Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

I did not expect to be in tears by the end of this book, but here we are. This was stomach-turning and gut-wrenching, and above all, rage inducing. Witchcraft plays a role but not a hugely prominent one, instead it's used as a tool to highlight the helplessness and fear that wracks the poor girls in this book.

The real horror is felt in the girls' lack of agency, it is in the heaviness of their bellies and the shame of existing as a woman who has chosen wrong. Power must be taken, and witchcraft gives them the means to be heard and to choose for their own.

There is a lot of body and pregnancy related horror in this book, so fair warning for some gory birthing scenes. A few trippy witchcraft and folk horror scenes but the strength of this book lies in the girls' anger when they are faced again and again with societal expectations that leave no room for their own desires.

It is messy, it is terrifying, and powerfully transports the reader to the home for wayward girls.