The Age of Witches: A Novel

by Louisa Morgan

Overview

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 WitchesThe Witch's Kind

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316419505
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	04/07/2020
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Louisa Morgan is the author of A Secret History of Witches and a pseudonym for award-winning author Louise Marley. Louise lives in the Pacific Northwest where she and her Border Terrier, Oscar, ramble the beaches and paths of Washington State.

Editorial Reviews

2020-01-13
Three witches attempt to magically alter their futures at the end of the 19th century in this historical fantasy novel.

The third entry in Morgan's (The Witch's Kind, 2019, etc.) thematically connected series of witch novels centers on two descendants of real-life Salem witch Bridget Byshop who wage magical war over the fate of a headstrong teenager. Living in New York City in 1890, distant cousins Harriet and Frances trace their ancestry back to Bridget's two daughters. Frances' ancestor inherited Bridget's "maleficia," a book of black magic, which would-be socialite Frances intends to use to force her stepdaughter, Annis, into a loveless union with a British marquess to secure her own place in New York society. Harriet has devoted her life and craft to helping women in need, so when she overhears Frances' plans for Annis—who is also Harriet's great-niece and one of Bridget's descendants—she follows them to England. Women's inability to control their own destinies is clearly a theme here, but the novel's heavy-handed treatment makes this message more burdensome than enlightening. When she realizes that a forced marriage is set to shatter her dream of breeding her own line of racehorses, Annis melodramatically laments that she is "for sale, like a filly at the horse market." Morgan's failure to differentiate between voices—conversations between Annis and Frances are nearly indistinguishable from those between the marquess and his mother in both subject matter and vocabulary—makes it difficult for the reader to connect with the characters' plights, even at the novel's climax, as does a jarring opening that quickly alternates between point-of-view characters and pauses several times for lengthy backstory. For all of Frances' dealings in darkness, an unnecessary attempted rape scene caused by black magic provides the story's only true moment of suspense.

An underwhelming novel that often gets too heavy-handed with its theme.

Kirkus Reviews

A Secret History of Witches is an epic family saga that speaks to the strength of all women and the difference that one true heart can make, not only for herself, but for the world.

author of Girl on the Golden Coin Marci Jefferson

"A moving multigenerational saga about strong women who work behind the scenes to save the world from tyranny. A deeply satisfying and magical work of great craft.

Carol Goodman

Sings with sensory detail.... A lush, loving look at everyday lives of women.

B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog on The Witch's Kind

[A] tale of female self-realization and magical realism. A highly enjoyable read.”

Historical Novel Society

Epic in scope and heartbreakingly tender in its portrayal of mothers and daughters... Recommended for fans of Nora Roberts and readers of feminist fantasy.

Booklist on A Secret History of Witches

The strength of Morgan's powerful story is her depiction of this time and place and the everyday struggles of determined women. A great choice for readers who enjoy novels by Alice Hoffman and Barbara Kingsolver.

Booklist on The Witch's Kind

An enthralling journey through time and the hearts of women with powers they must hide. Deeply moving and richly conceived. The secret is out. This is how it happened.

Kay Kenyon

"I loved it. A beautiful generational tale, reminiscent of Practical Magic if it had been set in various time periods, but much more expansive in scope. Grounded and real, painful and hopeful at the same time.

Laure Eve

Family, love, and ultimately personal strength. Fans of Morgan's The Secret History of Witches will appreciate this latest installment, and newcomers will be equally enchanted.

Historical Novel Society on The Witch's Kind

"Epic relay race that gripped me from start to finish. Fiercely uncompromising and unsentimentally poignant, A Secret History of Witches will transfix you.

Michael Bishop

Morgan's transportive words will sweep you away to a time of magic, love, and loss. Simply hold on and enjoy this mesmerizing ride.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #00000

Fresh and unpredictable.... [Morgan] depicts with visceral impact the roles of women in a male-centered world.

on A Secret History of Witches Historical Novel Society

Morgan’s beautifully conjured tale…is thoroughly enthralling.”

Booklist (starred review)

Completely engrossing and hard to put down... I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical dramas about found families or women's fiction with a touch of the supernatural.

Bibliosanctum on The Witch's Kind

"A Secret History of Witches examines the bonds between mothers and daughters, and the power of hidden magic to quietly save the world, particularly as the world braces for another global war.

Brit + Co

At once sprawling and intimate, A Secret History of Witches deftly captures the greatest magic of all: the love between mothers and daughters.

author of The Immortals on A Secret History of Wit Jordanna Max Brodsky

A grand family saga rich with historical detail and threaded through with magic. You won't want this book to end.

Sharon Shinn

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

"Morgan's beautifully conjured tale of three women, social mores, and the sanctity of self-determination is thoroughly enthralling."—Booklist (starred review)

"[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

"A compelling tale of love and magic in historic America and England....This is a must-read for those who like magic, love and a little bit of feel-good feminism."—Library Journal

"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

"The strength of Morgan's powerful story is her depiction of this time and place and the everyday struggles of determined women. A great choice for readers who enjoy novels by Alice Hoffman and Barbara Kingsolver."—Booklist on The Witch's Kind

"Family, love, and ultimately personal strength. Fans of Morgan's The Secret History of Witches will appreciate this latest installment, and newcomers will be equally enchanted."—Historical Novel Society on The Witch's Kind

"Morgan's transportive words will sweep you away to a time of magic, love, and loss. Simply hold on and enjoy this mesmerizing ride."—Tish Thawer, award-winning author of The Witches of BlackBrook series, on A Secret History of Witches

"Epic in scope and heartbreakingly tender in its portrayal of mothers and daughters... Recommended for fans of Nora Roberts and readers of feminist fantasy."—Booklist on A Secret History of Witches

"I loved it. A beautiful generational tale, reminiscent of Practical Magic if it had been set in various time periods, but much more expansive in scope. Grounded and real, painful and hopeful at the same time."—Laure Eve, author of The Graces, on A Secret History of Witches

From the Publisher

Navigating a tangled web of social mores, magical matchmaking, and family intrigue in the early 1800s, narrator Polly Lee brings her own brand of magic to a story of witches at a time when women were not allowed to be agents of their own destiny. Her vocal choices craft exceptionally bright and well-defined characters of different classes who embody distinct styles, and personalities. Her voices create a polished performance full of the vocal subtleties of a well-told story. Lee expertly sweeps the listener into the lives of the Bishop witches, in particular illuminating Annis’s struggles to save herself from her stepmother’s dark designs as she learns who she is as a person, a woman, and a witch. E.M.U. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2020 - AudioFile

Navigating a tangled web of social mores, magical matchmaking, and family intrigue in the early 1800s, narrator Polly Lee brings her own brand of magic to a story of witches at a time when women were not allowed to be agents of their own destiny. Her vocal choices craft exceptionally bright and well-defined characters of different classes who embody distinct styles, and personalities. Her voices create a polished performance full of the vocal subtleties of a well-told story. Lee expertly sweeps the listener into the lives of the Bishop witches, in particular illuminating Annis’s struggles to save herself from her stepmother’s dark designs as she learns who she is as a person, a woman, and a witch. E.M.U. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2020 - AudioFile