One thing that has become clearly evident is that when you read a book by Alix E. Harrow, you are in for lyrical prose and a story that will reach into the core of your being and squeeze. The Once and Future Witches is a tale about sisterhood and the fight for rights, and it is a story that is very relevant in the here and now.
Once sisters and now strangers, Agnes Amaranth, Beatrice Belladonna, and James Juniper find themselves together again amidst their own turmoil and the rising tension of the Suffragist Movement in New Salem. With forces moving against them and all women, the sisters will need to find a way to heal their past and forge new alliances to survive.
Alix E. Harrow is one of those authors where you just know you’re going to fall into their stories. Her way with words and ability to turn a phrase is nothing short of magical. With Once and Future Witches, Harrow gives the readers three spectacularly realised sisters and takes them on a journey of forgiveness and the fight to achieve the power of choice.
Each sister is complex, but Harrow builds them expertly, giving them each different voices while still keeping their sisterhood at the forefront. Any reader will be able to connect to the sisters in a way. From Agnes’ world weariness, Bella’s search for answers in her books, and Juniper fiery rage, we all have pieces of the sisters in us, which makes this novel feel like it becomes a part of you as you read.
The depth of emotion that Harrow brings to the story will hit home for many. The three sisters have been through so much together and apart and the exploration of forgiveness and what it means to be sisters is powerful. There are times when the plot is more character driven and that is when the reader can really explore the sisters and their traumatic past. Often while reading, I find myself questioning the choices of characters, but here I was able to just watch the lives of the sisters unfold. Sure, the best choices aren’t always made, but there is something so human about these fictional characters, that you just go along with them as they learn and grow from their past.
The world that Harrow creates, an alternate history of New Salem in 1893, is well-built and immersive. You can tell there was a good amount of research done to bring accuracy to this fantasy story. There are times when info-dumping gets to be a bit much, but in the overall scheme of things, it never weighed the story down too much.
Harrow is proving herself to be a master storyteller and one I think readers will know for many years to come. With The Once and Future Witches, Harrow has given us a highly relevant story to get lost in, one that will invigorate those of us who are feeling worn down by 2020.
The Once and Future Witches is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
