The Once and Future Witches

Alix E. Harrow

Oct 2020 · Sold by Redhook

About this ebook

"A gorgeous and thrilling paean to the ferocious power of women. The characters live, bleed, and roar. "―Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel • Named One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR Books • Barnes and Noble • BookPage

In the late 1800s, three sisters use witchcraft to change the course of history in this powerful novel of magic, family, and the suffragette movement. 

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters―James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna―join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote―and perhaps not even to live―the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

An homage to the indomitable power and persistence of women, The Once and Future Witches reimagines stories of revolution, motherhood, and women's suffrage—the lost ways are calling.

Praise for The Once and Future Witches:

"A glorious escape into a world where witchcraft has dwindled to a memory of women's magic, and three wild, sundered sisters hold the key to bring it back...A tale that will sweep you away."―Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author 

"This book is an amazing bit of spellcraft and resistance so needed in our times, and a reminder that secret words and ways can never be truly and properly lost, as long as there are tongues to speak them and ears to listen."―P. Djèlí Clark, author The Black God's Drum

For more from Alix E. Harrow, check out The Ten Thousand Doors of January.

Ratings and reviews

I can't imagine finding a more unique take on women fighting for their rights. Although the novel has quite a slow start, it eventually builds toward a compelling and suspenseful conclusion. It's the 1800s. Three sisters are born into less than ideal circumstances. A mother who dies after the birth of the youngest. A drunken and abusive father. Fortunately, the girls have a strange but loving grandmother who shares her knowledge of herbs and "spells." • Belle, the oldest, leaves home after someone exposes her darkest secret to her father. • Agnes, becomes a librarian, navigating a hostile environment while struggling to protect her own secret. • Juniper, the wildest of the three, has been deeply hurt and can't understand why her older sisters abandoned her to live alone with their father. But even when separated, each sister still feels a strong, almost mystical, personal connection with the other two, innately sensing when one is in trouble. When the sisters finally reunite, they become involved with the budding Suffragette movement, fight against the political establishment -- all the while seeking to learn more about the lost world of Avalon. The plot is much more creative and ingenious than my description but I don't want to give away any spoilers. Alix Harrow is an inventive writer and not afraid to struggle with her craft, as she readily admits in the book's ending Acknowledgments. I greatly enjoyed and was impressed by Harrow's first book, The Ten Thousand Doors of January. But this one surpasses the first.

Easily one of the best books I have ever read. I can't think of a better thing to say about a book than I couldn't put it down even when I knew I'd be done for the next morning if I stayed up all night reading it.

One of my favorite books! I love the strong female characters and the storyline! Much more intriguing than The Ten Thousand Doors of January.

About the author

Alix E. Harrow is an ex-historian with lots of opinions and excessive library fines, currently living in Kentucky with her husband and their semi-feral children. She won a Hugo for her short fiction, and has been nominated for the Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy awards. Find her at @AlixEHarrow on Twitter.