Once upon a time, Alix Harrow wrote about three sisters ... She gave this second novel many gifts: charm, grace, and gorgeousness; feral wonder, clear vision, an ardent heart. She gave it history, awareness of injustice and will to survive it ... I unabashedly, unreservedly adore The Once and Future Witches . I adore it with the kind of passion that prickles at my eyes and wavers my voice. I adore it in a way that requires purchase of a giving copy, for friends in need ... Harrow revels in many-layered mysteries, in a story of many acts, in wordplay. Characters respond so organically to surprise that it is a wonder to read ... Even minor characters are replete with full sets of motivations, fears, longings ... my only criticism was plot sometimes fell together too neatly or people in love too quickly.
One thing that has become clearly evident is that when you read a book by Alix E. Harrow, you are in for lyrical prose and a story that will reach into the core of your being and squeeze. The Once and Future Witches is a tale about sisterhood and the fight for rights, and it is a story that is very relevant in the here and now ... [Harrow's] way with words and ability to turn a phrase is nothing short of magical ... Each sister is complex, but Harrow builds them expertly, giving them each different voices while still keeping their sisterhood at the forefront ... The world that Harrow creates is well-built and immersive.
Harrow’s story lies firmly within the feminist tradition, reflective of the social commentaries of modern feminist thinkers like Kate Manne and Rebecca Traister and reminiscent of women’s recent and growing exercise of their political power ... an homage to the endurance of stories and storytelling ... If I had just one criticism to level against the novel, it would be that the suffragette story thread was dropped early on. A book about suffrage and spells became a book about spells. I would’ve liked to spend more time with the members of the New Salem Women’s Association and watch them interact with the Eastwood sisters’ coven. But this misstep was minor. The Eastwood sisters are deftly characterized, and glorious in their imperfections; the world is imaginatively built; and the tale entertains. I found myself lingering over some of Harrow’s figurative language, which made the associative networks in my brain sing ... I rooted for Bella, Agnes, and Juniper every step of the way. I yearned for them to find that which they’d misplaced. The words and ways are powerful, and Harrow proves she has both.
I adored this book so much, but it’s not a light or easy read ... Readers should know that this is a moving and deeply empowering book with an uplifting ending, but it’s not an entirely happy ending ... The language in this book is just stunning ... Everything is tactile, there’s a powerful sense of place, and people have real physical needs, so it’s beautifully anchored in reality while also making use of fantasy ... It’s so gripping, so beautifully written, and such a powerful homage to women’s voices and the need to unify against a common enemy. The protagonists are all flawed in ways that make sense and they are believable and relatable.
... spellbinding and empowering ... Alternating perspectives among the three sisters, Harrow pens a story of hurt and betrayal, but also one of all-encompassing sisterly love. They couldn’t be more different from one another, but their shared history and hopes for the future bring them together at a comfortable but emotionally charged pace ... At over 500 pages, The Once and Future Witches is no brief foray into Salem and witchcraft, yet I read the entire book in one breathless sitting. Harrow writes as if she is possessed, crafting secret societies, forming uprisings and, somehow, writing believable and relatable female characters at the same time. It reads like magic itself, riddled with secret spells and surging with power and activism. Framing the reclamation of magic against the very real (and timely) struggle for the vote, the author reminds us what fantasy does best: allows readers to see how different characters respond to adversity and apply their learnings to our own problems ... Combining an imaginative and fully realized system of magic, stellar worldbuilding and characters who grow, expand and subvert readers’ expectations on every page, The Once and Future Witches is the perfect brew of magic and power. With themes of intersectional feminism, motherhood and the deep scars of trauma, Harrow provides readers with an intoxicating mix of fantasy and reality that will speak to both the powerless and the empowered, igniting a new fury within all who read it.
Despite its vampires, assassins, and a viciously conspiratorial patriarchy, the main sensibility I took away from Alix E. Harrow’s spectacular debut, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, was one of celebration – a celebration of portal fantasies, of secret histories, of favorite books and tales, most of all of the protagonists’ capacity to find and claim their own stories. Much the same might be said of her new novel The Once and Future Witches. To be sure, the plot, the late 19th-century setting, and the characters are entirely different, but her sometimes playful fascination with history, her not entirely original conviction that outsider groups can gain power from unity, and her celebration of women’s magic will seem familiar. For all this, the novel seems entirely new, including Harrow’s manner of telling the tale, as inventive in its own way as was Ten Thousand Doors ... Sometimes the narration takes on such an anthem-like voiceover tone that you can almost hear the music swelling ... Tone is crucial in any stories about stories, and pretty soon we’re enjoying this sort of thing as much as Harrow seems to enjoy writing it ... As the stakes grow more dire, the novel takes on a more densely textured, almost epic dimension, raising the question of what sacrifices the sisters may need to make in order for their story – and the world – to survive. Even though the more mundane question of women’s suffrage may be a bit overshadowed by time we reach the spectacular conclusion, The Once and Future Witches, with its adroit balance of narrative playfulness and imminent tragedy, is as fully original and impressive as its predecessor, and is just a hoot to read.
Harrow solidifies her status as an exceptional storyteller with her outstanding sophomore effort ... Using magic as a metaphor for women’s rights, this novel cleverly connects the dots between the suffragist movement of the past to the #MeToo movement of today. Compelling, exhilarating, and magical, The Once and Future Witches is a must-read.
The worldbuilding is richly detailed, inclusive, and enchanting, while still honoring the harsher history of civil rights and resistance ... Drawn from folklore and history, Harrow’s lyrical prose immerses readers in a story of power and secrets that is not easily forgotten.
Harrow’s sophomore novel is a love letter to folklore and the rebellious women of history ... despite the inclusive background cast and manifesto moments, the racial and gender politics are oversimplified as the focus remains tightly on the sisters. Still, their path to empowerment is entertaining, and Harrow’s world is gleefully referential; folklore and history enthusiasts will have a feast.
... a love letter to folklore and the rebellious women of history ... Harrow gestures at a diverse, gender-neutral vision of witchcraft, through which men cast spells in Latin, the Dakota Sioux use dances, and black witches use songs and constellations, but despite the inclusive background cast and manifesto moments, the racial and gender politics are oversimplified as the focus remains tightly on the sisters. Still, their path to empowerment is entertaining, and Harrow’s world is gleefully referential; folklore and history enthusiasts will have a feast.
