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skyeoak's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Sexism, and Animal death
Moderate: Racism and Transphobia
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: Gaslighting, Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Kidnapping, and Sexism
Minor: Abortion, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Racism, Child abuse, and Death of parent
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
- 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 peoplecassiopeia_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: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Abortion, Cursing, Alcohol, Death, Toxic friendship, Blood, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, and Xenophobia
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 wordtormerritt'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
- 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
brindolyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Violence, Racism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Sexism
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