3.5 stars rounded up!

Anthologies are always a toss-up, with some absolute winners in the bunch either because they have a lasting impact in only a few pages or because they deserve to be turned into fully-fledged stories, some that are fine but entirely unremarkable, and some that are some baffling or eye-crossingly not good that you wonder how they ended up being included in the first place. This particular anthology is a collection of stories about witches, whether they be fantasy-, science fiction-, or fairy tale-based. A lot of them are told from a diverse background of authors, particularly queer and PoC, and and this leads to an overall empowering collection.

For the sake of fairness and kindness, I want to focus entirely on what I felt were the good in this collection based entirely on my own personal opinion:
- "What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devshrata" by P. Djèlí Clark. The story of one of the "Travelling Folk" who comes to Mara's Bay to warn and save the seaside town from an upcoming invasion. She makes a deal with the people to help them, until things begin to go awry.

- "Met Swallow" by Cassandra Khaw. A fox spirit takes over the body of a dying witch girl and learns to live in the house with her sisters and her pain.

- "What Dreams May Come" by C.L. Clark. A transman who is estranged from his family of witches and their female-inherited powers is called home as the only one who can rescue his mother after she falls too far into the Dreamscape. Intergenerational family trauma is dealt with.

- "The Unexpected Excursion of the Murder Mystery Writing Witches" by Garth Nix. A coven of middle-aged witches (who make a living writing murder mysteries) make a nighttime excursion through World War II Britain to deal with a shitty ancient monster that has been woken by the air raids. Because Peter the dog told them to.

- "Through the Woods, Due West" by Angela Slatter. Three friends (and soldiers) are getting more and more lost in the woods. Dima keeps being visited by an old woman late at night by the fire after his friends are asleep, who offers to show him the way out - if only he'll abandon the other two.

- "Witchfires" by E. Lily Yu. Ron Morgan and his followers travel the United States hunting and cremating "witches," stoking a frenzy to search out anyone who fits the bill of "other." Honestly a haunting story given the current climate in the country today. It also had arguably my favorite quote in the entire book:
"The way I see it," Mira said, "some folks choose to become beasts. Choice by choice, day by day. They chase greed, cruelty, and fear, and call it justice, kindness, righteousness. When you twist words to breaking, you lose human language. Harm enough people, you lose humanity itself."

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Anthologies are tough to rate, and this collection is no different. While some stories stood out and had me glued, others fell flat and were a drag to get through. The authors included in this collection are diverse, and so are many of the characters, which allow for a study of witches from various cultures and ideologies. Certain authors I’ve read before (Amal El Mohtar and Cassandra Khaw), but after reading this collection I’m excited to read other works by the authors included. Some works are short stories, while others are poems; the short stories are what really stuck out to me about this Anthology.

The stand-out works in this collection for me were:
• What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devshrata - P. Djèlí Clark
• The Liar - Darcie Little Badger
• The Nine Jars of Nukulu - Tobi Ogundiran's
• John Hollowback and the Witch - Amal El Mohtar

My favorite story in the collection was So Spake the Mirrorwitch - Premee Mohamed.

I think this is a great collection to read as we approach Halloween time!

The Book of Witches is an eclectic collection of tales with a common theme of witches. While many of the stories are missing the word ‘witch’, characters have supernatural abilities, cast spells, call forth magic and invoke curses, tying the tales to the central theme. The stories are presented in a variety of forms from prose to poetry.

As with any collection I pick up, there were some I enjoyed and some I did not enjoy. Sadly, I did not like more than I liked and ended up not reading the last 25% of the 507-page book for this reason. However, tastes vary and your experience may be different.

My favorite (5-star) story – What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devsharta by P. Djeli Clark. This author was the reason I chose this book, having just finished the Dead Djinn Universe series. This one is a complete story with a beginning, a middle, and end and even sort of an epilog. Kind of a pied piper story, it tells the story of a witch who arrives at a seaside village, predicts an invasion and agrees to provide a solution in exchange for a place to live. The town agrees, but the longer it takes for the invasion to occur, the more the town begins to grow suspicious of the witch. Understanding and accepting people who are different is always a challenge and lack of said understanding and acceptance can lead to tragic stories. Without saying more, I will tell you that I was happy with how things ending for the witch and for the town.

