The Once and Future Witches
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-10 09:51:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alix E. Harrow
- ISBN：0356512509
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In 1893， there's no such thing as witches。 There used to be， in the wild， dark days before the burnings began， but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes。 If the modern woman wants any measure of power， she must find it at the ballot box。
But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper， Agnes Amaranth， and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem， they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement。 Stalked by shadows and sickness， hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics， draw new alliances， and heal the bond between them if they want to survive。
There's no such thing as witches。 But there will be。
But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper， Agnes Amaranth， and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem， they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement。 Stalked by shadows and sickness， hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics， draw new alliances， and heal the bond between them if they want to survive。
There's no such thing as witches。 But there will be。
Reviews
Verónica Fleitas Solich
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I loved the concept and I really value the topics covered in the book， but the reality is that it bored me。I think that despite the topic， despite the fact that she is a feminist and I love witch stories， it was not a book for me。The epilocus itself was five stars。 The rest was just meh。A shame because I really wanted to love it。
Jenni
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Who knew that witches and womens rights would weave together so seamlessly！ While this was a little long， I loved the way they wove together real events within a fictional world。 A great first read for October！
Joanna Nieves Bosque
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3。5 stars。I liked it， but not nearly as much as 10000 doors of January。 Very good narrator for audio。Read it for 2021 Popsugar Reading Challenge- book about a social justice issue prompt。
April
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I really enjoyed this book。 It had a little bit of everything as far as mystery， romance， suspense， magic， and it touches on many of the issues we are facing today in society， which is always a nice surprise。 I'm looking forward to reading this one on paper！ I really enjoyed this book。 It had a little bit of everything as far as mystery， romance， suspense， magic， and it touches on many of the issues we are facing today in society， which is always a nice surprise。 I'm looking forward to reading this one on paper！ 。。。more
Kimberly B
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I am such a big fan of Alix E Harrow！
Jennifer
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I keep feeling a little embarrassed by how much I liked this book - Harrow expertly pushed all my buttons， even as I was troubled by aspects of the tale。 I found myself fist-pumping time and again as I was listening to it on the road。 Feminism？ Check。 Women's will as power？ Check。 Acknowledgment of racism？ Check。 Acknowledgment of worker oppression？ Check。 Normalization of LGBTQ relationships and transwomen？ Check。 Cool magic stuff， love of books and knowledge， etc。 etc。 etc。 Check， check， check I keep feeling a little embarrassed by how much I liked this book - Harrow expertly pushed all my buttons， even as I was troubled by aspects of the tale。 I found myself fist-pumping time and again as I was listening to it on the road。 Feminism？ Check。 Women's will as power？ Check。 Acknowledgment of racism？ Check。 Acknowledgment of worker oppression？ Check。 Normalization of LGBTQ relationships and transwomen？ Check。 Cool magic stuff， love of books and knowledge， etc。 etc。 etc。 Check， check， check。 That said， is the acknowledgment of racism kind of pro forma？ Yes。 Do the Black characters center the white characters' interests instead of their own？ Almost always。 Is it a little yucky that the one male love interest has to literally demonstrate obeisance？ Yeah。 Does it bug that the title presumptuously cribs from The Once and Future King， T。H。 White's absolutely brilliant， complex retelling of the King Arthur stories as parable？ Yup。 Then there are the pros and cons of the fairy tale assemblage of recognizably representative sisters: the strong one， the wise one， the wild one。 I'm such a sucker for this。 As a very little girl， my mind was somehow blown by a picture book of Snow White and Rose Red， these opposites who were both stunning and strong and who worked together to vanquish - I dunno， I can't even remember that。 Just the thrill of these different but equally valuable women after so many stories of "the one" who was of a very specific type。 Harrow lightly sprinkles in women for everyone to resonate with - indigenous， Black， immigrant （Asian， Russian， Irish）， Jewish， trans - acknowledging a world of women， though her primary three are completely centered， palely European， and young and beautiful in a traditionally western way。 It's kind of cake-and-eat-it-too， but it's also an arguably reasonable function of using the Salem witch tales and American and European fairy tales as the basis of a book; like， better to at least acknowledge， or not to？ I was thinking of how this book would play in Afghanistan， in China， elsewhere， and I don't think it would， despite the universal themes of oppression。 It's just too specifically drawn from western folklore and through a western lens。As an aside， of the sisters， the wild one's wild; the strong one's strong; the wise one is 。。。annoying。 Danggit。Notably， there are no layers here - everything is right up front and very simple， again， just like in fairy tales。 There are a couple of good men among many bad ones; there are a couple of bad women among many good ones。 The one and only effort at subtlety is Harrow's message that evil comes from injury and can only be vanquished if the injury is resolved with love and forgiveness before settling in and healing wrong。 It's as if the Disney wicked stepmothers and schemers had sad backstories of abuse and abandonment that left them unredeemably solipsistic and cruel。Finally， there's the infusion of magic into our world of sweatshops and demagogues and misogyny and so much more - this is very powerful in many books， but here it's frustrating， since the wins against these， in Harrow's telling， ultimately depend on the existence of magic， something to which we can't turn。All that sounds not that promising， I know， but then there's this: Harrow is an amazing writer。 Her use of words is so striking that time and again I was wowed by a gorgeous description or a unique and perfect phrase。 She could be writing about something trite or predictable - kind of unavoidable in a story patterned on fairy tales - and yet imbue it with almost breath-taking beauty。 Harrow's use of language itself makes the book worth reading。 Anyway， I listened to the book obsessively even as it went on a bit too long at the end， even as elements of it rankled。 I couldn't help but buy into， again and again throughout the book， the power of knowledge， of will， of working together; couldn't help getting angry at the familiar manipulation of information and fear; couldn't help the satisfaction of a story of overcoming， rising above， empowering。 It's a book worth reading for the writing， for the frisson of gratification as the power dynamics shift。 。。。more
Ashwini Abhyankar
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I loved this one， the Eastwood sisters will stay with me for a long while。
Sara Jesus
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Existem milhares de historias sobre bruxas。 Todos crescemos com os contos dos irmãos Grimm， em todas essas narrativas as bruxas correspondem à criaturas malignas。 Mas depois conheci a triologia "All souls"， no qual existem bruxas boas e màs ， atè bruxas que desejam ser humanas。 "The once and future witches" é completamente diferente de todo o que li sobre bruxas。 A magia das bruxas não é algo hereditário， encontra-se presente nas historias contadas de mães para filhas， de avós para netas。 Nest Existem milhares de historias sobre bruxas。 Todos crescemos com os contos dos irmãos Grimm， em todas essas narrativas as bruxas correspondem à criaturas malignas。 Mas depois conheci a triologia "All souls"， no qual existem bruxas boas e màs ， atè bruxas que desejam ser humanas。 "The once and future witches" é completamente diferente de todo o que li sobre bruxas。 A magia das bruxas não é algo hereditário， encontra-se presente nas historias contadas de mães para filhas， de avós para netas。 Neste livro， acompanhamos a jornada de três irmãs para acabar com a "escravidão" das mulheres。 Juniper， a mais selvagem e a líder da associação de bruxaria。 Agnes， a mais razoável e sempre evitando atitudes inconsequentes。 Bella， a mais sábia e a responsável por encontrar o primeiro feitiço。 Acho também importante salientar Cleo， pertencente a uma associação de bruxas mais secreta e arrisca-se muito para proteger as irmãs。 O final pode ser um pouco "biterswett"， no entanto demonstra o sacrifico das milhares de sufragistas que lutaram para serem ouvidas e terem os mesmos direitos do que o seu sexo oposto。 。。。more
Erin B
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I don’t have words for how much I loved this。 I sobbed my way through the end。 I-。 Just… no words。
Emily
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*4。5 Stars*I really enjoyed this feminist adventure through a fantasy world where Salem burned but witches rose again。 It’s unique， and at times I couldn’t put it down！ Made me feel as if Magic is alive and that if I had the words， the will， and the ways I could conjure up some magic of my own！
Cindy
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Juniper， Agnes， Bella - the maiden， mother and crone。 Knitted together with rhymes and stories from childhood， you can discover witching as these sisters do。 I greatly enjoyed this book。 Excellent story！
Chelsea
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The mixture of childhood rhymes and witch vibes made my heart so happy。 Overall I loved this book！！
Kendyl Elwell
