I loved the idea of this book in theory, but I found that it was ultimately very boring. I did not care much for the characters, they all felt pretty two-dimensional. I loved the cover and pitch for this book so I was pretty disappointed. I think if you are looking to dive into a family dynamic, you might like this book.

This was a funny book filled with elderly witches, recipes for potions, drinks, and finding true love, and a bit of mystery too. I don't think I've ever read a book where the main characters are in their eighties and though I can't relate to them much, I thought it was great how little they cared for modesty or holding back their comments.

The plot wasn't really fast paced and even with a countdown, things didn't feel that urgent until the last quarter. It was more about the women reuniting with Ruby and getting to know Persephone, a teenager who's drawn to help save their home. It was fun enough and kept my interest, but the conflict felt too easily resolved and I would have liked a bit more action.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the copy.

This book is kind of like if Practical Magic and The Golden Girls collided. It's a magical blend of feminism, sisterhood, friendship, and demolishing the patriarchy with intelligence, grace and sharp humor.

Social Justice Warrior: The Novel

I would like to thank Bianca Marais, Harper Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also HUGE thanks to Emer Flounders for inviting me on the blog tour and providing me with an audio version.

SPOILERS, ye be warned

On one hand, I respect what Marais did here, and it was executed better than it might have been. On the other hand, much of it wasn’t to my taste.

Pro: Each of the women had distinct personalities. A few leaned hard into stereotypes, right down to their names. But they also owned those stereotypes. I found all but Ursula likable, but I particularly sympathized with Ivy; she and I have some things in common.
Con: Too many characters. I listened to not only the cast list but the first few chapters three times before I felt I had a grasp on who was who (the on-the-nose names did help).

As to Ursula—I’m not sure if it was Marais’s intention, but to me Ursula came across as obsessed with Ruby. I found it off-putting, in part because it was kind of creepy, and in part because none of her supposed sisters ever held an intervention. They just let her fester for sixty or seventy years. And framing Magnus like that . . . The book says you have to forgive family, but you don’t. What she did was a lot more heinous than Marais let on. I’m not sure it was forgivable, especially considering the consequences.

Pro: The novel was inclusive of minorities and encouraged environmentally-friendly habits.
Con: This book definitely had a social agenda. It quickly became irritating. Even the core of the plot, come to find out, was a metaphor for gender reassignment surgery. I think? More or less? Or maybe not even a metaphor but just a magical version of it? I mean, I was glad for Ruby, but I’d have been more entertained by a simple plot to save the family farm, as it were. Yeah—in fact, the heist should have taken place in present day. Was Ruby’s agenda necessary? It just made the timeline convoluted. Although her memory loss was an interesting take on dementia. Hmm . . . debatable.

Pro: The protagonists were of an age rarely chosen for lead characters. It felt fresh, unique, and heart-warming for them to have personalities aside from “grandma,” to be depicted as individuals of will and strength and power. Declining strength and power, but still more than elders are commonly given credit for.
Con: Who wants to spend their free time imagining old people having sex or running around naked? Toning Jezebel down would have helped.

Pro: Magnus, at least, was a great guy. He genuinely loved Ruby, every facet of her. I felt my spirit lighten when I read that, when he was concerned rather than horrified.
Con: Men in general were depicted as selfish, greedy, unreasonable, aggressive, condescending, wife-beating villains and bad fathers. I’m with Persephone in opposing the patriarchy, but we shouldn’t generalize an entire sex like this book did (or profession—all the cops were corrupt idiots). Sure, a lot of men have generalized women and still do, but that doesn’t make it right for us to do it to them. So where were the townswomen in all this? Did they have nothing to say about Mens’ World? Did they not drink the anger-potion? It’s like only one aspect of the consequences was explored—the one that suited the book’s agenda. Not plot—agenda.

Pro: Some of the grimoire recipes were interesting/entertaining. It was a creative device, at any rate, and never broke tone.
Con: But mostly I felt they disrupted the story and were unnecessary. Fluff that didn’t contribute much. Every time one came up, it annoyed me; a few times I groaned out loud. I just wanted to get back to the story. The ones from Jezebel also made me uncomfortable.

