Book Notes: The Once and Future Witches

A novel by Alix E. Harrow

“Once upon a time there were three sisters. They were born in a forgotten kingdom that smelled of honeysuckle and mud, where the Big Sandy ran wide and the sycamores shone white as knuckle-bones on the banks. The sisters had no mother and a no-good father, but they had each other; it might have been enough. But the sisters were banished from their kingdom, broken and scattered.”

This was a great book to read during the Halloween season! (I’m a little late in getting my review typed up)

The Once and Future Witches is the story of the Eastwood sisters --James Juniper (the youngest and the wildest, the feral one); Agnes Amaranthe (the strongest, the steady one); and Beatrice Belladonna (the oldest and the wisest, the quiet one). Their mother died when they were young, and they were raised by their abusive father. The older girls left home, leaving June on her own for awhile. But now that her father is finally gone, June has left their home in Kentucky and arrived at the train station in New Salem. Even here, 200 miles from home, there’s a wanted poster with her face on it - MISS JAMES JUNIPER EASTWOOD. SEVENTEEN YEARS OF AGE, WANTED FOR MURDER & SUSPECTED WITCHCRAFT.

It’s the Spring Equinox of 1839, and after seeing a flyer at the train station June finds herself in St. George’s Square at a suffrage rally being held by the New Salem Women’s Association. June hasn’t seen nor heard from her sisters since they left home, but they are living here in New Salem, and they too find themselves pulled to the Square. When a storm arises they are shocked to watch the sky pull apart and a giant tower appear in the square. They recognize the feel of witchcraft in the air, and while the crowd flees they can’t pull themselves away. When the tower disappears as quickly as it came, they find each other.

Everyone knows there are no longer witches, but most women still know a little of their magic. Small useful spells taught to them by their mothers or grandmothers - like the sisters’ grandmother Mama Mags taught them. While the suffragettes work toward gaining the power of the vote, others want to reclaim the power of witchcraft.

“‘Witching and women’s rights. Suffrage and spells. ... They’re both a kind of power, aren’t they? The kind we aren’t allowed to have.’ The kind I want, says the hungry shine of [June’s] eyes.”

The sisters join the suffragette movement but eventually create their own group of like-minded women, The Sisters of Avalon, to explore bringing back the magic of witchcraft to better their lives. But this is Salem, where witches once burned. And there are dark forces that don’t want them to succeed.

This was a longer book than I expected, and I had to renew my library loan to finish it because I was slacking on reading. But it was really good and kept my interest. Wonderful strong female characters. A plot that didn’t always go where I thought it would. Another book I’d love to see made into a movie or better yet, a limited series (a 2-hour movie couldn’t do it justice). If you like witchy stories, check it out!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49504061-the-once-and-future-witches