The Witches of New York
A Novel
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4.3 • 174 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A Buzzfeed Best Gift Book of the Year
“A dark, atmospheric, and feminist story of three women in New York City's Gilded Age, each determined to thrive in a society hell-bent on keeping them down, and using their coven to do so." —Buzzfeed
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
Respectable Lady Seeks Dependable Shop Girl. Those averse to magic need not apply.
New York in the spring of 1880 is a place alive with wonder and curiosity. Determined to learn the truth about the world, its residents enthusiastically engage in both scientific experimentation and spiritualist pursuits. Séances are the entertainment of choice in exclusive social circles, and many enterprising women—some possessed of true intuitive powers, and some gifted with the art of performance—find work as mediums.
Enter Adelaide Thom and Eleanor St. Clair. At their humble teashop, Tea and Sympathy, they provide a place for whispered confessions, secret cures, and spiritual assignations for a select society of ladies, who speak the right words and ask the right questions. But the profile of Tea and Sympathy is about to change with the fortuitous arrival of Beatrice Dunn.
When seventeen-year-old Beatrice leaves the safety of her village to answer an ad that reads "Respectable Lady Seeks Dependable Shop Girl. Those averse to magic need not apply," she has little inclination of what the job will demand of her. Beatrice doesn't know it yet, but she is no ordinary small-town girl; she has great spiritual gifts—ones that will serve as her greatest asset and also place her in grave danger. Under the tutelage of Adelaide and Eleanor, Beatrice comes to harness many of her powers, but not even they can prepare her for the evils lurking in the darkest corners of the city or the courage it will take to face them.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Ami McKay’s Victorian-era New York is populated by politicians and clergymen—along with witches, spirits, and fairies. Against this backdrop, three women run a little shop where they serve tea and cakes alongside herbal tonics to cure everything from a broken heart to menstrual cramps. As a puritanical preacher starts stirring up anti-witch sentiment, the youngest shopkeeper goes missing, setting off a frenzied search that extends to the grittiest corners of the city. Shimmering with atmosphere, this well-researched historical novel is doused in magic and enlivened by a feminist message. Above all, it’s a really fun read.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this weighty, wonderful novel, McKay (The Virgin Cure) takes a sidelong glance at misogyny through a veil of witches, ghosts, and other mystical entities in 1880 New York. Seer Adelaide Thom and witch and apothecary Eleanor St. Clair are the proprietors of Tea and Sympathy, a tucked-away shop where ladies in the know can find a cure for what ails them, including sleepless nights, broken hearts, and unwanted pregnancies. The magical pair's largely under-the-radar life is abruptly thrown into a tailspin by the arrival of Beatrice Dunn, a kindhearted young witch who's unaware of her latent powers. Knowing the trio will become a formidable force against evil, a watchful demon begins to plot their destruction and plenty of mortal men also feel threatened by these women of intellect, self-sufficiency, and independent means. McKay seamlessly combines several plots and juggles a large cast with grace. Skillful worldbuilding, fascinating characters, and a suspenseful plot make McKay's novel an enchanting, can't-put-down delight. The door is left open for a sequel, and readers will hope McKay takes Adelaide, Eleanor, and Beatrice on further adventures of witchery and self-determination.
Customer Reviews
So much fun
I loved this book, the pacing is interesting though, as I got to the end I thought I had missed or skipped some parts, but in general such a fun story and literally made me want to open a tea shop.
Couldn’t put it down!
Looking forward to what comes next!
A Good and Creative Take on Witchcraft
I enjoyed this book a great deal. The characters are well drawn and the plot idea is strong. There’s a bit of balance missing as some sections seem overly long while other issues resolved too quickly, but overall a good and creative read. The author’s personal connection to the witch trials made it even more interesting and I did find myself looking up several items mentioned in the book to determine if they were historical or imagined.