I was hopeful and looking forward to this one since I like Halloween. I usually really like books about witches with anything spooky or Halloween-related, but this one completely missed the mark for me. I don't know what it was, but I couldn't get into this book at all.
I felt disconnected from the story and the characters. It was a bit strange and for older - 80 yr old women; it had quite a bit of reference and focus on sex, which was a bit weird and unrealistic and I didn't like it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for letting me read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love witchy books and just by the title I knew I wanted to read this one. Bianca Marais is a new to me author and I loved discovering that she is from Toronto, just adding to what a talented bunch of authors we have from here.

Think the Golden Girls meets Practical Magic, that’s what the buzz is saying, I'll agree even though I have never watched Practical Magic.

The Witches of Moonshine Manor is the story with a deadline, the past finally catching up and a spunky 12 year old who infiltrates the lives of these elderly witches. This was a fun read with an eclectic cast of characters along with Widget the crow. I enjoyed the author's writing style, how she weaved in the past and how this group came to be with their vastly different personalities, talents and secrets.

The Witches is the story of friendship. It is witty, mysterious and had a nice ending. There’s a large cast of characters and I wish I had made a cheat sheet right from the beginning just to keep a record of who’s who’s, their special abilities. That being said it didn’t take too long to keep it all straight and enjoy this ride.

Releasing tomorrow it is available for purchase, my thanks to HarperCollins Canada for a digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.

DNFed at 30%

I'm so bummed. The premise of this sounded interesting - a group of older witches get help fighting the patriarchy from a young Tiktoker - but it just didn't connect with me at all. It jumps between all the different witches and at times I found it hard to keep straight who was who.. Just the beginning alone it replays the same morning through the POV of each one... and the narrative voice for all POVs felt like the same person and felt a bit hokey and silly at times? I think many others will find it fun but personally the quirkiness wasn't my jam.

I think fans of Hocus Pocus may like this book though.

First of all, I obviously loved this book! It's a hard
story to summarize, without giving too much away. The author does a marvelous job of building the story, so by the time the reader has finished the book, they realize they really knew nothing about it at the beginning.

Moonshyne Manor is the home and nearly another coven member with a found family of mature witches who live there and run the attached distillery. While it's made clear pretty early on that their home and their way of life are at stake, the true cause of all the trouble is unclear, besides being the 'evil townsmen.'

In the first awful confrontation with the evil townsmen, we're also lucky enough to meet young Persephone, and her dog, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. What is not to love about a young feminist ready to defend a houseful of witches in their 80s? This early scene gives more life to several of the characters, and had me calling my daughter in to read parts to her time and time again.

The story continues to give us more background info on all of the characters, and what brought them and the manor to their current dire situation. This is one of the best contemporary stories I've read in a long time, which is why I had to give it 5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this story to open-minded readers, willing to believe in the true power of magic, family, and love.

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor is an engaging, hilarious, and utterly charming take on the modern witch story with these delightful witchy equivalents of The Golden Girls. It's not just the cheesecake that has healing powers.

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor is a fun and engaging read, perfect for fans of the movie Hocus Pocus. The chapters read quickly, the stakes are high, and the characters are supremely lovable. Best of all, Bianca Marais crafts a plot that explores important and topical themes that kick this novel up several notches. Plus there’s a Harley Davidson broomstick so… 😏🧹️🧙‍♀️

The central characters—six octogenarian witches (why do all other descriptions say five??)—are the heart and soul of The Witches of Moonshyne Manor. Each character feels distinct, driven by their own motives, desires, dreams. Queenie is the de facto matriarch and heavy is the head that wears the crown as she tries to save the witches’ home from foreclosure. Queenie’s smarts and resourcefulness make her a compelling leader and inventor, but she has a bad habit of shouldering all burdens herself that leads to some sticky situations. Her right hand is sweet and brilliant Ivy. Tabitha the animal-whisperer is equal parts enduring love and searing resentment after a lethal run-in with police brutality. Jezebel is the hilarious seductress and household mixologist, prone to turning men into pigs. 

