Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Le streghe in eterno

I wasn't expecting much from The Once and Future Witches; I only gave The Factory Witches of Lowell three stars, and this seemed like such a similar idea that I was surprised book club would add it to our list when we'd already experienced exactly this subgenre. I was absolutely wrong, The Once and Future Witches is up there with The Goblin Emperor and An Accident of Stars as one of the best books we've read.

Despite being a lover of fantasy novels, magic systems aren't that important to me. The distinctions between hard and soft, rules-light and rules-heavy rarely influence how I feel about a book. But I absolutely loved what Alix E Harrow did with the magic in The Once and Future Witches, because it's all based in reality, but given a clever and literary twist. Spells are hidden in nursery rhymes and stories, and so many of them begin with familiar words. Similarly, Alix E Harrow takes familiar concepts and weaves them into her world in a way that delighted and surprised me every time.

In a similar way, the prose was full of clever twists and references and beautiful sentences that I loved. While the style seems simple, it's also very clever, building in references and allusions that will become more important later. I'm sure The Once and Future Witches would be a joy to reread!

While the magic reminded me of Chocolat, the world-building shows a greater divergence from reality, something more akin to Dread Nation. I loved that so many of the significant historical and mythological figures were female versions of those found in our world: Alexandra Pope, Queen Midas, to name just two. It made me wonder if reading this feels a little like being a man in our world, where so many important figures affirm your gender. The Once and Future Witches is an explicitly feminist book, though Alix E Harrow does flesh out positive male characters just as well.

Which brings me on to the characters, who I adored. Even though the Eastwood Sisters, and many of the others, were built on archetypes, they were incredibly well-drawn and developed. Of course, as a reader and reviewer of books, not to mention a notebook enthusiast, I loved (Beatrice) Bella the librarian and note-keeper, but Agnes' story was just as compelling, maybe even more so. To round out the three witches, I should also say that I cried harder in Juniper's chapters than I think I have in any book I've read for book club. The ending of The Once and Future Witchesis powerful and deeply sad, but not a total tragedy.

I have absolutely nothing bad to say, which doesn't happen often. And for once, I haven't struggled to articulate all the things I loved about The Once and Future Witches. Fingers crossed I'm just as able to string my thoughts together at book club.

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toriwatson's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

While it was a pretty slow start, things eventually picked up and I ended up really enjoying the book! I think it's beautifully written-I also love the incorporation of fairy tale/folklore interspersed throughout the story. The twists/reimagining of their depiction in this world that reflects an alternative to our own history. I think the author is incredibly strong when it comes to character & world building, I personally felt very centred while reading. The sisters are by no means perfect and I liked that about them, they were flawed and not always the nicest to each other (just like real siblings often can be). I liked that they were all fleshed out and had their own storylines, that non seemed less important to the overall narrative. I really appreciate the diversity and inclusivity found in the characters depicted in the book as well. Overall, it was just a really interesting/magical/enthralling read once I got over the initial slow start! While I feel like there is so much more I could say, I will leave it at that for now!

Def. recommend a read, just be prepared since it's a big one!

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winx15's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

I loved this book and the magic system and the way witches were tied into womrns rights movements. The charachters were whole people with flaws but were given the chance to form meaningful relationships. I only took half a star off cause i had moments where i thought it should be ending and i was only 1/2 or 3/4 of the way through, so pacing threw me off sometimes, but it was lovely and wrapped up very nicely and i highly recommend!

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eve_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Overall Thoughts:
⁕ The maiden/mother/crone metaphor can be hit or miss in most witchy tales. I LOVE that Harrow uses it to explore how differing phases of life and priorities may affect the ways women relate to the suffragist movement.

⁕ Harrow’s style is very unique. She mashes together the extremely poeticized language of traditional western fairytales with quirky, sometimes vulgar dialogue. For some this may be an acquired taste, but I found it to be both hilarious and refreshing.

⁕ I appreciate that Harrow approaches feminism from an intersectional lens. HOWEVER, the story is still presented from mainly a white, western European perspective. Characters that deviate from this narrative feel haphazardly thrown in to advance the plot for the 3 sisters and aren’t given the in-depth arcs and development they deserve.

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