The Once and Future Witches
Ratings174
Average rating4.1
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.
An homage to the indomitable power and persistence of women, The Once and Future Witches reimagines stories of revolution, motherhood, and women's suffrage—the lost ways are calling.
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I loved the mechanics and descriptions of witching. The lost histories of what bound these women together were fascinating, and the tragedies of othering that shaped their world drove the story pretty well. All the lore and fairy tales are beautifully written.
Then enter Juniper, a character that I just couldn't get behind the entirety of the book. Eve could've been written out completely, replaced with a witch sister and the story would've been about the same. Pacing suffered when some characters were on the lamb. Also, the suffragete storyline seemed completely forgotten to the detriment of the rest of the book.
The final set piece was interesting and ripe with tension, but the ending still somehow felt anticlimactic. I loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January, so maybe that's why this book disappointed me so much.
My original rating was 3 stars after going back and forth between 2 and 3, but I changed it to 2 after writing my review. Although it did get better by the end, I also didn't find it memorable and struggled to get through it.
I was excited about The Once and Future Witches because I LOVED The Ten Thousand Doors of January and it had suffragette witches. There's a lot that's interesting about the different elements that went into this story and its handling of feminist anger, remade fairy tales, and witchcraft, but it never really kept me interested.
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