Belladonna, Amaranth and Juniper, if you prefer). After years separated, they find themselves drawn towards one another, despite some of their best efforts otherwise. Underneath the surface of the town of New Salem, women are organizing to obtain the right to vote, but there’s also something more nefarious at play. Even the shadows seem to have eyes, and it’s difficult to rally support when the town seems to be in an escalating state of fear.

“That’s all magic is, really: the space between what you have and what you need.”

I loved Harrow’s use of magic in this book. She’s able to incorporate domestic necessities without reducing ‘women’s magic’ to the patriarchal ideas of ‘women’s work’. Yes, women & witches can mend a tear in your blouse, but they can also lead a revolution. Once and Future Witches uses alternating perspectives of the three Eastwood sisters. Their personalities are not only distinct from one another, but they also differ in the ‘type’ of woman each represents. Namely, the mother, the maiden and the crone (this one in particular makes me wince because she’s supposedly in her 20s????).

The memories of the previous witch trials in Old Salem hasn’t faded from the town’s collective memory, and there appears to be an enemy who will do anything to smoke out those responsible for trying to bring the magic back. I really enjoyed this story conceptually, but my one criticism is that it just seems unnecessarily long. I’m not asking for a YA pacing—I fully understand that this, like January is an adult novel. But I felt like parts of the story dragged when they shouldn’t have. There’s too much good stuff here for me to be counting the number of pages I have left!

Additionally I liked the inclusion of those who the women’s movement has historically left behind. This includes black women, poor women, sex workers and people in the LGBTQ+ community. The established organizations for women’s suffrage were almost entirely rich, white women and the author made clear that it was that way by design. Instead of accepting these prejudices, the women turned away created their own spaces to fight for their interests, both in the book and in real life.

In total, though, congrats to Ms. Harrow for a successful follow-up! The story is unique and compelling with a lot of elements I could not have seen coming. Historical fantasy is always going to be a favorite sub-genre of mine and I love the way this author transports you with her writing. Always looking forward to whatever she’s putting out next!

This is such a fantastic book!

Sisters Juniper, Bella, Agnes are very different but bound together by witchcraft. Simple stories and charms first taught to them by their grandmother, Mama Mags, then developed as they left their home individually to pursue new lives in New Salem (which took the place of the Salem that burned to the ground.) They are drawn together by interesting circumstances and for a purpose.

While the story revolves around the sisters and reemergence of witchcraft, there is also a compelling character study in how three young women deal with trauma inflicted by their “curse” of a father. Their reactions range from anger, to withdrawal, to escape.

This is much more than a fantasy about witches, it speaks to the broader issues of feminism and repression in the late 19th century, with some whispers of that which still exists today. As you get deeper into the story, you find a predominant theme of sisterhood and making difficult choices for the good of others. All of the characters experience dramatic growth, even the brash and angry Juniper.

The beauty of Alix Harrow is in her boundless imagination and her lyrical phrasing. Here’s an example of prose that is so perfect you have to read it twice:

“That’s all magic is, really: the space between what you have and what you need.”

This book is “magical” and I loved it. It’s a departure from The Ten Thousand Doors of January in theme. But there were so many times in both of them where I wondered how in the world the author came up with something I’d just read. She’s a great storyteller.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Once and Future Witches is built on and around nursery rhymes, which are anything but. The year is 1893, and as The Eastwood sisters come together again after a long separation, they find the strength they didn’t have growing up. Suffragettes with a twist, how perfect! I feel like some reviewers are over reviewing this with impossibly long book report style reviews, so I will keep it relatively short and sweet.

Harrow takes on women’s rights, she shows us what the bonds of sisterhood should be among women, how we should lift each other up instead of tearing each other down, and how we are stronger together. She shows us the power of the written word and the power of oral history. The characters are inclusive with a very diverse cast. The sisters each have unique personalities and talents, and I related to each of them in various parts throughout the book.

This novel took me longer than normal to read. But as a fan of Harrow’s, I know the pain of finishing one of her books too fast, and so I savored what I read. I somehow even kept a slower pace during the tense sections, which was almost impossible. Including stories around the main storyline added a cherry on top of this already delicious treat. An excellent and powerful read. Thank you Redhook Books for sending this along.

This is a book about sisters. It’s about feminism. It’s about witchcraft. There are themes of the oppression of women, the power of tradition, love and sacrifice, and family. Now I have not read many witch stories, but this feels very unique to me. I loved how it incorporated nursery rhymes and children’s stories. It’s been a long time since I read “The Witch of Blackbird Pond” but now I want to go back and reread it.