And finally there are Ursula and Ruby. Ursula has pined for Ruby for as long as she can remember, waiting lovingly in the shadows while Ruby fell for someone else. Ruby, a gender-fluid witch with the innate power to change her appearance, is the beating heart of the novel that catapults the story from funny and mischievous to heartwarming. I can’t stress enough how much I adore Ruby’s journey—this book is worth reading just for her. And really, for the beautiful story of how these six women support one another.

The witches by far receive the most character development throughout, but I do wish we were shown more than told, especially at the beginning, which feels a bit slow. Ruby’s story is done well, as we’re shown the most of her journey, but the other characters seem to suffer for it. This is particularly obvious with Queenie, who we’re told is incredibly smart but who makes a series of nonsensical decisions. How does Queenie let them slip so far behind on their mortgage payments? And why does she keep it a secret? Without regular cash flow, how have they paid any other bills or for food? Is it through magic, and if so, why can’t magic help solve their money problems?

For those characters outside the coven, I want more depth. Persephone comes across a bit like a caricature of a Gen Z teenager, one I didn’t ultimately connect to. She feels shoe-horned in as an obvious feminism mouthpiece even though the coven of witches represent feminism just fine on their own. The villains and even most men in the town seem fairly one-dimensional—evil for evil’s sake. And the intriguing, powerful Charon feels supremely underused. Overall, I want a bit more exploration of the moral gray rather than just black and white good and bad characters.

As I mentioned earlier, the triumph of this story is the themes it explores in depth: gender identity, racial biases, feminism, ageism, found family. The plot doesn’t rely on magic to solve all problems and I like the idea that magic gets harder as you age (although that leads to some plot holes itself). There are also cute inclusions of spells and drink recipes that don’t necessarily add to the story, but do help build the magical atmosphere.

With a little more on-page character development and less hand-waving around the plot holes, this would be a 5-star read for me. As it is, 3.75 stars rounded up to 4 for the enjoyable and heartwarming ride with this amazing group of women. Would definitely recommend, especially if you like character-driven urban fantasies. Do yourself a favor and read it now, then read it again around Halloween. At least, that’s my plan.

Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Mairais is just delightful. Such a fun, engaging story. It was different getting to read about 80 year old women and I liked their points of view. However, Persephone was my favorite. The dynamic that she added to the story elevated this book for me! This book is a mix of Golden Girls and Practical Magic so if that’s your bag, you’ll be very happy with this.

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor is a sharp departure from Bianca Marias' previous books, serious, realistic explorations of apartheid and its legacy on South Africa. This novel instead focuses on a group of witches fighting to prevent their house from being repossessed. Marais was clearly inspired by the discussions of feminism, sex and gender from the past few years. I could have used a lighter touch — but progressive readers will likely find a lot to lvoe.

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor is a hilarious and heartfelt novel about aging, fighting the patriarchy, and finding the family that completes us. I loved every page of this delightful, insightful, and inclusive twist on the witchy rom-com.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

Couldn’t connect with the odd, unfocused writing style or with the witches. Many POVs and not one that grabbed me. A lot of focus on sex for eighty-year-old women. Found it a little hard to believe.

Thank you to MIRA for sharing a copy, but this story isn’t for me.

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais is an odd witchy tale. There are witches, a crow, a ghost, and a lively teenager. The story has a unique beginning (nudity and intimate relations) as we get to meet each witch. The point-of-view switches between the sisters and Persephone. The author created some unique characters including a transgender woman. The witches are in their 80s with all the aches and pains that comes with that age. We learn about each sister which includes the secrets they are keeping. I loved Persephone. She is a precocious teenager who wishes to help the octogenarian witches. Persephone provides levity and charm. The pacing picks up in the last quarter of the book as the action and suspense ramp up. There are sisterly squabbles, the reading of tea leaves, a fiery game, a frantic search, reuniting with Ruby, and magic spells. The resolution was a little too neat and easily accomplished, but there was an unusual component. There is a part that is clever, and I like the revelation near the end (I cannot say more because it is a spoiler). The Witches of Moonshyne Manor is a book that I would never have chosen to read if I could have read a sample first. I found the first chapter to be a turnoff. I struggled to get through the book (skimming was involved). I am not a fan of reading about eighty-year-old having intimate relations or satisfying themself. I do want to let you know that the story does contain an excessive amount of foul language, intimate situations, nudity, and self-love. The Witches of Moonshyne Manor is a peculiar tale with a clever crow, a talented teenager, sister witches, mad men, a self-righteous relative, a sizzling sport, a ticking clock, and a panicky pursuit.

