The Witches of Moonshyne Manor was a nice change of pace from all the teen/YA witchy literature. It was like a magical version of Golden Girls, complete with funny, irreverent characters and repercussions of past mistakes.

This was a fun read perfect for fall. I enjoyed the cast of characters and how the author grew their personalities.

This is a fun hilarious book about octogenarian witches and their lives. It is the author’s complete personality in a book. So funny and sharp and even included a heist!

"The Witches of Moonshyne Manor" was a book I wanted to love, but just couldn't get into. I know that there will be plenty of readers who will have loved and enjoyed this book. Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to get past the first half.

The description of The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais promises adventures - a coven of witches, a heist, a threat, a fight to save a home – and the bonds of sisterhood. Unfortunately, for me, the story does not live up to its promise. From nudity and sexual innuendo to ageism, the depiction of the women is not the one I expected. For this and other reasons, I find myself not the reader for this book.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/12/the-witches-of-moonshyne-manor.html

Reviewed for NetGalley

Add this to your cozy fantasy lists: witches of a certain age, sisterhood, a grand magical heist, and a touch of romance. I loved it.

A delightful and enchanting tale of aging witches, sisterhood, and a daring magical heist, brimming with feminism, secrets, and unexpected alliances.

DNF at 35%

I'm so sad, I was really looking forward to this one. But every time I tried to start it, I got bored and gave up. I finally forced myself to give it a valid shot and it didn't get better. Too large of a cast of characters introduced too quickly. None of them felt that different, I couldn't tell them apart. I also felt like this played into super cringy stereotypes. Seriously, what was up with the hyperactive child? Like, "fighting the patriarchy"? I mean, come on. That was irritating.

I also didn't love the worldbuilding, it confused me. These women are witches, yeah? And the townspeople know this, yeah? But suddenly, they want to burn them? Confusion. Also, the other stereotype. Man's World. I mean, again, come on. Stereotypes are a great way to point out hypocrisies if they're subtle and used intentionally. They weren't here. It just felt like propaganda trying to beat a message home

I love witchy books so had to read this one. The cast of characters makes this book with their wit and warmth. The plot is nothing new but it feels fresh thanks to the author's writing style and the larger-than-life characters.

I ended up not finishing this book. It started off really cute and fun in a quirky kind of way but a few chapters in and I was very lost. I had no idea what the story plot actually was or who was doing what. I really wanted to enjoy it because it started off strong, but I could not make sense of what was happening at all.

This was my first book by this author, but mot my last. The writing was stellar and the story engrossed me. Great pick for fall reading.

This book is a cocktail consisting of a double shot of magic, a single shot of Golden Girls and a heavy pour of FUN FUN FUN.

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor was the perfect read to close out 2022. While the plot was slow-moving, the reader was among friends with these characters.

Sex and the City meets Hocus Pocus, this book is an entertaining read most would enjoy.

I’m a big bianca Marais fan and I am witch obsessed. This was a great book for the spooky season and just plain fun!

This was such a fun look at a coven of badass witches in their 80’s! I laughed, I cried, and I loved every minute! Bianca Marais can’t write a bad book, and I loved each of these women!

Behold my field of fucks. Lay thine eyes upon it and thou shalt see that it is barren. - (Possibly the best line I’ve ever read in a book)

I loved this interesting and unique take on the witchy books genre… and yes, ‘witchy’ is a legit genre in this day and age! In this particular book we follow a coven of older witches and explore how they’re relationships to their home and each other have developed over their many years together. But there is one person missing from the coven, Ruby, and as the story unfolds the reader learns what happened to Ruby and how those events impacted their lives. The witches are also at risk of losing their home if they don’t come up with a plan soon- but luckily an unexpected interloper shows up and teaches those old dogs new tricks!

It’s admittedly been a couple of months since I finished this book and even though I’ve read many, many books since finishing this one this story and the things I loved about it have still stuck with me- which is more than I can say about many of the books I read over a year’s time. One of the main things I loved about this book is something I always love to find in stories and that’s a found family. I just love a story about a family that chooses one another rather than their loyalty being based on a relationship bound by blood. Beyond that it was awesome seeing a found family of elderly women which is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, at least in this capacity. It’s hard to find something completely new in a book when you’ve read hundreds of them but this one definitely stuck out in a crowd.

