The Age of Witches

DNF ~25%.<br /><br />I read Louisa Morgan’s first book, <i>A Secret History of Witches</i>. It wasn’t a favorite of mine, but I enjoyed it enough that when I saw <i>The Age of Witches</i> on NetGalley, I thought it might at least be worth a read. I went in expecting more of what I got from <i>Secret History</i>: a story that centers female characters and female relationships, a charming writing style, a lackluster plot, and a hint of magic.<br /><br /><i>The Age of Witches</i> had all those things. The narration alternated between four characters. Harriet is a middle-aged herbalist widow descended from a long line of witches. Annis is the seventeen-year-old daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur with dreams of breeding horses. Francis is her stepmother, another witch who magicked her way into an advantageous marriage. The fourth protagonist is James, who I’d only barely met before I stopped reading. It’s clear he’s meant to be Annis’ love interest.<br /><br />Frances was the most interesting character by far. I always enjoy a conniving woman. Harriet was forgettable, and Annis was about as cliché as it gets: the privileged young woman who detests parties and social graces and the idea of marriage.<br /><br />As I mentioned, the plot was not the highlight of this story. It was slow and not particularly high-stakes or exciting. I felt like I could put the book down at any point and wouldn’t miss out on anything major, which is exactly what I did. I enjoyed seeing magic used for a greater variety of purposes than in <i>Secret History</i>, where the protagonists mainly used it to attract men and get pregnant. But overall, I found <i>The Age of Witches</i> underwhelming.<br /><br />I still think Morgan is a talented writer. She just doesn’t write the type of books I enjoy.

3.5 stars<br /><br />The Age of Witches, a story sweet and gentle, not what I expected.<br /><br />Blame the bloodthirsty/goth short story collections I read before this title, but I expected a bang with this book. As one of my more anticipated novels this year, it let me down gently, only to envelop me with its tendrils (or witchcraft) to fall for the warmhearted plot.<br /><br />With that said, the main character in the novel, young Annis, is anything but easy pickings. It's the year 1890 in NY, and the 17-year-old Annis lives with her wealthy father and new stepmother Frances Allington, who thinks she should be spending more time in high society than in the barn or riding horses. To rectify that situation, she persuades her husband to take Annis overseas to England by ship to find a suitable man for her.<br /><br />Harriet Bishop, the great aunt of Annis is a herbologist and witch. She knows exactly what Frances is really up to, like using incantations and spells that will enchant a suitor to fall for Annis and using her abilities to meddle with any upcoming situation of a possible match. What matters to Frances are money and status.<br /><br />Annis meets a young man indeed and he too loves horses. However, more than indulging in his time for short outings is as far as he will get with her. That is until Frances puts a spell on them both and it all goes topsy-turvy from there.<br /><br />Harriet will try to intervene and ousts herself to Annis. An instant bond connects the two and together they forge a plan to stir against Frances's endeavors.<br /><br />Will they succeed and stop her from casting her bewitching incantations?<br /><br />That is to be found out when reading The Age of Witches.<br /><br />***<br /><br />Again, much gentler of a novel than I thought it would be. There wasn't a huge amount of witchcraft in all and it felt a bit like a historical romance overall. I enjoyed the characters and the writing, very atmospheric. <br /><br />Sometime earlier this year, I saw a video that the author had posted to introduce the novel...it was when the pandemic hit I believe and I knew that I would like her writing and passion for the subject. <br /><br />If you are a historical fiction fan and this novel shows up in your path, read it and enjoy. I will definitely pick up one of her other novels too. <br /><br /><i>I would like to thank my pal Traveling Cloak for sending me his copy after reading it. You are the bestest!</i><br /><br />More of my reviews here:<br /><a href="https://scarlettreadzandrunz.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Through Novel Time &amp; Distance</a>

