Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

63 reviews

xcelxdx's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Overall enjoyed the concept and thought it was cool how they tied together the threads of a lot of different folklore stories. This book did fall prey to the standalone fantasy catch-22 where it became somehow too detailed/long-winded and superficial; due to the cramming of perhaps too many intricate plot points into 500 pages. I struggled to really connect with the characters and thought on the whole that their characters and respective romances and backstories could have been fleshed out a bit more. There were also some aspects where I felt the emotional journey the characters went on was perhaps too quick in the sense that it took about a sentence to process and come to a conclusion, but the author also used this to good effect in some instances.

The plague element felt a bit random in the book and it wasn’t properly concluded: what happened to the sick people, how did Eve get better? If it was due to GH’s death, did everyone get better? How is it spread… though perhaps as the book was published in 2020 this was something they wanted to diminish

all of that said I loved how they intertwined all these folk tales into one adapted and connected

but actually not really

narrative that cummulated

into a message of internal power and an almost rejection of fate. Injecting agency into a world where women have such little. I do feel the race aspect could have been explored further beyond the singular allusion of the non-inclusivity of the suffragist movement to woc

. Overall I really enjoyed the concept but it simultaneously felt a little like a slog to get through and left me with questions wanting more

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Slavery, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic

alanahcw's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense

5.0

Absolutely in love with this one! Messy, magical, queer, and full of rage against the patriarchy; it made me wish we had some words and ways to help fuel change today. 

I can't believe I waited so long to read Harrow's work - it's incredible ❤

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

ali_k0's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.0

The Once & Future Witches reports to follow three sisters bringing back the age of Witching. However, it's better told to be about a movement of women across the world who held onto the words and the ways so that those with the will could fight there way through life back to a time when they had power.

In the ashes of Old Salem is New Salem, a city free from witches and where every street is named after a saint, and hidden in those streets are women who have held on to the dying dregs of witchcraft by weaving it into their quilts and whispering it in each other's ears. All dream of a time where they have more then penny pinching and abusive husbands, but with the exception of low level house magic there is little left for them to use.

But the sufferage movement has women organizing, talking out of shadows, and the winds have blown three sisters back into the city. The sisters alone won't be enough to bring back the Lost Way, but with their new sisters (and romances) they'll find the way.

This book is for every spitfire with a habit for finding trouble, girls who draw their circles large enough for only themselves, anyone whose ever dreamed of being a magic librarian (I know I'm not the only one) or anyone looking for a story about organizing, finding a way when there's a will, and the power of intersectional allyship. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Abortion

littki's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

zyxtasaurus's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Minor: Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

lemonwrlds's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

mjverrall's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

This book has such wonderful prose, the language feels like poetry it is so beautiful to read. The start feels a little slow and sometimes it is hard to keep track of all the characters, but it picks up and is a truly beautiful story. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Physical abuse and Violence

Minor: Sexual violence and Abortion

jgalla's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

issamay's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Racism, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Abortion

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This may be the best book i've ever read. I laughed, I cried, I felt seen. This book is what it's like to be a woman. Anything you do is demonized but when a man does it he's praised. Alix E. Harrow writes about how "behind every witch is a woman wrong." (445) and creates beautifully complex characters like Agnes that show a true beauty and a true darkness in femininity. Juniper is a feral, selfish, and damaged girl but

her final act is to do something so selfless it saves all future witches. She bears the burden so that the future of her niece and all other mothers and daughters won't have to.

I could spend hours describing my love and adoration for this book. The emotional and storied complexity for even minor characters like Jennie and Mr. Blackwell are so outstanding and enriching. I think Harrow needs all the awards and I'm devastated i'll never be able to read this book for the first time again. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic