"The Once and Future Witches" by Alix Harrow was an adventure that I'm not sure I was ready for nor am I am happy I took it. Let me start by saying, I also understand that I'm probably in the minority here when I say, I didn't really care for this book but can appreciate it just the same.

This is a book that the star-rating kept changing as I read it, and I wasn't sure where it was ultimately settle, but I think I'm confident with the 3-stars I've decided to give it. Let me preface this by saying I bought the book two year's ago; where I tried to read it during Halloween time and I just could not get into it at that time but didn't want to DNF it indefinitely so it went back on the shelf. This year, it fit the one of the prompt's from my TBR Tarot Card pack so I decided this was going to be the year! 

The first time I read it I had got about 86 pages in, but I didn't remember much so I decided to start at the very beginning again. Diving back into the 3 sister's story, I felt a certain type of fire that I didn't have the first time around and was reading with vigor, following along to see what was going to happen next. 

In this story, we're following the three Eastwood sisters: James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna. Taking place in New Salem status post the burning of witches in Old Salem, this town's 'witches' have been pushed back into hiding, just merely humming or singing the tales from their Mother's long ago. Years ago, through a series of unfortunate events they were separated from one another leaving the sisters angry, betrayed, and generally untrusting of the world around them. Agnes and Beatrice were sent away from home at the hands of their abusive Father, leaving Juniper to suffer alone and take comfort with her Grandma Mag's. After their Grandmother passes away, Juniper takes it into her own hands to get rid of her Father and escape Crow Country; landing her in New Salem. Only a few hours after arriving, an act of 'magic' has the three sisters - two who had been unknowingly living in the same town - back together and plotting how to bring Witchcraft back! 

Obviously, they are met with many trials and tribulations but their hope is that they can suffer to pave the way for those who are to come.

So, the first 1/4 of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed. It was getting some necessary background out of the way in order to set up where the story was going to go. Juniper was perhaps my favorite of the sisters - it becomes even more apparent in the end why I felt so strongly for her from the beginning. Was feeling a strong 4-star as I read this.

Then, I hit the middle of the book and for about 50%, this book was sitting at a 1 or 2 star. I found there to be a lot of information that was just unnecessary. Lots of character's coming and going with stories that weren't really relevant, a lot of "mayhem" happening but we weren't privy to the mayhem only the boring bits in between that was all the same. And, if I'm being perfectly honest, Agnes and Beatrice were just so incredibly boring to me. I literally could not have cared less about their storylines; they were basically there because 3 sisters were needed..it was just my opinion that so many fine details about non-important things were woven into the story where there could have been opportunities for building the sister's character. I mean, in the end, the things that Juniper does for her sister's and the fact these two are just ungrateful wenches. UGH. Truthfully, at one point around the 375 page mark, I didn't even know if I was going to finish the book and thought that maybe this time it would be a permanent DNF. I didn't find myself wanting to pick it up and keep reading and when I did, I really didn't care what was happening. 

But, I persisted, forcing myself to power through the last 1/4 of the book - and though I can't say "I'm glad" I read it, I am happy that the ending had some thrilling storyline that was what this book needed after 200 pages of nothing to bring it up to the final 3-stars I think it's worthy of. I can't go into too much detail of the end without spoiling things, but just know that Juniper is the badass that I knew she could be throughout and I respect the choices that she made to protect the people she loved and cared about. 

If you look at the book from the family perspective and the perspective of these three sisters who really loved each other and who were willing to go to great lengths to protect each other, easily a 5-star book at the surface level. When you dive a little deeper and get into the nuts and bolts and the nitty-gritty, it's just flat. It's just not good to me. There are just so many missed opportunities for storyline that could have been exciting and riveting and chaos in the city with witches' running amuck & instead we were watching them go to a different home every Chapter and watching them do the same thing over and over again. I mean the Chapter literally would state like "Juniper is out causing mayhem" and instead of knowing what she was up to we're watching the other two sisters sit at home and sulk about their lives while Belladonna writes stories and pines after a woman that is just not worthy of her love to be honest and Agnes feels bad about her life. Ok, I'll quit rambling.

So, all in all. Solid 3-star. I don't love it nor hate it. Read it for yourselves and let me know what you think!