TW for mention of spousal and child abuse (not sexual), sexual harrasment in the workplace, abortion, and a very traumatic birth scene. Readers should know that this is a moving and deeply empowering book with an uplifting ending, but it’s not an entirely happy ending. There are two romances here, one between two women and one between a woman and a man. Just as the sisters were divided in part deliberately by their father as a way to lessen their ability to escape him, so these social divisions have to be overcome so that they can combine their knowledge and strength towards a common goal. The White women have to build connections with the Black women who have their own magic lore. They also have to build bridges with the suffragettes (it’s less that they join the suffragettes and more that the suffragettes join them) which involves reconciliation over class lines, religions, countries, and goals.

Watching them heal is a slow but satisfying process.Ī major theme of the book is the need for healing rifts, as the sisters have to reconcile in order to move forward with their lives. I actually found this to be painfully realistic, especially since most of their discord is the result of their abusive father’s manipulation (they were easier to control one at a time). 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.įrom this synopsis one might think that the sisters share a close bond, but by the time this book opens they have been fractured, turned against each other, separated by distance and time, and are full of bitterness towards each other. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.īut 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. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. In 1893, there’s no such thing as witches. Here’s the plot description from the publisher:

There are two romances, but they are not central to the book, which keeps its focus on the sisters as they struggle for autonomy and power for women in a ferociously patriarchal world.

This historical fantasy about three sisters in 1893 does not permit them to take an easy route on their journey towards a decent life. I adored this book so much, but it’s not a light or easy read.

The once and future witch