Synopsis:
In Gilded Age New York, a centuries-long clash between two magical families ignites when a young witch must choose between love and loyalty, power and ambition in The Age of Witches, a magical novel by Louisa Morgan.
In 1692, Bridget Bishop was hanged as a witch. Two hundred years later, her legacy lives on in the scions of two very different lines: one dedicated to using their powers to heal and help women in need; the other, determined to grasp power for themselves by whatever means necessary.
This clash will play out in the fate of Annis, a young woman in Gilded Age New York who finds herself a pawn in the family struggle for supremacy. She’ll need to claim her own power to save herself-and resist succumbing to the darkness that threatens to overcome them all.
Edition:
E-ARC
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of The Age of Witches from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book so much. Even now, with all of the trouble I’ve been having focusing and allowing myself to really immerse in a book, this one grabbed me.
If there is one way to get me into what is otherwise a straight work of human interest-type fiction, it is to add witches. And what is so wonderful about this particular work of fiction is that it happens during the Gilded Age (the year 1890, specifically), which I personally haven’t seen a whole lot of. I feel like it is more common for this type of story to take place in the middle ages, during the Witch Trials, or in modern times, so the change of venue was greatly appreciated.
I always appreciate a good witch story, because no matter how it is told, or how we are supposed to feel about the witch in question, it is always, at it’s core, about humanity’s (and more specifically men’s, sorry bruhs – although unfortunately women fall in here too) fear of women. They fear women generally, and they fear powerful, self-sufficient women specifically. Unfortunately this fear continues to permeate society even now, and it crosses borders of race, religion, ethnicity, and even gender. And so long as women are viewed with fear, suspicion, and hostility, I think we will continue to find stories of witches finding, reclaiming, or losing their powers incredibly titillating.
“Witch should be a beautiful word, signifying wisdom and knowledge and discipline, but it isn’t used that way. It’s been made an insult, implying evil, causing fear. The word has been perverted.”
The story follows three descendants of Bridget Bishop, a witch hanged during the Salem Witch Trials who has vowed to always watch over her family line. The three descendants are Harriet, her very distant cousin Frances (who actually descends from an off-shoot of the Bishop line who are known for their turn toward darker magic), and Frances’ step-daughter Annis, who is actually Harriet’s grand-niece(? – I think. That sounds right. They’re all distantly interrelated, anyway.) Frances has plans for Annis, and she isn’t above using dark magic to make sure her plans come to fruition. Annis, with Harriet’s assistance has to make a stand against her stepmother.
The writing is really strong, although I did feel like the ending was dragged out a bit more than it needed to be. Otherwise, I feel like this story really sucked me in. It took me about 4 days to finish – normally, that would be excessive, but given current circumstances and the fact that I currently have the attention span of a squirrel on uppers, I’d say it’s pretty good. I found myself opening the kindle back up most times that I felt I had a spare moment to read just a little more of the story, so…I’d say that’s a positive.
About the Author:
Louisa Morgan is the author of A Secret History of Witches, The Witch’s Kind, and The Age of Witches. Louisa is a yogini, a musician, a mom, and a dog lover. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and her spirit familiar, Oscar the Border Terrier.
Louisa Morgan writes historical and mainstream novels. As Louse Marley, she is an award-winning writer of fantasy and science fiction.
Rating:
The Age of Witches just recently hit shelves, so I say if you’re into tales of witches, female-driven fiction, or stories about powerful women in general, give it a go!
The Age of Witches By Louisa Morgan Redhook ISBN: 9780316419512 Published: April 7, 2020 Hardcover, Audio, E-book 448 Pages Author's Website
This popped up on my Goodreads recently and I’d been waiting to get it ’til your review was done (I’ve had a couple witch books in the last few years I has SUCH high hopes for that just made me mad). I’ll pick it up!
Thanks Jess – it’s nice to know my opinion is valued. 😄
Yeah, I’m a sucker for witch stories that are grounded in reality. This one is good enough that I’m probably going to check out her others – The Witches Kind and A Secret History of Witches.
Ohhhh, now this sounds like my type of book! I’ve recently started the All Souls trilogy and that’s also about the ancestor of the Bishop family who were witches, it’s a great trilogy if you haven’t read it yet, I’m loving it so far. I’m going to add this one to my shelves, just the word “witches” had me! Great review!
This is on my tbr but your review has moved it up the list!
Oh I love the cover of this book!