The Once and Future Witches ~ Alix E. Harrow

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow is a fantasy novel. In 1893, there are no longer any witches. Witching is only used for the smallest of things, nursery rhymes and tiny charms. If women want power they have to fight for the right to vote. The Eastwood sisters join the New Salem Suffragettes and pursue the old ways, turning the women’s movement into the witches’ movement. They create bonds and a community whilst shadows hunt them down and try to put a stop to their rise in power.

This is a slow-paced book but in a way that fits with the plot. I don’t think this book would’ve worked if it was fast-paced. It was slow and methodical just like what societal change actually is. Many moments showed the reasons for the slow pace of change, the research, the setbacks, and the support building. Harrow didn’t spend too much time on these parts but definitely highlighted how much of the movement wasn’t the flashy shows and the fights. 

The three sisters, James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth and Beatrice Belladonna, all started out as the three goddesses (the maiden, the mother and the crone) personified. It was interesting to see them evolve into those roles whilst also developing to be more than just those three types of women. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book and very much wanted to know what was happening next, it, unfortunately, took me quite a while. I gave it four stars.

C🌙