"She stood among the empty beds, hands trembling, remembering what her Mama Mags told her: 'Every woman draws a circle around herself. Sometimes she has to be the only thing inside it.'"

It was this line on page 12 when I realized I had once again found a book I love at the library and would now have to buy the hardcover to keep it with me forever. The Once and Future Witches was the perfect read to end my witchy season - it is explosively magical, with spells starting each chapter, handcrafted wands and grand displays of enchantment. Set in a fictional "New Salem" in 1893, the Eastwood sisters are reunited after seven years apart, and have to decide individually and collectively how large to draw their circles as they fight for the right to witching, reclaiming power for the marginalized, hungry, impoverished, abused and forgotten.

The layers of folklore in this were so much fun - if you enjoy Brothers Grimm (or Sisters Grimm, here!), you will love how these stories are woven throughout, blending the harsh reality of late 19th century America (and the accompanying trials of the working class) with pure fantasy. Women discover spells (the words) hidden generations before where men would never think to look for them - in children's stories and songs - and bring to the words both the will and the ways... and magic happens. I loved this focus on will over bloodline - that with the words, will and ways, anyone can be a witch.

But what I will carry with me in this story is the balancing act of loving yourself and loving others, surviving and saving. The Eastwood sisters sometimes choose themselves and sometimes choose each other and sometimes choose the collective, but each choice will set in motion a series of events, and the sisters have to learn to live within the ripples. This was a five-star read for me.