Alice Hoffman’s “Practical Magic” gives a warm, intimate portrait of the Owens sisters, Sally and Gillian, who grow up in an unusual household influenced by spells and community judgment.
Witchcraft in Hoffman’s world is a practical everyday experience shaped by family history and small-town whispers. The novel skillfully captures the complexity of relationships and human emotions intertwined with magic.
This book doesn’t just tell about spells and herbs; it reveals how witchcraft weaves through love, grief, jealousy, and redemption. Hoffman grounds mysticism firmly in real, relatable characters and everyday dilemmas.
In “A Discovery of Witches,” Deborah Harkness puts us right into a mysterious Oxford library next to historian Diana Bishop. Diana accidentally discovers a bewitched manuscript, Ashmole 782, that thrusts her into dangerous territory among witches, vampires, and daemons.
But Harkness doesn’t settle only for magic and mystery. She draws in historical facts, alchemy, and ancient rituals as Diana digs into witchcraft’s past.
By merging academic research with spellcraft, the novel invites readers into a complex world where witches, academics, and ancient lore collide in a fascinating tale of intrigue and romance.
Anne Rice’s “The Witching Hour” explores an eerie, dark side of witchcraft through the Mayfair family and their generations-long affliction—or possibly alliance—with a spectral entity called Lasher.
Set in the Gothic charm of New Orleans, Rice elevates witchcraft beyond mere magical tropes, revealing it as an intricate family legacy entangled with power, manipulation, and desire.
Her storytelling patiently unfolds secrets and twists within the Mayfair family history, blending horror with deep human drama. In this novel, witchcraft becomes an inherited, unavoidable destiny touching every corner of the characters’ lives.
John Updike captures mid-century suburban boredom and reinvents witchcraft as rebellious freedom in “The Witches of Eastwick.”
Set in a small New England town, the novel traces the lives of three women—Alexandra, Sukie, and Jane—whose magical talents awaken amid frustration and mundane routine. Witchcraft here isn’t just supernatural; it’s symbolic of empowerment, independence, and dangerous temptation.
The arrival of a charismatic stranger tests their alliances and exposes deeper undercurrents in friendship and community dynamics. Updike’s witches offer a witty yet sharp look at desire, morality, and the nature of power itself.
Paula Brackston’s “The Witch’s Daughter” spans centuries, following Elizabeth Anne Hawksmith, who survives the plague through crafting powerful magic yet must continually flee the same dark presence who granted her immortality.
Brackston weaves historical fiction seamlessly into the tale of Elizabeth’s magical development, showing witchcraft as something both taught and inherited, secretive and powerful.
Her depiction of spells and knowledge, grounded in historical events and intricate personal relationships, evokes emotional depth and offers a thoughtful look at witchcraft as both salvation and enduring curse for anyone who touches its path.
Madeline Miller’s “Circe” is a lyrical retelling of the famed Greek enchantress’s life, blending mythology, witchcraft, and intricate human emotions. Circe moves from minor goddess to powerful witch, perfecting her art in isolation on the island of Aiaia.
Miller portrays witchcraft in an unromanticized yet beautifully detailed way, mixing ancient rituals with timeless themes of identity, loneliness, empowerment, and transformation.
Through Circe’s eyes, we witness mythological spells and curses as acts born out of necessity, protection, and occasionally vengeance. Miller brings depth to witchcraft, illuminating its symbolism and implications within myth and humanity alike.
Katherine Howe’s “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane” transports readers between present-day Salem and the infamous witch trials centuries before.
Connie Goodwin, a graduate student, finds herself immersed in researching a mysterious herbal spellbook which once belonged to Deliverance Dane.
As she traces the spells and customs described, it becomes clear that magic is closely tied to historical women’s hidden knowledge and strength.
Howe’s book skillfully explores how witchcraft served as a mixture of folk wisdom, medicinal practice, and survival secrets passed through generations amidst suspicion and fear.
Rin Chupeco’s “The Bone Witch” introduces readers to Tea, a young witch who discovers her unique and grim gift after resurrecting her brother from the dead.
Chupeco builds a richly layered world where witches gain particular specializations and reputations, including the feared “bone witches,” necromancers who walk a darker path. The magic system intricately reflects society’s structure, prejudice, and fear.
As Tea trains and travels, she must navigate politics, manipulation, and fear surrounding her unusual power. This novel invites readers deeper into a creative, brilliantly imagined representation of witchcraft.
“The Witch of Blackbird Pond” by Elizabeth George Speare depicts witchcraft primarily as an accusation rather than a practice.
Set during colonial America’s rigid Puritan era, the novel follows Kit Tyler, whose forward-thinking attitudes and friendships spark fear and suspicion among her neighbors.
Witchcraft here is the dangerous label given to misunderstood independence, individuality, and kindness—qualities that society deems threatening.
Speare creates a powerful commentary on fear, prejudice, and isolation through Kit’s experience, highlighting witchcraft accusations as social control more than genuine supernatural power.
Alexis Henderson’s chilling “The Year of the Witching” takes place in a strict Puritan-like community under harsh religious rule. Immanuelle Moore is marked by disgrace due to her family’s past, tied to whispers of witchcraft and rebellion.
As dark, disturbing forces surface, Immanuelle must face unsettling truths about witchcraft, faith, and her own origins. Henderson effectively resonates with themes of oppression, female strength, and dark folklore.
Her magic is less spells and rituals, more ancient, primal force deeply rooted in religion, superstition, and defiant humanity.
In “The Once and Future Witches,” Alix E. Harrow imaginatively blends witchcraft with feminist history as three estranged sisters seek empowerment through rediscovered magic during the women’s suffrage movement.
Harrow reconstructs witchcraft as a potent metaphor for empowerment and daring female ambition suppressed by patriarchal society. Magic here is both subtle and political.
Spells and charms open symbolic doorways to personal freedom, collective activism, and powerful commentary on societal suppression. Harrow combines history, fantasy, and activism to reenvision witchcraft boldly as revolutionary action, personal and communal liberation.
Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked” completely reframes the familiar story, creating a complex and sympathetic version of Elphaba, better known as the Wicked Witch of the West.
Readers explore Elphaba’s early life and uncover how labels such as witchcraft and wickedness reflect society’s fears, prejudices, and political manipulations. Magic here is a part of daily life yet interwoven into larger ideas of injustice, activism, and identity.
Maguire carefully gives context to witchcraft accusations, shaping the classic tale into an emotionally layered exploration of reputation, villainy, and the nature of wickedness itself.
Celia Rees’s “Witch Child” portrays Mary, a young girl fleeing persecution in England only to face suspicion again in America. Forced to conceal her subtly woven spells, she struggles between living openly and survival in oppressive environments.
Rees incorporates detailed historical context, illustrating witchcraft inherently linked with misunderstood women’s traditions, healing practices, and everyday wisdom.
Mary’s diary entries unfold the careful balance witches must maintain between independence and secrecy as they navigate fearful communities, highlighting what witchcraft means in the context of cultural prejudice, resilience, and survival.