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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: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Child abuse, Violence, Torture, and Misogyny
Moderate: Transphobia, Racism, Death of parent, Self harm, Lesbophobia, Abortion, Animal cruelty, and Sexual harassment
haunted_jackalope'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
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Confinement, Cursing, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Torture, Abortion, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
therainbowshelf'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
Graphic: Torture, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Confinement, Murder, Grief, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Racism, Classism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Misogyny
Moderate: Transphobia, Miscarriage, and Abortion
Government sanctioned removal of children from target group of peopletormerritt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
It is 1893, and we follow the Eastwood Sisters who are discovering their witchcraft and using the power of spells and storytelling to share their "words and ways". Ultimately, turning a women's movement into a witches' movement! The bravery and strength of the many women in this book were incredibly inspiring! The story deals with some heavier subjects like trauma, abuse, racism, violence, abortion, pregnancy/birth, and constraints against women during the 1890s.
Every character was written so well that they practically jump off the pages! We get to see their struggles, where they are from, who their family and friends are, what has caused their traumas, their thoughts and feelings, and their most vulnerable moments throughout. This made the characters relatable and so human for me. Also, I love the fact that there is LGBTQ/interracial relationship representation. ❤️
There wasn't anything I disliked about this book. I did not want to escape this enchanting world of The Once and Future Witches and I definitely want to form my own society of powerful witches now! Who wants to join? 🧙🏻♀️✨️
I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone, a new five-star favorite!
Moderate: Confinement, Murder, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Death of parent, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, and Racism
Minor: Abortion
zany25'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
4.5
The characters are the strongest part of the novel, if you love them you will love the book and if you don’t, you probably won’t.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexism, and Racism
Moderate: Homophobia, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Abortion
laurenlreads'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: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Abortion
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Violence, and Domestic abuse
fyredragyn'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
Moderate: Torture and Child abuse
kimmag92'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
3.0
Though I greatly enjoyed the premise of the book I found Harrow’s execution to not be great. The explanation of the world was muddled and unclear and so was the magic system. Also, each chapter is told from a different sisters perspective. How she did this was quite clunky as instead of each chapter having a heading of the sisters name, like many multi POV books do, she started the first sentence of each chapter with the sisters name. It felt rudimentary.
Minor: Violence, Torture, and Physical abuse
beth_dieroff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Racism, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Homophobia, Violence, Death, Torture, Abortion, Sexism, and Transphobia
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: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Death of parent, Police brutality, and Violence
Minor: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Physical abuse, Torture, and Abortion