


This is a historical fantasy book, set in the 1890’s, as I mentioned previously. And important information was revealed later rather than earlier. The plot seems to move in circles rather than in a line. While I love Harrow’s imagery, the writing in this book feels repetitive.

But The Once and Future Witches feels insufferably slow to me. I don’t mind a slower pace in books in fact, The Ten Thousand Doors of January has a fairly slow pace. Despite all three sisters having interesting backstories, they don’t feel well-rounded on the page, and for some reason, I only found myself caring a little about Beatrice/Bella’s character, but not enough about the others to continue reading. While I admire that this book focuses on sisterhood, magic and fairy tales, and the advancement of women, I was never sucked into the story.

The sisters join the suffragette movement and attempt to bring back the lost magic of witches. The Once and Future Witches follows three estranged sisters in the 1890s in a city called New Salem, the City Without Sin, after the original Salem burned down. I got halfway through, and I found myself not caring about what happens to the main characters. Unfortunately, finishing this book just feels like a chore. When I read a book, I can’t ignore the fact that I have a creative writing background, so things that some readers can get over/don’t think are a big deal, I often can’t ignore.Īll that being said, since I really enjoyed The Ten Thousand Doors of January, I was looking forward to reading Harrow’s new book. But I always strive to be as honest as I can when it comes to my reviews. I only do if I A) really can’t stand the writing style/topic or B) if I lose interest in the story. Do you think DNFing is talked about enough in the book/literary world? Or do you think it’s perceived as being too negative a topic?
