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lady_valhella's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, Abortion, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
ladynavalon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Violence
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The Once and Future Witches is the second by Alix E. Harrow that has me spellbound (pun intended). Harrow is so good at atmospheric settings and giving the magic just enough realness and familiarity that it's easy to get lost in.
We follow the Sisters Eastwood: James Juniper, the youngest and most wild sister who is aroace and disabled; Agnes Amaranth, the middle sister and the strong one; and Beatrice Belladonna, the eldest and wisest sister who is a lesbian librarian. Each of these characters is fleshed out so well and feel like whole people with many layers. We get a lot of themes on duality through the sisters, and subversion of fairy tales and witch stories. Juniper is the best. She is such a sassy badass and has enough will to bring the world to its knees. Their growth together and apart had me glued to the page. We also get a trans woman side character and black secondary character, Cleo, who I loved (and so did a certain librarian).
I loved the magic in this. Harrow uses fairy tales, children's songs and stories as the words for magic, all a woman then needs is the ways and the will. The reason for storing the knowledge of magic in this way was because men wouldn't think to look in children's books or a woman's sewing kit. Ultimately, this is a feminist witch retelling of the women's suffrage movement in the summer of 1893. It's angry and wronged women taking power in any small way they can. I loved the theme of perseverance and making a way where there is none. Harrow tells us any woman can be a witch if she is wronged and has the words, the will, and the way.
The villain was creepy af and kept you guessing, but in the end you almost feel bad for him (almost). We get a lot of references to the Maiden, Mother, Crone trope which is used throughout the story. I also just loved how simple the magic was. The characters really made this story worth it. And bless Mr. August Lee!
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racism, Self harm, Transphobia, Abortion, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment
ingridmaria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Abortion, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Sexual assault, Slavery, and Sexual harassment
cassiopeia_lucky_fowkes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You end up falling in love with the characters like they are you own Sisters (note the capital S)
Only read if you are okay with crying for ten minutes at various parts of the book (this happened to me both times I read it!)
It has an amazing plot with lots of plot twists that grip and pull you into the story and dont let you go until its done
I wish this book had a sequal!
Also the writing style is amazing, there is the perfect amount of description to allow you to imagine sort of the more fine details in how a character looks for example but also gives you a good base
the settings are also described in this way
I cant tell you how much I love this book tbh it changed the way I look at everything and changed my life too!
I highly recommend to any feminist out there.
Let the fire inside your heart continue to burn and let this book help it to burn brighter with fury, love, hate and hope.
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
I put all the content warnings in graphic because i dont have time to sort them! Also some are so minor they are only one sentence or wordlaurenlreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Suicide, Torture, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
sparklefarm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Rollicking, wild, and fierce. I loved this. I might read it again.
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Abortion
Minor: Animal cruelty, Transphobia, Death of parent, Outing, and Sexual harassment
justmys's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The book touches upon a myriad of different cultures and lives, exploring their differences and similarities and finding what joins us together in the face of a fight that needs to be won.
You can feel the fire in these pages, it's so beautifully written and feels rooted in history, despite the fiction and magic. It weaves between the marginalised and the long suffering, bringing in LGBTQ+ topics, race inequality, social standing and sex, and it does so with such genuine care and love it's beautiful to read.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Sexism
schnaucl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
It's a book that's full of women's rage and the subtle ways they have to hide their power to pass things down through the generations and the never ending cycle of women gaining a measure of power only to have it nearly all taken from them. But still they endure.
I appreciated the effort to bring in words and ways from other cultures, both contemporary and historical, and the focus on the fact that progress will eventually cause a reactionary backlash which will fall hardest on the most marginalized.
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Grief, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail
sneakysnam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment