An oppressive shadowy force weighs on the inhabitants of New Salem and it’s down to three estranged sisters to rally the voices of dissent and arm themselves for a fightback.
Somewhere between historical fantasy, fairytale, and a feminist call to arms, this is a charming story of magic, rebellion and sisterhood, with a host of wonderful characters, and plenty of action to keep you entertained.
Proper witching is just a conversation with that red heartbeat, which only ever takes three things: the will to listen to it, the words to speak with it, and the way to let it into the world. The will, the words, the way…
The town of New Salem is an echo of 1600’s America, complete with suffragettes and racial segregation, but the characters are made for today’s battles; the fight for class, race, gender and sexual equality. Fittingly, the folklore which forms the magical collective consciousness of the novel – the nursery rhymes, sayings and children’s stories – is all invitingly familiar, teasing us with the promise of magic at our own finger tips. The world is not our world, but we are encouraged to feel part of the secretive pact of information sharing, solidarity and insurgency, as the Eastwood sisters learn to extend their circles of trust, past the point where it is comfortable, in order to harness the strength they need to defeat their foe in the book’s tragically stirring finale.
The novel is Hugo nominated Author, Alix E Harrow’s second novel, and it won the British Fantasy Award’s Robert Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 2021. For those of you who are suckers for a bit of magic, this will definitely inspire you to get in touch with your inner witch, and maybe stir up some mayhem while you’re at it.
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Buy on kindle £4.99
Paperback from BUUKs £6.99
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One of the most unexpected reads of my life – not an exaggeration. I thought I was picking up a novel, felt very hard done by after the first couple of pages which felt like slippery, stream of consciousness poetry, and then got wrapped up in one of the most exciting literary journeys of my life. You should read Agua Viva, even though its going to ask a lot from you – it more than repays the effort.