Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

35 reviews

allorah's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• 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

4.75

This book is about 3 estranged sisters who reunite in New Salem in 1893 after a dark tower appears in the town square. It's a time when women's rights and feminism are just coming to the surface and the suffrage movement is finally becoming a social focus. However, it's the women who must fight for their rights and the sisters who must find out what the tower is and does to bring back witching - the words and ways that empower women of all walks of life. 

This book is extremely well written. As a practicing witch, I am of the opinion that the author must be too because the way magic and spiritual concepts are spoken about could only be understood that way by a practitioner. This book has provided me with an awesome story as well as inspiration for my own magickal practice. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I had some moments in the middle of the book where it slowed. Other than that, an excellent read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment, Racism, Violence, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Abortion

afion's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

• 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, and Violence

chloemakesbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Harrow's books seem to take a while to heat up, but they get exciting toward the end. I can't say she's a master of plot, but her characters are likeable and she does a good job (if eclectic) of borrowing from other stories. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death of parent, Suicide, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Kidnapping, and Racism

Minor: Transphobia

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• 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

All a witch needs are the words, the ways, and the will but it's 1893, and the words and ways have been burned with the witches. Women have only the rhymes and songs passed down by word of mouth from mothers and grandmothers. But when Beatrice Belladonna Eastwood discovers a forgotten rhyme in an old book, she thinks she may have found a way to bring back the Lost Way of Avalon and restore witching to the world. When she is reunited with her sisters, Agnes Amaranth and James Juniper, they must move past old betrayals and work together for all womankind.

This book was perfect for me: the writing style was beautiful and a little bit meta, with references to storytelling and stories within the story; the characters were vibrant and lovable (and yes, I related to Bella a lot, as an oldest sister and book lover); and the feminist themes. I loved how Harrow altered fairytales—Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Rumplestiltskin, and more—and history—the Salem witch trials and the Underground Railroad—to use for her story. I loved the parallels drawn between witching and women's rights, and I especially liked how the story dealt with intersectional issues like race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. The setting reminded me of the Harry Potter franchise's Fantastic Beasts movies (though the book takes place about 30 years earlier, just before the turn of the century), with the gritty American city and leaders determined to hunt out witchcraft. I cannot recommend this book enough!

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just my judgement of how happy the ending is because I always wish someone would tell me that before I read books):

I'll be honest, I cried. I'd still say this is a relatively happy ending, though, but maybe bittersweet is a better word.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Misogyny

Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, and Racism

lais's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Physical abuse and Violence

Minor: Torture, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Hate crime, Cursing, Alcoholism, and Addiction