The Book of Witches, edited by Jonathan Strahan, is a really interesting anthology that pulls together stories and poems about witches across different genres and storytelling styles. It brings together a group of diverse viewpoints and styles to add a unique collection to the folklore and fantasy space. I liked some of the stories more than others, but overall I felt like the collection as a whole worked well. I think this book is a must-read for fantasy and folklore enthusiasts, and would recommend to anyone who enjoys those things as well as the short story form. I am looking forward to getting a physical copy to add to my shelves.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A captivating compendium of witches in all of their glory. This is a thick tome with several short stories, each devoted to the diversity of witches in literature. I can't say that I knew exactly what I was getting into when I picked up this behemoth, but I am grateful for the enjoyment of it even if, as tends to be the case, not all of the stories contained within resonated with me. after all, there is only so much you can accomplish in thirty pages or less.

This would make the perfect bedside companion for the spooky season, allowing each story to breathe and captivate the mind before tackling the next. Definitely a good option for group reading. Not too dark, not too wordy, this one is just right.

[Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

What a great and unique short story collection! Witches are one of my favorite things, so when I heard there was going to be an entire collection of short stories about them, I had to pick it up. Of course there were some stories I didn't connect with like others, but there were so many I adored, a lot of them happening in the first half of the book.

My biggest issue with this collection is it was very long, but otherwise, it was a great read that I will reread some of the stories again.

This cover is really cute! I was excited about the idea of this book, but it wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped. There were some stories I enjoyed, but I felt like the book was too long.

A decent collection of stories from a variety of different authors and culture. I wish some of the stories were more fleshed out, however, this anthology was a solid read and a nice find. 3.5/5

Anthologies are always a roller coaster and tough to rate. Some stories/styles work for some readers and not others. This was the case for me, I enjoyed much of the book, but some stories I just couldn’t get into. Is it a bad thing? Not at all: I feel the same about most anthologies and for the stories that weren’t my style, they’ll likely appeal to someone else. I didn’t find any to be terrible, overall it’s a likable collection.

The Book of Witches presents a collection of twenty-nine stories centered around the theme of witches. The anthology boasts a commendable range of formats, genres, and cultural perspectives, showcasing a variety of witch archetypes. However, despite its promising premise and diverse content, the book left me wanting more.

While the cover of the book is striking and likely to catch the eye, the stories within often failed to make a lasting impression. Many of the narratives felt either too drawn out or lacking in substance, leaving little of the intriguing potential of the witch theme fully realized. The varying styles and approaches to the subject matter didn’t always cohere into a compelling experience, resulting in a collection that, while ambitious, felt uneven and sometimes unsatisfying.

This was a nice collection of stories about one of my favorite topics, witches. The stories are all standalone and each stories all have their own personal style. This is for the person who would prefer quick short reads and a bunch of genre jumping.

This was a diverse collection of witchy stories. Many cultures I hadn’t heard witchy lore from, and so many new voices to feast upon. If you love all things witchy then you’ll want to read this!

I’ll be honest that I didn’t really realize this was an anthology type of book when I got the arc. Some of the stories were lovely and some were…not so good.

The overall concept of this book is what really stood out to me. I am a fan of anthologies and short stories, and I love witches, so I thought this might be something I’d really enjoy. However, the stories fell a little flat for me. The witch theme (the content specifically) seemed to be lacking witches. While the term was explained in the opening foreword, it didn’t feel like the stories really followed that definition. I think I was expecting “witch” in the more literal or general form of the word instead of anything that may be considered “othered.” The intent was there, but it just didn’t really feel like it followed through.

I was so excited to read this book because I am a sucker for Anthologies. Then you tell me it's going to be an ANTHOLOGY ABOUT WITCHES!
While there were some phenomenal stories, many felt they needed some more TLC and guiding care; they feel like work is still early in their journey to bloom into their full potential, and instead, right now, they are caught in the cauldron's smoke.

i did like this anthology, it felt like every piece was unique and brought something new, some i didn't like as much and i'm not a poetry person but this was pretty good

I hate reviewing short story collections because it just never goes well.

The high rating of this book is only because of how strong some of the stories are, but as a whole, this book just didn't collect strong enough stories.

One of my favorites is P Djeli Clark's story, but this is an author who is already high up on my list and always delivers.

I will also say that for a story about one of the most common fantasy characters of all time, so many of these were BORING.

THE BOOK OF WITCHES is a fantastic anthology of witchy short fiction, the perfect addition to any horror reader's bookshelves. Like all anthologies, it was a mix of "yes", "kind of", "not really" with regards to how I felt about individual stories, but over all, 10/10 would hex again.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!~

I grabbed this story collection because of a few of my favorites being in here and while there were some hits, I cannot say too many of these really spoke to me. Some of my favorites would have to be P. Djèlí Clark's, Andrea Stewart, and Amal El Mohtar. I think it's difficult to make a short story complete so, definitely still give all of these authors a read in their novels.

This book was not for me. I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't get into it. I was disappointed that I couldn't enjoy it as much as others seem to, but I know that everyone has different tastes and preferences when it comes to literature.

this anthogy of witchy stories was my cup of tea at times other times I enjoy the stories. now with that said some stories felt to long while other felt too short and other just made no since to me personally. with that said i give this book 2 and half stars it just wasn't for me but their a person this book is for

The Book of Witches was full of interesting short stories that I enjoyed a lot. I don't often read short stories or anthologies, so this approach to story-telling is fairly new to me. The stories I enjoyed the most were by Linda D. Addison, P. Djeli Clark, and Ken Liu. Linda D. Addison and Ken Liu are new-to-me authors, and I will be seeking out their other work as a result of loving their contributions in this book. A few of the stories did not hit for me, which I expect from anthologies. It is a wonderful way to find new authors though and it achieved that for me.