For me, other standout stories were The Liar by Darci Little Badger, The Nine Jars of Nukulu by Tobi Ogundiran and What Dreams May Come by C.L. Clark.

The price of 17.99 for the e-book or 40.00 for hardcover is a little steep. But if you really enjoy reading about witch lore, new imaginings of witches and are game to try some new authors, you might find the price reasonable. Or maybe, your local library will make The Book of Witches available to you…..

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book. My review is my honest opinion.

Countless authors shared their craft and spun tales for The Book of Witches: An Anthology. This collection of stories is vast, and I am impressed by the variety of witches that enchant its pages. There are so many stories that I cannot possibly review them all, but I will share an overview and my recommendation for readers to become spellbound by this book.

The Book of Witches is a cauldron bubbling over with stories. It’s over 500 pages long and features 28 fantasy and sci-fi authors including QTL favorites P. Djèlí Clark, Tade Thompson, Ken Liu, Cassandra Khaw, and Premee Mohamed among others. The content ranges from stories to poems and even songs. While I certainly have my favorites like The Nine Jars of Nukulu, She Who Makes the Rain, The Unexpected Excursion of the Murder Mystery Writing Witches, Just a Nudge, and The Academy of Oracular Magic, I enjoyed every entry.

Editor Jonathan Strahan speaks true when he says there is a witch for everyone in this anthology. You will encounter a diverse coven of witches that will spark admiration, fear, and pity. The witches inhabit fantastical lands, oppressive futuristic states, and familiar settings such as post-COVID Los Angeles. They travel by hot air balloons, chicken-leg houses, broomsticks sporting armchairs, or they simply walk about. They can become crows, work as nurses, travel through dreamscapes, or make mirrors. They are good and bad and somewhere in between and they help, hurt, and are harmed. There are so many ways the witch has been honored and reimagined in this anthology that I guarantee you will discover a new version of this enticing figure to love.

I was not prepared for how emotional it would be to read tale after tale of powerful, lonely, hunted, misunderstood, and feared individuals. Many authors used this opportunity to showcase how easily our fear can be manipulated into violence and how easily blame can be shifted to anyone not fitting the status quo. C. L. Clark tells the story of a transgender witch shunned by his family and barred from his power. One particularly chilling tale by E. Lily Yu follows a charismatic man with a portable crematorium who has incited Salem witch trial energy across America. There are more somber stories, like P. Djèlí Clark’s depiction of a witch who is adored until she isn’t, and how ugly things can become. But there are also triumphant tales of empowered and celebrated witches and even witches who aren’t the main event but make life a little weirder.

The Book of Witches is a charming collection of stories that are guaranteed to entertain and inspire. I read the anthology quickly for this review, but it is a brew that should be sipped and savored so that you can sit with the enchanting lessons the authors impart in such a few short pages. The entire anthology is a powerful potion and will inspire you to reflect on who is labeled as a witch and why some are celebrated while others are vilified.

Rating: The Book of Witches - An Anthology - 8.5/10
-Brandee

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The thoughts on this story are my own.

Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for August 5th
Blog link goes live August 4th
Will be in a Arc Review Roundup within the next two weeks on Youtube

Anthologies are hard, sometimes they’re a hit in one half and just fall off and you loose interest in the second half. Sometimes they just don’t have that sparkle you want anywhere. Nothing is catching your eye or they all feel the same. The Book of Witches, I’m happy to report is definitely neither one of those things. Like When Spring Arrives, another anthology I read this year, this one was fantastic!

The collection on this one is the strength of it. It feels like Mr. Strahan and his team went out of their way to select unique and diverse voices, and did so with care. Nearly every story felt different, each had a unique take on the idea of a ‘witch’ and there was very little overlap in the setting or time period of the pieces. From a modern day-post COVID story, to the far flung future, they are varied and rich in scope and style.