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An amazing read I could barely put it down。 Fun for the spooky season as well。 I always love a good witch story and this book knocked it out of the park。 I loved that each chapter started with a spell and the overall vibe of the book was great。 Highly recommend I hadn't read a great fiction book in a long time and this one succeeded in keeping my attention。 An amazing read I could barely put it down。 Fun for the spooky season as well。 I always love a good witch story and this book knocked it out of the park。 I loved that each chapter started with a spell and the overall vibe of the book was great。 Highly recommend I hadn't read a great fiction book in a long time and this one succeeded in keeping my attention。 。。。more
Carina Carrasco
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“Witching and women’s rights。 Suffrage and spells。 They’re both…” She gestures in midair again。 “They’re both a kind of power， aren’t they？ The kind we aren’t allowed to have。”
Samantha
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Great blend of witchy， feminine power and knowledge。 Great set of diverse characters。 Highly recommend！
Kate Turner
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just phenomenal。 bold and bright and searingly furious， this is a book about witchcraft and women's ways， chosen family and storytelling and survival。 in this book， magic is a legacy handed down through the overlooked and underestimated trappings of women's lives and women's work， both quotidian and world-changing， not "one thing but many things， all the ways and words women have found to wreak their wills on the world。" all the ways and words that exist as an answer to what women aren't permitt just phenomenal。 bold and bright and searingly furious， this is a book about witchcraft and women's ways， chosen family and storytelling and survival。 in this book， magic is a legacy handed down through the overlooked and underestimated trappings of women's lives and women's work， both quotidian and world-changing， not "one thing but many things， all the ways and words women have found to wreak their wills on the world。" all the ways and words that exist as an answer to what women aren't permitted to want or to have or to be。 this book asks: what if women started sharing their scraps of this power with each other？ what if magic was real， and could grow realer still？ and what if these women were furious？the anger in this book is the one thing that doesn't let up， and it's both glorious and refreshing to read。 still， it's anger in service of love， of community， of collective power。 harrow also does an excellent job of making clear the ways magic is different because communities are different， and have had to survive different horrors。 some spells are passed down in children's embroidery and fairy tales; others， mapped out by the stars and carried through the underground railroad; others， still， have trekked across the country after the trail of tears。 some even belong to men， like the union boys who rusted train tracks and machinery in chicago until the factories couldn't run。 all this magic is exquisitely and thoughtfully drawn; all of it looks forward， in some way， to a better world。it's hard to sum up the wildness and anger of this book， the way it lets loose the fierceness of women's rage and doesn't wrap it back up again — the way it doesn't simply wave its hand and give us a better world， but gives us instead the hard-fought dirty work of making one — the way at its center is three sisters and their love for each other which is just as fierce and wild and ungovernable as their rage at the world around them — which can reshape that world where they stand。 i loved it， and i want to read it again immediately， which should tell you something。 i can't recommend enough！ 。。。more
Brittany Roberts-Navedo
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am completely unsure why most of the book was focused on the vote or women's rights and at the last minute they're like oh shit the villian is THAT guy。 It was so painfully obvious to everyone but the main characters apparently。 I am completely unsure why most of the book was focused on the vote or women's rights and at the last minute they're like oh shit the villian is THAT guy。 It was so painfully obvious to everyone but the main characters apparently。 。。。more
Melynda
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🎧 I enjoyed the interplay of fairy tales， women’s suffrage， and witches。
Kathie Jacklin
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This book was amazing。 I loved the characters， the story of the sisters interwoven with nursery rhymes and fairytales！ Just wonderfully written！！
Ted Morris
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Loved this book！ It took a bit for me to get hooked but once I was it was fun ride。 Witchcraft with a strong feminist bent， mixed with some romance， action and heartache。
Maria Do
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Amo histórias de bruxas， tanto que estou escrevendo uma。 Esta é absolutamente maravilhosa， porque me remete aos contos de fada que sempre me encantaram。 Amei。 É o segundo livro da autora que leio， já sei que vou procurar por outros， pois o primeiro que li， The Ten Thousand Doors of January， também é maravilhoso。 Recomendo muito！！
