“The moon is always jealous of the heat of the day, just as the sun always longs for something dark and deep.”
Books about witches and witchcraft can come in different forms and genres. The earliest works tended to drift more into the horror and fantasy spaces, while more recent books have tended to approach the covens, broomsticks, and potion-making from a more historical perspective. Cosy cottagecore books and traditional children’s tales about witches have also proven popular, especially in the fall season! Tales of witchcraft have also increasingly poignant ways of crafting stories about self-discovery, be it in terms of sexuality and gender or political power. So, from magic-infused fantasies, and gothic mysteries to compelling historical accounts, check out the best books about witches with us here at What We Reading!
A Discovery Of Witches (All Souls #1) – Deborah Harkness
First up on our list of the best books about witches is A Discovery of Witches, the first entry in the All Souls series by Deborah Harkness. Harkness’ debut novel blurs the line between classic gothic magic and the sensual feel of contemporary paranormal romance, following the tale of young scholar Diana Bishop who unearths an enchanted manuscript in the bowels of Oxford’s library.
This one discovery reveals that she’s a descendant of a distinguished line of witches, and soon leads to hordes of demons, vampires, and witches descending upon the library. Filled with history and magic, romance, and suspense, Diana meets her match in Matthew Clairmont, a centuries-old vampire who strikes up an uneasy alliance with the races to solve the mysteries behind the manuscript’s pages.
Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1) – Alice Hoffman
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Rules of Magic, Practical Magic is the classic magical realism book about witches by Alice Hoffman.
For over two centuries, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in their Massachusetts town. Gillian and Sally have endured similar fates, being taunted, gossiped about, and pointed out as outsiders by the locals. Their elderly aunts almost seem to encourage the murmurings of witchcraft, with their musty house, strange concoctions, and an army of black cats. Both these witchy sisters are cursed, doomed to both lose a man they love. But while both have taken very different paths when it comes to their magic, they find themselves being drawn back together by the power of love and the significance of sisterhood in what has gone down as one of the archetypal formulas for a good witchcraft story so many other authors have followed.
Conjure Women – Afia Atakora
Afia Atakora’s Conjure Women is a spellbinding 2020 book about witches that brings life in the South before and after the American Civil War to life. Spanning eras and generations, it introduces readers to three extraordinary women: Miss May Belle, a wise old healer, her observant daughter Rue, and their master’s daughter, Varina.
The bonds and secrets shared by these women and their community on the eve of a great war and the birth of an accursed child soon lead to fear and paranoia spreading across the local townspeople, their superstitions threatening to destroy their newly won freedoms. Combining vivid storytelling, unleashed imagination, and meticulous research, Atakora’s work of historical fiction tells the haunting tale of May Belle, Rue, and Varina, moving back and forth in time to demonstrate their passions and how far they’re prepared to go for the ones they love.
Payback’s A Witch (The Witches Of Thistle Grove #1) – Lana Harper
Emmy Harlow is a witch, albeit not a very powerful one these days. The main reason for this is that she hasn’t been home to the magical town of Thistle Grove for years. The two big reasons behind her exile were a desire to forge her path in life and leave behind her troubled family history. Those things, and Gareth Blackmoore, heir to the most powerful magical family in town and serial heart-breaker.
However, when her family are required to serve as judges for a grand spell-casting tournament, the lure of tradition entices Emmy back home. However, on her first night, she encounters Talia Avramov, an adept dark arts user who has just broken up with none other than Gareth Blackmoore. Emmy finds herself suddenly juggling two terrifying conundrums: does she want in on getting revenge on Gareth, and why can’t she stop thinking about the devastatingly gorgeous and devilishly wicked Talia?
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven (Her Majesty’s Royal Coven #1) – Juno Dawson
Author Juno Dawson explores the corrupting influence of power and gender in Her Majesty’s Royal Coven trilogy, a delightful series of books about witchcraft, matriarchy, magic, friendship, and feminism. The first entry in the series introduces readers to four young girls – Helena, Leonie, Niamh, and Elle. They have all taken the oath to join Her Majesty’s Royal Coven (HMRC), a covert government department established by Queen Elizabeth I.