If you’re looking for something witchy, or a fantastic way to sample new authors I can’t recommend this one enough. My favorite stories included The Unexpected Excursion of the Murder Mystery Writing Witches (which reminded me that I truly need to revisit Garth Nix), Just a Nudge (a dark story I will be turning over for some time), and Her Ravenous Waters (another author I have got to get to). What a fantastic collection, I highly recommend it.

In a Nutshell: The best thing about this book is the cover. The second best thing is the intent. Hardly any story left any long-term impact on me.

This is a collection of twenty-nine stories, focussed on witches. The stories are quite diverse in terms of format (prose as well as poems), genres (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary), cultures (having several BIPOC authors gives it a brilliant diversity), and even the types of witches focussed upon (there is one story with a techno-witch!)

The book starts with a brilliant editor’s note, highlighting what makes a witch, and talking about the approach to building this inclusive collection. It also stresses on how the witches in this stories aren’t the ones from Western tradition with witches in pointy black hats. (Query to the people involved: Why that cover then?) I must say, the note made my expectations go sky-high.

Sadly, the stories didn’t live up to the promise. Most of the stories dragged. Most of them had a “witch” in the loosest sense of the word. Witches and magic go hand in hand, so to see several stories without a substantial fantastical content was disappointing.

At 500+ pages, this is a huge anthology. The meandering style makes it further slower. As such, I would recommend this only if you are a hard-core anthology fan and are open to slower, lengthy collections.

As always, I rated the stories individually, but most of the stories hovered around the midway mark. Very few breached the four star level. There were a couple of poems as well, but I didn’t read or rate these as I am not fond of freeverse poems.

The only stories that touched or crossed four stars were:
➙ What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devshrata - P. Djèlí Clark - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
➙ The Liar - Darcie Little Badger - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
➙ The Unexpected Excursion of the Murder Mystery Writing Witches - Garth Nix - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
➙ So Spake the Mirrorwitch - Premee Mohamed - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
➙ John Hollowback and the Witch - Amal El Mohtar - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
(Sorry, but I am too disappointed to even write a short synopsis for each of the above stories.)

With just 5 out of twenty-nine stories delivering, I cannot put this anthology in the must-read category. But every reader ha a different taste, so who knows? Maybe you might enjoy this collection if you are more open to innovative formats in meandering storylines.

2.45 stars, based on the average of my ratings for the stories.

My thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Book of Witches”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Anthologies are always hard to review. Like any collection of stories, some spoke to me more than others. These short stories were all very unique, with some variation of witch in them. This collection is incredibly diverse- both in interpretation of what makes a witch, and culturally.
Most of these stories were just too odd for my liking, but there were definitely a few gems in there.
If you are looking for a diverse collection of stories, told in unique voices, you would likely enjoy this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an early copy for review.

As with most collections of short stories my enjoyment of each varied greatly. Some were a delightful self-contained world, some I wanted to read for a much longer time, and some were utterly forgettable.

The collection of authors is quite diverse, as are the stories they tell. Some were old, some modern, some futuristic. Some had monsters, some use technology, one or two of them are a bit spooky. Being a witch can mean many different things, and this collection was a beautiful way to think about that. All that sent, my favorite was Her Ravenous Waters by Andrea Stewart. It was a lovely introduction to an author I had never read, but am now very excited to learn more about and whose work I will be looking into ASAP.

Personally, I tend to prefer longer interconnected stories, which is just not what this anthology is, and I did not enjoy it as much as others likely will. If you like would to have a good book around to pick up and occasionally read a story or two, this is a lot of fun.

What I loved about this witchy and sometimes spooky anthology is the diversity of these stories. I am in love with this kind of around the world collection that shows how much reading and also just the ideas in the stories can make all of us feel a bit closer.

There are some stories I loved and some not so much. I love the variation in storytelling styles in this book, which kept it interesting for me. I feel like this is something a person could take their time reading and enjoying.

