The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
⭐⭐⭐ The Once and Future Witches — Beautifully Written, Thoughtful… and Just Not Quite My Thing (3 ⭐)
Author: Alix E. Harrow
Genre: Fantasy / Alternative History / Feminist Fiction
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3 out of 5
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
Gender-based violence • Emotional abuse • Physical abuse • Misogyny • Witch trials • Threats of execution • Pregnancy & abortion themes
🧙♀️ Initial Thoughts: I Wanted to Love This More Than I Did
I picked up The Once and Future Witches feeling cautiously optimistic. I kind of enjoyed The Ten Thousand Doors of January (even though I only rated it 3 stars… and yet it still lives rent-free in my brain 🤔), so I figured this one might really click.
And here’s the thing — there’s very little wrong with this book.
It’s beautifully written. The themes are powerful. The characters are thoughtfully drawn. But… it’s also long, slow, and very firmly rooted in witchy fantasy, which, if I’m being honest with myself, just isn’t my favorite genre. I appreciated it more than I loved it, and for me, that lands squarely at 3 stars.
📚 What This Book Is About (Premise)
Set in an alternate version of late 19th-century America, The Once and Future Witches imagines a world where magic once existed — and was violently erased.
Now, in 1893 New Salem, women are fighting for the right to vote, workers are organizing for better conditions, and whispers of witchcraft begin to surface again. At the center of it all are the Eastwood sisters — estranged siblings who rediscover both each other and the lost magic of the world.
This is a story about power, patriarchy, resistance, and solidarity, blending historical movements like women’s suffrage with fairy tales, folklore, and witchcraft.
🚨 SPOILER WARNING 🚨
Full plot summary and ending below. Major spoilers ahead.
🧵 Full Plot Summary: Witches, Sisters, and Reclaimed Power
🌾 Juniper on the Run
The story begins with Juniper Eastwood, a brave, feral, and unforgettable young girl fleeing for her life after killing her abusive father using a spell she barely understands. She escapes to New Salem, unaware that her two estranged sisters are already there.
Juniper immediately stood out to me — she’s fierce, stubborn, and quietly heroic. Easily my favorite character in the book. 🖤
🏭 Agnes and Bella
Agnes, the middle sister, works in a cotton mill, is pregnant, and is quietly contemplating an abortion in a world that gives her very few choices.
Bella, the eldest, is a librarian haunted by guilt over losing her sisters years earlier when they were forced to flee their father’s abuse.
Each sister represents a different form of womanhood — and a different kind of survival.
✨ Magic Returns
On the spring equinox of 1893, fate draws all three sisters to St. George’s Square, where Bella accidentally recites a spell hidden in a fairy tale book. Together, they summon a black tower, revealing that magic is not gone — it’s just been buried.
The sisters slowly realize that:
Magic was erased deliberately
Fairy tales contain hidden spells
Women working together can bring magic back
They begin recruiting witches from marginalized communities:
Juniper recruits from suffragists
Agnes recruits factory workers
Bella works with Cleopatra Quinn, a journalist and leader of the Daughters of Tituba, an organization of Black witches
🧑⚖️ The Villain: Gideon Hill
Their enemy is Gideon Hill, a powerful anti-magic politician who champions traditional gender roles.
Plot twist:
👉 Gideon is himself a centuries-old witch who hoards magic and uses it to control others.
When the sisters openly distribute magical knowledge — refusing to gatekeep power — Gideon retaliates by launching a new inquisition, hunting witches throughout New Salem.
🔥 Trial, Sacrifice, and Resurrection
Eventually, the Eastwood sisters are captured and sentenced to burn.
Gideon offers Juniper a deal: betray her sisters and join him.
She refuses.
Instead, the sisters invoke the Mother, Maiden, and Crone, drawing strength from the last witches who existed before magic was eradicated. Their allies rise up, Gideon is defeated — but at a cost.
Juniper sacrifices her life to banish him permanently.
In the end, the surviving witches use their collective power to resurrect Juniper, restoring her body and soul.
🌈 The Ending
The novel closes on a hopeful note:
Bella marries Cleopatra Quinn and becomes a historian of magic
Agnes begins a relationship with a labor activist
Juniper returns to the family farm to teach magic to a new generation
Magic is back — not hoarded, not hidden, but shared.
🤔 Final Thoughts: Why 3 Stars?
There’s a lot to admire here:
Gorgeous prose
Strong feminist themes
A deeply meaningful message
Juniper (who I loved)
But for me, the pacing was slow, the book felt longer than it needed to be, and at the end of the day… it’s a witchy fantasy, and that’s just not my comfort zone.
I didn’t dislike it. I respected it. I’m glad I read it.
I just didn’t love it.
⭐ Final Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
A thoughtful, well-crafted novel that will absolutely shine for readers who love witches, folklore, and feminist fantasy — even if it wasn’t fully my thing.
📚 If This Sounds Like Your Vibe, You Might Love:
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
🕯️ Bottom Line:
The Once and Future Witches is powerful, meaningful, and beautifully written — just a reminder that sometimes a good book can still be the wrong book for you.
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