There is a wholesome, cozy vibe to this story but it’s also full of action and mishaps and bickering and love. There are ghost and heists and sentient birds. There’s magic and history and old hurts. This book encompasses so much including gender identity and diversity of character. I really loved the discussions this novel raised and I also loved seeing this group of people come together to face down their adversaries.

If you’re looking for a witchy book that does a little something different while also encompassing the core values of humanity than you’ve found that book. You’ll laugh and probably tear up as well- this isn’t a story you’re likely to forget anytime soon.

Thank you so much to MIRA and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of The Witches of Moonshyne Manor! This book is a little different from the books I normally read, mainly because the witches who live in Moonshyne Manor are older- they’re in their 80s- and I ended up liking it a lot more than I was actually expecting to like it!
The Witches of Moonshyne Manor 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: “Bianca Marais is a genius” — Ann Patchett, #1 New York Times bestselling author
A coven of modern-day witches. A magical heist-gone-wrong. A looming threat.
Five octogenarian witches gather as an angry mob threatens to demolish Moonshyne Manor. All eyes turn to the witch in charge, Queenie, who confesses they’ve fallen far behind on their mortgage payments. Still, there’s hope, since the imminent return of Ruby—one of the sisterhood who’s been gone for thirty-three years—will surely be their salvation.
But the mob is only the start of their troubles. One man is hellbent on avenging his family for the theft of a legacy he claims was rightfully his. In an act of desperation, Queenie makes a bargain with an evil far more powerful than anything they’ve ever faced. Then things take a turn for the worse when Ruby’s homecoming reveals a seemingly insurmountable obstacle instead of the solution to all their problems.
The witches are determined to save their home and themselves, but their aging powers are no match for increasingly malicious threats. Thankfully, they get a bit of help from Persephone, a feisty TikToker eager to smash the patriarchy. As the deadline to save the manor approaches, fractures among the sisterhood are revealed, and long-held secrets are exposed, culminating in a fiery confrontation with their enemies.
Funny, tender and uplifting, the novel explores the formidable power that can be discovered in aging, found family and unlikely friendships. Marais’ clever prose offers as much laughter as insight, delving deeply into feminism, identity and power dynamics while stirring up intrigue and drama through secrets, lies and sex. Heartbreaking and heart-mending, it will make you grateful for the amazing women in your life.
I loved how many parallels there were between 80 year old witches and 20-30 year old witches (the normal demographic of the witchy books I read)- they were making bargains they couldn’t really keep, people who weren’t witches didn’t really want them around, just normal witch-y stuff. I really liked how different all of the witches in the coven were, but how well they got along with each other and their quirks etc. It really showed how long they’d known each other! And I loved Persephone and how she came into their lives and helped them with whatever she could and how she looked up to them. There was so much mystery throughout with what had actually happened 33 years beforehand that had caused Ruby to be gone that long and then you find out and all of it is a lot, but it’s all done so well! I really enjoyed The Witches of Moonshyne Manor and I’m so glad that I didn’t let the fact that it was so different from my normal reads dissuade me from picking it up! I highly recommend you picking it up today too!

Link to be added once post goes live

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais is fantasy (how can it not be with “witches” in the title?) wrapped up with some modern-day feminism. And it is a mostly enjoyable read. Fair warning: you do have to get through the first few chapters of setup first, and those are a little slow-going. Additionally, the focus of the introductions and the sisters’ personalities is also not how the rest of the story goes. And one last thing – don’t let the “witches” or “magic” aspect turn you off either. There’s a lot of real-world stuff that is good. I liked most of the characters, and the message about family not needing to be blood related. I was less a fan of the “fight the patriarchy” focus of Persephone – it was too much in a book that already screamed girl-power by virtue of the other characters. Still enjoyable though. For more details, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Harlequin Trade Publishing/ Mira

I love anything with witches in it and this book didn't disappoint me! Marais did a great job creating compelling characters and an engaging story!

I'm so glad I stuck it out with this one. Admittedly the first 100 pages were NOT doing it for me, to the point where I genuinely considered DNFing. While it took a hundred pages for this book to really hit its stride, once it did...I tore through it and even teared up. So, so lovely.

I enjoyed this cozy halloweeny story with this one and the cooky witches. This one gave me Practical Magic vibes but focusing on the aunts.