It’s a slow burn, it it’s so detailed and as readers we are really able to connect and rationalise with the characters - despite the fact the way they are treated by society infuriates me!

The first couple of chapters really gripped me, but then the pace slowed down a little.

Given the author’s previous titles, I was expecting a tongue-in-cheek slasher. However, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls turned out to be more The Handmaid’s Tale than My Best Friend’s Exorcism.
The story is set in 1970 in a home for pregnant, unmarried girls. (And they are girls; no one seems older than eighteen; most are far younger.) We see them utterly rejected by their parents, their school friends and the males who impregnated them (variously irresponsible high-school students, married men, rapists, paedophiles). The girls are forced to follow the strict rules set by the proprietor of the home and her team of doctor, nurse and social worker. The girls have no say in what happens during their pregnancies and afterwards. In any event, they aren’t provided with information to make their own decisions – they are even denied books on pregnancy and childbirth.
Gradually, the girls learn to support each other, develop agency and claim back their bodies and their futures with dramatic and shocking consequences.
Despite vividly written scenes of horror, the book may evoke a different feeling in the reader, namely rage against the blatant misogyny, racism and bigotry described. It is about interference in women’s lives and reproductive rights and about inadequate gynaecological and obstetric care. This doesn’t only feel like 1970s social history.
The writing is quick-fire and fluent with well-drawn characters. The author (whom I believe is male) has done considerable research to depict pregnancy and childbirth with respect and authenticity.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
Upon publication, I will post this review on my blog and on GoodReads.

It has taken me a number of days to compile this review as I can't get Witchcraft for Wayward Girls out of my head.
This novel is set in the summer of 1970 in Florida, at a place called Wellwood House. A truly cruel place where young pregnant girls (unmarried) were sent in order to hide "their sin". Why? Because it was a belief, particularly among the god-fearing people that these girls have committed a terrible moral sin and must be punished. Interestingly, the fathers-to-be are not considered to have committed any sins, they are free to live their lives as usual. Meanwhile, the young women are sent away from home for several months, to give birth in secret and then have their child adopted.
While this is a work of fiction, the fact that should homes did exist and in Ireland, we have a terrible history of how woman pregnant women were treated, so this work immediately hits home to a contemporary reader.
One of these young girls is 15-year old Fern, and she has been sent to Florida in disgrace for being pregnant. The teengers band together and try to support each other, while also accepting the changes to their lives that are now beyond their control. We see the friendship of Holly, Rose, and Zinnia in particularly develop well as they listen and talk together, finding ways to survive the daily torment of strictly controlled diets, long hours of back breaking work and, a long list of rules.
The attitude and behaviour of the staff, in particular the owner and doctor are quite sickening, yet typical of the times. And it is these attitudes that lead the girls to follow a book of witchcraft, secretly provided by a visiting librarian. And once Fern discovers the spells hidden within the book, the story takes a decidedly darker twist as the girls utilise the book to get their revenge. And our story truly becomes a tale of power, friendship and trying to find the light within the darkness.
While there is not as much horror in this story as I had expected, in terms of blood and gore but they main horror comes from the characters themselves, in particular how the girls are treated by their families and the staff (especially the female members of staff).
Brilliantly mixing the true horror of the past with fiction, Grady Hendrix has created a powerful novel with themes of friendship, magic, loyalty and survival.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this ARC.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is the story of 15-year-old and pregnant Fern, who is sent to a Home for unwed mothers to have the child she is having out of wedlock. The story is set in the 1970s, and describes the things Fern experiences in this home as she waits for her baby to be born, and starts experimenting with witchcraft.

I don’t think I have the words to describe how much this book blew me away. When I think of Hendrix’ writing I mainly think of humorous horror, Horrorstör having been the first of his books I have read, and so I truly didn’t expect how deeply emotional and respectfully handled the themes of this book were. Hendrix doesn’t hold back in describing the extreme misogyny faced by all the girls and women in this book, both structural and interpersonal, and the racism faced by the black girls and women. I cannot praise enough the amount of small, very real acts of misogyny and microagression that these girls are faced with, in a way that felt all too painfully real. However, every single time that they are let down by the system you can see our main four girls working together, becoming a team and a sort of family, something that gives you the glimmer of hope you need in this dreadful world.


