I also loved how the author was able to weave various well known and beloved fairy tales into the story, using them as vehicles for the hidden knowledge of magic.

The world building and magic system in this book is wonderful, it takes the familiar idea of the Three, the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone, and in many ways turns it on its head. Through her characters the author is able to explore topics like feminism, racism and discrimination in a powerful and compelling way that is an integral and important part of the story. Each of them have reasons to fear and distrust the others but they also love one another as only sisters can. Beatrice Belladonna is the bookish one who is questioning her growing attraction to a fellow scholar. Agnes Amaranth is more cautious, especially since she has more to care about and more to lose. James Juniper is the determined firebrand, ready to set the world on fire if that is what it takes. Ultimately the three will have to come together if there is any hope of saving magic and saving the city from a dark force that threatens to gain control. Each of the three is very different, and the author has done a wonderful job of bringing each of them to life and imbuing them with distinct attributes and personalities. As a reader we get to see parts of the story from each of these women’s perspectives and learn about the troubled upbringing they shared and the arguments and misunderstandings that tore them apart. When James Juniper Eastwood flees to the city in an attempt to escape her past, she does not expect to be reunited with the sisters who left her behind years before, Beatrice Belladonna and Agnes Amaranth.

The once and future witches review