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.
Synopsis taken from Goodreads.
*
I was provided with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was really excited to read this one. It sounded like a bit of a mix between fantasy and historical fiction - two genres that I absolutely love to read. The premise for the story really enticed me, and I was keen to get those witchy vibes.
I did enjoy the story, but I didn't connect with it as much as I was hoping to. I found the narrative a bit unnecessarily long-winded, which meant I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected to. However, the writing was beautiful and gave fantastic imagery, and the characters themselves really sold it for me. They had depth, were engaging and intriguing, and really helped to elevate the book.
It's a shame it wasn't quite as good as I anticipated, but I think lots of other readers would love it more than me.
Rating: ✫✫✫
The Setting
The setting of this book was one of the things that I really enjoyed most about it. It had a historical feel to it, but with very modern themes and vibes that kept it from being historical fiction. I really enjoyed escaping to what felt like a different world, and exploring this fictional society.
The Story
The story itself unfortunately did feel a little long-winded to me. It took a while to get going, and just when I felt it was getting somewhere it slowed right back down again. I genuinely feel the same story could have been told in far fewer pages, and it did kill off a little bit of my motivation to actually sit down and read it after a while.
However, despite its length, I did enjoy the story. I thought it raised a lot of interesting and modern points whilst maintaining some historic truth, and it was very dynamic and powerful. I did keep going back for more despite myself, because the story was so unique and interesting.
The Characters
I think what really sold this book for me was the range of characters. Juniper, Agnes and Bella are all such intriguing characters, all so vastly different and yet tied together to make a wonderfully dynamic team. There wasn't a single character who I felt let the story down, which very rarely happens to me! I enjoyed each of their stories equally, and felt they complemented each other well. If it wasn't for the depth of their characters and their engaging personalities, I'm not sure I would have made it to the end of the book.
The Verdict
Overall, I'm not sure this was the right book for me. On paper it sounded right up my street, but in reality, it just wasn't my thing. Although the writing was beautiful and the imagery really great, the length of the narrative and the slow pace of the story did put me off just a little. However, thankfully the interesting characters kept me going and made up for it a lot!
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