The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais is a delightful and heartwarming tale about a group of elderly witches who must come together to save their beloved home. The story is full of humor, charm, and unexpected twists and turns, making it a thoroughly enjoyable read. These witches may look old, but they are still young at heart.

The characters are all well-developed and easy to relate to, sometimes I forgot that the were older. The witches are a particularly fascinating group, each with their own unique personalities and magical abilities, and I love the fact that there was little old lady bickering thrown in the mix too. The supporting cast, including the local townsfolk and a mysterious new arrival, is also well-drawn and adds depth to the story.

The setting of Moonshyne Manor is vividly described and adds to the overall atmosphere of the book. The descriptions of the manor itself, as well as the surrounding countryside, are both evocative and atmospheric and helps with the world building in this book.

Overall, The Witches of Moonshyne Manor is a highly entertaining and heartwarming novel that is sure to appeal to fans of magical realism and women's fiction. It is a book that celebrates the power of friendship, family, and community, and reminds us that it is never too late to find our magic.

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor was a nice change of pace from all the teen/YA witchy literature. It was like a magical version of Golden Girls, complete with funny, irreverent characters and repercussions of past mistakes.

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor was the perfect read to transition from summer to autumn, with its witchy vibes, delightful characters, and a healthy dose of patriarchy smashing!

I have to admit, it took me a while to fully get into this as we are plunged into Moonshyne Manor in the midst of a crisis, meeting (almost) all the sisterhood members in close succession. I needed a few beats to remember who was who, but once I did, I soon became really attached to them. I loved how each witch had a special talent and an affinity for a different type of magic (plants, animals, inventions, seduction…) and how different all their personalities were.

It also quickly became clear that there was more, much more, lurking beneath the surface, with multiple risks for the sisterhood and old secrets coming to light. The author did an excellent job of spreading the clues around for me to pick up like tiny breadcrumbs drawing the trail to that beautiful ending. There were quite a few things I hadn’t seen coming, so I was very pleasantly surprised, but also kept wanting to read to finally understand how all the pieces fit together.

The alternating POVs worked really well to help me see things from the different sisters’ perspectives, and I liked how smoothly it all flowed: even though at times the writing was slightly repetitive, these sections were never prevalent and were improved by developments further down the line.

This book was so many things! It combines some of my favorite things, like witches, heists and secrets, as well as some tropes I love such as found family. It also tackles a wide range of themes, like ageing and the relationship between older and younger generations; the importance of friendships and family; love and forgiveness; and, above all, sisterhood. Mix them all together, sprinkle in a good dose of humour and magic, and you have a great, heartwarming, autumnal witchy read!

DNF. unfortunately I loved the other books by this author but could not get through this one. It was so cringey and did not feel like her writing at all

You had me at "Five octogenarian witches." Then I actually started reading the book and the first scene cemented the fact that I was hooked! Then I learned that to avoid future witch hunts, the witches dosed their moonshine with something that kept the townsmen calm. I'm telling you this book kept getting better and better.

I started listening to this audiobook on a road trip and took the long route so I could get more reading in!

I don't want to spoil the plot, but I'll leave you with this: The book features a dog named Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a monkey very appropriately named Klepto.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me.

I just could not get into this book. I didn't find a story, just a bunch of character introduction and sex. I don't mind sex in my books, but I do want plot to go with it.

Would not recommend.

The voice actress, I could listen to her voice all day. If she could narrate my life I would be so happy.
The story was so easy to follow, I wrote to the author to let her know that I liked that she choose to have a character Pansexual. She was happy that I notice that!

They're older woman but in someway, I could related to all of theirs stories. It's a beautiful story of being free of the expectations of society and to be able to live our life outside some expectations.

It was a good division between mysteries, love, womanhood, the falling of the opinion of mens etc.

Thank you to the author for having made this story possible.

Such a fun witchy read! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Any Landon, did such a phenomenal job bringing out all the depth and quirkiness of each character.

The story....well, I was sold as soon as started listening to the 5 octogenarian witches lol. I heard someone say it's like the Golden Girls x Practical Magical, and that was a pretty solid description.

This book has it all. It has all ages, races, LGBTQ+, and a solid story with excellent world building. The witty banter and at all the right times. A little bit of mystery and drama with lots of laughs.