Thank you, Louisa Morgan, NetGalley, and Redhook books for the opportunity to read this book!<br /><br />It is official. I will read anything that Louisa Morgan pens. The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan is her third book and I hope there are many more. This book takes place in 1890 and introduces Harriet Bishop. Harriet is a descendant of Bridget Bishop of Salem. Harriet has “the knowing” and a very accomplished herbalist. She believes in helping people. Her distant cousin, Frances has used dark magic to work her way up in society by marrying a wealthy widower. But she is determined to make it into higher society by marrying his daughter, Annis to a lord in England. Problem is, Annis has no interest in marriage and only wants to be around her horses. Harriet must stop Frances before Annis is harmed by this dark magic.<br /><br />Bravo. I love these books by Louisa Morgan. I saw a lot of reviews that comment on how slow they are…maybe to them, but not to me. I love the detail. I feel so immersed in her stories. I want to be friends with her characters. In fact, it kind of breaks my heart that they are fictional. Sigh…<br /><br />Anyway, I LOVE Annis! She is spirited and passionate. Her love for horses brought tears to my eyes. I also love how she wants to be loved for herself, not because of magic or because of money. Harriet is also wonderful. I would love for her to be my teacher. She is kind and knowledgeable. Her guidance is heartwarming.<br /><br />Also. WITCH BATTLES. Oh. My. God. I was on the edge of my seat. My husband said, “Hey—babe, you haven’t blinked in a while.” Yes, it is that good.<br /><br />Louisa Morgan gets another 5 perfect stars from me! She hasn’t let me down yet. I can’t wait for her next book!

A beautifully written tale of witches in Gilded Age New York. Harriet and Frances are both descendants of Bridget Bishop, who was hanged a century before. Harriet practices herbal magic while Frances practices a darker type of magic. Harriet is a healer and uses her magic wisely, while her cousin Frances uses her magic to get what she wants - a husband who has money and now she wants her step-daughter, Annis, to marry a man with a title to place her in a position to join the elite 400 in New York.<br /><br />Annis is also descended from from the Bishop line, but knows nothing about her abilities. Harriet wants to teach her, but is estranged from Frances and Annis doesn't know who she is. Harriet becomes involved when Frances starts to use her step-daughter as a pawn. <br /><br />I likes the characters Harriet and Annis. Frances was the more conniving character which I disliked, but later felt a little sorry for her. The story was good and I really like Morgan's writing style - the prose flows smoothly and fits the story putting you in the setting. I also loved the horses!<br /><br />Thanks to Louisa Morgan and Redhook Books through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://bibliosanctum.com/2020/04/28/book-review-the-age-of-witches-by-louisa-morgan/">https://bibliosanctum.com/2020/04/28/...</a><br /><br />The Age of Witches is the third of Louisa Morgan’s historical supernatural standalone novels about witches, and once more we are treated to a journey of incredible depth and magic led by strong female characters. In this one, readers are spirited away to the late 1800s where seventeen-year-old protagonist Annis lives in New York with her wealthy father and stepmother. But while other upper-class girls her age are concerning themselves with marrying well and being proper, Annis instead has dreams of becoming a horse breeder one day, starting a new line with her beloved stallion Black Satin.<br /><br />What our protagonist does not realize though, is that she is actually descended from a long line of magical women. But at some point in the past, there was a disagreement in ideology which split the family. Now Annis finds herself in the middle of a secret war of wills between two formidable witches: Harriet Bishop, her great aunt who believes that their powers should be used ethically; and Frances Allington, her stepmother who has thrown her lot in with black magic. Frances had ensorcelled Annis’ father to become the wife of one of New York’s richest and most prominent businessmen, but it’s not enough—chasing a noble title, Frances now wants to drag Annis across the ocean to England where she knows that the Marquess of Rosefield is almost broke and looking to wed a wealthy young heiress.<br /><br />Annis is furious upon learning about Frances’ plans but has no choice but to acquiesce when her father threatens to sell Black Satin. Reluctantly, she agrees to travel to England and meet the Marquess, but the truth is she has no desire to ever get married. Frances, however, has a secret trick up her sleeve. Using the same type of magic she used on Annis’ father, she concocts a spell to force an engagement between her stepdaughter and the young lord. Fortunately, Harriet is well aware of the depths Frances could sink to in order to get what she wants. Catching up with Annis, Harriet reveals everything about their lineage to the young woman. Together, they work to foil Frances’ agenda while protecting James, the strait-laced but kind-hearted Marquess of Rosefield, whom Annis has decided isn’t actually all that bad.