I’ve been on a kick of reading books about witches because they are the most dependent for delivering strong, complex women. The Once and Future Witches did not disappoint – and the three sisters are such beautiful examples of the different ways you can have strong characters.
The Eastwood sisters’ bond grows through the book, and you get to know each sister so well. They all have different strengths and weaknesses; they all have something different the reader may relate to. Bella, my fellow librarian, was my favorite, but I loved Agnes and January as well.
Each time I’ve tried to recommend The Ten Thousand Doors of January or The Once and Future Witches to patrons (which is often), I struggle to articulate how much I love Alix Harrow’s writing. It’s beautiful; it’s atmospheric. Sometimes I’d go back and reread a sentence or paragraph to soak in the language and cadence of it.
Without a doubt, one of my favorite books I read this year.

Wow - this book was stunning. I am truly at a lost for words especially when it comes to the ending. My heart was truly ripped out and then put back in my chest.

The Once and Future Witches will make you fall in love with each Eastwood sister - from Bella and her research to Agnes and her love of Eve to June and her will, they will grab you and pull you along on their adventure. This will also make you want to become a Sister of Avalon.

The Once and Future Witches is definitely narrative heavy, so at times, the pacing felt a little slow, but I still was completely pulled in by the storyline. I definitely recommend this book if you love witches, feminism, and beautiful narrative telling.

The perfect October read, The Once and Future Witches is an impactful story about female empowerment. Every once in a while, I yearn for something different, something fantastical and imaginative and this novel delivered just that.

I enjoyed getting to know each of the three sisters and watching them grow and find their strengths. I loved that there was light romance but not too much, just enough to quell my love of love in a story. The only thing I would change is the length. I found it to be a bit long and after one major event I felt like that would be the end and then there would be lots of build up to another event. But other than that, I found this to be such a fun and empowering read. Highly recommend especially for the Spooky Season!

After reading and loving The Ten Thousand Doors of January I knew I need The Once and Future Witches. Suffragettes and witches the perfect combination. Set in an alternate history The Once and Future Witches is an ambitious character driven book that features, sisterhood, feminism, and the injustice of women. I think my favourite part of the book was how the author weaved together actual historical events into her alt world such as the suffragette movement and the underground railroad. The author packs a lot into the book, but it never feels like its too much or could have been better without or what was the point of that they all flow seamlessly together to make a highly addictive read. Overall, The Once and Future Witches is a compelling and the strength and perseverance of women.

This book was magical! Just Magical!!

I loved the three sisters. Their estrangement brings a tension-filled dynamic that is hard to step away from. The historical world was beautifully created with a story that felt like it fit right into the period. I loved the witchy vibes throughout the story, as well as the awesome feminist feels! This story takes place right in the middle of the suffragists movement, and it was the perfect place to put the story.

I highly recommend this to readers that enjoy stories of witches and strong magic placed in a historic setting!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow is a fascinating tale of sisterhood, feminism, and, yes, witchcraft. Told in alternating viewpoints between the three sisters, readers are taken back to 1893, but themes are scarily relevant today.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for sharing a copy of the book with me. All thoughts are my own.

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I read and loved Harrow's first book, The Ten Thousand Doors of January. And, not at all to my surprise, it blew up in a major way. So much so that arcs of The Once and Future Witches became unicorns. And feminism and witches? So much my style.

Unfortunately, The Once and Future Witches dragged on and on. I read on, hoping for some spark of light and magic, but it was a flop. I can only describe it as a sophomore slump. Chasing the success of her first book, Harrow was simply trying to hard to capture the magic that was so effortless in The Ten Thousand Doors of January. There were long sections trying to force a sense of wonder and otherworldliness that rarely succeeded. It really is a shame, because the premise for the book, as well as the magic system, was so promising.

The magic works in little cantrips. Old house spells and rhymes mothers pass on to their daughters are given power and promise to take down the patriarchy. The three sisters embody the maiden, the mother, and the crone, which is vital to reclaiming Avalon and the lost magic.

I like the morals of the story, which is that you don't need anyone to save you, that you don't have to be chosen or special to save the world, and that you can't rely on one thing to change everything.

It had a decent villain and worldbuilding/backstory.

