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lostinfrance's review against another edition
3.0
First book of the year....witches and fairy tales. A good (fake it until you make it) escape from not making a flight to Paris.
This is the story of three sisters- who lost each other when each ran away to escape an abusive father. They are living in a time when witches are imprisoned or burned at the stake- but feel a pull to their ancestors and upbringing. This pull has the three- Bella, Jasmine and Agnes find each other at a suffragist protest and unite to try to free woman. They fight with against each other to heal past scars and together to create a safe world for women and allow witches to just be. They work to find spells woven into fairy tales and children's stories- and to recreate them to work for them now. There are side characters along the way- a man who's mother taught him some spells, a Black woman who learned from stories of past enslaved people, prostitutes fighting to survive in a man's world, a man who loves unquestionably, a small red headed child, an evil shadowless man....
I especially enjoyed how fairy tales played into the history and spells of witching.
Read if you enjoy witches.
2022 PopSugar Reading Challenge (I am not really doing it this year): A book about witches
This is the story of three sisters- who lost each other when each ran away to escape an abusive father. They are living in a time when witches are imprisoned or burned at the stake- but feel a pull to their ancestors and upbringing. This pull has the three- Bella, Jasmine and Agnes find each other at a suffragist protest and unite to try to free woman. They fight with against each other to heal past scars and together to create a safe world for women and allow witches to just be. They work to find spells woven into fairy tales and children's stories- and to recreate them to work for them now. There are side characters along the way- a man who's mother taught him some spells, a Black woman who learned from stories of past enslaved people, prostitutes fighting to survive in a man's world, a man who loves unquestionably, a small red headed child, an evil shadowless man....
I especially enjoyed how fairy tales played into the history and spells of witching.
Read if you enjoy witches.
2022 PopSugar Reading Challenge (I am not really doing it this year): A book about witches
maliha_15's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
**Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5)**
This book is like a beautifully wrapped present that, when opened, reveals a pair of socks. Sure, they're nice socks, but you were expecting something a bit more... magical.
First off, let's talk about the prose. Alix E. Harrow clearly has a way with words, but sometimes it felt like she was trying too hard to be poetic. There were moments when I wanted to scream, "Just get to the point already!" The story drags on longer than a Monday morning meeting, and by the end, I was more relieved than enchanted.
The characters? Well, the Eastwood sisters are interesting enough, but they often felt like they were pulled straight out of a feminist manifesto. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for strong female leads, but these gals were so busy being symbols of empowerment that they forgot to be relatable.
And the plot? It's a mix of witchcraft and suffrage, which sounds intriguing, but it often felt like a history lesson with a sprinkle of magic. The pacing was as inconsistent as my Wi-Fi, and there were times I had to resist the urge to skim through the pages.
In conclusion, *The Once and Future Witches* had the potential to be spellbinding, but it ended up being more of a lukewarm potion. If you're into flowery prose and historical fiction with a dash of magic, you might enjoy it. But for me, it was just okay.
This book is like a beautifully wrapped present that, when opened, reveals a pair of socks. Sure, they're nice socks, but you were expecting something a bit more... magical.
First off, let's talk about the prose. Alix E. Harrow clearly has a way with words, but sometimes it felt like she was trying too hard to be poetic. There were moments when I wanted to scream, "Just get to the point already!" The story drags on longer than a Monday morning meeting, and by the end, I was more relieved than enchanted.
The characters? Well, the Eastwood sisters are interesting enough, but they often felt like they were pulled straight out of a feminist manifesto. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for strong female leads, but these gals were so busy being symbols of empowerment that they forgot to be relatable.
And the plot? It's a mix of witchcraft and suffrage, which sounds intriguing, but it often felt like a history lesson with a sprinkle of magic. The pacing was as inconsistent as my Wi-Fi, and there were times I had to resist the urge to skim through the pages.
In conclusion, *The Once and Future Witches* had the potential to be spellbinding, but it ended up being more of a lukewarm potion. If you're into flowery prose and historical fiction with a dash of magic, you might enjoy it. But for me, it was just okay.
flintlocklane's review against another edition
3.75
A frustrating read! Characters were okay but I wanted to know more about the world and magic system. I liked the idea of women hiding magic spells in nursery rhymes / fairytales etc., and wish I could’ve learned more about that. I found the main plot— suffragette witches— kinda cheesy and a bit boring. That said, there were parts that were interesting, such as the villain and his origin story. I just wish more time was spent fleshing out the timeline of this story rather dealing with repetitive interactions with love interests. I wanted to know more about how this story operates as an alternate history inspired by real history.
eviestarlight's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
charlietuna92's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good story. I like how the author wove in real historical figures, places, and nursery rhymes but added a twist for this book. Using an alternative history where witches were real and the removal of magic is seen as disenfranchisement of women was a good concept. Some parts were a bit predictable, but I liked the story overall!
taylor_broek's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5 stars! A great female character driven historical fantasy fiction, about three sisters all at different places in their lives being summoner to reunite and fight for women’s power. The town of Salem is full of suffragette witches but nobody really knows how many there really are. You have the rich white wives campaigning for women’s voting rights and the three sisters and other poorer women campaigning to have freedom to witch added to the feminist agenda! Fun facts. 2 Queer characters and love story
sarahwilli's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-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
safiyamreads'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? Yes
4.75
ladyunicornofchonk's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book thoroughly! I love the writing style of Alix Harrow, very flowery and at times extreme but overall it adds to the depth of description to set a scene or represent vivid movement. I don’t know if I would enjoy reading this book due to the length but I quite enjoyed the audiobook. I had heard the narrator (Gabra Zackman) previously reading The Scent Keeper and she did a magnificent job with both books.
I’m not a historian but from the standpoint of someone who likes to disappear in story, this one definitely has me transported!
I’m not a historian but from the standpoint of someone who likes to disappear in story, this one definitely has me transported!
ungie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes