A tender, funny and emotional gay romance set in Fire Island during the height of the AIDS epidemic. While there is a love story and there are definitely disco witches, the overarching feel is that of a loving ethnography, a memoir of a time and place where so many felt hopeless yet there were always those offering care, support, and love.

The title pulled me in - I admit it. I love disco and wish I grew up in that period. Not that I'd actually go out and dance, ha. Witches are fascinating and have the best balance of reality and magic without going into the realm of the fantasy genre for me; it's not appealing to me. And I spent a few summer's on Fire Island, so I totally understand the culture, even if I was way too young when the book took place in the 80s.

I enjoyed reliving a few experiences, seeing the comedy of older gay men who try to look out for the youngin's, and being exposed to an entirely different side of life that can be shocking and entertaining. Tender moments interspersed throughout the story make for a proper balance of emotions. The magical moments went over my head and for me pulled the story down rather than showcase a tighter theme of tolerance and imagination.

Not a book I'd recommend for the faint of heart when it comes to promiscuity, sexual scenes, or even strong language. But well done in that it evoked a lot of depth to truth, personality, and the party scene.

Fell creates a fascinating image of life for gay men in the New York/Philly area during the AIDS crisis, which she interweaves with beautiful imagery and intriguing fantasy elements.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an advanced reader copy of this book. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I was intrigued about everything in the synopsis: light fantasy realism in Fire Island during the AIDS epidemic. I found the author was able to find a really good balance of evoking the how ones grapple with trying to move on and find joy in their lives when everyone they love is getting sick with the disease or has fear of the disease.

I found the characters extremely lovable, especially Fergal! The only area I wish expanded more was the magic of the Disco Witches. I found the little breadcrumbs throughout the beginning half of the book to be a bit confusing and not part of the plot. Certain phrases like Joe is the "chosen one" I felt was a wrong word choice -- chosen for what? To be the victim of the Great Darkness? The ending did feel a bit rushed to me and left some questions desired: why does Fergal have webbed fingers and toes? What is the significance of the merman clock? Is Scotty connected somehow to the egregores?

If this is the first of a series, I'm excited to read more!

Queer witches plus fire island!! Makes for an absolutely magical story. This book was unique and pulled me in.
Can’t wait to see what’s next for the author

3/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

The Disco Witches is an undeniably unique and ambitious novel, blending queer history, fantasy, and romance into a shimmering, high-stakes story of love, grief, and community resilience. There’s so much to love here!

For me, the best part was the atmosphere. The book absolutely nails what I imagine the energy of Fire Island was in 1989. The inclusion of disco witches as protectors of queer spaces is both camp and moving, and I really appreciated how the book used fantasy elements to explore real-world themes of loss and resilience.

That being said, while I adored the worldbuilding, the execution felt uneven at times. The pacing is a bit inconsistent—some parts of the book flew by with electric energy, while others dragged under the weight of exposition. Additionally, while I appreciated the book’s willingness to be both sexy and heartfelt, the tonal shifts between grief, lust, and magic sometimes felt a little jarring. One moment we’re dealing with the crushing weight of loss, the next we’re diving into a spicy scene, and the transitions didn’t always feel smooth.

Overall, The Disco Witches is a fascinating, genre-blending novel with a lot of heart, even if not every element fully landed for me. If you’re looking for something queer, magical, and steeped in history, it’s definitely worth checking out—just be prepared for a bit of a bumpy ride.

I enjoyed all the different characters. They are well written and fun. It's an interesting story idea but it didn't really work for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

The second I read the summery for this, I know I had to read it!

It was the perfect blend of historical and fantasy, emotional and hilarious, all topped off with flawless 80's vibes.

As much as I enjoyed all of the characters, I feel like we didn't quite need as many different perspectives as we got. It confused my little brain a little times especially with the third person POVs. That being said, each perspective was unique and every character felt extra special.

Joe was a really great MC with an emotional back story and wonderful character arc. It was easy to love him and empathise with him from early on in the book. I'd love to say the same for Ronnie, however I only really started to like him towards the end.

Of all the beautiful and colourful characters, I feel like my heart belongs to Howie. there was something about the dreamy way he's described and his easy going, mystical nature that just made him a tiny bit more special to me than the others. Well, Fergal is close behind, I couldn't help but fall in love with him too!

The rest of the characters, Lenny, Dory, Vince, Elana etc, were all amazing too and I'd bet that pretty much everyone would fall in love with at least one of them!

Story-wise, I'd describe it as a magical way for finding queer joy even in the darkest of times.

I lost interest in this book very quickly, despite the interesting/engaging title. Was a "Did Not Finish" for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy.

DNF. Couldn’t bring myself to love this book, even though I really, really wanted to. Writing felt flat, and I just couldn’t love any of the characters.

I adore the premise of the book but feel a bit let down by the execution. I wanted it to go a little harder into the fantasy, or into the grungy draggy camp, or the sharp sense of humor, or the radicalness of it all. It instead felt like it only dipped its toes into all the fun themes it promised. Enjoyed the AIDS history and some of the characters.

I did not know what to expect from this and I ended up enjoying it a lot. It's at times tragic and sad, sweet and hopeful, funny and bizarre. Set in 1989, it has a realistic and tender portrayal of AIDS and those who lost their lives and those who lost loved ones. I really liked the characters of Joe and Fergal, Ronnie and Vince, and Howie and Lennie. They all had depth and interesting backstories, and there were always unexpected bits that surprised me. There were several great supporting characters, too, plus a setting that was unfamiliar to me but richly depicted. It's historical fiction meets magical realism, with some romance sprinkled in. The emotional parts hit hard, but it also had spicy and hilarious parts as it explored themes of love, self-acceptance and acceptance of others, found family, and more.