Out August 1, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Short story collections can often be hit or miss, especially when as an anthology featuring different authors. While Strahan has curated a very interesting selection of short stories, The Book of Witches does fall into this in that some entries are much stronger than others. Still, I thought there were some real gems here and I really enjoyed reading such varied takes on witches (in particular, I loved P. Djeli Clark, Kathleen Jennings, Cassandra Khaw, C.L. Clark, Fonda Lee, Ken Liu, Andrea Stewart, and Amal El-Mohtar’s takes). This was a fun read that I enjoyed quite a bit, and I think it’s a perfect collection to read once fall hits.

This is a diverse collection of witchy stories incorporating a variety of formats, cultures, and popular SFF authors. From poetry to prose, there's a little something for everybody. Anthologies are difficult to rate because they will always be filled with hits and misses, and this collection had quite a few of both for me. Standouts for me included P. Djèlí Clark's "What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devshrata", Tade Thompson's "The Luck Thief", Tobi Ogundiran's "The Nine Jars of Nukulu", and Andrea Stewart's "Her Ravenous Waters".

I recommend this for anyone who wants to explore the expansive concept of witches from across the world.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC, opinions are my own.

I am not always the biggest fan of short story collections, but this one surprised. Using multiple authors and so many avenues of magic and witchery, this book was able to take the word magic and bring it to all kinds of light

With an array of original stories from around the world, P. Djèlí Clark, Amal El Mohtar, Garth Nix, Darcie Little Badger, Sheree Renée Thomas, and two dozen other fantasy and science fiction writers bring a new twist to one of the most beloved figures in fiction, witches,.in never-before-seen works written exclusively for The Book of Witches, compiled by award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan and illustrated by award-nominated artist Alyssa Winans. Whether you know witches from Shakespeare or from Wicked , there is no staple more beloved in folklore, fairy tale, or fantasy than these magical beings. Witches are everywhere, and at the heart of stories that resonate with many people around the world. This otherworldly collection gathers new stories of witches from all walks of life. Whether they be maiden, mother, crone, or other; funny, fierce, light and airy, or dark and disturbing; witches are a vital part of some of the greatest stories we have. Bringing together twenty-nine stories and poems from some of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers working today, including three tales from a BIPOC-only open submission period, The Book of Witches features Linda Addison, C.L. Clark, P Djeli Clark, Indrapramit Das, Amal El Mohtar, Andrea Hairston, Millie Ho, Saad Hossain, Kathleen Jennings, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Cassandra Khaw, Fonda Lee, Darcie Little Badger, Ken Liu, Usman T. Malik, Maureen F. McHugh, Premee Mohamed, Garth Nix, Tobi Ogundiran, Tochi Onyebuchi, Miyuki Jane Pinckard, Kelly Robson, Angela Slatter, Andrea Stewart, Emily Teng, Sheree Renée Thomas, Tade Thompson, and E. Lily Yu—and contains illustrations from three-time Hugo award-nominated artist Alyssa Winans throughout. This anthology breathes life into one of the most feared magical sorceresses.

With a wide variety of stories ranging from disturbing to just plain fun, this anthology will appeal to anyone wanting to read about witches. I really appreciated many of these stories, but my favorite is definitely Garth Nix's tale that stars Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and Josephine Tey.
Recommended for those looking from a new take on an old subject.

I read this as a part of the arc and I loved all the different stories. This book totally reminded me of 'A discovery of Witches'. Each story was unique, and different, and I loved all 29 of them.

The Book of Witches is a fantasy anthology that Jonathan Strahan curated to reflect all sorts of different representation through witchy stories. With this goal in mind, I feel that this collection was a success. There are tons of different cultures, races, sexualities, and identities shown in the various short stories and poems. As it usually goes with anthologies, there were stories I loved and will stick with me, as well as ones that were lackluster and confusing.

The witches in these stories (as well as the various characters) are so unique to one another. There are some that resemble fairy tales, some that are the vengeful & brutal witches familiar to horror reads, some that blend with science fiction, and some that teach you lessons. Reading some of these made me more interested in certain authors, as well as gave me a taste of authors I don't think I'm interested in reading more from anymore.

Seed if Power by Linda D. Addison: Poem; I'm not much of a poem person, but I do think this was a strong poem to start the collection out with.