Honestly, it might have been great if it didn't feel like I spent forever and a day reading it. Maybe if Harrow didn't try to hard to make it another Ten Thousand Doors, it would have flowed better.

2.5 stars

The Once and Future Witches was a heck of a book, one full of feminist anger and witchy magic. The Sisters Eastwood--Beatrice Belladonna, Agnes Amarinth, and James Juniper live in a world where there are no witches, for the practice of witching leads only to the pyre. A chance encounter brings them together again and sets a whole hullabaloo in motion. When the sisters join the suffragists of New Salem who demand the right to vote, the sisters begin to call upon ways that have been long lost to the women of their world in order to gain the power they so seek, but there are dark forces of men and magic in New Salem who will stop at nothing not just to deny women the right to vote, but any magic or power that might make men and women equal. Beatrice, Agnes and June must lean on each other, and the community of witches they have built, in order to survive, but that means learning to trust anew and heal old wounds left behind from each of their pasts.
I absolutely LOVED this book. I love a good inclusive feministy anger book, and that is exactly what I got here. Add to the mix the setting of the Women's Rights Movement in the late 19th century and the ghosts of the Salem Witch Trials, and you basically have catnip to this reader right here. The feminist anger that permeates every single word of this story as the three Eastwood sisters fight for the power denied not just to themselves but to all the women in this alternate America and in New Salem was my absolute favorite part of this book. Themes of women's rights, inclusion, power and the need to change the world for the better for the women who come after us are so powerfully poignant. I love each of the distinct personalities of the Eastwood sisters, and I loved watching their bond be reforged and develop. Each sister has a set amount of issues at the beginning of the book which comes full circle and the character development is really well done for each of them. I really enjoyed the mixture of witch lore and fairytales in the magic system in here. It was really clever. The Once and Future Witches reads more like a mandate than just a story, a mandate for every woman regardless of race, sexuality and creed, to seek equal rights for all women and to make the world better for the women in our lives and for those to come.

Oh boy do I love Alix E. Narrow and all her work. This was amazing - a historical fiction story with magic, witches, sisters, and women’s suffrage??? It is SO GOOD. I have to admit that reading it in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election was A LOT - there were so many parallels to current events that it was frankly heart-stopping at times. It took me a while to read it as a result, but I regret nothing - I was able to savor this fantastic story where magic is real and women are powerful. Highly recommend.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

As I finish The Once and Future Witches, I find myself tucked in neatly in a circle of salt, not wanting to dare the world around it. With the scintillating aromas of woods and potions, enraptured in spells and bindings, I have found my calling long hidden in the folktales of my youth. Witches are real. They are still among us hidden in the codex of stories, humming their powers till the day for a reawakening marks their full return.

Harrow has done a marvelous job connecting fictional elements and tethering them with realism. Above and beyond are her abilities to breathe life into her characters and create amazingly vibrant settings. If despair or beauty, her words give voice to every detail, every scene, every still life, every circumstance not to be missed. A most magical feast to read and experience. If I was delighted about The Ten Thousand Doors of January, I was duly amazed by the consistently beautiful writing of this tale of Juniper, Agnes, and Bella. Never have I felt closer to the way of witches as with this atmospheric read.

New Salem, the city without Sin:

We have three witches, separated after childhood through difficult circumstances. James Juniper Eastwood is the youngest of the trio and "WANTED FOR MURDER AND SUSPECTED WITCHCRAFT"; Agnes Amaranth Eastwood is the middle sister, the steady one, strong and unflinching; Beatrice Belladonna Eastwood is the oldest of them, wise and quiet.

At the spring equinox of 1893, one of them is lost, one of them is weak, and one of them is the fool. A moment deeply rooted in their pasts that separated them once and becomes the reason to reunite them after all.

Their story is told in five parts with pages of old Tales interspersed, like THE SLEEPING MAIDEN or THE TALE OF THE WITCH WO SPIN STRAW INTO SILVER. Some are true to form, while others are slightly changed. Other famous ones are made reference too and each chapter begins with a rhyme or other famous lines and is explained as spells such as this for example:

Sugar and spice

And everything nice.

A spell to soothe a bad temper, requiring a pinch of sugar & spring sunshine.