This is a good book, but it's not a great one. The author promises a book with magic, but there's barely any in it. When magic does appear, it's so miniscule that you can't even tell it exists. If you're going to put the word "witches" in the title, you'd better deliver. In the end, this is just a gay romance, nothing more.

The backdrop of the AIDS crisis puts everything in perspective. Having lived through those years, I was fascinated how the author delivered the fear and anger amongst those affected by it. Young LGBT people these days have no idea what it was like to live through the AIDS years. Maybe this book will give them a taste of it.

The book is a bit slow in places as the pacing gets hammered by subplots that aren't that important. When the author delves into the characters' love life, it picks up.

Had the author actually put magic in the book, it would have gotten five stars. As it is, I give it a weak four stars. Would I read it again? Probably, but I'd do it without any expectations of magic.

As you might expect from the title, Disco Witches of Fire Island is heavy on the camp. What came as a surprise was how heartfelt, humorous, and ultimately hopeful it was. I’ll be recommending this to my bookstore customers, and reading whatever else I can get my hands on by Blair Fell.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC!

Disco Witches of Fire Island is a story of love, grief, and hope set in the depths of the AIDS crisis. It's 1989, and Joe Agabian arrives on Fire Island to meet up with his new best friend, Ronnie, who says they can get jobs bartending in this gay paradise. When the promised gig falls through, Joe is take in by Howie and Lenny, older men who are long-time residents, house cleaners, and (possibly) witches.

Joe's trip to Fire Island is a desperate attempt to break out of his cycle of grief after losing his boyfriend to AIDS. But Fire Island, while decadent and wild on the surface, is awash in grief and loss. Howie and Lenny's tight-knit community has dwindled year by year as their friends and lovers succumb to the disease. They and the remaining Disco Witches, as they call themselves, are aging, and their leader is dying on the mainland.

Point of view in Disco Witches of Fire Island jumps around a bit. Howie and Joe are followed most closely, but short chapters from the viewpoints of Ronnie, Lenny, and other characters give us insight into their unfiltered thoughts and feelings. It may not be the most deft approach, but I liked being able to see Ronnie, in particular, without having Joe's perspective in the way. The cast of characters is enormous and colorful, with even small players vividly drawn. While there may be a few stereotypes sprinkled in, the novel never feels unkind or reductive. The reader is so immersed in the culture and people of Fire Island that it's impossible not to fall a little bit in love. And it is, indeed, magical.

This is yet another example of a book that is so weirdly pitched by the publisher that I feel like I read an entirely different novel. Fire Island is about a loving found family, a culture dealing with devastating loss and fear, and how to find courage and hope in a time of despair. It's both hilarious and gutting, which is a pretty difficult line to walk. I wouldn't really call this a romance, although it adheres to the genre requirements. It's more historical magical realism with a romantic subplot. It's also gorgeous, hopeful, and well worth a read. Highly recommended. (4.5 stars for a slow start, rounded up to 5.)

Blair Fell’s Disco Witches of Fire Island is a dazzling and heartfelt blend of magical realism, queer history, and the vibrant energy of the 1980s. Set against the iconic backdrop of Fire Island during the AIDS crisis, this novel beautifully balances joy, resilience, and the power of community. With a cast of unforgettable characters and an enchanting storyline, it’s a celebration of love, identity, and the magic of coming together. A must-read for fans of queer fiction with a touch of the extraordinary.

I'm sure it's gonna get a lot of love from the gay Wiccan crowd. For me, it was an odd mix of sad, hopeful, reflective, and mystical all rolled into one (joint) and then lit on fire. To be honest, it's hard to read/write about AIDS as history, and like most horrific things, putting faces to statistics, putting stories to generalities, is simultaneously wonderful and tragic. In many ways, Disco Witches nails that. Being gay is about community, and not all love/intimacy is about sex. Disco Witches nails that too.

What a wonderfully real, heartbreaking yet hopeful book.

I was not alive when the AIDs crisis began, so this book was eye opening for me. The despair and loss that these poor folks have had to deal with through the years is astounding and there were moments in this book that just made me feel hopeless, which I took to be the point.

Overall just an incredible tale of love, grief, and fighting the good fight. Thank you to Blair Fell and Alcove press for allowing me to read this ARC.

This was a fun book that could definitely become a great beach read or book club pick. It’s just heavy enough to be interesting with a lightheartedness that keeps it fun.

Admittedly the first few chapters were difficult for me to get through. It was a little magical with hints of romance tropes and the genre blending was a bit messy. The author really fleshed out the characters and gets into a flow right around the time the island kicks off their tourist season. It’s all set in the late 80s and there are some great nods to the shifts in Queer culture during the time. The author paints a picture of the impact of the AIDs epidemic with references to activism and social justice of the time. There are a few pop culture references that are off, including multiple mentions of ice blue Gatorade which didn’t exist in the 80s.

The characters are lovable and complex. Although it does seem as though we only get vignette backstories on some (Dory for example). We don’t get much aside from other characters descriptions of Max but he was a stand out character and I think the author did a great job really creating a mystic vibe around his persona. Our main character Joe has some great development throughout and his friendship with Ronnie is really well written, although some of Ronnie’s foreshadows are just too obvious.

It’s not something I’d read again and again but it is something I’d recommend to someone looking for a great Queer Romance or an interesting summer read with an LGBTQ cast of characters.

DNF at 15%

I was intrigued by the premise, but the pacing was too slow for me. I did like that it seemed to highlight how devastating the HIV/AIDS crisis was.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.