<br /><br />What I love about Louisa Morgan’s novels about witches is that they each stand out individually, despite sharing many genre elements and motifs. Thematically, they all have a historical component with a focus on multiple generations, not to mention a strong feminist message championed by female characters who chafe against the expectations of their respective societies. In a way, this makes Annis quite typical of the author’s protagonists, but she also sets herself apart with the force of her personality and unique passions. She’s fiercely independent, for one, and can be single-minded to the point of exasperation. This girl also loves horses—and I mean, loves them—to the point where it pretty much drives every single aspect of her life.<br /><br />But of course, there’s also the magic that shapes Annis. I liked how The Age of Witches was probably the “witchiest” of the author’s books so far, packed with all manner of spells, cantrips and charms. The conflict of “good magic” versus “bad magic” was also explored in an interesting way, pitting family members on two sides of an age-old rift against each other. Still, like the previous books, I felt some of the feminist messages came through a bit muddled. In A Secret History of Witches, for example, it was the frustrating way the women boasted of their powerful magic but seemed only to ever use it to put men under their spell and get them pregnant. Here, Harriet is constantly expounding on the importance of using magic responsibly, yet she and Annis always seem to have a ready excuse for using it to take away someone’s free will—just because it’s minor influence or for payback against some prejudiced idiot shouldn’t make it okay.<br /><br />Still, I think we’ve made great strides in the characters in this one. While her women are always written extremely well, the author’s male characters in her other books have always struck me as overdone to the extreme with regards to their oppressiveness and abuse, so that they come across like caricatures rather than real people. Compared to them, James in this book was like a breath of fresh air, as he seemed to be written in a way to address those problems. And really, he was a perfect match for Annis, who came to realize that while there are plenty of terrible men like her father in the world, there are also kind souls like James with whom she can build a happy and healthy marriage.<br /><br />There were some downers in this book, such as what ultimately becomes of a certain character, but I did appreciate how Morgan was able to make readers feel sympathy for someone who probably doesn’t deserve it, and that’s a clear mark of a skilled writer. But overall, I would say the tone of The Age of Witches is generally lighter, and my heart melted at the happy ending which reminded me somewhat of a regency romance. At the end of the day, I had a very enjoyable time with this novel and would not hesitate to recommend it to fans of the author’s previous novels or if you are keen to try a historical fantasy about magic and witches.<br /><br />

There are some books that make their intentions very obvious from the get go. LIKE this character. HERE is the history of our world. THIS is what you should feel. And all that does is make reading feel like a chore, like I'm being lectured or told what to do.<br /><br />And then there are some books like The Age of Witches that are so beautifully crafted they make reading an immersive experience that is almost effortless. There is no denying that this is expertly written. Louisa Morgan has this phenomenal ability to balance world building and character development that allow the reader to explore and determine for themselves how they feel about it all. <br /><br />Set in late 1800's, rebellious 18 year old Annis is independent and "un-lady like" and wants nothing to do with marriage. She would rather devote her time to her horses. Her disapproving stepmother Frances is a nouveau riche socialite who uses hidden magic to try to force her to fall in love with a British marquis to settle her down and gain a title for the family. An estranged aunt Harriet, who is the long lost cousin of Frances, and who is also secretly a witch, takes Annis under her wing to try to thwart her evil magic.<br /><br />I loved this story. It was simple and unexpected and I've never seen the execution of romance quite like this one. Especially since I didn't feel like either one of them was particularly likeable. And they certainly weren't drawn to one another of their own volition. But something about their story made me not want to stop reading. And the use of the evil stepmother trope was perfection. I loved that every character was nuanced., and I even felt bad for and could understand the villain's perspective at times. Nothing felt cartoonish or tacky or overdone. Even the magic itself was something raw from the earth, an invocation of herbalism and intent, nothing flashy or garish. It left it all feeling grounded, like this really could happen without us knowing. <br /><br />My only criticism is that the structure of the narrative towards the end felt drawn out. The story kind of lingers after the climax, with one or two mini plots introduced and resolved before the end. It felt a little slow and superfluous, but it was still enjoyable.