The sisters are bound by an unfinished spell. Despite their differences, they find themselves together in the town square at the wrong time. This leads to their forming of the Sisters of Avalon. They are tangled in the movement of suffragists, quickly gaining momentum as more and more women sign up for the cause. However, the town with its different leaders and associations isn’t keen on the way of witches spreading and so, before long, they are chased, or trapped, and worse, burned.

This tale is told in each main character's pov providing insight to internal conflicts and ideas while the plot is off to a slow and engrossing rise. Amidst, new captivating and enigmatic persons enter the story changing the initial ideas of the sisters. So, Beatrice meets Miss Quinn, a journalist from NEW SALEM'S DEFENDER who becomes an important part of the movement and aid to the witches, plus a welcoming interest of the romantic kind. The feckless, fearless gambler Mr. August Lee, who finds his match in Agnes with all his wit and banter, hiding behind the drunken façade adds that little something-something and pulls his weight albeit initial trials.

Together and apart, these ladies battle their own demons while coming to terms with their past and each other. Without the proper form of communicating their differences, they find unity in their movement but the ultimate test will tell if their bond is unbreakable. The stakes determine what is to be and how their story steers the future of all witches everywhere.

This novel was such a brilliant journey for me. In Harrow’s way, she lets us believe that those rhymes and folktales we know are put together with hidden messages and spells. They are remembered by our daughters and passed onto the next generation. What an amazing way to look at a tale of witches this way. The idea alone is fantastic.

Along with the witchy themes, there is truth found such as in that of the suffragist’s movement and stories of Old Salem with tunnels under the city built by slaves.

There’s an unexpected dark side and turn of events that keep the reader glued to the pages till the ending subsides gently with room to dream on and conjure hope and speculation. A tale for the adults as this novel was as close to taking you back to childhood, yet explains these folktales still exist today as we are adults.

I love what the author did there, I love the creative thinking, and Harrow’s writing is nothing short of stellar.

A must-read!

Enjoy!

Hugo Award-winning author Alix E. Harrow returns with her second novel, THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES, a spellbinding and empowering story set in an alternate America where magic exists.

In 1893, there is no such thing as witches. Magic used to run wild, helping mothers care for their families and cure illnesses, but after the burnings and the demolition of Old Salem, magic and the lore of witchcraft have been diminished to close to nothing. In every household, though, mothers quietly pass down tidy little charms to their daughters, using nursery rhymes and fairy tale refrains to mend socks, keep linens crisp and prevent water from boiling over. The Eastwood sisters --- James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth and Beatrice Belladonna --- know a few of these tricks themselves, passed down to them by their grandmother, Mags. But they have not seen each other in seven years, having been separated by their father’s cruelty, vicious rumors and whispers of betrayal.

When the sisters reunite in New Salem, the suffragette movement is just gaining momentum, with a group of well-to-do women trying to reclaim some power in their lives, marriages and communities (assuming that power is limited to white women, of course). Despite being apart for a long time, they end up in the same town square just at the moment that the universe rips open, revealing a magical tower hidden in a tangled wood: the Lost Way of Avalon, the legendary final home of the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone, the world’s best-known witches. The tower disappears as quickly as it appeared, but the sisters know that magic has not left New Salem, and they form an uncomfortable union --- filled with tension, hurt and secrecy --- to try to bring power back to women, through both the vote and witchcraft.

Alternating perspectives among the three sisters, Harrow pens a story of hurt and betrayal, but also one of all-encompassing sisterly love. They couldn’t be more different from one another, but their shared history and hopes for the future bring them together at a comfortable but emotionally charged pace. Belladonna is the eldest of the three, a rule-abiding librarian who finds magic in words and records, but who also struggles with her secret attraction to a local Black reporter, Cleopatra Quinn. Amaranth, the middle sister, is perhaps the most steadfast of the three, thoughtful and pragmatic --- and pregnant, out of wedlock.

If there is a main character here, it is Juniper, the youngest and wildest sister who is most emphatic in her beliefs. A life of pain and torment has simmered into a boiling rage within her, and though she is young and inexperienced, she will stop at nothing to put that rage to use. Starting from her very first encounter with the suffragettes, it is Juniper who believes with all her willpower and might that women should be inquisitive, angry and bold, and that securing the vote and regaining witchcraft is the best way to do it.

