9 Witch Lit Books to Enjoy This Spooky Season

As the spooky season descends, we especially love stories starring witches—women who wield magical or mystical powers. These characters may use their abilities to protect themselves or those they love. They may be fighting evil forces. Or they may simply be seeking some form of entertainment or fulfillment. Often their strength attracts the attention of foes who are threatened by it. Here are thirteen books we love that feature witch protagonists. 

Circe by Madeline Miller

We had to include this rich reimagining of the life of The Odyssey's formidable sorceress because it flips the script on one of the world's oldest witch tales. Banished because of her power, Circe becomes the creator of her own world. And in doing so, she unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods.    

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

As one of the few witches in modern-day Britain, the orphaned Mika Moon follows the rules and lives a quiet, isolated life. When a message arrives asking her to come and mentor three young witches, she finds she can't resist the chance to connect with others of her kind, even though it may invite peril.

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

She's not a witch exactly, but Franny Stone is certainly an enigma, a woman with strange abilities and a deep well of strength. As she sets out on an epic quest to follow her beloved Arctic terns on what might be their final migration to Antarctica, she guards the secrets of her heartbreaking, haunting history. 

Weyward by Emilia Hart

2019: Kate flees London for the ramshackle Weyward cottage inherited from her aunt. 1619: Altha awaits trial for witchcraft. 1942: As WWII rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Recommended for readers of The All Souls Trilogy, this novel weaves together the stories of three extraordinary women. 

The Change by Kirsten Miller

Big Little Lies meets The Witches of Eastwick in this knife-sharp revenge fantasy about three very different women discovering that their midlife changes have brought unexpected powers. When police refuse to follow up on the murder of a teenage girl, Jo, Nessa, and Harriet take matters into their own hands.  

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Norway, 1617: Twenty-year-old Maren stands on the craggy coast, watching as a sudden storm overtakes all forty of the village's men. For the women left behind, survival means learning to fish and hunt. But their independence strikes many as suspect and a menacing man arrives to root out alleged witchcraft.

The Lighthouse Witches by C. J. Cooke

Luna has been searching for her missing sisters and mother ever since they disappeared on a remote Scottish island. Twenty years later, her sister Clover is found—but she's still seven years old, the age she was when she vanished. Now Luna must find the truth about what happened to her family.

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

After their mystical matriarch passes, Orquídea Divina's family is left with more questions than answers. Perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman, Isabel Allende, and Sarah Addison Allen, this novel tells the story of a family searching for the buried secrets that seem to be threatening their very lives. 

Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

At the dawn of their adolescence, on the eve of the summer solstice, four young girls—Helena, Leonie, Niamh and Elle—take an oath to join a covert government department established by Queen Elizabeth I. A Discovery of Witches meets The Craft in this epic fantasy about a group of childhood friends who are also witches.

Witches can take many forms—young or old, fierce or gentle, modern or ancient. As is often the case, there were so many good witchy books to choose from, we had a hard time narrowing it down. Let us know if you have any favorites to add to the list.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon