Review by ajn293 - Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

ajn293 's review for:

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

1.5

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

There was a lot about this book that I liked but I really struggled with a book ostensibly about bodily autonomy of pregnant people had practically no reference to abortion. No one wanted one, no one attempted one magical or otherwise, and every girl just wanted to be a mom but couldn't. The misogyny/patriarchy themes veered a little "white feminism" for me especially when the coven spoke of historical oppression of witches/women around the world. There was no acknowledgement of the impact colonization or cultures that were not patriacal and violent towards "witches", it would have bothered me less if it didn't specifically call out non european cultures that tortured presumed witches and have such underdeveloped Black characters.

The body horror was effectively written and the circumstances the girls found themselves in were effective as a horror narrative. I appreciated the themes of the way women can both fight against and uphold the oppression of other women, but felt there were some aspects that were a bit uneven. I have liked some of this author's other books and female narrators, but this one fell flat and I don't think he was able to grasp or articulate all the nuances of the themes that were covered.

Content Warnings