As a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy I shall give an honest review of Louisa Morgan’s “ The Age of Witches” I enjoyed this novel immensely for one it was set at the turn of the 19th century in New York City. The Gilded Age has held my attention this year so far as many novels I have read have been set in this time period. I found this novel using “novel” ideas at the time and applying it in a timeless manner. Especially when it came to women and power. Using the archetype of the witch as a symbol for independence and power Morgan uses the fantastical element of the Witch to explore this and more. The novel had slight fantasy elements but was rooted in reality. The magic system was defined very clearly and was something I appreciated. The characters were strong and developed. The storyline was well developed and held my attention to the end. Overall I recommend this for fans of historical fiction, fantasy, and stories with strong feminist leads. I give this a strong four out of five stars.

The setting of this book was delightful and I loved the relationships between the female characters. I enjoyed that the witchcraft wasn't the main part of the book as well. The characters were far more integral to the story than the magic.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this title in exchange for an honest review.
I have to say that this was just not for me. I was reading, but I could feel myself forcing it. I read all the words just to get through them like it was a chore, but I cared little for its content.

For me, the story was too much and not enough at the same time. Louisa Morgan is attempting to tackle several different focuses all at once: romance, witchcraft, history, family drama, a few different age groups. All this is certainly possible to pull off, but it just wasn't here. To me, it just wasn't weaved together well. The characters themselves were, in my opinion, not complex enough. They each have one defining characteristic or goal and that's more or less their focus. It just wasn't enough for me based on how much I read.

I can't necessarily rate this book fairly because I DNF'ed at 12%. I also realized when reading this book that perhaps witchcraft is not my preferred topic to read about. However, lovers of witches, witchcraft, and even family drama might really enjoy this.

I really enjoyed this book. This is the classic struggle between good and evil so to speak. It’s about three strong women. One good, one evil, and one stuck in between trying to find her way. If you enjoy historical fiction with magic and witches then this is for you.

I am a big fan of the author's writing and have read her previous work. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity My review opinions are my own. This is a fascinating read and a book I was unable to part with until completion. .The details the author writes of brings the charcters and story so alive for the reader that it transcends current time. The author writes so atmospheric of the setting and charcters that you feel immersed in the story from the beginning.

We are introduced to 1890 and the Gilded Age of New York . Our main charcter is Harriet Bishop. Harriet is a descendant of Bridget Bishop of Salem. Bridget Bishop was known for being a powerful witch and passing down her gifts through her relatives. Harriet has the gift of sight and is a very accomplished herbalist and green witch. She prefers to use her magic for good .

Her cousin, Frances has used dark magic to work her way up in society by marrying a wealthy widower. But she is determined to make it into even a higher status by marrying his daughter, Annis to a lord in England. Annis is a wonderful charcter, very independent with a great love of horses. She has no interest in marriage and only wants to be around her horses and have her independence. Annis has her own love interest and wants no interference in her plans. Harriet is unknown to Annis as Frances does not want her good magic to interfere with her upbringing in the dark magic. Annis is unknown that she is also a Bishop and has the capabilities of being a powerful witch like Harriet. Harriet must find a way to stop Frances before Annis is harmed by this dark magic and ends up in a loveless marriage taken away from all she loves.

I love this book ! The witches are powerful and their strengths are many. The details of the story are quite exquisite. The author truly captures the time and place for her readers. The charcters are fascinating and captured this reader. Louise Morgan is one of my favorite authors and I cannot wait to read her next book. This was so beautifully crafted that it was enjoyable cover to cover. Review cross posted. A most excellent highly recommended read.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for a free copy of this book!

I really enjoyed this book, and planning on finding what else Louisa Morgan has written! It was easy to become immersed in this story line. The detail and the strength of her characters was wonderful. Often I find multiple point of views becomes too confusing but for once, I did not have that problem and I loved getting to know each of her characters. The historical accuracy was nice, too- it made it for a rather realistic fantasy.

I would 100% recommend giving this book a try!

I have read all of Louisa Morgan's books and this was the best yet!
I love magic and witchcraft based books and this was right up my alley. This novel was about a family of women descendant from hanged Salem witch Bridget Bishop and centers around the traditional American based witchcraft lore.
Set in the late 1800's, we follow 3 generations, Harriet the older wise witch herbalist, Francis her younger cousin who practises dark magic and Annis her niece a young woman just discovering her power.