This was a book was full of hard things but was still hopeful. I really enjoyed this book. It was the right mix of fun and fairy tale. I highly recommend this book.

3.5 stars.

In the late 1800s three sisters who are witches reunite during the suffrage movement. They need to go deep into their past to change what their future holds. A fun fantasy book that is a unique and will keep you guessing!

Taking place in 1893, the book entwines witchery with the sufferagette movement.

The three protagonists - sisters - are beautifully depicted and highly relatable.

The book is about relationships between women, and their struggle for independence, no matter class or race. Witchery is the means by which they fight for freedom.

My review doesnt do this book justice. It is multi layered and wonderfully written.

I received a free ARC from Netgalley. I am leaving my honest review.

The premise in this book would be enough to get my attention. The fact that it's written by Alix E. Harrow was just the icing on the cake. Her writing style is lyrical and atmospheric. It really sets the story up for success. There are so many layers to this book that I have a feeling I'll be unpacking them for a while. Definitely recommend.

Sisters, feminism, and witches, oh my!!! This story follows three estranged sisters, Bella (the bookish older sister), Agnes (the beautiful middle sister), and Juniper (the wild younger sister), who are unexpectedly reunited in New Salem. Together, they seek to reignite witchcraft, empower women, and put an end to the dark and oppressive forces at work in their town. Alix Harrow’s writing style is incredibly eloquent and I loved the feminist messages she conveyed throughout the story. My only complaint is that I struggled to make it through the first portion of the book because it dragged a bit. However, while book was somewhat slow to build, the ending was incredibly satisfying and more than made up for what it lacked in pacing. The story came together in a beautiful and emotionally impactful way. I highly recommend this one! Just be warned that this is a book that will most likely take some time to get in to.

I loved how this book parallels the trials of witches with the women's suffrage movement. It was a unique take on feminist history infused with elements of fantasy.

Each of the sisters was well drawn and I enjoyed their complex relationships to one another, and how Harrow melded their characters to fit the "mother, maiden and crone" archetypes generally associated with magical woman and witches.

The writing was so beautiful to read, I almost didn't notice how quickly the pages flew by. If you're looking for a witchy, feminist fantasy that celebrates sisterhood and the inherent power of women, look no further.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the E-ARC. The Once and Future Witches was an utterly magical read. Following the stories of the three Eastwood sisters in an alternate America filled with magic. In this timeline witches once powerful users of magic, but now magic is simply a whisper, used only to keep the house dust free or mending a tear in a dress. The story is centered on the trials and tribulations of Juniper, Agnes, and Beatrice. The sisters have been separated for several years but are magically brought back together, and become heavily involved in the women's suffrage movement. Harrow created a beautiful and magical world in The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and has done it again in The Once and Future Witches. Weaving in a mixture of myth, magic, folklore, and nursery rhyme Alix E. Harrow has once again written a fantastic book that shows just how important stories are.

This book!! I adore this book! It feels timeless yet also so very, very of the moment. It is absolutely a book for now. And it is just so wonderfully written. Alix Harrow has a way of putting words together in the most beautiful way. I found myself re-reading some sentences and paragraphs several times just to let the words wash over me. I received a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion but I will be buying this book for sure. I know that I will revisit it again and again. If you loved Ten Thousand Doors of January then you must get this book. Alix E. Harrow is two for two now and I can't wait to see what she does next!

I want to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book to review.

This book was everything I didn't know I needed. It was so well-written, the prose was beautiful, and the story felt like a song I never wanted to stop listening to. The Once and Future Witches read like a cross between Charmed and Practical Magic, with the relationship of three sisters front and center. The eldest two left home at relatively young ages, leaving the youngest alone with their abusive father. Seven years later they happen upon each other (mostly through chance and a little magic) and the story goes from there and never lets up.

The sisters were as different in personality as they were alike in their desires and wills. They started out pretty much at odds with each other, but as the novel progresses their relationship blossoms. The minor characters are also a delight. I particularly enjoyed Cleo and the beautiful relationship that developed between her and the eldest sister. I really don't want to say much else and inadvertently spoil the story, but suffice it to say that it belongs on the shelf of everyone who loves stories about sisters, witches, worlds that are like ours but differ slightly, and beautiful prose that the reader will want to lose themselves in. This has the potential to be one of my favorite books of 2020, and one of the most popular books of the fall.