What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devshrata by P. Djeli Clark: Short Story; I enjoyed this one, and it had a meaningful message to be pulled from it. This is an author I'm already interested in, and this short story piqued my interest a little more to read this author's other works.

Catechism for Those Who Would Fine Witches by Kathleen Jennings: Short Story written as a catechism; I originally didn't know what a catechism was (it's kind of like a Q&A). While I felt this was original and unique, it did bore me.

The Luck Thief by Tade Thompson: Short Story; This was one I enjoyed, and I liked the portrayal of a witch's curse.

**Good Spells by Ken Liu: Short Story; This one merged fantasy with sci-fi in a dystopian setting, where the witch is called a "techno-witch." I felt this one was super unique and interesting, and I am definitely intrigued to read more by Liu after reading this. One of my favorite short stories in this collection.

The Liar by Darcy Little Badger: Short Story; This one took a spookier spin on witches than the previous ones, and I liked it.

Escape Artist by Andrea Hairston: Poem; Again, I'm not much in to poems. This was just ~eh~ to me.

The Witch is Not the Monster by Alaya Dawn Johnson: Short Story; This is one of the stories that kind of confused me and was a bit odd.

Met Swallow by Cassandra Khaw: Short Story; I took notes on my thoughts after each read, but I honestly can't remember this one? I wrote that it was an interesting version of witches but I missed the point.

The Nine Jars of Nukulu by Tobi Ogundiran: Short Story; This is a take on witches I really enjoyed, and I love the theme of human greed biting someone is the rear. I still remember this one well.

In a Cabin, In a Wood by Kelly Robson: Short Story; My notes literally say: "honestly what?" & "not even witchy."

What Dreams May Come by C.L. Clark: Short Story; This one is about dream witches, and I liked it. It featured a trans male MC struggling with not being accepted by his family.

She Who Makes the Rain by Millie Ho: Poem; This was an okay short poem. Again, take my thoughts on poems with a grain of salt.

As Wayward Sisters, Hand in Hand by Indrapramit Das: Short Story; I thought this one was just odd.

Orphanage of the Last Breath by Saad Z. Hossain: Short Story; I liked this one. It's also a sci-fi fantasy blend with themes of police brutality.

The Unexpected Excursion of the Murder Myster Writing Witches by Garth Nix: Short Story; As this is a popular author, I was excited for this story- but it ultimately left me bored.

So Spoke the Mirror Witch by Premee Mohamed: Short Story; This one is fairly simple, but I enjoyed it and the themes. "Pursue harm where harm is being done; and leave people be where it is not."

Just a Nudge by Maureen McHugh: Short Story; Satisfying revenge story with lesbian representation.

***Her Ravenous Waters by Andrea Stewart: Short Story; This one was my favorite story. I already wanted to read Stewart's popular series, but now I want to even more. I loved the story and her writing.

Deja Vue by Tochi Onyebuchi: Short Story; This one probably made me the maddest. My notes say "The 1st sentence has 63 WORDS AND 8 COMMAS WTF." It was an okay story.

Botanica: A Song in Four Movements by Sheree Renee Thomas: Poem; This author also has a short story in the collection. Poetry evades me, but I can tell this author knows what she is doing and has a passion for it. The poem was written beautifully and flowed so nicely.

Through the Woods, Due West by Angela Slatter: Short Story; This gave my Grimm's fairytale vibes, and I like it.

Nameless Here for Evermore by Fonda Lee: Short Story; This was pretty simple but I enjoyed it.

Mask of the Nautilus by Sheree Renee Thomas: Short Story; Again, this author's writing is pretty, but I honestly have no clue what I read.

Night Riding by Usman T. Malik: Short Story; This was a GUESOME read. I loved it.

Witchfires by E. Lily Yu: Short Story; This was another take on the downfall of greed. I really enjoyed it, and the satisfying ending.

The Academy of Oracular Magic by Miyuki Jane Pinckard: Short Story; I liked this one, but felt it left off too early. This is the one story I really wanted more from, because I wanted to see this MC accomplish more.

The Cost of Doing Business by Emily Y. Teng: Short Story; I felt this one was unique and interesting.

