What I thought would be a fantastical escape from our current world turned out to be far too relevant. In Alix Harrow's new novel, three estranged sisters reunite in 1893's New Salem. There's something evil going on in the supposedly sinless city, and there's definitely a whiff of magic in the air. This is the story of women learning to reclaim their power, with suffrage, reproductive rights, and autonomy woven in. There's a mysterious plague sweeping through the land, and a politician stirring up rampant xenophobia on the eve of an important election. (I think the plague may have been a coincidence, but the politician definitely reminds me of a prominent national leader....)

I wasn't quite as captivated by this book as by Ten Thousand Doors of January, but I did enjoy it very much. Harrow knows how to create a three-dimensional world and draw you into the magic.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review.

Interesting story about 3 sisters who also happen to be witches that ties into the suffrage movement in the early 1900’s. It’s a very long story, with a lot of fairy tales tied into the storyline. There are also quite a few characters that are hard to keep track of. Thank goodness I have an ereader and could search for previous mentions of names that I had forgotten! If you enjoy stories about witchcraft you’ll probably enjoy this one, but it’s a bit longer than it needs to be. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit I had my doubts about this book but I was very quickly drawn into the struggles of the three sisters, Juniper, Bella, and Agnes as they lived in New Salem. I thought it was cool to have them use witchcraft to try to better the lives of all women (since it was not the best time to be a woman then). I enjoyed reading the little children's rhymes (disguised spells) at the beginnings of each chapter and the changed fairy tales.

This was a very well written book!

This just moved to the top of my list of best books this year. So much to love about this book!!! The parallels it drew to today, the rhymes/spells at the beginning of each chapter and the stories interpret throughout. Best witch book I've read in a long time, this one will be in my mind for a long time. Definitely belongs in my library. ♡♡♡

Alix E Harrow is a genius. This book was so well crafted I almost have no words to do it justice. There was a sister bond, witchy vibes, and important focus on women's rights. The story is woven together so perfectly and if I went through it with a fine tooth comb, I don't think I could find anything wrong whatsoever. A geniunly amazing sophmore novel for Alix, and I will buy anything and everything she puts out for the rest of forever.

"That’s all magic is, really: the space between what you have and what you need."

It’s really hard to put my feelings for this book – and this author – into words properly…but I’ll try.

I first came across Alix E. Harrow after reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January. It was a wild ride, and one that took me way out of the realm of where I thought the journey was going – but in a good way. It had this unpredictable feel to it, where anything I thought might happen didn’t.

That’s the same kind of feeling I got with The Once and Future Witches as well. What started as a story about sisterhood and suffrage and magic became about so much more than I could have ever hoped for.

Let’s talk about the characters. Not only were they relatable, but they were complex and deep and anything but one-dimensional. I loved the rocky relationship between the three vastly different sisters and how they grew throughout the course of the story. I also really liked the inclusion and representation of diverse characters – black, lesbian, trans – even in the late 1800s.

This was such a powerful book with so many quotable passages about what it means to be a woman, what it means to be powerless, and what it means to find your place in the world.

I also think it interesting that, even though the stories were completely different, it followed a similar format to The Ten Thousand Doors of January: there was even a nod to a magic door, which was just *chef’s kiss*.

I really like this author, and as I probably said after reading her debut, but I can’t wait to get my grubby little paws on whatever the author writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Alt-History Women's Suffrage Era + Witchcraft + Mother/Maiden/Crone archetype = this book. I won't say this was easy to get into because I would be lying. Even halfway through I thought about putting it down but I just felt because I was so initially intrigued by the concept mash-up that I should keep going. Eventually I settled into the story but it was a struggle to get there.

I think I had the hardest time in the beginning because I wasn't too enamored with the three main sisters. They each seemed too wrapped up in themselves and their own hurts that it was hard to root for them. I connected better with the story when the sisters reunited than when they were separate.
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I will say that I enjoyed the world-building. You could tell that the author had done their research and thought to pull in lots of elements from that era. And each character created for the book was unique and spoke with their own voice and perspective. In the end though, this was just an okay read for me.