This book started as a 4-star book, then dropped to a 2-star book and finally by the end is an “it was fine” 3-star. The writing of this book was lovely. I found myself entranced by the prose and would look up to find that several hours had passed. Just last night I was so enthralled with the plot and the writing that I stayed awake reading until 2 a.m. It’s not surprising that the book only took me 3 days to finish.<br /><br />I love books about witches, probably because I am one. I love books that explore the role of witchcraft in history and how women have historically used this knowledge to empower themselves. The characters were rich and I enjoyed them all. The basic premise is that Harriet and Francis are descended from a witch named Bridget Bishop. Bridget was executed in the 1600’s for witchcraft. Harriet’s side of the family tree has adopted the gentler side of the craft, using it mainly for herbalism and assisting locals with their various ailments and ills. Francis’ side of the family tree had adopted the “bad” side of the craft, manipulating and magically forcing others to do their bidding in order to gain power for themselves. Annis is a young girl from the family tree who is just coming into her powers and for whom Francis has nefarious plans. Harriet endeavors to stop this plot and it culminates in a clash between the two witches with Annis as the prize.<br /><br />This book was a slow burn with not a lot of action to it, and I was fine with that. The information being presented was largely interesting and once we did get the showdown between Harriet and Francis it was really refreshing and exciting. That portion is what kept me up most of the night.<br /><br />***Spoiler alert:*** From this point on there will be spoilers.<br /><br /><input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="5750efe4-2de3-4a4f-87ed-93874ead70f0" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="5750efe4-2de3-4a4f-87ed-93874ead70f0">The biggest problems I had with the book are the ending and that this book didn’t know what it wanted to be.<br /><br />Is it the story of Annis? A girl ahead of her time, bucking the norm, and determined to make her own way with her newfound powers. Is it the story of a 200 year old battle between two sides of a family to ultimately decide if they are bad witches or good witches? Is it a story of the temptations of good and evil and the blurry gray area in between? Unfortunately it could have been all of these things, but ended up being none of them. None of these things are explored in any depth and I was really disappointed by that.<br /><br />The ending was very plain. James and Annis decide that they didn’t just have feelings for each other because of magic, they actually do love each other and want to get married. How boring. How predictable. And then we are subjected to a very long lecture about how James might seem like a good man, but we should keep his manikin around just in case he decides to start behaving like an ass later. Because he’s a man after all, so you just never know and a woman can’t be too careful. Why can a novel not show us strong women without equaling telling us about how all men are asses? Even ones who aren’t asses but they might decide to be later because….well they’re a man. I am weary of it. It is possible to tell a story about strong, empowered women without demeaning men. I promise it is.<br /><br />There was also an unintended moral problem in the story. We are told early on that good witches use their powers to help, bad witches use their powers to compel. Bad witches will always succumb to darkness and be lost to a lust for power. But on at least 3 occasions the “good” witches use their magic to persuade people to give them things. A horse, money, and then more money. All for their own benefit. So while those people may not have been harmed, the man was reimbursed for the horse and the money was plentiful and wouldn’t be missed, does that make it okay? What is the difference between magically persuading someone to give you something and just outright forcing them to give you something? Unfortunately, I don’t think the author intended for this issue to be presented and so we never get the answer to that question. In the end, even evil magic can be tucked away in a corner for safekeeping…just in case, and one will still be a good witch.</label><br /><br />Reviewed for <a href="https://writtenamongthestars.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Written Among the Stars</a>

Despite being quite predictable, I found myself quite caught up in the story. It is very reminiscent of Alice Hoffman’s Practical magic series- in this- two cousins, one using friendly magic, the other dark. The dark practitioner uses magic to further her ambitions and her cousin and her great niece meet and work together to foil her attempts. I was pleased by the ending and plan to read other books by this author.

