This was excellent! I loved the diversity of the stories and the different formats and interpretations they took on. CL Clark is also one of my favorite authors, so it was truly a pleasure to discover one of her short stories in here. The only reason this got four stars and not five is because in my mind there is no reason for a short story anthology to be more than 300 pages, and honestly over 250 is pushing it. It’s just hard to digest that many different stories in an anthology, you know?

rep: resisting the urge to say all of it - disabled rep, BIPOC rep, trans rep, queer rep

spice: none

Stopped reading around 10-15%

As much as I LOVE witches, I think this book just wasn’t for me. I liked the intro because I love history about witches, but I didn’t really resonate with the stories that followed.

I had to keep forcing myself to pick it up until I finally accepted that it wasn’t the book for me.

I’m sorry I wasn’t the right reader for this. I really appreciate you allowing me to read this as an ARC. Thank you so much ❤️

Summary:
In this anthology of short stories collected by editor Jonathan Strahan, “The Book of Witches” showcases stories of witches, crones, hag and fierce women. Some of the passages are lighthearted, some are horrifying with wonderful twists, and most have feminist and social context that keep you hooked to the stories, page after page.

Title: "The Book of Witches"
Author: Jonathan Strahan
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
🌶️ 1/5

Tropes:
Magic
Witches
Otherworlds

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories, and loved watching the world building come to life through the authors in very few pages! I personally enjoyed the delightfully spooky stories (like bracelets that cause glamours to hide mutilated body parts) and the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ representation within the anthology. With stories of unrequited love, vengeance and feminism, there is something for everyone in this book.

I thought the concept of this collection was so interesting. Witches are always fascinating to read about. However, I had a hard time fully getting into this one and didn’t finish it.

Witches- Check
A Great Title- Check
Beautiful Cover Art- Check
Being a witchy lover of all things, this book had me before I even started. The writing was beautiful and we will be ordering a copy for our patrons.

Unfortunately, this collection was a disappointment. I think if you go into it with different expectations, you may like it more than I did. Most of these stories didn’t feel like they were about witches. There was magic, sure, but this didn’t feel like a witch collection. The stories were hit or miss but more miss than hit for me. I ended up skimming some. However, Amal El-Mohtar’s story was brilliant, and I very much enjoyed the story by P. Djeli Clark.

The cover is fantastic but kind of inaccurate given how non-witchy most of these stories feel. You may like it more than I did. It’s out now. Thanks to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC.

This is an anthology of short stories and poems about witches. I found it really enjoyable! There were familiar tropes, like the Maiden/Mother/Crone, and novel twists, as well as some interesting sci-fi twists on witchcraft. I particularly liked the stories by P. Djeli Clark, Ken Liu, Darcie Little Badger, Cassandra Khaw, Tobi Ogundiran, Garth Nix, Premee Mohamed, E. Lily Yu, Emily Y. Teng, and Amal El-Mohtar. All the authors that made me excited to pick up this book, plus a few new names to look into.

Representation: POC characters and authors, LGBTQ+ characters and authors

TW: homophobia, transphobia, sexual assault, gore, domestic violence (mentioned)

I’ve always loved witch-related stories, but only a few in The Book of Witches stood out to me.

For a short story anthology, The Book of Witches is long—and I felt its length. It features a range of authors I love, including Fonda Lee, P. Djeli Clark, C.L. Clark, and Cassandra Khaw, and includes poetry, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and contemporary fiction. The editor’s note set my expectations high, as it deconstructs the notion of the witch as a solely Western tradition. However, only a few of the selections convinced me that their worlds could exist beyond the confines of a short story.

Above all else, I wished the stories had leaned into their witchiness more. I wanted much more magic! For a collection that was supposed to take witchiness in many directions, the stories felt tame and rather similar overall; the majority of them feature witches who hide or reject their abilities for various reasons. I love speculative fiction of all kinds, so I wasn’t bothered by the genre-blending but rather by the lack of intensity and magical intrigue.