If you like the author, who wrote the very popular The Ten Thousand Doors of January (which I haven't read) then you may enjoy this. I think mine will be a minority opinion of the book overall but that's okay.

I have been sitting on this review all month. The reason I have been sitting on the review is that I got to the 32% mark and just could not make myself pick the book up again. This also happened with the authors book The Ten Thousand Doors of January. I DNF'd that book at the 60% mark. Based on the fact that I am DNF'ing both of the authors books probably means that I just do not connect with Alix Harrow's writing. I don't think either book was bad as far as content or writing language, I just simply seem to not be able to connect.

I would never discourage someone from picking up either of the titles by this author, I just know that for me going forward I will not.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you so much, Redhook books and Netgalley, for the chance to read and review this book!

There used to be witches in the past, before violence and burning and hate wiped them. Now the witching is present only in small charms and rhymes. But in the world of 1893, three sisters start to pursue this forgotten world, with its dangers and powers, joining the suffragists of Salem and fighting against shadows and perils to survive.

James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth and Beatrice Belladonna are the Eastwood sisters, but something in the past pushed them apart and after years they are almost strangers, full of secrets, feelings and problems to face. When they meet again they will have to do anything in order to survive and heal the bond between them.
Told by multiple POVs and following them in their adventures, thoughts, past and present, The Once and Future Witches mixes female power to magic, to justice, to sisterhood, to sapphic love, to motherhood and women's fights for rights and vote.
The characters are fierce, stubborn and absolutely relatable in their feelings and thoughts, in their lives, burdened by secrets, mistakes, facing the future and discovering more about them and the world.
Written skillfully, the reader is involved in the story, but, above all, in the characters, with their strenghts and flaws, their bond, their courage and fears.

The plot is intense and captivating and I was drawn to the story right away, because I needed to know what happened and what would happen to them. Amazing.

The Once and Future Witches is about three sisters torn apart by tragedy and brought together by hope and desperation. Juniper, Agnes, and Bella know what they are and they know how dangerous it is to be in New Salem. For they are witches and Salem burns their witches. I found this story to be both relevant and timeless. The characters and trials of this story reflecting back the current world I know. The prose is very flowery and sometimes a little dense to work through, but the impact of it is a story that reads like a fairy tale. I loved how inclusive and shame free this book was in regards to sexuality, pregnancy, abortion, and race. I wish I could have had more of the epilogue as we connect so much with Juniper that her final words being so short feel too short, but her arc overall was both fitting and beautiful.

A story about women reclaiming their power, about the bonds of sisterhood, and about how other women can be your best allies or your worst enemies. Hits a little too close to home in the current political climate.

Something about the story left me unsatisfied. Perhaps it's that Juniper and Bella and Agnes only won a partial victory and that their work needs to continue. No happy ever after in this tale.

The Once and Future Witches earns 5/5 Magic Times Three...Engaging Epic!

I am a fan of the more realistic drama about witches, and Alix Harrow had me hooked at “An Introduction” with the ending line “There’s still no such thing as witches. But there will be.” As the tale begins, it is the spring equinox of 1893 New Salem, a starkly different place from Old Salem and it’s past. The third-person narrative centers on the Eastwood sisters: the youngest James Juniper, the middle sister Agnes Amaranth, and the eldest Beatrice Belladonna. Their mother died early having not imparted her knowledge of magic to any of them and their father, critical and abusive, didn’t die soon enough, but their grandmother, Mother Mags, did her best to provide the three sister with enough magic instruction to survive. However, Agnes and Beatrice left, and James Juniper was alone and angry. The journey converges with historical issues like the suffragette movement, reuniting the sisters, and . The idea women’s rights are also witches’ rights was easily expressed, but not easily obtained with the patriarchal control and evil lurking in the shadows. The book is extensive divided into five parts and over 500 pages filled with lengthy, sensory-laden description, a plethora of characters, and entangled drama. Although the story might have been more easily read if edited down or separated into a trilogy [no loss of stars just because it’s long], I greatly enjoyed sisters, the history, the journey, the witch lore Harrow created, and the sense that she was somehow writing about the disenfranchised, the marginalized, the discouraged of today. I enjoyed “The Once and Future Witches.”

