Reviews

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Only show reviews with written explanations

zoekitch's review against another edition

4.0

i definitely liked this book and would read something by the same author. my only qualms are that i am so over the miscommunication trope and often i just wanted them to move a wee bit faster. that might just be me being used to reading trilogies - i was pleasantly surprised by the amount of fleshed out plot in one book!

noesbookishthings's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I wanted to love this book, I just didn’t. It was an interesting theory on witchcraft and women and I found that part fascinating but it just never fully drew me in. It had many of the elements I love in a story - feminism, mystique, fantasy, historical references - it just didn’t click. And there was a tiny bit of romance, but all closed door. Boooo.

hybridhavoc's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

katze84's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

2.5 stars. I'm sad to rate it so low since I really enjoyed the story, but the writing style really bugged me. I don't mind flowery writing, but this was so over the top, and much of it was so nonsensical that I was being pulled out of the story constantly. I had the same issue with Starling House, but it was much worse in this book, especially in the first half. I nearly dnf'd this several times, but I wanted to know what happened, so I stuck it out in the end. Another thing I noticed is that this author seems to love using the word teeth and various ways of using it. Things along the lines of "the world saw her as a frightened helpless girl, but she was something wild, something with teeth." I think I might have only picked up on it because it was similarly used in Starling House. Anyway, it got to the point where I found it annoying and then to the point where I was kicking myself for not keeping count. I'm not sure how many times the word teeth made an appearance in this book, but I'm certain it was way more times than it had any right to. I will say this: however, as much as writing style bothered me, I really enjoy Alix E Harrow 's stories. I think that the over the top writing did calm down in Starling House, and this was published a few years before. So, I will continue checking out her books if they interest me.

jasperwainwright's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I'm at a loss for the words and the ways to adequately describe such a sublime work of fiction, but I will say this: The Once and Future Witches is one of the best things I have read in the past few years. At once beautiful and hopeful and emotionally devastating, it uses the cloak of a fairy tale to evoke the joy and rage, powerlessness and hunger that so many women have felt throughout history. If I read few other books this year half as wonderful, I will not be surprised.