9 Books About Witches That Will Hold You Spellbound

Starting strong with one of my personal favorites, A Discovery of Witches. This book begins a series that is still going to this day and marks the debut of Deborah Harkness.

Diana Bishop is both a witch and a scholar who has refused to acknowledge her magic ever since the death of her parents. When she discovers a long-lost manuscript that seems to attract danger and awakens something in her, she is helped by a vampire named Matthew Clairmont. They become entangled in each other’s lives despite their best efforts, and romance blossoms.

Full of magic and witchcraft, this book thrills and delights readers. If you enjoyed the series, there is a television series adaptation to continue the story and bring your favorite characters to life.

My next pick is a recent read and popular favorite, Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid (OwlCrate’s September 2024 Adult Fantasy pick). This retelling of the popular play Macbeth gives Lady Macbeth the chance to tell her side of the story and gives her power.

Lady Macbeth uses spellcraft, wit, and strategy to survive the court of her new husband and become one of the most feared villains of the Shakespearean canon.

By giving a voice to the once voiceless, Reid allows the reader insight into what it might be like as a woman in Scotland at the time of Macbeth. With magic and intrigue, the book is a must read for any witch fan.

One of the most notorious witches of all time , Circe is given a chance to tell her story from the very beginning in Circe by Madeline Miller.

She is the daughter of the Sun God, Helios, and the nymph, Perse, and is considered a minor goddess in Greek mythology. Circe is banished to an island by Zeus after he feels threatened by her power, and she encounters many of the most famous figures in Greek mythology.

For fans of Greek mythology and witchcraft, Circe is a worthy addition to your TBR list.

Most known for the movie adaptation starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman brings the cozy fall vibes most readers crave from September through December.

After a tragic fire that orphans Gillian and Sally Owens survive, they are sent to live with their aunts, who reveal that they are descended from a long line of witches.

Soon they discover a curse placed on the Owens’ women and the men they love after Sally’s husband, Michael, dies of a sudden heart attack. The two must figure this out together if they hope to break the curse.

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry follows a group of girls, the Danvers Falcons, who use the magic of their Salem ancestors to hold onto an impressive winning streak in field hockey.

The team is led by Abby Putnam, the descendant of Ann Putnam and co-captain Jen Fiorenza, as they smash their way to victory through magical means in 1989. The book tells the story of all the girls as they battle both on the field and off.

An addition to my TBR list and hopefully for many others as well. 

One of my top books of 2024, The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields puts the cozy in cottagecore.

As the Honey Witch of Innisfree, Marigold Claude can never find true love. But when Lottie Burke, a prickly skeptic, stumbles into her life, Marigold leaps at the chance to show her new friend just how real magic is. But could Lottie be something more to Marigold and help her break the curse with true love?

As a queer witchy romance, this holds a special place in my top books of the year.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna is a cozy mystery filled with magic and intrigue.

Mika Moon, an orphaned witch in Britain, posts videos pretending to be a witch online, hoping no one will believe her. Until she receives a message urging her to train three witches at the Nowhere House, which breaks all of her rules, but she goes anyway.

Involving found family, a cozy mystery, and a lovely cast of characters, this allows the reader to be immersed in Mika Moon’s world.

Cackle by Rachel Harrison follows a woman named Annie who has always been a goodie two shoes. When her boyfriend dumps her out of the blue, she accepts a position teaching upstate New York.

When she meets a mysterious, ageless woman named Sophie, she is immediately taken under her wing. Though the townspeople are afraid of Sophie, Annie becomes more confident in herself and begins to wonder if her new friend is a witch . 

And finally, Juno Dawson’s Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. This book has launched a series that is still going on and is enjoyed by readers all over the world.

The book follows four witches who were members of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, a covert government branch of witches established by Queen Elizabeth I.

Dawson explores gender and other important topics in this series even as the four are tied together by this bond of sisterhood, despite not being a part of the coven anymore.