i’m honestly shocked by how much i hated this. i thought i would merely find it slow and boring, and i do, but wow did the story piss me off for how preachy and hypocritical it is.<br /><br />it takes a long time for anything to happen. harriet is a fifty year old spinster witch who’s rich thanks to her dead fiancé. frances is the social-climbing evil stepmother. annis is rich and obsessed with horses.<br /><br />look it’s obvious you’re supposed to like harriet and annis and hate frances. and i agree frances is not a kind or loving person. but ultimately i find her the most sympathetic of the three (even though she does some fucked up shit) and i fucking hate harriet and annis.<br /><br />annis is idiotic and spoiled and obnoxious. she’s constantly lecturing people about the evils of the side saddle which is annoying enough, but on top of that she takes great pleasure in telling people about how she watches her stallion fuck mares. and when they’re clearly uncomfortable, she decides they’re uptight and sexist and not because people should be allowed to not enjoy having that particular subject forced on them. the fuck?? it’s so incredibly rude and selfish and gross. i can’t believe i’m apparently supposed to think it quirky and charming.<br /><br />frances grew up poor and hated it. she was taught not to use evil magic because of the darkness in her blood, but she wanted her heritage and learned it on her own anyway. she uses the evil magic passed down by her ancestors to secure herself a wealthy widower. harriet is pretty judgmental about it and it’s hard to blame frances for not wanting much to do with her - after all harriet’s never shown much empathy or compassion for her. i mean, as much as harriet is all doom and gloom about it, things are working out pretty well for frances despite the evil magic use. i like her because she actually takes matters into her own hands, and she doesn’t pretend to be a good person when she’s not (unlike some people). <br /><br />harriet didn’t annoy me immediately, but wow could i sympathize with poor frances when i learned more about harriet. she’s so sanctimonious and hypocritical. she judges frances for her bitterness and for coming from a long line of darkness but literally never does anything to help.<br /><br />one time harriet used dark magic and it killed her fiancé. did she bother to tell frances about it so frances knows the risks? nope. did she try to empathize with frances and offer to help frances achieve her goals without using dark magic? also nope. all she did was judge frances for the darkness she inherited from her ancestors, for wanting wealth and status, for using magic to get what she wants. but it’s ok when harriet does it.<br /><br />the dumbest thing is that harriet has this magical knowing power and it’s always used as a convenient plot device to absolve harriet of any wrongs. harriet uses the evil magic she’s not supposed to use? she “knows” there was no other choice. harriet uses magic to bring james and annis together? she “knows” they will be happy together and it’s the best outcome. harriet feels bad she killed her fiancé with evil magic? annis “knows” it wasn’t harriet’s fault after all so she doesn’t have to feel guilty.<br /><br />basically every time harriet or annis uses evil magic, or uses regular magic to “persuade” people to do what they want, it’s justified and there are no consequences to themselves. but frances is not supposed to use evil magic because it’s evil, and she has darkness in her because she comes from a dark line. harriet and annis are good and come from the good line, so nothing they ever do with magic is considered bad. god no wonder frances fucking hated harriet. <br /><br />the story begins with all three of them doing nothing interesting whatsoever. this changes when frances decides to take annis to london to marry an aristocrat. i’m pretty sure i’m already supposed to hate frances by this point but she’s the only one who has clear ambitions and takes action.<br /><br />anyway she uses evil magic to make annis not embarrass herself in london. and i sympathize because annis is indeed very embarrassing. i mean it’s obviously wrong, but frances doesn’t pretend to give a fuck about morals unlike the self-righteous harriet.