A few days after finishing the anthology, these are the stories that still linger: P. Djèlí Clark's What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devshrata, Cassandra Khaw’s Met Swallow, Tobi Ogundiran’s The Nine Jars of Nukulu, and E. Lily Yu’s Witch Fires.

Thanks to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

The Book of Witches features a variety of stories that includes very few of the style one might expect of high fantasy witches. The magic ranges from technology to heavier more traditional magic, keeping things interesting. A few barely include any magic.

I especially enjoyed two stories by my favorite authors, P Djeli Clark and Ken Liu. Their stories stand out from the rest. I enjoyed how Liu focused on machine learning and Ai. Sprinkled throughout are some short poems as well.

Overall this is an enjoyable collection of stories from a diverse group of authors.

This was an entertaining read. Not really groundbreaking, but definitely entertaining—this is usually the case with anthologies. They are a mixed bag of stories: one or two are phenomenal, one or two really bad, and the rest are okay. This book fits that description perfectly. I'll probably say that Fonda Lee's take on NEVERMORE is the best piece in this collection.

Book of Witch is a compilation of works from over a dozen writers compiled by Jonathan Strahan about one of storytellings greatest character tropes: witches. These stories bring the Maiden, Mother, and Crone into many different lights with something to keep anyone entertained. I could appreciate Strahan’s vast array of stories and poems that painted witches in a variety of shades, just as we are in the real world. Though this anthology of works was a little lackluster for me overall.

This one did not jam with me at all. I love anthologies but this one was just kind of meh. I ended up DNFing it half way though the stories. These stories felt not fully formed and a mess.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The introduction to this book was wonderfully written & had me quite excited to read this collection of stories; However, the stories themselves did not land for me. I found them a little boring, and for the book to be well over 400 pages, it took a lot of effort to get through.

This book was about different stories of witches and I was hooked from the beginning! I love witchy stories and this was perfection! I will be buying this book soon I highly recommend this book!

would be to read tale after tale of powerful, lonely, hunted, misunderstood, and feared individuals. Many authors used this opportunity to showcase how easily our fear can be manipulated into violence and how easily blame can be shifted to anyone not fitting the status quo. C.L. Clark tells the story of a transgender witch shunned by his family and barred from his power. One particularly chilling tale by E. Lily Yu follows a charismatic man with a portable crematorium who has incited Salem witch trial energy across America. There are more somber stories, like P. Djèlí Clark’s depiction of a witch who is adored until she isn’t, and how ugly things can become. But there are also triumphant tales of empowered and celebrated witches and even witches who aren’t the main event but make life a little weirder.

The Book of Witches is a charming collection of stories that are guaranteed to entertain and inspire. I read the anthology quickly for this review, but it is a brew that should be sipped and savored so that you can sit with the enchanting lessons the authors impart in such a few short pages. The entire anthology is a powerful potion and will inspire you to reflect on who is labeled as a witch and why some are celebrated while others are vilified.

Rating: The Book of Witches – An Anthology – 8.5/10

If you like lore based witchcraft then this is the anthology for you! Comprised of 29 short stories and poems, this anthology pulls from many cultures to create a unique collection of witchy tales.
My average rating for all the stories is around 3.75⭐️ and my enjoyment of the reading experience brings my final rating to 4⭐️!

This book is the perfect Halloween/fall read. Amazing magic, world building, and character development. Read it so quickly.

Don't be misled by this cover! This anthology does not feature traditional fairy tale witches. The best single word that can describe this collection is "diverse." The authors, stories, genres, and writing styles are all so different that I would recommend reading a single story at a time. A perfect "spooky season" book for your nightstand.

This anthology includes stories by well-known and previously unknown to me authors. The focus is witches in many different guises from different cultures. While all the stories are good reads, my favorite was Tade Thompson's (The Wormwood Trilogy) The Luck Thief, a story of questions, answered in a quirky twist.

While in an anthology not all stories will work for all readers, The Book of Witches is both consistently excellent and engaging.

I had hopes for this collection but I found myself struggling to stay engaged with the story. The intro that was a lesson on what a witch is set the tone for this anthology and it just never got better for me. I even tried listening to the audiobook but the narrations were too technical feeling.