Question—so the women paid off their debt, but how will they pay for everything going forward? That was all I could think of at the end. Yay, they cleared their debts . . . but what about next quarter’s taxes? And the quarter after that? I mean, the bills won’t stop. Does the distillery make enough revenue? But if it does, why couldn’t they pay off their loan? Why did they even need a loan? Did sales take that much of a dip due to SWT? Do the women not distribute farther than town? Either I missed something (likely) or some part of that doesn’t add up. More clarification on their financial situation was needed.

Another thing that could have been clarified was why Ruby was in prison. I had to go back and listen to Tabby’s memory of that night again to find out. One, having to repeat-listen to search for missing information always irritates me, and, two, they glance over the reason for Ruby’s arrest so quickly I had to actually stop what I was doing and concentrate on each word to be sure I caught it. It wasn’t helpful to have that night related to us through Tabby’s deep POV, because she was too busy realizing she was dead to really pay attention to the standoff, which made that whole scene rather confusing.

Something that really frustrated me was when Ivy accidentally drank the anger-potion and starting ranting about her frustrations with her sisters. They were legit emotions, she was incredibly stressed, but all her sisters cared about was proving the effects of the anger-potion. Which, yes, were important in that moment, but no one bothered to circle around and talk to Ivy about her frustrations. And Ivy shouldn’t have been keeping secrets. The narrative should have been more about getting those women, supposedly so close, to communicate better, should have been about them all, but instead it was all about Ruby.

So again, I respect what Marais did here, shining light on people and problems often ignored if not scoffed at by society, but it was too heavy-handed for my taste and detracted from what could have been a really fun story with better character development.

Also, vikings hats and face paint? Way to be subtle, Marais. More than once this novel felt like an exercise in venting the author’s own frustration with current events.

Oh, and the narrator, Amy Landon, was great!

This book doesn't take itself too seriously, and reading it is a good time. We follow five octogenarian witches as they try to save their beloved manor from being turned into a brewery/strip club/golf course/shooting range. The witches must raise $500,000 within a matter of days if they are to retain their home. Meanwhile, a series of unforeseen events start to take place. The mayor's fifteen-year-old daughter comes to the witches' rescue, an old family foe returns, and a dark wizard expects to claim something he was promised. All the while, the witches must grapple with events of 33 years ago as the secrets they have been hiding from each other come to light.

After reading reviews relating this story to Practical Magic meets the Golden Girls, I knew I had to read it! The Witches of Moonshyne Manor has helped me recognize that I would also like to "age disgracefully." I felt as if I knew each of these witches personally which created such a unique reading experience. After thirty-three years of sisterhood the bonds of friendship and family were beautiful, and something to aspire to!

My favorite aspect of this story was the representation of elderly women and the wide array of interests these women have. While their interests were often connected to their magical powers, it was very interesting to see the differences between characters. Growing up and old doesn't mean you have to fit in one box, you can be whoever you would like to be!

The audio narrator, Amy Landon did an amazing job at bringing a voice to this story. Landon added so much extra emotional punch to the witty remarks, heartbreaks, and sentimental moments!

Also, I think it is important to note how much thought and care the author has put into this novel. Featured on the Author's website there is a Witches of Moonshyne Manor Wordle, Which Witch Are You? quiz (I am Ursula), a playlist and a Personalized Bookplate Order (which I am 100% going to order).

Overall, I would rate this a 4.5 stars and it is worth rounding up! (:

The book was wonderfully light. Where some of the books I have read lately are very dark and slow paced, this was such a rejuvenating listen. The narrator did a fantastic job, especially given the number of characters and changing the voice to suit them all and their ages.

The book itself was sweet, nothing too jaw dropping and quite predictable, but the author built great atmosphere and had some really silly passages (the excerpt from the grimoire on having a healthy bush actually made me laugh out loud!!).