This is a truly outstanding read, one that will make you angry and deeply sad, but also one that will have you feeling warm at the close relationships between the girls, and the sense of strength and will that they carry inside despite all their hardships. I cannot recommend it enough.

I quite enjoyed this book. It was my first Grady Hendrix book and I couldn’t put down. I was just entranced in the story and I had such a good time with it.
However, the only reason why I wouldn’t rate it a 5 star is I felt it was too clunky and a bit messy in places. But aside from that, I really enjoyed this. I loved the story,

This wasn't my favourite Grady Hendrix book unfortunately. The story was interesting but I was hoping for more witchy-ness. I almost DNFed this around half way through but persevered, and I'm glad I did.

An atmospheric novel that delves into the depths of darkness. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a haunting exploration of female power, teenage rebellion, and the sinister secrets that lurk beneath the surface of a seemingly idyllic setting.

Set in the oppressive confines of the Wellwood House, a secluded institution for unwed mothers, Hendrix introduces a cast of unforgettable characters. Fern, a young and vulnerable protagonist, finds herself trapped in a world of strict rules and moral judgment. As she connects with a group of fellow outcasts, they discover a hidden power within themselves, one that could challenge the oppressive forces that seek to control them.

Hendrix weaves together elements of Southern Gothic horror, occult mysticism, and coming-of-age drama. The suspense builds steadily with each page. The author's vivid descriptions of the eerie setting and the characters' internal struggles create a palpable sense of dread.

While the novel explores themes of female empowerment and the dangers of blind faith, it also delves into the destructive nature of unchecked power. The characters' journey is a cautionary tale about the consequences of embracing darkness without a clear moral compass.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a must-read for fans of dark fiction and those who appreciate a well-crafted story with a chilling twist. Hendrix's ability to blend horror, suspense, and social commentary is truly remarkable.

15 year old Fern is sent to live at Wellwood house in Florida where unwed girls are sent to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption and to be kept out of site.
Whilst there Fern starts to build a strange friendship with some of the other girls known as Rose, a hippie who is determined to keep her baby, Zinnia, who plans to marry the babys father and Holly, a 13 year who doesn’t say a word and no one knows who the father is.
The girls have an incredibly strict routine with everything they watch and read being censored, until Fern meets the travelling librarian who offers her a book that may just solves their problems, a book on witchcraft.
After a successful spell to move Zinnia’s morning sickness onto the doctor the girls feel invincible and look to perform more and more complex spells but the power doesn’t come free and Fern starts to understand just how high the cost is.

I wouldn’t class myself as a horror fan and certainly don’t venture into the genre very often. That being said I wouldn’t have classed this as a horror, it was certainly tense at times but I think it was a brutally honest portrayal of history with a touch of supernatural.
I really didn’t want to put this down. It’s definitely a hard read in that it brings to light some awful situations that would have been very real in the 1970s.
From the first sentence I was hooked, the writing fully draws you in and makes you feel like you are there with Fern, hating the staff and terrified for the birth. The supernatural aspect added a whole other layer of creepy vibes that pulled me in even deeper.
I would genuinely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a touch of horror or just a very raw portrayal of female history.

Sadly I'm DNFing at 51% I've been reading this off and on now for a while. And, it just feels like a chore now to pick it up.

The start of the book was full of promising storyline. A home where girls are sent when they are pregnant and must get rid of their babies, purely because they don't sit right in their society.

The stories of the girls were emotional. And, I really enjoyed finding out the backstories. Knowing that these types of homes existed in the real world and not just fiction hammers home the atrocities of it all.

When we started to get into the witchcraft element of the story, I was excited. And there were a few scenes that made me squirm. Rose and her nails for one.