The story centers around Francis' desire to move up in society at any cost. She plans on marrying her step daughter Annis to a British lord in order to no longer be shunned by the best New York society for being "new money". Annis on the other hand, is a modern woman desiring not marriage, but to become a world known horse breeder. Francis decides to employ dark magic to control Annis and get what she wants.
It's up to Harriet to try and intervene and save Annis from her stepmother and introduce her to her own magic.

I found the book such an enjoyable read and it reminded me of my favorite ALice Hoffman books.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Redhook Books, and author Louisa Morgan for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The Age of Witches was such a fun read! I love anything relating to witchcraft/Paganism, so when I saw this gorgeous cover, I wanted in. To see these strong female characters brought to life was an awesome experience. The writing in this novel is strong, direct, and immersive. The pacing of the book was a little slow, but the well-presented history kept my attention. I realized after starting that this was book two in a series, so now I’m going to go back and read the first one!

Thank you again to those named above for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

This book took me a while to start. In the beginning it didn’t grab my attention but after reading a few pages I couldn’t put it down. The strong independent good witch was very refreshing. I absolutely loved the characters and the storyline.

The Age of Witches was a fun, suspenseful read that made me want to read more by this author! I love the alternating POVs and the authors style of writing. But I especially loved the attention to witchy detail woven throughout. This was a 5-star read for me!

Although several of Morgan's earlier novels are already on my TBR, this one is actually my first experience with her writing. Told across a few perspectives, the bulk of the book is set in 1890, dealing with the legacy of a witch killed in Salem and the two lines of magic running through her ancestors. Harriet and Frances both are established witches - and though they are only distantly related, they do not share a common approach to their craft. It sets them at odds with one another - and often with other people paying the consequences.

But it's not really a high=drama story in fact, it's really just the opposite. It's rather slow and the turns are easy to see coming. I never found myself actively disliking it, but never truly loving it either. The characters do come to life, and the relationships, though predictable, are satisfying. The rhyming cantrips are kind of fun, but the magical lineage itself takes too long to be fully explained and it seems rather senseless that is drawn out for that long. The slower pacing of the novel may be just what some readers like and the historical period feels well-researched. The ending suggests the potential of a sequel, and while I would be curious to see what happens next, I don't think I will be first in line to read it.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book so much. Even now, with all of the trouble I’ve been having focusing and allowing myself to really immerse in a book, this one grabbed me.

If there is one way to get me into what is otherwise a straight work of human interest-type fiction, it is to add witches. And what is so wonderful about this particular work of fiction is that it happens during the Gilded Age (the year 1890, specifically), which I personally haven’t seen a whole lot of. I feel like it is more common for this type of story to take place in the middle ages, during the Witch Trials, or in modern times, so the change of venue was greatly appreciated.

I always appreciate a good witch story, because no matter how it is told, or how we are supposed to feel about the witch in question, it is always, at it’s core, about humanity’s (and more specifically men’s, sorry bruhs – although unfortunately women fall in here too) fear of women. They fear women generally, and they fear powerful, self-sufficient women specifically. Unfortunately this fear continues to permeate society even now, and it crosses borders of race, religion, ethnicity, and even gender. And so long as women are viewed with fear, suspicion, and hostility, I think we will continue to find stories of witches finding, reclaiming, or losing their powers incredibly titillating.

The story follows three descendants of Bridget Bishop, a witch hanged during the Salem Witch Trials who has vowed to always watch over her family line. The three descendants are Harriet, her very distant cousin Frances (who actually descends from an off-shoot of the Bishop line who are known for their turn toward darker magic), and Frances’ step-daughter Annis, who is actually Harriet’s grand-niece(? – I think. That sounds right. They’re all distantly interrelated, anyway.) Frances has plans for Annis, and she isn’t above using dark magic to make sure her plans come to fruition. Annis, with Harriet’s assistance has to make a stand against her stepmother.