Overall, a really cute and easy book. Definitely a good audiobook experience and I think had I read it in print I wouldn't have enjoyed quite as much.

Thank you for this ARC!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the audio ARC of The Witches of Moonshyne Manor.

Moonshyne Manor was a fun and, at times, very emotional romp through the lives of six octogenarian witches (plus a familiar or two and a particularly determined young feminist magician). I quite enjoyed the book at times, but at others I felt a bit lost.

The problem with six elderly witches being main characters in an audiobook is that they are easy to get confused with each other, particularly when I felt the narrator didn't place particular emphasis on changing the way she read in order to distinguish them. I often had to stop myself in moments where the sisters powers weren't on display to ask myself "Who is speaking? Which one is Ursula again? What are Jezebel's and Ivy's powers?". That isn't to say, of course, that they weren't interesting and likable, as I found all the witches to be very fun characters, they were just a bit difficult to keep straight at times.

An advance warning to those who like to jump into action immediately: the first few chapters in this book are slow and have a heavy sex focus that does not in fact carry through the rest of the book (in case you don't care for that sort of thing). It makes up for it later, but I did feel that the slow start almost had me putting the book down (especially when the slowness was filled with several scenes of Jezebel...enjoying some alone time...) but once the plot with the house being threatened and Ruby's return picked up, I found myself much more engaged. If nothing else I'm glad I pushed through until the arrival of Persephone who served to be a bit more of a relatable voice for me, despite her being a teen.

It took Persephone arriving for me to realize that, yes, this book is for me as I didn't necessarily feel like the target audience for this one until she arrived. I may honestly still have not been the target audience for Moonshyne Manor, but nevertheless I did enjoy it once it picked up in speed.

Some additional reasons why I liked the book:
-Positive depictions of aging women (you can still kick ass in your 80's ladies, 50 isn't the end all be all)
-Positive LGBTQ+ Rep
-Feminist plot
-Adult women respecting a young woman and taking her seriously despite their differences

A few things I didn't particularly care for:
-The sex heavy intro that could make a reader think we were just about to read about Jezebel's exploits for the remainder of the book
-The recipes/ spells inserted between chapters-- this is easy enough to skip after a while, but I personally would have preferred them to be at the end. If you like recipes in your book, this is probably a plus, and to be fair, the drink ideas do sound quite good

I think I'd recommend this one for an audience slightly older than myself. I feel as though this would be a great book club read for women in their 50's+ who might better connect to the feelings and themes of the way a woman's life can change with age (as a 20 something this is really just conceptual/ vicarious for me, but remind me of this in the next 20-30 years and I'm sure I'll sing a different tune). I'd also recommend it for any adult readers who are lovers of magic, witches, and feminist stories as once you get into the guts of this story, it really is fun!

This was such a fun read. You don't see many stories based around a bunch of women in their 80s. Each witch was interesting, and the narrator did a fantastic job of creating a personality for each person she read for.

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor
A Novel
by Bianca Marais
Narrated by Amy Landon

I received a digital copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ok so first up this is listed as a rom-com/sci-fi/fantasy/womens fiction and to me a more accurate description would be womens paranormal comedy fiction. It is funny, there is witchiness, while there is some closed door action and feelings of unrequited love I wouldn’t categorize it as romantic. This book gave me feels of the movies - The First Wives Club, Grumpy Old Men and The Devine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood. Starring a cadre of octogenarian witches with a spunky 15 year old feminist and one of my favorite touches - her dog Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

We get to know these ladies and the events that took place 30 years ago that led them to this point are unraveled in a compelling and captivating bit of storytelling.

The authors note at the end was especially appropriate in that we don’t often read books focused on elderly ladies and really it should happen more often - they’ve lived a lot of life. Go into this open to appreciating it for the gem it is with no preconceived notions based on genre descriptions and it will not disappoint. It is truly a unique tale.
Narration and sound quality were great.
5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. Couldn't get into the audiobook. Might have been better as a book.

