I can't say what it is exactly but I struggled to find this one engaging. While the descriptions and settings were well-written, I couldn't connect with the characters. Thanks to Louisa Morgan and Redhook Books through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have this four out of five stars, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, I hated her dad though.

I have read A Secret History of Witches and it’s one of my top historical fantasy fiction books. I was hoping Age of Witches could top it! It barely missed the mark though. I truly enjoyed the emphasis on female empowerment in a time when females were seen as much less than. The plot was too predictable and tidied up too nicely at the end for my liking though.

It was so simple yet so intricate at the same time. The story focuses on three women, all from the same witch bloodline but in different generations. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses and it was so interesting to see how their different lives wove around each other.
The setting was rich, switching between high class societies in New York and England in 1890. The different social dynamics were simply explained and the different roles between the characters helped you see what different lifestyles were like. The characters were unique, and the side characters really shined, they all had different personalities that you got to know and understand as well as struggles that you could sympathize with. I found myself attached to almost everyone, but of course, there are characters out there that you love to hate.

I typically like these types of books. But, this time I wasn't into it. Sadly I couldn't even start much of it before I called it a DNF. Really a shame

I tried getting into this book way too many times but it never caught my attention. I will try it again in the future but it was a DNF for now.

'The Age of Witches: A Novel' by Louisa Morgan is a great story. The characters are well written and the story is engaging. The only problem - it ended too soon!

**Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for giving me an electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

The magic and herbology caught my attention along with the character's personality and their changing attitudes. It did feel a bit slow in the beginning, but I stuck with it.

I ended up reading this to round out my “spooky” reading month in October and really enjoying it. Morgan does a great job of mixing witches, family, and romance in a way that works and engages the reader on multiple levels. In this case, some mystery, some “criminal” behavior, and some romance really round out the book nicely. A great addition to my October!

This was a very slow moving story. The characters were very unlikable. Still, it was very well-written. It just was not as good as Secret of Witches.

When I was reading, I opted for detailed Goodreads progress reading updates instead of a review

September 22, 2021 – Finished Reading (Audiobook Edition)
September 22, 2021 –
99.0% "I wonder if the other books by Louisa Morgan are in a series with this one or all standalone with the same witchy vibes. Regardless, I'll be reading more by Louisa Morgan." (Audiobook Edition)
September 22, 2021 –
90.0% "Annis is super resilient I feel" (Audiobook Edition)
September 22, 2021 –
86.0% "This is seriously still reminding me of pride and prejudice in a way. Loving all the witchy stuff too" (Audiobook Edition)
September 22, 2021 –
39.0% "It's like a witchy pride and prejudice-sorta-I'm loving it" (Audiobook Edition)
September 17, 2021 –
5.0% "Is that a sort of voodoo doll??" (Audiobook Edition)
September 17, 2021 –
1.0% "loving the narration already!" (Audiobook Edition)

This book was so good that I finished it too quickly. I loved the characters and their changing nature's. I also loved the magic, as well as practical information about herbology. I won't say more because I want other readers to discover this gemstone as I discovered it.

I enjoyed it for what it was, but it had problems.

This is a multi-point-of-view narration during the late 1800s although it seemed well-researched, it had a lot of regency era references which was somewhat jarring given the difference in periods and took me out of the story at times. It follows three female witches of the Bishop descendants' line and a male (not a witch) that is a love interest of one of the women.

It was an enjoyable but unremarkable read. The plot was incredibly straightforward and predictable; you knew on the outset that the love interests would end up together. Although the reader is asked whether one of the witches, Annis, might even actually be a witch it's clear from the outset that she is, in fact, magical.

It lacked tension and dragged in some parts, and didn't have any B-plots to help it along. I feel like the head-jumping was a technique employed to help with the lack of tension but it made it worse in my opinion as the main witch character, Annis, was probably the most interesting and best character. If told solely from her perspective the book would have held more tension and wouldn't have been able to cut corners by explicitly explaining everything that was happening to the reader.

There are no twists. The book follows a very Wiccan expression of witchcraft which wasn't yet invented in the 1890s, and that is a consideration for me as well. Even suspending disbelief about the Wiccan-flavored witchcraft, the author used witchcraft as a vehicle to discuss feminism and women's rights. Although I enjoyed the discussion and the points the author was trying to make, it further brought me out of the story because it wasn't believable for its time.

It was too convenient. Harriet, one of the witches, just lives on her own as a spinster and doesn't get any flack for it minus a small scene where she's snubbed socially by another woman in the beginning (having more to do with wealth than her agency). No one questions why women come to see her as an herbalist and although the book profers caution, you don't really "feel" the risk that Harriet is actually taking with her lifestyle. So many people just look the other way, which was definitely not how it was. Additionally, the same happens in England with Annis. So many people fuss a bit about her riding her horse without a side-saddle but no one actually puts their foot down; not to mention both her love interest, James, and his mother, actually like her forward-thinking ways which would have also been unbelievable. The mother, who is described as a traditional, practical former marchioness who suddenly supports Annis riding stock saddle, etc. and James, just accepts that she won't obey him despite the time period dictating that women still fell beneath their husbands' instruction. Both Annis' father and James' mother just happened to coincidentally like to speak frankly instead of operating from the expected niceties of their social statuses. Too many conveniences for the sake of the plot.

The end was very dissatisfying and I just expected more for a 400-something page book.

I really wasn't a fan of this story, The original idea seemed interesting, but overall it turned out to be slow and boring. The romance between the apprentice witch and the English lord was very bland and predictable. The villain was over the top, and the main character was pretty boring as well, never doing anything interesting. It felt like it lacked a real plot. I finished it, so it wasn't that bad, but it definitely didn't make me want to read another one.

I am usually all in when it comes to stories about witches. These kinds of stories tend to revolve around female characters, their place in society, and their relationships with each other. Unfortunately this story didn't grab me. It's very slow to the point where I found myself losing interest and struggling to continue reading.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

Let me start by saying I love Louisa’s writing. I could read her books over and over and still be just as in love. This however is the first time I find myself feeling less that satisfied. Maybe I just wasn’t into it, I have ready a lot of fantasy/ historical fiction lately after all, but this time was different. I found the book wordy and sometimes would find myself reading the exact same paragraph over and over because I was so easily distracted as the book didn’t hold my interest. Perhaps it was the subject matter, the moment you hear the surname Bishop it is certainly tempting to zone out a bit, after all how many stories of Bishop witches can there be that feature new subject matter. Certainly a large portion of this book was beautifully written and from a technical standpoint the writing is perfect. This one might get a reread at some point, I hope that will change my mind.

Love the author and will pick up anything by her at this point. Witches in the gilded age, NY setting, multiple pov, and the age old battle of good vs. bad magic make this a wonderful read.

Wow, wow, WOW. This was a phenomenal exploration into witchcraft that I absolutely couldn't put down. Stunning, breath-taking, and captivating. I could not get enough.

Touting itself as a historical fiction laced with magic, I’m intrigued. I feel like we rarely get historical fiction about the witch trials, which is a shame, because what happened to women during that time period should not be swept under the rug or ignored. The patriarchy was built on the backs of women burning alive while tied to stakes, so... yeah. Crazy how much it’s ignored.