The writing is really strong, although I did feel like the ending was dragged out a bit more than it needed to be. Otherwise, I feel like this story really sucked me in. It took me about 4 days to finish – normally, that would be excessive, but given current circumstances and the fact that I currently have the attention span of a squirrel on uppers, I’d say it’s pretty good. I found myself opening the kindle back up most times that I felt I had a spare moment to read just a little more of the story, so…I’d say that’s a positive.

A special thanks to NetGalley and Redhook Publishing for a free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

★★★★

Set in the late 1800's, independent teen, Annis, is due to marry - and she want nothing to do with it. She comes from a long line of witches, including a mother who uses her powers to try to force Annis into marriage and an aunt who takes her under her magical wing. The Age of Witches is a beautifully written tale of female and family struggles that was a delightful escape to read.

What I liked:
○ Strong female characters!
○ Immersive and direct writing style.
○ Concept - witches, women, magic - what's not to like?
○ Once the pace picked up, I was hooked.
○ History was well-presented.
○ If there were to be a sequel, I'd definitely read it :)

What I didn't like:
○ Like a lot of reviewers, I found the pacing of the book to be very slow.
○ The dialogue was cheesy and predictable at times.
○ More for fans of historical fiction/romance than magical realism or paranormal fantasy.

Thank you, Louisa Morgan, NetGalley, and Redhook books for the opportunity to read this book!

It is official. I will read anything that Louisa Morgan pens. The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan is her third book and I hope there are many more. This book takes place in 1890 and introduces Harriet Bishop. Harriet is a descendant of Bridget Bishop of Salem. Harriet has “the knowing” and a very accomplished herbalist. She believes in helping people. Her distant cousin, Frances has used dark magic to work her way up in society by marrying a wealthy widower. But she is determined to make it into higher society by marrying his daughter, Annis to a lord in England. Problem is, Annis has no interest in marriage and only wants to be around her horses. Harriet must stop Frances before Annis is harmed by this dark magic.

Bravo. I love these books by Louisa Morgan. I saw a lot of reviews that comment on how slow they are…maybe to them, but not to me. I love the detail. I feel so immersed in her stories. I want to be friends with her characters. In fact, it kind of breaks my heart that they are fictional. Sigh…

Anyway, I LOVE Annis! She is spirited and passionate. Her love for horses brought tears to my eyes. I also love how she wants to be loved for herself, not because of magic or because of money. Harriet is also wonderful. I would love for her to be my teacher. She is kind and knowledgeable. Her guidance is heartwarming.

Also. WITCH BATTLES. Oh. My. God. I was on the edge of my seat. My husband said, “Hey—babe, you haven’t blinked in a while.” Yes, it is that good.

Louisa Morgan gets another 5 perfect stars from me! She hasn’t let me down yet. I can’t wait for her next book!

The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan
Book Review by Dawn Thomas

448 Pages
Publisher: Redhook Books
Release Date: April 7, 2020

Sci Fi & Fantasy, Witches, 1890s New York and England

I started this book thinking it was going to be a memoir type of book, but I was pleasantly wrong. The book begins with the hanging of Bridget Bishop in 1692. The story then jumps to 1890 with Harriet, a fifty-year old witch collecting herbs. She sees Annis, a seventeen-year old girl riding a large black stallion. The girl is a distant relative of hers and she is proud to see how she is grown into a young woman. Frances, Annis’ step-mother, wants her to marry and gain a title so that she can advance into New York society. Annis is only interested in her horses and creating a future creating a bloodline she can be proud of, but Frances has other plans for her. She forces Annis to go to England to find a suitable husband. There they meet James, Lord Rosefield.

The book is written in third person. Considering the size of the book, I thought it was a quick read. At times the story moved a bit slow, but I had to know what was going to happen next. The characters were developed so that the reader would love them or despise them. This was the first book by this author I have read but it certainly will not be the last.

Thank you to #netgalley and Redhook for the advanced copy for my honest review!

I love reading about the era of the witch trials and learning more about it - the story started out very intriguing and even getting to explain the dynamic of the family tree between Harriet and Frances - and Annis. However the story lost me after the introduction of Annis and her love interest and in depth talk of horse breeding. I really wanted to like this story but I was unable to even finish this despite wanting to!

