Throughout the novel the chapters are painted with shades of darkness, shades of pain and hurt and powerless, which effortlessly transport you into Harrow's fictional story. But there is also a great theme of the love between sisters and friends and daughters and mothers, as well as the sweet new beginning romance. There is a great theme of anger in this book, anger at the predestined role of women in society, anger at the loss of magic and anger at thwarted justice.

What makes the novel stand out though are its central themes. It is an enticing blend of fantasy and historical fiction, with magic and reality neatly walking hand in hand through the story. The storytelling is irresistible and dreamlike, the worldbuilding detailed and extensive, the characters brave and dangerous and strong enough to move mountains. Hugo Award-nominated The Ten Thousand of January, her second book is on another level. Alix E Harrow has an achingly beautiful way with words and while I really enjoyed her debut, the The Once and Future Witches is in one word, enchanting. But stalked by shadows of dark witching and hunted by a dangerous enemy who will do anything to ensure that witching never returns, the sisters will need to delve deep into the oldest magics, gather help from numerous, new alliances and mend the wounds of the past if they want to survive and keep their witching dream alive.

But when the three are drawn back together, to St George's square of New Salem where a window to another world opens in the sky, their stories are once more intertwined.Īs the three sisters join the women's fight to cast their votes in ballot boxes and demand to be listened to, they pursue the forgotten words and ways of magic with the hope to transform the women's movement into one of witches and spells. The Eastwood sisters – James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth and Beatrice Belladonna – have been separated for seven years and for seven years they have lived different lives, untouched by the past. If women want to hold power in their hands, to have their voices heard, it is now through women's suffrage.

In 1893, after the purges and the burnings, witching has been reduced to little more than weak charms and simple spells. There's no such thing as witches, but there used to be. This is the book you have been searching for - don't miss it. Empowering and triumphant, Harrow's second book is a work of art. Set against the backdrop of the fight for women's suffrage, the sisters' endeavour to bring magic back is captivating and exceptional. Summary: Atmospheric and beautiful, The Once and Future Witches is a bewitching story of three sisters fighting to be powerful in a world where their voices are ignored.

The once and future witches romance