Il confine dei libri
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Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:https://ilconfinedeilibri。blogspot。co。。。 Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:https://ilconfinedeilibri。blogspot。co。。。 。。。more
Becky Brown
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A bit slow in places， but I was definitely invested by the end。
Para （wanderer）
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Alright， this was pretty good。 And very angry。 Longer review to come soon。
Sabrina Marnet
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I usually love witches stories， but I hated this one。 I wasn't even able to finish it。 It was really too long ， an accumulation of bad /Sad things happening to these poor women。。。really it was really too much。 It also lacked some rythm。 Sorry but I was really disappointed by this book （unlike the previous one from this author） I usually love witches stories， but I hated this one。 I wasn't even able to finish it。 It was really too long ， an accumulation of bad /Sad things happening to these poor women。。。really it was really too much。 It also lacked some rythm。 Sorry but I was really disappointed by this book （unlike the previous one from this author） 。。。more
Lindsey
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HHave you ever read a book with such good writing that you kind of want to cry， and that’s before you even take into account the magnificent characters and incredible story？ And when it comes to review it， you just kind of want to flail your hands around like Kermit after a few cocktails？ The Once and Future Witches is， without a doubt， the best book I’ve read in 2021。As an aspiring writer， this book is kind of devastating because I could never， but as a reader， this book is。 Well， Kind of devas HHave you ever read a book with such good writing that you kind of want to cry， and that’s before you even take into account the magnificent characters and incredible story？ And when it comes to review it， you just kind of want to flail your hands around like Kermit after a few cocktails？ The Once and Future Witches is， without a doubt， the best book I’ve read in 2021。As an aspiring writer， this book is kind of devastating because I could never， but as a reader， this book is。 Well， Kind of devastating， but in the best way。 It is a feminist book， sure， and even though the antagonist is a man， it is not a man-hating book。 It’s a story about magic， witchcraft and an incredible community that comes together to defy the odds and I love an odds-defying story。 I love that there are so many characters to root for; this is a book in which the background characters come alive， as much as our three heroines。 I cannot stress enough how clever this book is。 It starts out by introducing us to the three Eastwood sisters， who are deeply dissimilar to each other。 The recurrent themes of Crone and Mother and Maiden are woven through this book， together with fairytales and a cleverly gender-switched history （the Grimm Sisters， and Alexandra Pope）。 You do not meet a character like Juniper very often; she’s special and she’s stubborn and she’s fierce and she’s not always likeable but she’s impossible not to root for。She’s the fierce one， the feral one， the witch who lives free in the wild woods。 She’s the siren and the silky， the virgin and the valkyrie; Artemis and Athena。 She’s the little girl in the red cloak who doesn’t run from the wolf but walks arm in arm with him deeper into the woods。Her sisters， Agnes and Beatrice， are just as compelling， with their own ferocity， Mother and Crone。 Agnes is driven by the force of her love for her unborn daughter and Beatrice， a librarian without a library， comes into her strength too， and hers is a wonderful love story， as she finds herself entranced by Cleopatra Quinn。 This is a story about how the Eastwood sisters find their way back to each other， and back to witching， and it’s a story about so many revolutions， which ripple out from the town of New Salem。 It’s a story about witchcraft – the way， the word and the will: That’s all magic is， really: the space between what you have and what you need。 This is also a story with superb LGBT representation; not just the evolving relationship between Beatrice and Cleo， but look out for the story of Jennie Lind， too。 Rating: 5 stars （I’d give it six）TL;DR: A gorgeously written book about witchcraft， and sisters， and power。 。。。more
Nabilah
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SO。 GOOD。 so good！！！ Witchy， familial， queer， powerful。
Robin
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Women and Witches and History， Oh My！ A cracking good historical adventure tale where the three protagonists happen to be witches。 Harrow is a wonderful writer who draws you into her tale with compelling character descriptions and more and more dangerous situations interwoven with sisterly love and strength。 A definite keeper。。
Sher Free
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DNF at 15%
Theresa
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