3.5/4

The Age of Witches follows the descendants of Bridget Bishop, a woman executed for witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials, as they navigate Gilded Age New York. There's Harriet, a woman who uses her abilities to help women in need; Frances, who uses magic to control others, and her stepdaughter, Annis, a fiercely independent young woman who dreams of breeding horses. Frances is determined for her family to rise through the social strata, and she resorts to dark magic to get Annis to gain a socially advantageous marriage to the Lord Rosefield. In a desperate attempt to save Annis, Harriet is determined to stop Frances and teach Annis about her heritage. Together, they must stop Frances' nefarious plan, or stand to lose everything in the process.

The Age of Witches is a story about legacy, power, and a woman's place in the world.. I really thought the premise of this book was interesting, and I really enjoyed learning more about the magic systems and the way it runs through the Bishop family. I also like the worldbuilding in this book. It really brought Gilded Age New York City to life in a vibrant way. I loved Annis's character and how awesome she was. I also appreciated the way the romance between her and James developed, but the romance could have stood to have more build up to it. My only issue with this book was that it moved slowly for me plot wise in so many places. I don't know if it was the writing style or the plotting that I didn't resonate with, but there was no twist plot wise that jumped out and gripped me. So The Age of Witches was a great read in many respects. It's a witchy, feminist tale that deals with gender equality and power, especially what we'll do to get it.

I was given an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. I've always been interested in anything witch related or anything that has to do with the Salem Witch Trials. This book starts off with Bridget Bishop getting accused of witch craft. She then ends up cursing her line to follow in her footsteps. That being said the family lines end up dividing. Half of the line practices to help others and the other half uses there powers for greed.

This story takes you on a journey as one witch is pulled in two directions by each side of her family as she tries to find her way and discovers that she is a witch and ends up becoming a practitioner.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in witches, family struggles, and coming of age books.

Thank you to Orbit Books and Paola Crespo for the opportunity to read this title through Netgalley. My review is my honest opinion.
This is an interesting concept of two female antagonists in the late 1800's New York. There is strong character development, and historic references are accurate and on point.
While I liked some attributes of both characters, I did find at times some slowing of the plot lines.
Overall I think this is an interesting boo, and it has made me want to read Ms.Morgan's first novel. I think overall you will enjoy the story.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan from NetGalley and Redhook Books in order to read and give an honest review.

…Although slow to get into it is a well-written, engaging tale that once you are into it is well worth the read…

The third in an unconnected series from Louisa Morgan Age of Witches is brilliant as a standalone. Following the interconnected lives of three descendants of Bridget Bishop, a witch executed during the Salem Witch trials we see the good, the bad and the ugly of the craft. Set in the late 1800’s we are introduced to Harriet the kindhearted elder of the group who as a healer has set up shop in New York. She prefers to use the craft to help others. We also meet Frances, who grew up in poverty and was deprived of her power only learning of it when her mother passes away. Angry with her station in life she uses her power to elevate herself in society, by bewitching a young widower and finally getting the finances and respect never afforded to her before. We also meet Annis, the young stepdaughter of Frances who fights against her stepmothers controlling ways, preferring her horses to shopping and socials. Annis, not a “proper young lady” wishes to become the “unthinkable” for a young woman, a horse breeder, hoping to build an empire of her own. Frances has plans of her own, wishing to obtain the one thing that would elevate her in society, a royal title and will use her powers to ensure that it happens. Harriet who has watched over Annis through the years after her mother, another Bishop descendant passes away, steps in to ensure Frances doesn’t get away with the unthinkable.

When the opportunity to arrange a marriage with a young Lord in England in financial straits arises Frances begins to bewitch those around her to meet her goal. Harriet follows them overseas knowing Annis is at risk and is still unaware of her powers. When the young Lord James finally meets Annis, he finds it difficult to accept Annis’s unorthodox behaviour Frances becomes desperate and her power, perverse.

Although slow to get into it is a well-written, engaging tale that once you are into it is well worth the read. Louisa Morgan does an excellent job and creating brilliant multifaceted characters each with their own strengths and weaknesses, showing kindness and compassion in the name of family which is the one thing I found prevalent in this book. All in all a brilliant book I would definitely recommend.