However, the reason I'm DNFing is because it was just too long and drawn out. I'm 51% through and feel like I've read an epic novel already. The girls from the home I feel invested in them, but I don't know if I can possibly bring myself to muster through another 50% of the story. There was just to much filler for a story that just needed to focus on the girl's and their journey into witchcraft.

I may some day go back and finish. See if they do discover and get their wishes. But, for now this will just have to wait.

This is my first Grady Hendrix book and I must say I really enjoyed it. This book was one that I couldn’t put down. I was just entranced in the story and I had such a good time with it.
However, the only reason why I wouldn’t rate it a 5 star is I felt it was too long and a bit messy in places. But aside from that, I really enjoyed this. I loved the story, I’ve not read one like this before and I would definitely read from this author again.

5.0

Setting: Florida
Rep: Black side character(s)

Whew boy, this was NOT what I was expecting it to be! This is a long and heavy book filled with rightful female rage and inequality and abuse and sexism and it is painful to read about what these poor girls go through, but it is also so empowering to see them coming together and realising the system is against them. Excellent characterisation and charcter growth. I can't believe a man wrote this book, all about pregnant teenage girls in a home for unwed mothers and filled with feminism and female rage against the patriarchy and society. It was so freaking good.

I was very excited to receive an ARC copy of Grady Hendrix’s new book. I have read everything he has written so far and loved it and therefore my expectations were high.

Witchcraft for Wayward girls centres around a group of teenage mothers who have been secreted away in an isolated setting in Florida to be able to have their babies in secret, give them away and then return to their normal lives as if nothing has happened. Everything starts going haywire when the librarian gives Fern a book on witchcraft and gets four of the girls to agree to join her coven.

As I have loved all of Grady’s previous books I maybe went in expecting a bit too much. Although I did find this book enjoyable, it probably is one of my least favourites of his.
I found that it did start quite slowly, so if you like a slow burn story this one may be for you. There was a lot of scene setting which possibly went on for a little too long as there was nothing much witch related until around 50% of the way through. I have to admit once I got to the 75% mark I found the last quarter to be much more fast paced and exciting. It took me nearly a week to read this book but I read the last 30% in a day. The end definitely brought my rating up and was what I was expecting from the rest of the book. I just wish there either was a bit more going on in the first half or that the book wasn’t quite as long as it was.

I also found that there was a lack of character definition. Other than Fern’s close friends, all of the other girls were very similar and difficult to distinguish. Fern herself was also quite a basic character and could have been more flushed out to make the reader relate or empathise towards her, whereas I felt little emotional to Fern. I think some of the minor characters could have been removed and the book shortened without any detriment to the story.

Grady did write some fantastic horror scenes that really make you very uncomfortable and can definitely be classed as gruesome, which I personally loved.

I really wish I loved this book as much as all of his others, and although I found it slow I never wanted to not finish it. I do feel I expected more horror and at times this did feel like a historical coming of age novel.

I would say the prologue was very emotional and definitely aided in upping my rating of this book. I feel that a lot of people will really enjoy this book, I think I just screwed myself over by going in with such high expectations for a new horror from Grady Hendrix.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

My first time reading this author, although I’ve heard lots and lots of good things, and I can honestly say I just had the best time! This had me engrossed within the first chapter! I certainly will be buying more from this author! Just brilliant!

Shipped off to a home for unwed mothers against her will, Neva “Fern” is left to wait out her pregnancy, hidden away from ‘polite society’ until she can go home and act like she just went to Drama camp that summer.

*Teenage pregnancy, blood, child birth, self harm, vomit, racism, child abuse, sexism, cancer*

The book has a slow build up, really building into the historical fiction genre here. It’s quite thought provoking. The real horror is the graphic detail of pregnancy and child birth! Not for the squeamish! It’s quite disturbing! The books does also appear to have a ‘magical negro’ trope that I have a gripe with. While I recognise that Hagar and Miriam’s work roles were ‘true to the times’, Hagar is portrayed as a ‘black sassy woman’. It’s only the second Grady Hendrix book I’ve read, but it also happens to be two for two where I’ve noted concern for the representation.