John Hollowback and the Witch by Amal El-Mohtar: Short Story; This was definitely a "moral of the story" read with a nice ending. I liked it.

So this wasn’t what i was expecting it is a collection of short stories about witches from different points of view and cultures sounds interesting enough that i was willing to give it a try. However the book immediately starts off with a poem which is not my favorite thing i read the first two stories but just couldn’t get into the so this was a DNF for me.

Ebook ARC provided through NetGalley
Rating: 4.5
I LOVED reading this book! I love anything witchy, magic-oriented, magic as created and seen through other cultural traditions, and this anthology did NOT disappoint! The stories were really engaging, and I pretty much couldn't pick this book up without reading at least 2-3 stories. Some were by authors I was familiar with, some weren't, and I loved how I never really knew what was coming! There were a ton of varying magic systems, writing styles, and written formats (poetry, short stories, songs, etc.) and each author brought their specific style and tone to each story. I highly recommend this book, and will be buying a hard copy when it comes out later this sumer!!

3.5 ⭐️

*First of all thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an Arc!*

I was excited about this anthology based on the extensive list of authors that are involved! Most were authors I’d never read but were so excited to try and a couple authors I already loved!

Let me start by saying I think the mixture of these stories is fantastic, they are all unique whether that’s the genre or the culture being brought to life in each tale. And there is some poetry sprinkled throughout.

As with any anthology you’re going to get a mixture of hits and misses. There were some stories in here that I completely fell into and was absorbed in completely and some stories that fell flat in comparison. However EVERY story brought something different to the table so I think this anthology is a great book for anyone who loves witches but wants to see their lore expanded on and get a sense of witchy folklore from cultures other than their own.

What this anthology did the best was offer a wide variety of stories for the reader, there is such great writing and content in here!! I think so many readers are going to love this.

You never know quite what you're getting with anthologies. You hope it's mostly good with a few clunkers, that the stories in them are full ideas rather than snapshots. As someone who loves witches, creepy things, and the supernatural, I had high hopes with the collection of authors curated here. For the most part, the stories (and poems!) here are strong. I particularly enjoyed the global feel to these tales - how only some of them had the typical European viewpoint of what constituted a witch, what they looked like, how they behaved.

Stand out stories include P. Djeli Clark's "What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devahrata" and Amal El-Mohtar’s “John Hollowback and the Witch.

Short story collections can be hit or miss for me. The shorter ones don’t really give me enough time to get really invested in the characters, and it can be hard to include both a captivating plot and character development in such a short work. Meanwhile, the longer ones make me wish they were longer when they’re good. But since spooky season is just around the corner, I figured I’d get a jump start on reading for it with a book about witches.

One of the most intriguing parts of this anthology was the various takes on witches from around the world. In a lot of places, witches are associated with negative views, and the stories included reflect this—some of the stories are about witch-hunters and witches being forced to live on the outskirts of society. But a lot more are about witches being misunderstood, and what led them to be the way they are now.

I’m very used to the European tropes about witches, which are unfortunately intertwined with antisemitic tropes. I was hoping that the “new and exciting twist” would mean that these antisemitic tropes would be eliminated, but they’re so deeply tied into the witch archetype that many people don’t even realize. Many characteristics associated with European witches, such as the pointy black hat, witches sabbath, heresy, Devil worship, desire to kill children, and consumption of blood, initially stem from how the church and Christian society thought of Jewish people. So seeing accusations of witches killing children and drinking blood was so disappointing in a volume like this. However, I really liked seeing how other cultures viewed witches.

The stories were interesting and I liked seeing what was the same and different between cultures. Some of the stories resonated more with me than others, and I was especially surprised to discover some new to me authors who contributed stories that I really liked. Special shout out to E. Lily Yu (Witchfires), Amal El-Mohtar (John Hollowback and the Witch), P. Djeli Clark (What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devahrata), and Alaya Dawn Johnson (The Witch is Not the Monster) for some of my favorite stories. But some of the other stories were just meh, and I was surprised to see some poems included. Overall, this was worth it for the stories I enjoyed, but the less enjoyable stories kind of dragged it down.