The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow Published by Redhook (10.13.2020)
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Format: Audiobook, 516 pages
Length: 16 hours, 3 minutes
Narrator: Gabra Zackman
Source: Library
In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.
But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.
There's no such thing as witches. But there will be
My thoughts
I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy this with it being historical, but I picked it up anyway because I LOVED The Ten Thousand Doors of January. And Alix delivered yet again! It wasn’t quite as good as Ten Thousand Doors, but it was still haunting and beautiful! Harrow’s prose is absolutely lovely and engaging and it just draws you in!
I loved the magic of this story. It made me want to crawl into the pages and live there! I’m not usually a big fan of witch stories – they’re SO hit or miss for me – but this one was everything I’ve been wanting in a witch book.
I loved the little snippets of spells at the beginning of each chapter!
I appreciated the inclusion and the history/culture involved, too! I don’t remember a whole lot of the ending, or the villain – many details are fuzzy as it didn’t stick with me like TTD did. But I thoroughly enjoyed it while I was listening and more importantly I loved the FEEL of the story!
The audio
The narrator is FANTASTIC!! She really brought this beautiful story to life. Again, not quite as awesome as TTD, but I still highly recommend! Also, side note: I hardcore appreciated the backdrop of Toccata & Fugue in the story of the maiden, mother, and crone! It was awesome!
Overall Assessment
Plot: 4/5
Premise: 4.5/5
Writing style: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World-building: 4/5
Pace: 4/5
Feels: 3/5
Narration: 5/5
Cover: 4.5/5
Overall rating: 4/5
Leave a Reply