I did however find myself getting hooked around half way through and felt quite invested in their individuals journeys. It’s gritty and raw, I think this book will stick with me.

3.5/5

Pregnant and single, the ultimate sin in 70s America, young Neva finds herself shipped off to Wellwood's, a home for unwed mothers to be, to give birth out of sight and out of mind of anyone who knows her. Once there she's stripped of her name, rechristened Fern, and forbidden to talk about her life before the home.

Quickly making friends with several of the girls she settles into a routine of medical tests and drudgery, the only escape the occasional visits of the bookmobile and librarian Miss Parcae who introduces her and her closest friends to the wonders of witchcraft.

Grady Hendrix's latest Witchcraft for Wayward Girls may on the face of it be a coming of age horror about girls and witchcraft, but that's actually the weakest part of the narrative and selling it short.

No, it's greatest strength lies in it's depiction of the very real horror of how young girls and women who found themselves pregnant at that time were handled by family, friends and society in general.

It also contains one of the most brutal depictions of childbirth I can recall reading. I suspect it would dissuade more than a few young daughters if a read were prescribed instead of a parental sex education discussion.

Thanks to NetGalley, Tor Night fire and the author for an advance copy

Set in 1970, 15-year-old Fern finds herself pregnant, and her parents swiftly send her away to have the baby. When she returns home, she comes back alone; her parents put the child up for adoption.

While she's away, Fern is stripped of all control - adults around her make all the decisions, firmly believing they know what’s best. That is, until a traveling library introduces her to a book on the occult. Suddenly, power shifts in Fern's favor, but using it comes at a cost. Will the price be too high?

I was surprised at the book’s intense focus on pregnancy and childbirth (with some really really graphic scenes) and its lighter touch on witches and magic. That said, it reminded me of Haunted House in pacing and style, with a slow-burn, character-driven first half that builds tension until it’s batshit crazy.

The characters really shine here. Fern, Rose, Zinnia, and Holly are standouts, and the adult characters are equally well-written. The girls’ powerlessness is palpable, as supposedly well-meaning adults often end up making things worse. The librarian is especially intriguing, her sinister presence growing in influence as the story unfolds.

Warning: the hideously detailed vomiting scenes were torturous for me (phobia, anyone?), but that’s more personal than a criticism about the writing.

In terms of favourites, I’d rank this somewhere in the middle. It has a similar vibe to The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, so if you enjoyed that, this one is definitely worth a read too. Out 16th January, 2025 (UK)

A huge thanks to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book for review consideration.  All opinions are my own.

I was expecting full blown horror, having read Grady Hendrix before, but this book was far more subtle than that. To be fair, the start of the book had me wondering whether there was going to be any horror in it at all. Apart, of course, from the awful situation of the young girls sent to a home for unmarried, pregnant girls in Florida in the 1960s, where they would have their babies, who would be taken away from them, and then they would return to their former lives.

However, then the girls get hold of a book of witchcraft and want to change their circumstances. An interesting take on the subject, with a very definite price to be paid for using magic. I really enjoyed the book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

America, 1970. A very pregnant Neva ends up in a Home, a place where wayward girls go. It's a home for pregnant, unmarried girls where they can deliver their babies in secret and give them for adoption. Being on a strictly regulated diet and doing chores is boring for young girls, so when traveling librarian recommends Fern (Neva) instruction book for witches, what's the harm in trying few spells with her rommates? It turns out, pretty much everything.

