So Witches We Became is a curled snarl of a book. This is the type of book that seethes with rage and breaks your heart.
It is no secret that I adore a good horror book and Jill Baguchinsky delivers the goods in this no holds barred YA horror that delivers spine-chilling thrills and an unleashed power in both rage and letting your voice be heard.
This is not a book that holds back, it pulls power from its deep-seated anger. I love books that unapologetically let their fury fly, particularly when it’s connected to important conversations and the type of emotion that consumes you entirely. This is definitely one where I would recommend reading the content warnings ahead of reading, as it deals with rape culture, abuse, sexual assault, rape and victim blaming as primary topics. These are dealt with sensitively and with a clear sense of nuance at the difficulty of these conversation, particularly within a patriarchal society. Characters have tricky conversations on page that tackle their own complicity and having to face their trauma. However, it is also very much a narrative around reclaiming your own narrative and power. Both are given equal weight and I think that chimes strongly with the ultimate message of allowing survivors to find their own path. It is their story and they should have control over what happens next. Forcing any judgement or recommended path upon them reduces their agency further than it has already been stolen from them. This is an impactful message and shines particularly in that balance between power and rage, it finely achieved by Baguchinsky and should be commended. Within this rage, there is a warning of letting it consume you entirely. It picks apart the idea of justice and vigilantism, questioning where exactly that line sits. There is a lot to unpack within these pages, but Baguchinsky always allow time to breathe and digest these revelations in a way that gives both characters and readers grace.
The opening sequence of this book is chilling. It immediately puts you on edge and gives you a good sense of some of the supernatural scares that may come into the book. Overall, the horror contains a great mystery and a brilliant use of atmosphere to amplify the tension. The setting is an isolated and intriguing one, with its own mythology and mystery around it. So, once the chaos starts, you are primed for an oncoming storm of death and destruction. There is certainly some bloodshed and brutality here, but it is also constantly questioning who the true monsters in the narrative are. It is a familiar narrative, but infused with heart due to the excellent characterisation. Nell is a brilliant protagonist and instantly draws you in. She’s likeable but complicated, haunted by fears and secrets. Around her is a tight friendship group, but there may be more than a few cracks beneath a seemingly easy exterior.
Also, while it is very much not the primary focus of the book, there is a gorgeous queer romance thread throughout the book. This is one that brought a smile to my face with great chemistry and dialogue, which naturally built between the two characters. It is of course amplified by the horrific circumstances unfolding around them and complicated by the truths they are not sharing with one another. Ultimately it provides some light and hope for the future amongst the darkness, giving an example of continuing to live for yourself and taking control of your own narrative. It is a hard won victory though and definitely shown to contain struggles to come as well.
So Witches We Became is the kind of horror that haunts your dreams—brimming with a poignant fury that settles under your skin.
So Witches We Became is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 23rd 2024.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
If boys will be boys, girls will fight back.
For high school senior Nell and her friends, a vacation house on a private Florida island sounds like the makings of a dream spring break. But Nell brings secrets with her—secrets that fuse with the island’s tragic history, trapping them all with a curse that surrounds the island in a toxic, vengeful mist and the surrounding waters with an unseen, devouring beast.
Getting out alive means risking her friendships, her sanity, and even her own life. In order to save herself and her friends, Nell will have to face memories she’d rather leave behind, reveal the horrific truth behind the encounter that changed her life one year ago, and face the shadow that’s haunted her since childhood.
Easier said than done.
But when Nell’s friends reveal that they each brought secrets of their own, a solution even more dangerous than the curse begins to take shape.
Perfect for fans of Courtney Summers nd Rory Power and reading like a YA feminist spin on Stephen King’s The Mist, So Witches We Became is a diverse, queer horror about female friendship, the emotional aftermath of surviving assault, and how to find power in the shadows of your past.
