The start of this was really good, and there was so much heart, but as it went on it felt like it lost it a bit and became more preachy. Not in like a bible preachy way but in a rehashing on the same things kind of way, if that makes sense. It kinda just killed the plot a bit for me.

Power, transformation, and a whole lot of blood all wrapped up in some high-stakes teen pregnancies. The atmosphere was strong! Enough historical context without overdoing it.

phew. this is a doozy of a book. i've never read Hendrix before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I dont think it was this. In a good way.

Make no mistake, this book is a horror story.

this book feels timely in an accidental sort of way. with all of the conversation surrounding women's rights, especially reproductive rights, this story shines the brightest of lights on how things used to be, on how easily they could be this way again. but never did it feel like hendrix was preaching. this was a story that was presented to the reader as facts laid out before a trial. and the conclusions that i, as reader, drew, were damning.

this story is damning of society. the treatment of these CHILDREN was horrific. from the parents all the way on down to every single adult that crossed paths with these girls, they were belittled and reduced to so-called mistake. i spent much of this book shocked over the treatment of these girls, at the way even the people taking care of them spoke about them and felt about them. they were utterly powerless, so it makes sense that they would turn to something like witchcraft in order to feel even a modicum of power and control.

these were girls, children, that had choice ripped from them. they had no choice in going to the Home, no real choice in whether or not they even kept their baby, because what a bad mother they were being already if they didn't give it up and sweep it under the rug. even IF that might be true in many cases, after all, we still don't like children to raise children, the way those girls were manipulated is so scary. because 1970, when this story takes place IS NOT THAT LONG AGO. Every single adult in this book is guilty of something, whether it be of horrific crimes, or of just being a judgmental prick, they're all guilty.

This haunting, feminist tale is unlike anything I’ve read before - it absolutely blew me away!

Set in 1970, in the oppressive shadow of the pre-Roe vs. Wade era, the story centers on Fern, a 15-year-old sent to the Wellwood Home for unwed mothers. Terrified and alone, she meets other girls like her - Rose, Zinnia, Holly - each grappling with their own heartbreaks and stolen choices. Under the strict eye of Miss Wellwood, these girls are stripped of autonomy, forced to conform to societal expectations.

But when Fern discovers a book about witchcraft, the girls find a glimmer of power - power that can liberate or destroy, depending on how it’s wielded.

This book is as much about horror as it is about humanity. The terror here isn’t the supernatural; it’s the systemic injustices that women have endured for generations. The graphic childbirth scenes and raw depictions of trauma are difficult to read but necessary, grounding the story in harsh reality.

Fern’s character growth is phenomenal. She starts as a frightened girl and transforms into someone fierce, empowered, and determined. The friendships among the girls are as heartwarming as they are heartbreaking, making this story feel deeply personal.

Hendrix masterfully evokes a range of emotions - rage, sorrow, hope - while highlighting the resilience of women. This book is witchy, feminist, and simply unforgettable. It’s a searing reminder of the injustices of the past (and, heartbreakingly, the present), making it as timely as it is powerful.

If you’re looking for a horror novel with depth, nuance, and a heavy dose of feminist rage, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a must-read.

I went into this book thinking it was going to be a story about pregnant teens finding power within witchcraft, but this book turned into a social commentary about society not just in the 70s but even current day. So many of the themes that were shown, especially in the medical scenes, are unfortunately so easily transferable to the time of 2024 where more than 50 years later not much has changed.

The misguided “help” provided by women in power who were supposed to be looking out for these CHILDREN angered me beyond belief. The behaviours displayed by the men did not surprise me at all especially for the time referenced, but the apathy and cruelness shown by the women enraged me to the point of tears. The unimaginable trauma these poor girls went through at the hands of their caretakers is insane. The social stigma they faced is to be expected, but the fact that LITERAL CHILDREN are being blamed for certain types of assaults that got them into the situation they’re in right now, AND letting them be released back to their abusers made me genuinely want to throw my phone across the wall.

This book is in a way the epitome of female rage, the point of no return for girls and women who have had their bodies, minds, and spirits stolen from them by the people who were supposed to care for them. These girls never get a break and they deserve so much better, my heart breaks for them. At the end of the day, I feel as though this book is about consent, and having the ability to say “no”. I definetly recommend giving it a read as it is a very powerful story, but please know what you’re getting yourself into as the themes are less horror more sad and tragic than anything else. .

My first by this author but definitely not my last. It was instense, intriguing and mysterious and I ate it up

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix is one of those books that invites both admiration and frustration. While I absolutely loved how it explored women's empowerment and the compelling allure of dark magic, I grappled with the feeling that it might be trying too hard to make a political point. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for stories that shed light on real-world issues, but when it feels like the entire plot is pushing an agenda, it can detract from the immersive experience that I love so much in fiction.