Decades on, Helena is the reigning High Priestess of the organization, but the only one of her friends left. Elle is attempting to convince the world she is a normal housewife. Niamh has become a country vet, healing sick animals with her powers. Worst of all, Leonie has founded her rival coven, Diaspora. But, when a young warlock of immense capabilities is captured and threatens the very existence of the HMRC, the four friends must decide on what the best course of action might be. The problem is, they all have very conflicted beliefs over where their loyalties lie, and what is right.
Now She Is a Witch – Kirsty Logan
Lux has lost everything by the time Else finds her alone in the woods. Her home, her family, her lover – all burned to the ground. The world is suspicious of girls like her. Yet, Lux knows how to blur into the background. She knows what their expectations are, and how to exploit them. And she knows an awful lot about concocting poisons.
Else did not find Lux by accident. She needs her help to enact revenge upon the man who wronged her, a quest that will lead to them pursuing him into the far north, encountering dangerous adversaries along the way and uncovering dark secrets in the process. Kirsty Logan’s 2023 fantasy book, Now She Is a Witch, takes readers on a journey through snowy winter woods to bright midnight suns where witchcraft, performance, and sexuality help these two women discover their path and their power.
Circe – Madeline Miller
Winner of Best Fantasy in the 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards, Madeline Miller’s Circe retells the classic tale of the fearsome and powerful enchantress from Greek mythology.
Having been banished from the House of Helios by Zeus, Circe is exiled to a deserted island. There she hones her powers of witchcraft, taming wild beasts and crossing paths with some of the most famous figures from the world of mythology, including the Minotaur, Medea, Daedalus and his son Icarus, and naturally, Odysseus. However, for a woman standing alone, Circe unwittingly invites the wrath of both men and gods. Pitted against the most terrifying of all the Olympians, Circe must choose whether her path lies with the gods, or with the mortals she has come to love.
Check Out The Best Books Like Circe
The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches – Sangu Mandanna
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a warm and uplifting story about a witch whose isolated existence is ended by an opportunity to embrace a new family – and a new love. Mika Moon is one of the few witches in Britain and knows that she needs to keep herself, and her powers, hidden. Having been raised by strangers as an orphan, she’s good at following this rule.
But then an unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the mysterious Nowhere House and train three young witches on how to control their abilities. Mika agrees, and almost immediately becomes entangled in not only these three but also the secrets of a missing archaeologist, a retired actor, and the prickly Jamie, the house’s librarian who would do anything to protect the children. Soon Mika begins to settle into the idea of belonging somewhere. That is until a threat comes knocking at the door, suddenly making her question how much she is willing to risk to protect a family she never knew she was looking for.
The Once And Future Witches – Alix E. Harrow
Another one of the bestselling books about witches and witchcraft, The Once and Future Witches is a 2020 Goodreads Choice Award-nominated story by Alix E. Harrow. Blending fantasy with historical fiction, readers are whisked back to 1893 where burnings have reduced witchcraft to mere tidy charms and nursery rhymes.
Yet, when the Eastwood sisters – James, Juniper, Agnes, Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna, join the suffragist movement in New Salem, they begin to explore the lost words and means in which a woman’s movement might change to a witch’s movement. Hunted in the dark by those who would never allow a witch to live, let alone vote, the sisters must forge new alliances, explore the oldest magics, and mend the ties between them if they want to have any hope of ushering in a new era. There are no such things as witches. But there will be.
The House Witch (The House Witch #1) – Delemhach
With a trove of fantastical romance, whimsical humour, and elements of mystery, The House Witch is a heartwarming and cosy cottagecore book about witches and witchcraft.
When Finlay Ashowan joins the staff in the household of the King and Queen of Daxaria, he’s already regarded as an oddity. Not that it bothers him. He’s perfectly content staying in the kitchen as the royal cook, keeping nosy onlookers out and concocting uncanny meals. It doesn’t take long for his powers to be discovered, however, and Finlay and his kitten familiar, Kraken, soon find themselves embroiled in everything from political intrigues, taking on knights, uncovering a spy in the castle and protecting the pregnant queen. And things only get even messier when Fin’s love life starts to get complicated…
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