The only reason it's not 5 stars is because I feel we were spoonfed a little too much vs letting the reader come to their own conclusions a bit (personal preference ofc) and at times the story felt a little convoluted.

Overall it was a super fun read for me and it was definitely entertaining.


Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin audio for my review copy.

All thoughts are my own and please remember, reading is subjective.

Rtc

I was so excited when I saw this book I just had to read it. Once I started it was not what I excepted. Some of the content was out of my comfort zone. So I dnf’d. Then I thought why not give it another go. It was okay but not my cup of tea. Although I’ve seen a ton of people love this book. Sadly you can’t live every book you read.

I listened to The Witches of Moonshyne Manor a few months ago and absolutely adored it! I immediately fell in love with characters. It's the story of a witch coven consisting of primarily old witches. It is set in modern day with modern themes and it had me laughing at loud at parts. The witches are trying everything possible to save their manor and rely on the help of someone a bit younger. I recommend this one for people that like stories about witches and found family.

A feel good story about a found family of witches. I loved hearing about each of the ladies backgrounds and what brought them to Moonshyne Manor, and the premise of the interaction with the town was fun, but I did not engage as much with the plot line as with the background.

3.5 stars!

I'm always on the hunt to find my next witchy read, and was excited for THE WITCHES OF MOONSHYNE MANOR. It was quirky and laugh out loud funny, making me wish that I could see this story play out as a movie.

Five octogenarian witches gather as an angry mob threatens to demolish Moonshyne Manor. All eyes turn to the witch in charge, Queen, who confesses they've fallen far behind on their mortgage payments.

Funny, tender, and uplifting, the novel explores the formidable power that can be discovered in aging, found family and unlikely friendships.

*many thanks to Harper Audio and netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Although the witches of Moonshyne Manor are facing some serious challenges, don't count them out yet! They will make amends for past mistakes, outsmart a demon, fend off a mob, all in their own inimitable style. As pressure mounts and deadlines loom, the witches appreciate their bond more than ever. Marais gives voice to a unique family of witches, each with her own style.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Loved this quirky, funny, charming read. This had the safe appeal of a cozy mystery, the hilarity of a Golden Girls episode (I mean, Jezebel is a HOOT!) and had warmth and wisdom that I deeply appreciated. The audio quality felt a bit grainy here, but I thought the narrator did a brilliant job of shifting between the six key character voices.

I have tried to listen to this audiobook multiple times, and somehow all the details start running together right away. I'm going to try it in print, but this audiobook just isn't working for me.

This was not for me. In fact I couldn't even finish. I wanted to like this but it took more then a quarter of the book for the plot to get going and it felt like the author assumed that we knew and liked these characters before we even knew anything really about them. The writing itself was fine and I'd be open to reading from this authors voice but the format seemed inconsistent.

Loved this book! Exactly as how the author describes at the end! A warm comforting cup of tea on a dark wintery night. I loved spending time with these ladies and so will you as they search to find a way to bring themselves back together and fight against the outside world who is trying to steal their home! Great characters and story - well spun! I only didn't like the intro to the characters as a description like a dictionary right off the bat- but afterwards it was delightful sailing!

The story was a bit slow to start as the focus was on setting the stage and introducing the seven main characters. But I really enjoyed learning about the interesting characters and in becoming immersed in the story’s setting of Moonshyne Manor and the lives and back stories of the witches. I felt that I was part of the setting throughout the novel.

I went into this book knowing next to nothing about what it was about besides there being witches in it and it was such a delightfully fun read! It took me a minute or two to keep all the witches straight with the audiobook, but that's on me and not the book. This book contains a fun cast of female characters with different magical skills. There are a lot of funny moments as these elderly witches meet a 21st century TikToker and some others wanting to turn their beloved Manor into a men's development.

I found the plot moved at a great pace, and the ending was beautiful and moving as we root for the characters and find out what really happened all those years ago. I really enjoyed the audiobook narration and look forward to reading more of this author's backlist

I've attempted to listen to this one multiple times, but I can't for the life of me get into it. I love witchy books, but I just can't get into this one. I'm not sure if it's a lack of a clear plot or I'm just not feeling the characters, but I'm not holding onto anything enough to keep at it.