But there is another force battling for control of New Salem. At the same time that the Eastwood sisters are forming a secret coven, the Sisters of Avalon, far-right religious groups are walking the streets, and local politicians are using witches as scapegoats for disease, poverty and anything else they can think of (sound familiar?). Leading the charge against the witches is Gideon Hall, a sniveling worm of a man who controls not only New Salem’s rumor mill but, strangely, its shadows. As the Eastwoods and their coven form a new collection of spells compiled from the passed-down whispers and songs of their fellow witches and their mothers, Gideon does everything he can to fuel panic in New Salem, drawing the history of Old Salem, with all its trauma and tragedy, painfully close to the present and forcing the sisters to take dramatic action before witchcraft --- and their newfound, reclaimed bond --- is lost forever.

At over 500 pages, THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES is no brief foray into Salem and witchcraft, yet I read the entire book in one breathless sitting. Harrow writes as if she is possessed, crafting secret societies, forming uprisings and, somehow, writing believable and relatable female characters at the same time. It reads like magic itself, riddled with secret spells and surging with power and activism. Framing the reclamation of magic against the very real (and timely) struggle for the vote, the author reminds us what fantasy does best: allows readers to see how different characters respond to adversity and apply their learnings to our own problems.

The females at the heart of the novel are angry, and rightfully so, but Harrow reminds us that women are at their best when they work together, forming communities and sharing knowledge. But she is never reductive or preachy in her tone --- she knows that building connections takes time, as well as breaking down prejudices and fears. Her point is driven home by one of my favorite characters, Cleopatra, who reminds her white witch friends that no matter what fury comes for them, it will be 10 times worse for her and her sisters. It does not matter that they are, ostensibly, on the same side. The repercussions will never be equal, but, as Harrow reminds us, this, too, is a battle worth fighting.

Combining an imaginative and fully realized system of magic, stellar worldbuilding and characters who grow, expand and subvert readers’ expectations on every page, THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES is the perfect brew of magic and power. With themes of intersectional feminism, motherhood and the deep scars of trauma, Harrow provides readers with an intoxicating mix of fantasy and reality that will speak to both the powerless and the empowered, igniting a new fury within all who read it.

This is one of the best fantasy novels of 2020!

I love the world created in this book. The world is much like our own, but witches were once real... and some women still know the words and ways to create a bit of witchery.

We follow the three Eastwood sisters as they struggle in New Salem to survive. The sisters represent the traditional witch archetype of maiden, mother, and crone. Plus, these sisters have the will to try and change the world.

The story takes place in the late 1800s in the city of New Salem. Much like the Salem in our our world, it isn’t safe to be considered a witch. However, unlike our world all people can call on magic, it’s just women’s magic that is looked down on. The women’s suffrage movement is growing in New Salem, and so is the hunt for witches.

The story speaks of the strength that all woman can have, feminism, and racism. There is an evil villain, but no hero’s.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book!

4.5/5

I really enjoyed this. The writing was excellent, the storytelling was very engaging, and the Eastwood sisters are on par with the Owens women (from Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic) for being one of my favourite magical families. A wonderful mix of magical realism and history, The Once and Future Witches is probably the best fantasy novel I've read all year.

Thanks to the. publisher and netgalley for an arc.
Have to admit DNR about 20%
Historical alternate reality fantasy.
This is the story of 3 sisters who are all hereditary witches. They all left home after various sorts of subjugation or abuse.
They all eventually separately end up in a city (Boston? Philadelphia?) that is run by a fascist-chauvinist government, meet each other again, and attempt to fight the tyranny. I found it a little to heavy-handedly message-y (probably mostly my mood right now).
Those who thought The Handmaid's Tale needed magic will eat this up.
The writing is very dark and atmospheric, but I found I couldn't connect with the characters - it felt too hopeless for me at this point in time.

Different but I loved the Integatration of nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Little long at times but lyrically written. Harrow is a beautiful writer

Decency to women should be a no-brainer. Malevolence to women for the sole fact that they’re women should be seen as categorical malarkey. But many in power have contorted something as simple as decency and trapped it away like Rapunzel in her tower. Empathy has become a rarity, a forgotten magic that when displayed should evoke a feeling of commonplace but instead seems like miraculous sorcery. The Once and Future Witches understands the necessity to claim that sorcery. Through lyrical writing, fairytales, and a motley crew of characters, it creates magic through prose while also championing the simple but essential magic of kindness.