The premise immediately intrigued me—young women cast out by their families, forced to navigate pregnancy alone, and then pressured into giving up their babies for adoption, only to return to a society that pretends nothing happened. This isn't just historical context; it's a reflection of the systemic control over women's bodies and choices. While I typically shy away from books that feel overtly political in their storytelling, Hendrix walks the line by weaving these societal critiques into a dark, magical narrative.

The story explores how the home's oppressive environment—driven by societal shame—creates fertile ground for rebellion. That rebellion comes in the form of witchcraft. The depiction of dark magic is one of the novel's strongest elements. Hendrix doesn't shy away from the gritty, dangerous side of spellcraft. The rituals these girls perform aren't neat or pretty; they're messy, primal, and deeply tied to their anger and grief. The magic is empowering and terrifying, making it clear that the power they're tapping into comes at a cost.

What struck me most was how witchcraft became a metaphor for reclaiming autonomy. In a time when these girls were expected to relinquish their voices, their choices, and even their children, magic becomes their way of taking control—of their futures, their pain, and their collective power. It's a theme of women's empowerment that feels incredibly relevant even today, though its placement in 1970 gives it the richness of historical fiction. Hendrix masterfully ties the struggles of these young women to the broader, centuries-long battle for women to be heard and respected.

But there's a fine line between a story steeped in social commentary and one that feels overly didactic. While Witchcraft for Wayward Girls mostly succeeds in letting its themes arise naturally from the narrative, there are moments where the political undertones feel more like a sledgehammer than a subtle touch. I couldn't help but wish some parts of the story could breathe, letting the characters' experiences speak for themselves without so much overt framing.

That said, the novel shines in its portrayal of sisterhood. The bonds that form between these girls—born of shared trauma and their shared magic—are the beating heart of the story. Hendrix doesn't romanticize their relationships; they're messy, fraught, and sometimes heartbreaking. But there's also an undeniable strength in how they come together, forging their own family when the world has taken everything else from them.

The 1970s setting is more than a backdrop; it's a critical part of the story, grounding the characters' struggles in an accurate history of societal control and systemic silencing of women. The home for unwed mothers, with its air of forced compliance and quiet despair, is a reminder of how far we've come and still have to go.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a dark tale of empowerment, rebellion, and the cost of claiming one's voice in a world determined to silence it. While its political overtones may sometimes feel heavy-handed, the story's raw emotional power and its unflinching portrayal of dark magic make it compelling. It's a book that lingers long after the final page, especially for those who appreciate stories of women finding strength in the face of oppression.

Ended up DnFing this one. It is so depressing and there is so much more book left. It’s really just a commentary on how teenage pregnancy was received in the 1960s. There’s no horror, it’s just so bleak,

2.5 stars

my first Grady Hendrix book was a bit of a fail and i think it’s half my fault cause i didn’t read the synopsis. i’m not someone who enjoys reading about pregnancy in general, so the focus on teen pregnancy didn’t hold my interest in any shape or form. i think if the witchy/horror elements were more prevalent in the story, then i might’ve had a better chance of liking this book but who knows. the characters were very one dimensional and the pace was too slow, it just felt like it was missing something for me. there were some choices made by the author that felt off and by the end of the story, i was completely out of patience and just wanted to finish it. i’m still looking forward to trying his other works, but this one just wasn’t for me at all unfortunately.

The plot of this book was absolutely fabulous! Witches! Hippies! Librarians! I found that the story flowed really well and the writing was well done. Some characters did feel a bit undercooked and there were some unnecessary tangents, but overall this was a great read.

This was "Grady Hendrix-adjacent" to me. I kept expecting more from the story and it just didn't surface. Not one of my favorite of his, but a decent read. I enjoyed the idea of the wayward school for knocked up girls in the 70s, but I really wanted it to be so much more magical.

witchcraft for wayward girls, a story about pregnant teenage girls before abortion was an option, that are rejected by society and ostracized by their community. and one day, they stumble upon witchcraft, which becomes their crutch and enables them to rise up against a system designed to keep them chained down.
 
grady has a gift when it comes to writing an emotional and gut-wrenching story. witchcraft for wayward girls is a tale of feminine rage, interwoven with his typical graphic body horror while depicting psychological and consequential impacts of depriving a vulnerable group of girls who become enraged. the characters were conflicted and complicated, making decisions that no teenager should ever have to make. and the epilogue? wow. just wow.
 
witchcraft for wayward girls, releases on january 14, 2025 where all books are sold!
 
thank you to Berkley publishing, netgalley and grady hendrix for sharing an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

As much as I was leery of a man writing about teenage pregnant girls that have been shipped off to a “home” and stripped of their rights to anything and at the mercy of creepy criminal doctors and nurses, he managed to do an amazing job. I think this may be my new fav book of his.
There’s some serious gore with the childbirth scenes, but there’s the growth of the girls as they develop into themselves and work the spells they find in the book the librarian gave them. It is set in the 1970s so it was an interesting look at history, but also reflects a lot of what is still going on today with women’s reproductive rights. I don’t want to give too much away, but underneath the witchy vibes, the horror isn’t otherworldly imo, it’s the doctors and the system that harms these poor young girls and the babies they carry.
This book won’t be for everyone, but it was solidly for me.
Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I am a big fan of Grady Hendrix, but this one didn't hit for me. It didn't have his usual humor. Which in this case is probably a good thing. I feel like he was trying to empower the young women in the story, but his choices didn't work for me. I feel like this is a witch story from the past, not something I expect my witch stories of 2025 to be like.

