Book Review: The Witches of New York by Ami McKay
The Book: The Witches of New York by Ami McKay
Source: This was a book club pick
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (see my review on Goodreads)
It’s one of those books that looks 100% up my alley but for some reason I just hadn’t even put on my to-read list until it came up in my witchy book club. And I’m very glad that it did, because I loved this book. Ami McKay’s writing style is beautiful and rich and set the tone for this tale really nicely. I was able to immerse myself in the world and experience the story with ease and wonder.
This book follows three women who are all witches in their own way, and I really enjoyed getting to see these different experiences and incarnations of what being a “witch” means. I appreciated the detailed descriptions of Eleanor’s spellwork. I liked the peek behind the curtains of Adelaide’s mysticism and divination. I could really relate to Beatrice’s curiosity and enthusiasm as a young witch, collecting ideas and gobbling up knowledge wherever she could. And the way that these women formed their own little mini coven, supporting each other, protecting each other, and just generally being good friends to each other was so nice. It was refreshing to see such supportive friendships between women, without any hurtful dramatics or petty bullshit that is often portrayed in stories of women.
The Witches of New York was such a mysterious and magical ride, filled with tender moments and mystical experiences and dangerous threats. I liked that some of the villains were obviously evil, but some of the threats came with a level of uncertainty. It made it all feel so much more real and relatable. In the end, I was very satisfied, but would gladly devour more story set in this world.