In The Once and Future Witches, it is 1893 and witching is outlawed--their magic barred and buried by men. A woman has more than just magic inaccessible to them: they also lack the right to vote. Enter the Eastwood sisters: three magical, fractured siblings with completely different personalities who reunite upon mystical happenstance, and eventually join the suffragist movement. Things become complicated when they try to implement magic into the suffragist agenda, amidst anti-magic protestations. But a dissenting woman’s scorn for witchery pales in comparison to most men. Men who will go to dire and dirty lengths to maintain dominance.

This is a novel that uses the best, unique qualities of literature. Every instance is wrapped in prose that is lyrical without miring into perpetual, showy poetry. You ogle at its beauty, enraptured in its atmosphere, but it pushes you ahead to the next story beat rather than being mired in it until it becomes too much. There are quick asides into fairytales that augment the grander story. And as fluid as the dialogue is, it’s the interiority of the protagonists that elevate them into complex characters. The three Eastwood sisters (James, Agnes, and Beatrice) would fall into archetypes – whether it be a bookish type or a renegade - from a lessor author, but Alix E. Harrow sets up those characteristics and then expands upon it, until their core is something unique and complex and the archetypes are just part of their lining.

There are secondary characters who don’t have room to expand as much as they could, and sometimes feel like pieces to advance the plot rather than people. But for every time these people seem like a plot device, the novel takes a couple nice dives into exploring them through the themes of racism within the suffragist movement, stubbornness against societal change, and other cutting ideas. Despite some characterization inadequacies, I never felt like the themes lacked room to breathe. The Once and Future Witches does the rare feat of being a character-centric tale, while never losing focus of the plot. The themes of sexism, racism, found family, and familial disputes are paired with story beats and twists that propel the plot forward.

Inequality lurks in the darkness. It festers in the black mold that vile rhetoric wraps around our mind. It’s almost like it moves with our shadow, following us around whether we like it or not. The Once and Future Witches offers an important message about the rewards of tenacity in the face of adversity. And offers some hope that many humans are well-rounded and capable—apt enough to get us out of the hellhole that existed both in 1893 and today. Hopefully one day, we can relax in the shade in which no one fears the dark shadows, and just enjoy the breeze.

The Math

Baseline Score: 8/10

Bonuses: +1 For the best lyrical prose I’ve read all year.

Negatives: -1 For some missed opportunities with secondary characters.

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10

It's the late 19th century, and there are no longer witches in the world. A mother might teach her daughter a charm for churning butter or getting a stain out, but real magic is gone. At least, that's what everyone thinks until an unlikely event happens at a suffragist gathering in New Salem. Three estranged sisters— James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonnas— find themselves in a quest to seek the lost knowledge of their forebears and turn the women's movement into a witch's movement

While books about sisters or complex familial relationships are a dime a dozen, this is something truly special. The book weaves sisterhood, motherhood, relationships between women, relationships between women and men, race, social class, and more into a powerful, moving read. Such a stellar example of how thoughtful portrayals of race and orientation can and should be part of a story.

After discovering a favorite book and most likely a favorite author when I read and loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January, I was so excited when I heard Alix E. Harrow was coming out with another book! I immediately requested an arc and was lucky enough to get accepted.

You've seen my rating and know by now that while I didn't love this story just as much as her previous book, this was still a really solid and gripping story about witches and sisters. There were some gripping moments where I couldn't look away and others where I was a little more distracted by what was going on around me but overall, I really liked the messages given and what the author tried to do here. She managed to make me care for her characters and I teared up at the end (if you end up reading this book, you'll know why)...

Overall, a really good book I might have to re-read again in another format to see if I love it more that way. I can't wait for Alix E. Harrow's next story. I would immediately buy/read anything she would publish by now and I hope she still has many ideas and stories to share with us.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

I read lots of witchy books in October. Unfortunately this one didn't grab my attention and I ended up not finishing it; more of a "me" problem than an issue with the book itself.