The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais is the type of book that's bound to ruffle some feathers. Why? It's about witches, gender fluidity, feminism, and a dog named Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The Witches of Moonshyne Manor is exactly the book you should be reading right now.
The book pits a group of five octogenarian witches against an angry mob of (mostly) men who want the witches to give up their home and move away. But the witches aren't ready to go down without a fight, even when it seems like they have no choice but to let the men win. They know that somewhere in the house a treasure is buried, and that treasure can solve all of their problems. However, there's a problem with the treasure - only one of the witches, Ruby, knows where it's hidden, and she's been away for the past 30 years. Luckily, Ruby is returning to the sisterhood and all will be well. Right? Not so fast. Upon Ruby's return, there's a new obstacle that the witches must deal with, as well as dealing with what happened to break their sisterhood apart 30 years ago.
There were a lot of really great moments in this book, but one of my favorites that I bookmarked was this passage from page 309:
In all those fairy tales, children were cautioned against witches who might disguise themselves as ugly old women, ones who came bearing poisonous fruit in the guise of kindness. When in real life, the bad guys came in three-piece suits, not even bothering to pretend they were someone else. That's how confident they were that they'd get away with their misdeeds.
I really hope they make this book into a movie (Reese Witherspoon, are you listening??), but even if they don't, I will just recommend that everybody read this book! It's perfect for the upcoming Halloween season because of the witch theme, but it's more than just a book about witches. It's about sisterhood, friendship, sticking up for what's right, being brave, personal sacrifice, listening to your heart, and being yourself. It's funny and sweet and sad and upsetting and just all-around wonderful. One of my favorite books of the year so far!
The Witches of Moonshyne Manor is published by Mira. It will be available to purchase tomorrow! I received a free ARC from the publisher.
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