2 stars

DNF pretty quickly. This story didn't resonate with me and it felt like the author was trying too hard with all of the constant sexuality, often cartoonish, especially in a book that's not about sex. Several of the characters also felt like stereotypes and I wonder if a sensitivity reader was used, as the (probable - described as having an afro and Bob Marley-esq locs) POC witches were described as both "angry and resentful" and "gruff, impatient" -- stereotypes.

Where do I even start with this wonderful, wonderful book?? Bianca Marais has written the perfect book to make you laugh and cheer as a group of octogenarian witches band together to save their home, uncovering long-held secrets and strengthening their bonds of friendship along the way.

I laughed until I cried reading this book and was hardcore obsessed with all the characters. Think Practical Magic meets The Golden Girls as these feisty witches give no fucks and tell it like it is! I loved the found family, the gender fluidity and the in your face feminism!!

Amazing on audio with a HILARIOUS author's note included at the end. If you haven't yet had the pleasure of reading a book by Bianca, trust me when I tell you that you're missing out!! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. Highly enjoyable and recommended for fans of The change by Kirsten Miller.

I was hoping for a story similar to vibe & feel of Practical Magic. But unfortunately, this story never “clicked” with me.

While I appreciated the themes of feminism, power dynamics, and especially the celebration of aging, I found the overall concept too cheesy to be interesting.

I love the focus on sisterhood and found family in The Witches of Moonshyne Manor. This was such a fun lighthearted romp, and I really enjoyed reading it. I really cared about each of the women, and worried about how things would work out for them.

Booktok review to come: @patchworkwitchbooks

In all seriousness, there’s no one who loves Bianca Marais writing as much as I do 😂😛 and was so excited to celebrate this change of genre! Ok, stop right now if you’re reading this and go pick up her first two novels, phenomenal. So addictively (yep a new word) refreshing to read and 💯 on my forever shelf.

So I went into this with high hopes. Explained as a similar idea to Practical Magic mixed with feminism. I knew though, it would be the writing that would keep me listening…..

Entertaining in the most magical way. I loved every minute of it. I knew I would.

Thank you to the publisher and author. I now need a physical copy so it can join the others on my bookshelf by the lovely Bianca

The Witches of Moonshine Manor was a fun read with a great narrator and wonderful representation. I am always here for a witch story and I found the magic in here was really fun. I loved the theme of a house that pulls the women in and it really set the stage for a huge witchy manor that made me want to read more.

The banter between the women in this story was quick and witty and the dialogue was fun and light. I think the age representation as well as the identity and gender topics addressed were refreshing and gave a lot of life and realness to this story. If you enjoy witch stories and want a fun quick read, I would definitely try this one out!

As far as my personal enjoyment of the story, it didn't really hit home. I don't tend to lean into books with a lot of dirty humor because I tend to think it can be laid on a little thick. That was how the banter and dialogue between the women felt for me, but again, that is my personal taste completely and doesn't make this book not good. As far as the story, I felt like a few loose ends were left unexplored but overall, this was a fun book.

Thank you for my copy but I really struggled with this book. I enjoy some witch stories but really struggled connecting with the characters/story. Thank you for my copy.

What a delightful book! I love all of the characters and their different personalities. You can tell that the author came to love her characters as well. Great for fans of Practical Magic, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and Miss Marple.

The synopsis of this novel was very promising and had me excited for an action-packed fantasy. Unfortunately, it took a looong time to get into the plot. Really, this book was just not for me. The characters were interesting, unique and strong females, but I couldn't connect with any of them and the amount of sexuality repeatedly focused on in the book seemed unnecessarily repetitive (I get it, they are strong, powerful women at any age) and kept pulling me away from the plot. There were also a lot of characters, and maybe it was because I listened to the audiobook, but I struggled to keep them apart and mixed up who was who. While I struggled with this book, I can see many others enjoying it, especially if you enjoy a character-focused, feminist witchy read with spunky older characters and the empowerment of women.