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A review by beulah_devaney
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.5
It took me a long time (at least a couple of months) to get into this book. I'd pick it up, read a few pages, and then put it down again, convinced that something horrible was about to happen to the three sisters. By the time I realised that they weren't going to be put through the parade of torture and mistery most books about the witch trials deal with, I was almost halfway through and couldn't put it down.
All of this isn't to suggest that The Once and Future Witches sanitizes the treatment of women. There's a palpable sense of menace hanging over the heads of the three Eastwood Sisters. They represent the Crone, the Mother and the Maiden, with all the danger and trauma those archetypes encounter. But in this alternative timeline (when witchcraft was real) there's also a sense of joy and wonder as women discover their forgotten spells and power.
While this isn't a comfortable or easy read, it's easy to get lost in the world of New and Old Salem.
All of this isn't to suggest that The Once and Future Witches sanitizes the treatment of women. There's a palpable sense of menace hanging over the heads of the three Eastwood Sisters. They represent the Crone, the Mother and the Maiden, with all the danger and trauma those archetypes encounter. But in this alternative timeline (when witchcraft was real) there's also a sense of joy and wonder as women discover their forgotten spells and power.
While this isn't a comfortable or easy read, it's easy to get lost in the world of New and Old Salem.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy