Name: The Age of Witches
ISBN: 9780316419505

Louisa Morgan

In Gilded Age New York, a centuries-long clash between two magical families ignites when a young witch must choose between love and loyalty, power and ambition, in this magical novel by Louisa Morgan. In 1692, Bridget Bishop was hanged as a witch. Two hundred years later, her legacy lives on in the scions of two very different lines: one dedicated to using their powers to heal and help women in need; the other, determined to grasp power for themselves by whatever means necessary. This clash will play out in the fate of Annis, a young woman in Gilded Age New York who finds herself a pawn in the family struggle for supremacy. She'll need to claim her own power to save herself-and resist succumbing to the darkness that threatens to overcome them all. Praise for The Age of Witches: "Morgan's beautifully conjured tale of three women, social mores, and the sanctity of self-determination is thoroughly enthralling." —Booklist (starred review) "Morgan’s incantatory prose and independent-minded women will delight fans of Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen with this tale of female self-realization and magical realism. A highly enjoyable read." —Historical Novel Society "An Austen-esque romance, a heart-racing mystery full of dangerous twists and an anxiety-inducing yet enthralling family feud....It all makes for a perfect brew." —Bookpage For more from Louisa Morgan, check out: A Secret History of Witches The Witch's Kind

A Novel

The Age of Witches

In Gilded Age New York, a centuries-long clash between two magical families ignites when a young witch must choose between love and loyalty, power and ambition, in this magical novel by Louisa Morgan. Harriet Bishop, descended from a long line of witches, uses magic to help women in need -- not only ordinary women, but also those with powers of their own. But what will she do when it's her own family posing the threat? Frances Allington, Harriet's cousin, has used her wiles and witchcraft to claw her way out of poverty and into a spectacular marriage with one of New York's wealthiest new tycoons. Now, she is scheming to make a glorious aristocratic match for her headstrong and reluctant step-daughter, Annis--by any means necessary. Together, Harriet and Annis must find a way to resist Frances' dark agenda, lest she -- and the dashing young lord she suspects she could come to love -- lose their freedom, and possibly their lives. From more from Louisa Morgan, check out: A Secret History of WitchesThe Witch's Kind

could’ve been shorter and would’ve been just as good, the ending seemed rushed ruined the end of the book

jadyn humphrey

bridgerton but witches 

could’ve been shorter and would’ve been just as good, the ending seemed rushed ruined the end of the book

'A MUST-READ FOR THOSE WHO LIKE MAGIC, LOVE AND A LITTLE BIT OF FEEL-GOOD FEMINISM IN THEIR HISTORICAL FICTION' Library Journal A young witch must choose between love and loyalty, power and ambition, in this magical novel set in Gilded Age New York and London. In 1692, Bridget Bishop was hanged as a witch. Two hundred years later, her legacy lives on in the scions of two very different lines: one dedicated to using their powers to heal and help women in need; the other, determined to grasp power for themselves. This clash will play out in the fate of Annis, a young woman in Gilded Age New York who finds herself a pawn in the family struggle for supremacy. She'll need to claim her own power to save herself - and resist succumbing to the darkness that threatens to overcome them all. 'An Austen-esque romance, a heart-racing mystery full of dangerous twists and an anxiety-inducing yet enthralling family feud, Louisa Morgan's The Age of Witches is anything but a traditional tale of good versus evil' BookPage 'Morgan's beautifully conjured tale of three women, social mores, and the sanctity of self-determination is thoroughly enthralling' Booklist '[A] robust tale of matriarchal magic in a lushly depicted Gilded Age New York . . . Readers will root for these powerful women as they struggle to overcome the social limitations of their time, whether through magic or force of personality' Publishers Weekly 'This is a book about witches, told from their perspective. As such, it's a lyrically and lovely written triumph about independent, unusual women' Book Riot

Elizabeth Neill

I really wanted to like this book because I loved the concept was great. I love stories about powerful women and witches. This was just very slow to me and it was hard to keep my interest going. I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters and I really didn't care what happened to them. 

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Sarah Ryan

An ok, easy read. Not my favourite. 2.5 stars.

A MAGICAL TALE OF FAMILY, AMBITION AND LOVE, SET IN GILDED AGE NEW YORK AND LONDON In 1692, Bridget Bishop was hanged as a witch. Two hundred years later, her legacy lives on in the scions of two very different lines: one dedicated to using their powers to heal and help women in need; the other, determined to grasp power for themselves. This clash will play out in the fate of Annis, a young woman in Gilded Age New York who finds herself a pawn in the family struggle for supremacy. She'll need to claim her own power to save herself - and resist succumbing to the darkness that threatens to overcome them all. Praise for Louisa Morgan: 'Rich with historical detail and threaded through with magic' Sharon Shinn 'A deeply satisfying and magical work of great craft' Carol Goodman 'Will sweep you away to a time of magic, love and loss . . . Mesmerising' Tish Thawer 'Epic in scope and heartbreakingly tender' Booklist 'Completely engrossing and hard to put down' Bibliosanctum

Pam Sartain

The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan starts in 1692, when Bridget Bishop is killed for being a witch, and her two daughters inherit powers from her.  One daughter is about helping other people, and the other daughter is about helping herself.  Their children follow in these footsteps, and 200 years later, Annis is a descendant of the helping sister, and her step mother, Frances, is a descendant of the other sister.  And Frances has a plan to use Annis to establish her social standing in New York.

Harriet, Annis's great aunt, and also descended from the good sister, sees what is happening, and helps Annis. 

This is an enjoyable historic fantasy read, set in 1890s New York and England.  The character motivations ring true, and I was interested in what was going to happen next!

 The Age of Witches  was published on 23rd April 2020, and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and  Bookshop.org .

You can follow Louisa Morgan on  Twitter  and her  website .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Little, Brown .

Heather Harrington

**I received a copy of this via the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Harriet Bishop comes from a long line of witches. She can trace her lineage right down to Salem. She uses her gifts to help women in need, and not only ordinary women, but those with their own powers as well. When her distant cousin, Francis Allington, decides to use her powers for a dangerous gain, Harriet has no choice but to intervene before anyone can come to harm.

Frances Allington has spent her entire life feeling second best. She has used her powers to drag herself out of poverty and into the sort of life that she's craved since she was a young child. After marrying a wealthy New York tycoon, Francis decides to cement their position in the upper crust of society by securing a union between her strong-willed stepdaughter, Annis, and an English lord. And she's not above using witchcraft to do it. Harriet comes to the aid of Annis, and reveals to her the true nature of their family, and in doing so, seems to awaken the dormant powers hidden within Annis. Together, the pair must fight against Francis and the evil she's weaved because it's not only Annis's freedom on the line, it's potentially her whole life as well.

This entire story was so captivating right from the very start. I was immediately sucked into the plot and characters. Harriet is so strong and sure of herself, while Francis lets her insecurities and shortcomings lead her down darker and darker paths. Annis was also fascinating and learning her history and watching her flourish into her own powers was really nice. Morgan's writing was lush and flowed very nicely. I loved where she took the story and how in the end, you actually end up feeling sorry for Francis and the journey she went on. There was just the right amount of supernatural elements to where it didn't feel overly cheesy, and the setting felt true to the time period. My only slight issue was I did feel some parts dragged on a bit longer than was necessary. Other than that, I thought this was beautifully written.

Mariya Tuchinskaya 

Set at the cusp of the 20th century, Louisa Morgan's "The Age of Witches"focuses on the intertwined lives of three New York descendants of Bridget Bishop, one of the most famous victims of the Salem Witch Trials. Harriet Bishop is an aging spinster, who uses her magic to create herbal remedies that offer aid to the disenfranchised women of her community. Meanwhile, her distant cousin and socialite Frances chooses to use her abilities to serve her desire for social advancement. Anise, Frances's stepdaughter and distant relative of Harriet, is blissfully unaware of her magical heritage. She yearns to be free of the constraints of society and wishes to be allowed the luxury of choosing her own path in life. The three women are forcefully brought together by Frances' choice to dabble in the darker side of magic. The outcome of that choice will change the course of their lives in ways they could never have imagined.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I was hesitant to pick it up, because I wasn't a fan of Morgan's earlier work, "A Secret History of Witches". However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that "The Age of Witches" is a solid story that focuses more on the lives of women in the late 19th century than on the magic itself. Magic serves as a way of giving its practitioners an advantage in a society that tries to keep them contained. It makes sense that Anise is found to be an adept at magic as of the three Bishop women she is the one who most desperately earns for the things that a woman of her time and class is denied, a career and a purpose in life other than being a wife and mother. Though I am a fan of the fantasy genre, I enjoyed the fact that the magic in this book is more akin to Wicca practices than the magic of the fantasy genre. I felt that this made the story much more believable than it otherwise would have been. A cardinal principle of Wicca is to do no harm and a cardinal rule of magic in this story seems to be that misusing magic always comes with a price. This is a lesson that several characters in the novel have the misfortune of learning. Another clear message seems to be that power is a source of great temptation and that even the most noble practitioner can be tempted time and again.

My one criticism of the book is that I think the ending, in particular Anise's love story, is a bit drawn out. A quicker resolution was possible, which would have sacrificed nothing in terms of storyline.

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The Age of Witches A Novel

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