I was very interested to read this book as I like to learn about different beliefs. There are so many negative stereotypes about Paganism, Witches, and other nature related beliefs out there.
The book started off very well with detailing the rich history which I found fascinating. Unfortunately, I found the collection of interviews a bit hard to get into and I kept losing interest. I think I would have not lost interest had the history been interspaced with the interviews. The book is definitely worth reading especially if you want to know more about Paganism, Witchcraft, Witches, and Druids. I may have had trouble with how the book was arranged but I am only one person. Others might be just fine with the format of the book. The book is well written and it is obvious the author did a lot of reseach preparing for writing this book.

This is a very interesting book, a lot of the stories I already knew but there were some that caught me by surprise.

I think the most valuable part of this books was the more current interviews from modern practitioners allowing you to see how time and attitudes have changed.

Well written and very interesting.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Inner Traditions, Destiny Books and the author Ellen Evert Holman for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of The Real Witches of New England.
I found the book to be extremely well written and informative. I was hooked right from the start.
Definitely well worth a read .

The Real Witches of New England can be described as a non-fiction book that starts out providing a brief history of witches encompassing their origins, beliefs, and persecutions and then spends a majority of the time telling the story of infamous witches of New England through interviews with their ancestors. While I appreciated the time and attention it took to research and pull together this information, I found it very repetitive since the interviewer used the same set of questions when surveying the descendants. This lead to me skimming over parts of the interviews after reading the first few. The book did contain some interesting, educational aspects to the witches. The author was able to paint the concept of a witch in a positive light, explaining the benefits of these misunderstood members of history to society. It was also interesting to read how the modern day people interviewed who are descendants of the witches were impacted upon discovery of their ancestral roots.

This book has a lot of good information in the first few chapters, about witchcraft belief and persecution. I think the first few chapters were actually my favourite part of the book. The interviews with the descendants of the original witches had their interesting moments as well, but because a large proportion of the book was based on Q&A via email, with formulaic questions, the answers begin to feel a bit repetitive.


If you have an interest in witchcraft and the occult, this book will probably appeal to you. I enjoyed seeing the different takes on what constitutes witchcraft both in history and in more modern times. Overall, I thought this was a decent read but could have been better if the questions from the author had been a little more personalised to those they were asked of.


This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher provided through Netgalley.

I enjoyed this book and found it informative..... but the interview part of the book became a bit repetitive over time. The history and research of this book is great! It's well written and a quick read. I truly enjoyed reading it. I love learning about witches and history.

This book as an amazing history of witches from the New England area, covering the infamous Salem witch trials and beyond. It then goes into interviews done questionnaire style with current witches from the area and shares their personal stories on how they found their magic, community and how they practice. I found this section very interesting at first, but the questions do not vary at all with each interview and it does begin to get repetitive. I found myself losing interested as the book went on. If you are curious about how modern witches identify or find their craft and the many variations of covens/groups and practices, then you will definitely get a lot out of the personal interviews. I would have prefered to read this book a little bit at a time and reference back to it, instead of reading it all in one go. I did find it refreshing to get a book on WITCHES instead of ljust ore and witchcraft.

Who better to write a book about witches--specifically, The Real Witches of New England--than an author who belongs to the Grey Council of Mages and Sages and is an Archdruidess in the Tribe of the Oak? Ellen Evert Hopman says she's also a descendant of Mary Estey, accused of witchcraft in New England.

This is a fascinating book for history buffs. Hopman includes interviews with the descendants of accused witches and modern witchcraft practitioners, herbal lore, spells, and, of course, the history of witchcraft hysteria in New England. The author says she doesn't consider herself a witch, but an empath who can feel and sometimes incorporate the feelings of people, places, and animals around her. She says she's proud to be the descendant of an accused woman who showed courage in the face of imprisonment and death.

The book gave me a lot to think about, considering the hysteria that's sweeping America's political system today.

This book is very informative and really interesting. I enjoyed the section devoted to the accused Witches Descendants. The interviews with these people were eye-opening.. If your interested in this subject I would highly recommend this book.

I got a copy of this for a fair and honest review. As I read through this book I saw names and companies that I have wound while studying and learning about the craft. It is a very delightful collection of information of the past and present. I do believe that the word "witch" does come with its own persecutions and downfalls. That does not make it a bad word to the community. I think it was a lot of jealousy, fear and misunderstanding of others feelings, beliefs, and spirituality that caused a lot of the persecution of spiritual people world-wide for generations and not just in New England. One of my favorite part were the stories of how they found their way in to the witch communities. I would recommend this to those that want to read what others think even the section on the descendants of those from the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690's. I hope the pains of the past do not come back to repeat themselves. That is not something also that needs to be done another time. This just the opinion of one who has see it for themselves and knows the pain that it can cause.

*Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

The title had me laughing so hard that I had to read this one and if you're anything like me, this is nothing like those awful reality TV shows, this is so well researched and written so well. It kind of reads like a novel.... which I thought made it that much more intriguing. From history of witchcraft to today with interviews from some popular witches of today. This book as a little of everything and I loved it!

Post will be live on my blog: July 15, 2018

New England is a magical place. Filled with history of Witches and Witchcraft, these interviews with the individuals who count themselves as Witches were smart and intelligent. I learned something from each one.

This book is packed with information. If you love history and witchcraft, then you can't go wrong. This book has it all.

Great book, well researched and written. Really liked hearing the stories of the descendants of the 13 accused witches from New England. The history should be of interest to anyone who practices or just wants to read about it. I picked up a lot of tips from the modern practitioners. I recommend this book highly. I received this book from Net Galley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy . All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A very good book, full of interesting facts. This book is so well written that it can be read like a novel.
Strongly recommended!
Many thanks to Inner Tradition and Netgalley for this ARC

I enjoyed the historical perpective of the witch trials and anti witch histeria. However the documentation of modern witches became a bit monotonous. I think this was due to the repeated line of questioning.

"The Real Witches of New England" by Ellen Evert Hopman is a fascinating, well-written, and thorough examination of witches in both the past and present. Hopman delves into the persecution witches faced in New England. The author tracked down descendants of thirteen witches and interviewed them about their ancestors; she includes these accounts in books.

It's always a delight to read a work written by a author who took a hands-on approach to the subject and shows dedication and passion for the material. "The Real Witches of New England" is such a book and contains a wealth of information. Highly recommended. (I received an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.)

I really enjoyed this book and I certainly learned something new from this. Especially during the first part of the book regarding the history of Witchcraft and the hysteria that went through Europe and the New England colonies. The interviews with the witches of today started off interestingly enough but became redundant for a bit because of some of the interviews, in my opinion, seemed similar. However, I was thrilled to read about Sancista Brujo Luis, I am familiar with him through YouTube. And the other person, to stand out was Terry Eiji Nakamura-Meyers. They represented a break from the norm. But all in all, a very compelling read and lots of info provided. I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.