<br /><br />then she uses evil magic to make james and annis attracted to each other so they’ll get married. it would be convenient for everyone - james needs money, annis can send her horse over and start the breeding program she’s been obsessed with, frances gets the aristocrat connection she wants. but annis is able to resist the evil magic because she has her mom’s good magic protecting her so she refuses to get married. <br /><br />apparently she’s opposed to marriage on principle and doesn’t recognize what a sweet deal it would be for her to marry a young, decent guy who also loves horses and has the resources necessary for her to breed horses like she’s always dreamed of. she’s a naive and idealistic idiot who says she will refuse marriage and breed horses for a living but has no feasible plan for how she expects to pull this off. anyone with any ounce of intelligence or sense or practicality would’ve snapped up the opportunity, but annis has none. <br /><br />anyway it doesn’t matter because after shit happens and annis goes back fo new york, harriet uses her magic powers to summon james there and “encourage” them to get together and then they get married. well geez annis could’ve save everyone a lot of trouble if she’d gone for it from the beginning. no i do not give a fuck about them supposedly “falling in love” because i don’t buy the romance at all.<br /><br />basically frances was right all along but the only problem was she used evil magic. if she had used good magic to “persuade” annis and james to get married it would’ve all been perfectly fine… but no she can’t do that because she’s evil. ugh i hate this story. they don’t even appreciate that none of this would be happening if not for frances!<br /><br />the worst thing is when harriet tells annis to stay away from evil magic because it killed her fiancé, and also because it’s wrong to impose your will on other people. annis nods and then goes off and “persuades” her dad to give her the money he already decided he wasn’t going to give her, and then instead of having any problems with that, harriet is proud annis is so good at magic. they impose their will on other people all the time with the flimsiest of justifications (“i love that horse more” being one of them) and i hate that they don’t just admit to being just as fond of using magic for their own selfish gains as frances, instead of insisting on their supposed superiority and benevolence. then annis tells harriet the evil magic didn’t kill her fiancé after all… so then what’s even the point of avoiding it?!<br /><br />literally the only reason evil magic “backfired” on frances was because harriet also decided to use evil magic to fight frances. frances suffered so horribly because harriet is a stronger witch and used worse evil magic on frances than frances used on james, who recovers. but of course they don’t see it like that - they see it as frances being victim to the natural consequences of evil magic. ridiculous.<br /><br />anyway i’m fucking pissed that the story clearly expects me to side with harriet and annis but i fucking hate their guts. 1 star.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br />Harriet Bishop is born from a long line of witches, and now practices her art of magic as a herbalist in New York City in 1890. Harriet has no children, and is keeping an eye on her great-niece Annis, who doesn't know Harriet exists for signs of power. But Annis is under the control of her stepmother Frances who practices a much darker kind of magic and has plans to use Annis for her own selfish needs, meaning Harriet may have to step up and do battle against a particular brand of evil.<br /><br />This was a wonderfully written book that completely captured me from the start and swiftly carried me through the entire story, and I didn't want to let the characters go. Louisa Morgan's type of witchcraft that she hones in her novels, and I previously read about in A Secret History of Witches, is absolutely fascinating and focuses a lot more on herbs and cantrips than sparks and explosions. I really love the methodical parts of this novel when Harriet would explain what type of herbs and plants she was using in her medicines and why she was using them. I think Louisa Morgan should bring out her own special herb/potions book as it would be fascinating.<br /><br />I loved the character of Annis as she was a horse girl after my own heart - she stood up for what she wanted, and was hard pressed to allow Frances or her father into forcing her into a marriage she didn't want. The relationship between Annis and James turned from sour to sweet in a very compelling way, and I enjoyed how Annis's character really grew during her stay in Rosefield Hall and how we, as readers, could see how much she fit in even if she didn't see it herself.<br /><br />There were some bits in this book that felt a little bit unfinished. We heard about Bridget Bishop who was burned for witchcraft in Salem at the start of the novel, and who is the witch Harriet, Annis and Frances are all descended from. Harriet mentions Bridget once or twice but then that's it. I was expecting more from Bridget's spirit at some point - particularly with Frances's brand of magic as it turned more potently evil. <br /><br />I also would have liked to see more from Frances as I felt her storyline kind of dwindled into nothing, and I really felt like there was so much more her character could give. I just didn't believe that that was all there was left of Frances.