In one of his earlier interviews, Grady Hendrix remember the first book that frightened him and it was an old book on folklore and witchcraft in England. It was illustrated and graphic and it installed in young Hendrix the notion that witchcraft is a brutal, bloody affair. Was that his inspiration for this book? I imagine it did play into it, so let's start there.
Witchcraft in this novel IS ugly. It's ritualistic, it's vindictive and it demands payment. Descriptions in the book of various requirements Fern and other girls should in order to get a spell or a hex to work are pedantic and complex, the villain is a proper witch with a lot of experience and scary powers and the stakes are off the charts.
But it's not really the horror part of the novel.
In a sense, I think that Hendrix wanted to interweave with the traditionally horror theme like witches a more recently conscious theme of mistreatment of girls and women in the time and place this novel is set up and specifically the unmarried, pregnant teenage girls. The judgement from society and the shame of their families, the existence of the Homes all over America where families can hide their shameful daughters and get rid of the problem. The girls can't even use their real names while they are in the House, they are given the names of the plants in a not so subtle proof that they are not just stripped of their rights, but their identity as well. The judgment these girls are met with constantly during their pregnancies from the figures of authority is infuriating to read. In that sense, I would say Witchcraft for the Wayward Girls a spiritual sister novel of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires where cloaked in a book about vampires was the horror of the racism and misogyny, but not as successfully done.
But again, all of that meta messaging fades from the memory of this reading experience because it's overshadowed by the thing that truly fascinates and, dare I say, horrifies Grady Hendrix and that is female body and biological ability to bear and give birth.
Let me be clear: every scary, chilling, gross, horror scene in this book is actually a body horror scene. Whether is the especially hard and difficult birth on a bathroom of a lavatory that was scream inducing or one slithery pseudo-birth scene akin to his previous book that was gag-inducing, nothing, nothing witches do in this novel is as scary and they will not stick in your mind. These graphic scenes of births are detailed, filled with blood and pain and above everything else, a primal fear of those who witness it and it's almost like author reveres women for going through something like that. Descriptions are repulsive, but you can't look away which is exactly how body horror works. And you realize that this fascination is present through point of view of Fern and other characters through whole ordeal of pregnancy: the coldness of doctor hands, the bodies that don't feel like they are their own, the morning sickness, the emotional state and confusing feelings about the child following unplanned pregnancy. It's projecting that THIS is really scary, witches are just there to make their lives even more difficult.
In my experience reading his books, Hendrix was always, in a broader sense interested in female perspective through the lens of horror and sometimes he nails it, sometimes he gets close. There were some great opportunities with this story left untapped:
-witchcraft as a theme is always strongly associated with female friendship and I was never convinced Fern, Zinnia, Holly and Rose were friends, but more like they were in the room and going along with the plan. Their convictions changed frequently, Fern went on her own often and they didn't think a lot of their plans through which fits because they are all teenagers. But it doesn't change the fact that I was never really fully convinced in their reason for doing anything.
Just think about The Craft or even The Witches of Eastwick. Female friendship is at the center, it's why the story works. And Hendrix didn't convince me into "coven" part of the witches, which is, I would argue, essential for these stories and something I would liked if he explored more in this novel. I wouldn't mind this as much if he didn't show me already he can write teenage girls and their friendship well the way he did in My Best Friend's Exorcism.
-Which brings me to Holly's situation. The whole thing about Holly hides the real monster(s) and it's one of those subtle underlying horrors he's done so well in TSBCtSV, but here it gets buried under visceral violence of birth scenes.

All in all, a well done, gory offering from Hendrix, but strangely focused on Wayward part of the story a bit too much for my liking and lacking the camp I am used to from him in Witchcraft part of the story where I feel would fit perfectly.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I'll start by stating that I don't think it's really of the horror genre though. There are a few yucky moments to but they're more linked to giving birth. This reads as more of a supernatural contemporary novel, albeit set in 1970.
The girls and their pregnancies are interesting and sadly indicative of a time when unwed girls and young women were treated disgracefully.
I chose this book because of the witchcraft element. I found it a little lacking but the girls and their experiences made up for it.

I do not do horror books and this is my third book by Grady Hendrix - if that is not a testament to how good a write Hendrix is, I don’t know what would be. This book left me speechless. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could. This book was not what I expected. I went in blind and honestly what a ride! Grady Hendrix absolutely nails all things horror. The tension was exquisite. The detailed graphic descriptions of scenes were honestly next level. Some books stay with you forever and I truly think this will be one I can’t shake. I loved the glimpses of history at the time the book was set which just added an additional layer to fully immerse you into the book.