Juniper read in the papers that forty-six women died in the fire, and another thirteen leapt from the high windows.

Nifty, isn’t it? But beneath each lie is an echo of the truth, a powerful reminder of the injustices women have faced, as in: Harrow, “full of lies.” And what glorious lies they are! Say goodbye to the Brothers Grimm and Alexander Pope and Charles Perrault, say hello to the Sisters Grimm and Alexandria Pope and Charlotte Perrault. I categorize Witches as historical fantasy, despite it being, in the words of Alix E. The sisters themselves each have beautiful arcs, which see them facing their fears and flaws, the shadow of an abusive father, and the relationship each has with the other two, stained by abandonment, lies and misunderstanding. Part of the joy in reading Witches comes from watching Harrow deconstruct these allegorical figures through the Eastwoods.

If you’ve read Shakespeare, Pratchett, or are familiar with the Greek Fates, you will know there’s a certain set of roles a trio of witches will be drawn towards-the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone so, too, here. Our three sister-witches are Juniper, Agnes, and Bella Eastwood. The language she deploys is at once gorgeous and capable of grasping your heart, squeezing it tight. And that’s not the half of what Harrow does right in her writing. If you’ve ever had a friend, a sibling or loved one prone to getting themselves into trouble-well, you know how astute an observation this is. They careen back out into the perilous world, inviting every danger and calamity, quite careless of the labor it took to rescue them in the first place. The problem with saving someone, Bella thinks, is that they so often refuse to remain saved. Indeed, Harrow shows some impressive writing chops both in fresh takes on familiar phrases (“June shoots a sideways look at bella, all prim and nervous, and hopes politicking proves thicker than blood.”), in similes and comparisons which reflect, reinforce and further differentiate character points of view (“His eyes were empty as promises.”), in breathtaking passages that will make your lips curl into a smile: The Once and Future Witches is a different beast, the language within its covers a whole lot more blunt-though the author’s style is no weaker. It was that rare fantasy novel that showed an innate understanding of the power of storytelling while employing prose staggering in its beauty, and of a quality that was almost poetic. When The Ten Thousand Doors of January released last year, I knew Harrow’s work was something to look out for, and so did many others. Harrow’s new novel, lightning strikes a second time. Copy: Purchased at my local sci-fi bookstore.

The once and future witches book review