Alix E. Harrow has written such a beautiful, lyrical, and powerful book. The Once and Future Witches blends suffragists and witches together into such a seamless, wonderful tale that I couldn’t help but whisper the spells with the characters in the hope that maybe Harrow had stumbled upon our true history and, like the witches in her book, disguised it as fiction, waiting for her readers to release magic back into the world.

The Eastwood sisters are a force to be reckoned with. They are compelling and lovable—Bella with her studious, bookish nature, Agnes with her stubborn strength and iron will, and Juniper with her carefree spirit and wild nature. After seven years apart, the sisters struggle against each other before recognizing that their bond is too strong to be ignored. Readers couldn’t ask for a better set of witchy heroines.

What really struck me about The Once and Future Witches, is how Harrow’s world-building brings the whole story to life. Harrow uses nursery rhymes and classic fairytales to form the basis of her forbidden magic, and blends the fantastic with history in a way that makes the story more believable, creating a possible alternate history. In the world of the Eastwood sisters, the magic of witches has been hidden in the stories and songs that mothers pass on to their daughters, from small spells of healing or housework to more dangerous spells that break bones and cause death. Each chapter opens with the words and ways of a particular spell and a brief description of its purpose. Readers will recognize a lot of these rhymes already, which really helps to make the story and characters feel real and within reach. She also includes the stories that the characters tell each other, each story adding to the lore of the world.

But the true power lies in sisterhood, which is the main theme of the book. Not just the sisterhood between sisters related by blood, but the bond between all women. The Once and Future Witches is really a book about the power that women can summon when we work together. The movement brought together women from every walk of life and Harrow makes a point of including that diversity in her characters, from the wealthy and poor, to immigrants and natives, Black and white, prostitutes and mayor’s daughters. But this isn’t a men-hating book. Some of the most lovable characters of the book are men: August, who respects, admires, and loves Agnes for all that she is; and Mr. Blackwell, whose love of books and history and learning helps him to respect everyone regardless of race, gender, or sexuality.

Harrow also discusses the issue of race, by showing not just the Sisters of Avalon, who are predominately white, but also the Sisters of Tituba, who are a Black sisterhood of witches. She highlights the tension between the two groups and the understandable hesitancy of the Sisters of Tituba to join the Sisters of Avalon. While their white counterparts run risks, the Sisters of Tituba know that the risks to them will be even greater. There are some tense and uncomfortable moments between the two groups, but Harrow and her characters don’t shy away from it.

Overall, The Once and Future Witches is a truly magical book. The characters are wonderful and easy to love, the world-building is fantastic, and the message is powerful. Personally, I cannot wait until this book releases so I can hold a physical copy in my hands.

The Once and Future Witches is Alix Harrow's second novel following her amazing debut, The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Written with the same lyrical and atmospheric style, this historical fantasy is set in New Salem in the late 19th century. Witchcraft is forbidden. Women's dresses don't have pockets - else they might hide the workings for spells. The Suffragette Movement is trying to have a voice with the mayor and council of New Salem.

The three Eastwood sisters haven't been in contact for several years. Not realizing they're all together again in the city, the sisters become tied together by their witchcraft as the maiden, mother, and crone. Bringing back witchcraft is a daunting task - one that could restore women's place in society. Or get them all burnt at the stake.

The Once and Future Witches tackles some serious things - women's rights, black rights, and LGBTQ+ rights.

I loved the complex characters of the three sisters. Alix Harrow did a fantastic job giving each one her own unique voice and POV. This a haunting but enjoyable read that left me in tears but wanting more.

I really enjoyed this book! I would recommend it for people who enjoy reading about magic & strong female protagonists. Also, if you enjoyed The Ten Thousand Doors of January which is also by Alix E. Harrow, you will probably like this one as well. It is definitely a different story than The Ten Thousand Doors of January and centers around witches rather than portals, but it is a similarly unique story.

I tore through the beginning and end, but the middle did drag a bit. Overall, I felt it was worth it and a relatively quick read.

I love stories about witches, so this book was definitely right up my alley! There were lots of quotable moments that I wanted to include here, but because I have an ARC (THANKS NETGALLEY!), I won't. You will just have to read the book to find out what I mean :)

If you decide to read it, let me know what you think!