Fantastic, Alix Harrow's second novel is just as lush and well written as her previous "Ten Thousand Doors of January" Her writing envelops and transports you.

The Once and Future Witches is a story about three sister witches fighting for women’s rights and also the right to witching. When I first read the synopsis, I originally thought this was going to be a spooky story set in Salem ( one of my fav places) and would perfectly set the tone of spooky season for me.

What I didn’t know is that it would be a story that is mostly character driven and about sisters who are just fighting for their rights. I expected this to be a spooky fantasy story perfect for Halloween and so it’s my own fault that I just didn’t enjoy this book at all.

The writing style was BEAUTIFUL and I could picture everything as it was happening but as I said before, this was character driven and I couldn’t connect to any of the characters at all, I didn’t remotely care what was going on and found myself skimming.

Ultimately, it’s my own fault for not enjoying this book, I thought it was something other then it was. So if you’re looking for a feminist story about sister witches, you will probably love The Once and Future Witches.

I really liked Alix Harrow's Ten Thousand Doors of January so I was excited to give The Once and Future Witches a try.
The story takes place in 1893 and follows the three Eastwood sisters in New Salem. The three sisters, Juniper, Agnes, and Bella, have not been in contact since leaving their father's farm. However, the three are united during a suffragette rally that is interrupted by an incredible display of magic. The three sisters must unite to change the fate of womankind.
The story is very much character driven. I loved reading about the sisters and uncovering details about their past. The historical elements were very well done and it was interesting to find the nuggets of history in the book, The magical and fairy tale elements is what really made it a great read for me.
Harrow is an amazing fantasy writer and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

What a perfect October read! I fell in love with this spooky, feminist tale. The character development was spectacular, All three main characters have their own unique voices and viewpoints. Harrow paints them with words of struggle, suffering and strength that truly encapsulates what it means to be a woman.

I gave four stars due to issues I had with head-hopping within chapters. Also, I don’t care for third-person-present tense, as it just reads a bit awkward.

That said, I still highly recommend this book, This is the first time I have ever highlighted passages from a book, and I highlighted several funny and wonderful passages.

“She didn’t think throwing down the tyranny of man would take so many meetings, but apparently it did.”

When I first read the synopsis for this book I thought there was no way I wasn't going to love it. I thought there was no way I couldn't love a story about the suffragette movement and witches. Sadly, this book didn't live up to the hype for me. I was intrigued from the beginning, but as the story went on I quickly started to lose interest, which was unfortunate because this is a rather long book. I didn't really care about the sisters individually; I loved their relationship when they were together, but every time I would follow them on their little side adventures I just wasn't interested. Of the three sisters, I liked the youngest by far the most; the other two I found lacked development. I found there were way too many side characters to keep track of and the villain was underwhelming.

All that being said, I don't think this is by any means a bad book. The writing was very beautiful and there was honestly one scene that almost saved the whole book for me. In general, I just found myself bored and wanting to be done with this and move on to something else. Also, what was that ending?

I'm sad to say I didn't enjoy this one as much as I would have liked but I am interested in giving Alix E. Harrow another try.

While the 10k doors of January tried valiantly to craft words, the Once and Future Witches blew it out of the park. This was beautiful. It was poetic. It was haunting. It was a little too long, but it was so wonderful. It was feminist but not in a way that hits you over the head.

If you like feminist, slow, character driven witchy stories, this book is for you!

It definitely sounds like something I would love but unfortunately, I'm not connecting with Alix E. Harrow's writing style. It's a shame because The Ten Thousand Doors of January seemed to be a hit for most people, and this book seems to be no worse. As much as I want to lover her books, the characters she creates never seem to have enough depth to them and the books read very young, which is not a bad thing! Just not what I'm looking for in this particular story type. I'm 39% through this story and I'm putting it down.

Fun and creative and smart. Harrow does an amazing job creating a new world that lives beside the one we know.