"The Once and Future Witches" review

It’s been a while since I read novels with any consistency. Recently, I began to read more, and this is the second book I had finished. I read it in about a week. It is a decent-sized length at 544, so it required a decent bit of time to complete.

One of the first things that drew me in to the book was the writing style. It had an essence of old fairy tales, whimsical and beautiful but also dark and gruesome. There are examples of contrasting tonal words to describe scenes that encompass the vibe of the story. I highlighted, marked and reflected on several passages throughout the story (you can read them here if you are curious), but here is a specific example, spoiler free, of what I’m referencing.

 

The wayward sisters, hand in hand, Burned and bound, our stolen crown, but what is lost, that can’t be found? Cauldron bubble, toil and trouble, Weave a circle round the throne, Maiden, mother, and crone. A spell to find what has been lost, requiring maiden’s blood, mother’s milk, crone’s tears & a fierce will.

The mentions of a crown and throne, the humbleness of a maiden, mother and crone, contrasting with the powerful words and dark themes like “burned and bound”, “toil and trouble” provide a perfect balance between delicate and brutal. This style of writing is exemplified during the spell-casting elements of the story, or during reveals, but it is prevalent throughout the whole tale.

Another aspect I enjoyed in the story are the witch themes. It was the main reason I picked up the book and developed such an emotional attachment to it. As a witch myself, I could tell careful research was done to understand rituals, traditions, symbols, methods, lifestyles and even strategies of witches.

Foreshadowing and connection symbolism are some of my favorite things to recognize and process while reading. This book was chock-full of foreshadowing with witchcraft-inspired signs, divination and certain outcome of events. They are a bit on the explicit end, with more “tell” than “show”, but it was done tastefully. I would like to avoid spoilers in this review, but I did notice that the connections and parallels were made explicit during larger, heart-driven scenes.

I deeply enjoyed this book. I laughed, I cried, I had to pause a few times and contemplate things, I rejoiced. This story made me all the good things I wanted to feel in a book, and so much more.