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3459883351
STORYGRAPH: https://beta.thestorygraph.com/reviews/4703295
(brand new) INSTAGRAM: @shanchatbooks
I also put in a purchase suggestion to my local library

WOW, what a book. I think the best thing I can say is this: I have a notebook where I write down all my favorite lines from books I love, handwriting so small that each line is doubled up, and I still filled an entire page. It's the FROZEN films meets CINDERELLA IS DEAD, and so much more.

I'm the oldest of three sisters, and our personalities are pretty closed matched with Bella's, Agnes' and June's respectively, so this book was bound to tug on my heartstrings. There were a couple little quibbles - as a Jewish person, the "Old Testament God" line about GH rubbed me the wrong way - but most so minor I've already forgotten them. Or the reason for a particular plot point that I maybe wasn't so fond of came around later in the story.

I liked THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY, but THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES has solidified Alix E. Harrow's spot on my auto-read list.

The Once and Future Witches takes place in the late 1800s and tells the tale of three estranged sisters, Juniper, Agnes, and Beatrice Eastwood, who magically reunite after seven years apart amidst a suffragette movement.

The sisters, along with the suffragists of New Salem, work together to restore women’s rights using the forgotten words and ways of whichcraft, while trying to heal old wounds between them.

Alix E. Harrow is a brilliant author and writes beautifully. Her words are like poetry and are an absolute pleasure to read. I am deeply fascinated by witches and whichcraft, and generally am a huge fan of strong women protagonists, being a woman (and feminist) myself.

That said, I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. While I admire the Eastwood sisters’ bond, I didn’t like them as individual characters. I couldn’t connect with any of them - they just seemed unlikable to me.

Also, I thought the plot was lacking and often felt incohesive at times. I’m all for inclusivity, but it felt like Harrow tried to weave in way too many themes just for the sake of wanting to be inclusive.

The Once and Future Witches missed the mark for me, however, I still plan on buying the book when it comes out. Perhaps I will feel differently after I’ve read it a second time.

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook Books for providing me with the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Once and Future Witches follows the three Eastward sisters as they raise hell, fight for women, and work to restore and preserve women's power through witching. This novel is set in an alternative historical setting (this threw me for a loop a couple times) and begins in 1893 in New Salem amid the suffrage movement and witch hysteria. Bella, Agnes, and Juniper have experienced all the challenges and horrors of being women in a world where they don't have a voice. But they find strength in each other and fight to win a place and acceptance in their world. This book is very much an story of women finding their way through pain, abuse, and hurt to power and the importance of memory, writing, and storytelling.

So many things gave me high expectations for this book. I loved Alix Harrow's debut, The Ten Thousand Doors of January. I love atmospheric, lush prose, magical realism, stories with folklore and fairy tale backgrounds, and stories that explore the power of storytelling. I had minor reservations for witching (I'm not really into occult stories), but I was super excited to read Harrow's newest book.

Maybe my expectations were too high, because I just really struggled with The Once and Future Witches. I don't mind slow pacing, but it can be tricky to capture both a magical feeling while not lagging in pace. I was a third to halfway through the book before I really felt invested in the story. In the beginning I struggled with some continuity things and the pacing felt at turns slow and rushed. You switch between the three sisters as POV characters, but there were cases where I got confused about which character I was with and their voices didn't always come through clearly. I thought the character work was fine, but I also just didn't find the characters particularly compelling. Maybe I'm just not enough of an angry feminist.

By the middle of the book, the story was ramping up, there was a more action and fire, and we seemed to get past most of the writing foibles. Unfortuantely they reappear during the climax of the book. I found myself confused and frustrated, and then I'd have to flip back a couple pages to try to figure out what happened. And we have two writing/storytelling pet peeves [MINIMAL SPOILERS]: (view spoiler)

This makes me sound so negative about the book, but I did like a lot of things. There was some beautiful prose (and some wonderful parrallelism that is just stunning), the setting was dark but compelling, it was a bit mysterious and creepy but not overdone, and the folklore and storytelling elements were very well done. There are some important issues raised, although at times it felt like the feminism and anger was a little too much for me personally. There are going to be people for whom the importance of the ideas make up for anything other reservations they might have, and that's totally fine.

I think this could have been an amazing book, but it felt a little rushed and inconsistent. I think if there had been another beta read or some more time, I think a lot of the writing things that bugged me could have been smoothed over. If I'm being honest, I might have DNF'd this one if it hadn't been an ARC just because of pacing (and I do not DNF lightly). I'm going to read more of Harrow's work, because I know that she can write stunning stories, but The Once and Future Witches was a disappointment.

Thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.