Witches of Moonshyne manor is a fun witchy romp with significant representation of characters of all ages. A cast of characters centers around a group of senior witches, one who is about to be released from jail and hopefully will be able to save the manor. All does not go as planned, as in the case of many seniors, memory loss and confusion have befallen the inmate Ruby, a quirky witch whose magic likes to switch between genders. I thought this was a unique way to introduce this character which leads some to hilarious antics as the story goes between the night before she was arrested and present times.
The recipes for each spell discussed in the book are sprinkled throughout the story, which I found more distracting than helpful and would prefer they be at the end of the book. The witches are in a real struggle to save their home and make some severe stumbles as they try to navigate the best way to keep the manor, but in the end, they find their way.

Despite buying their *spirits* from the Moonshyne Manor distillery, the men in town want to tear down the manor, clear the land, and build a temple to toxic masculinity--a type of "men only" theme park. Faced with eviction from their beloved home, the coven of five witches struggle to find a solution to their dilemma by consulting the Moonshyne Manor Grimoire and receiving a little help from local teen Persephone and her Italian greyhound Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Persephone stole the show for me. I love that the main 5 witches are all in their 80s, but feisty and tech-savvy Persephone kept everything fresh, modern, and fun. Some of the best lines in the book were generation gap cluelessness and "who's teaching who" type moments between Persephone and Queenie.

Overall this book is a fun story of friendship and sisterhood, but it should not be written off as a fluffy, nonsensical read. In addition to feminist witches, The Witches of Moonshyne Manor puts identity and sexuality at the forefront with LGBTQ+ and sex-positive storylines.

A fun read that reveals its secrets slowly. The women of Moonshyne Manor are witches- they each have a particular thing - and the mob is coming for them in the form of a developer who will take the Manor if they can not pay their mortgage and taxes in 9 days. These octogenarians have lived together since they each were brought or made their way to the manor as children and now, when it's threatened, they've put their hopes on Ruby, who has been gone for 33 years. Ruby's story is spooled out in bits so no spoilers from me. Queenie, the titular head of the group, has also made a deal with the devil that is dependent on Ruby. And then young Persephone, daughter of the mayor, turns up and helps them in ways they couldn't have anticipated. Queenie, Ivy, Ursula, Jezebel, Tabbty, and Widget the crow (I loved Widget) are all standout characters. I liked this much more than I expected because it was unexpected in all the best ways. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Yes, it's about the family we make but it's also got some serious spirit. Oh- and there are recipes, some of which are for cocktails, some of which are for magic.

This book wasn't for me. I liked that the characters loved themselves and embraced their qualities as they've aged. However I just felt like the plot was really not for me. It was really hard to hold my attention and I think the topics that were discussed are just things I don't care for when reading. I really wanted to love the book. I think if you're into the witchy culture that is so often seen on tik tok now a days, or into feminism you might really love this book so please give it a chance if you are into that!

All I could think about while reading this book is....if the Golden Girls were witches this would be their story LOL. A group of 80 yo witches, friends for decades, now run a distillery and are at risk of losing their house...

These women are funny and this book is a quick fun read.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital arc

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC of this novel. I am an Indigo employee and this review is my own.

So this is one of the few books I did not finish reading this year. I just couldn't get into the style of writing which I found jarring and did not captivate my attention. I tried on several occasions to pick up and continue the book but it held very little interest due to the prose. I think the concept and the overall storyline holds great potential had the author chosen a different manner in which to write. More show and less tell is the key here.

I hope other readers will find amusement in this book.

This was so fun! Persephone is my absolute favorite. Some parts may have been a little on the nose, but there were definitely some twists I didn’t see coming.

The answer to the question, What if Golden Girls but a coven?
Delighted to include this title in the August instalment of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see review at link)

Clever and unique riding on the tail of female empowerment, this was a great addition to the "witch fic" trend we've been seeing as of late