I started this book thinking it would be a supernatural horror with witches, so I was a little confused when it seemed that the horror was just reality in the early 70s for many girls. They were certainly terrible circumstances, but it didn't feel like a horror to me. And the witchcraft aspect felt a little tacked on. I wasn't sure what purpose it was meant to serve. It was a way for the girls to exercise some control, but then they were also beholden to the witches? Until the end when the other witches just decided, actually no, we'll let this one go. And the last chapter felt odd as well.

That aside, I enjoy Hendrix's writing, and it did pull me in. I enjoyed reading about each girl's journey. As a person who recently gave birth, I was able to relate to some of their experiences while understanding the depth of the difficulties they faced.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC!

The workings of a witch are never in vain…

I admit that it took me a bit to get into Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, but, once that bookmobile pulled into the driveway of Wellwood House, I was hooked. I might even say spellbound. I loved not only the relationships between the girls, but the elements of witchcraft. I was a Grady Hendrix fan before, but this book cements his status as one of my must-read authors.

I made it about 30% into Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix before deciding it wasn’t the book for me. While the premise was intriguing, and the writing style was solid, I found it hard to connect with the story or fully invest in the characters. Horror might just not be my genre, as I didn’t feel drawn into the tension or stakes as much as I’d hoped. Additionally, I tend to struggle with books where men write exclusively from the female perspective, as it can sometimes feel a bit detached. That said, I can see how this book would appeal to readers who enjoy dark, atmospheric tales with feminist undertones and a touch of occult intrigue—it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

This was a slow burn, but ended up being a pretty good read! I also thought it was fairly relevant to the current state of the country. There are some graphic birth scenes, but it's done in Grady Hendrix style, so I had expected that. This isn't my favorite of his, but still enjoyable.

We were girls. That’s what they called us in their articles and their speeches and their files: bad girls, neurotic girls, needy girls, wayward girls, selfish girls, girls with Electra complexes, girls trying to fill a void, girls who needed attention, girls with pasts, girls from broken homes, girls who needed discipline, girls desperate to fit in, girls in trouble, girls who couldn’t say no.

For girls like us, down there at the Home, the devil turned out to be our only friend.

Hey, so the next time I decide to read a body horror around pregnancies I want someone to slap me back to my senses. I spent most of this horrorstruck. That's one way to recommend a horror book while including that trigger warning, I suppose.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls revolves around Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where young, unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

The book is part historical fiction, part horror, and part speculative fiction (in that order). I have a strong dislike of books that masquerade as historical fiction without enough historical "worldbuilding", but this book achieves the perfect mix of immersion into the setting as well as actual relevance to it: Roe v Wade was three years away, maternity homes for unwed women were widespread through the States, feminist historians began interpreting the intricacies behind the Witch Trails in the 1970s: Witches, Midwives and Nurses: A History of Women Healers, the interest in witchcraft folklore increased as a consequence.

The plot unfolds instantly, the characters are intriguing, the prose is buttery smooth to read, and the ending made me cry quite a bit. There's a magnificent feminist exploration of how different women harness their power in a system that oppresses them their whole life, and who pays the price of that. Even though I loved these characters(especially Rose, Holly, Fern, Zinnia, and Hagar), some of them felt a little one-dimensional and/or erratic at times, and that tends to annoy me. The simplistic prose makes this an effortless read while making it engrossing for the more fantastical moments. There's plenty of witchcraft in this one, it just turns up around a quarter into the book, which makes it more speculative than fantasy. As an occasional horror reader, the book had me squirming, and I'm going to go off and stare into space for several minutes now to come off it.



Also: Listening to Florida!!! by Taylor Swift and Florence and the Machine + Season of the Witch by Donovan while reading this is oddly perfect.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Five Stars! I enjoyed every minute of Grady Hendrix's new novel. It tells the story of unwed teens sent to a boarding house in the late 60s to have their baby and then have it taken away so they can return to their own life and start again. While at the home, the girls get to know one another and the other women caring for them. Unfortunately, they are also targeted by an evil librarian who is a witch. Campy horror all around, yet some deeply resounding facts regarding women and girls living in a patriarchal society - some with little choice in life - yet surviving as well as thriving given their circumstances. Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an ARC of this fantastic book!