Witches have a complicated history. On one hand, they’re undisputed icons of Halloween and all things mystical and spooky. On the other hand, “witch” has long been used as a (usually misplaced) label for women who dared to break with societal norms—by doing something absolutely earth-shattering like remaining single or childless, speaking for themselves, or (gasp!) growing old.
As we head into spooky season, there’s no better time to explore the many facets of witchdom, and there’s perhaps no better way to do that than by diving into a good book about magical women (although settling in for a spooky movie night is definitely a close second). There are plenty of options out there, so we’ve made things easy and narrowed down the list to 16 of the best books about witches across all genres, from immersive historical fiction to spicy romances to fascinating non-fiction. Now, go forth and be witchy!
The Best Historical Fiction Books About Witches
This contemporary mythology book is a deeply moving retelling of the story of Circe, the ancient sorceress perhaps best known for her run-in with Odysseus in The Odyssey. It paints her as a misunderstood woman caught between two worlds—of gods and mortals—and must rely on her own strength and magic to navigate her way through the schemes and wrath of monsters, men, and Olympians.
In the early 1600s, a widow is accused of being a witch, thanks to her skills with herbal remedies and the successes of her children, which have made her fellow townspeople jealous and resentful. Rivka Galchen’s powerful novel, which pulls from actual historical documents, explores how government-sanctioned superstition and hysteria can take over a community, leaving both families and society at large in shambles.
Hour of the Witch author Chris Bohjalian also wrote the hit thriller The Flight Attendant. This one may be set about 450 years earlier, but it’s another intensely gripping tale of suspense about a woman facing the prospect of prosecution for a crime she may or may not have committed. This time around, that woman is the outspoken Mary Deerfield, who finds herself the subject of town-wide witchcraft rumors, leaving her fighting to find a way to escape both the potentially fatal accusations and her powerful, abusive husband.
Another novel that explores the longstanding ties between witchcraft and female power, Alix E. Harrow’s historical fantasy takes place in the late 1800s and centers on three sisters who live in a world in which witches have ceased to exist since the burnings two centuries before—but who just might need to dig that magic back up to aid in their fight for women’s suffrage.
The Best Literary Fiction Books About Witches
The first in a very charming series of four books about the Owens sisters, Practical Magic introduces readers to the young witches as they come to understand the true magnitude of their powers. And, yes, this is the same Practical Magic that inspired the 1998 film with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.
Emilia Hart’s unputdownable debut novel stretches across several generations of witchy women spanning five centuries: from Althea, a woman awaiting trial for witchcraft and murder in the 1600s, to Violet, suffocating under societal constraints in the mid-20th century, to modern-day Kate, who flees an abusive partner for Althea’s hidden cottage and uncovers a new kind of power flowing through her veins.
Before it was a mega-popular (get it?) Broadway musical or two-part cinematic spectacle, Wicked was simply an imaginative prequel to The Wizard of Oz. It’ll take you even deeper into Elphaba and Galinda’s backstories, but be warned: The book is much darker than both the movie and musical. And, if you’re looking for more, rejoicify! Gregory Maguire has written several books that flesh out the land of Oz even more.
The inspiration for another beloved film, John Updike’s 1984 novel, which he described as being “about female power,” centers on a trio of women living in Rhode Island in the early ‘70s who have unlocked their powers after divorcing their respective husbands. As a mysterious man comes to town and seduces each member of the coven, however, they soon find their powers taking a particularly dark turn.
The first in Anne Rice’s “Mayfair Chronicles” series, The Witching Hour introduces Rowan Mayfair, a surgeon with supernatural gifts who saves the life of a man who has also acquired otherworldly abilities after his near-death experience. The pair team up to uncover the secrets behind their respective powers in a journey that takes them all over the world and across centuries.
The Best Nonfiction Books About Witches
Noted feminist writer Mona Chollet dove into the (still-ongoing) history of witches in this 2022 book, which chronicles the three main types of women who were persecuted for witchcraft in centuries past—the independent, the childless, and the elderly—and who continue to face derision and oppression to this day.
Pam Grossman is not only the host of "The Witch Wave" podcast but also a practicing witch herself, so you know her deep-dive into society’s long-lasting obsession with witches is a good one. Alongside anecdotes about her own witchcraft journey, she details the iconography of the witch from the time of witch burnings to appearances in current-day teen TV shows and horror films, positing throughout that the concept of the witch represents the power and purpose of women.
This thoroughly engrossing memoir walks through Orenda Fink’s life with her mother, who struggled with mental illness and addiction and claimed to be a witch who was using her powers to keep Fink’s family safe. Ultimately, Fink sets off on her own to pursue a music career, in which she discovers her own brand of magic, while continuing to be pulled back home by her mother’s spell, magical or otherwise, and by her desire to uncover its root causes.
The Best Romance Books About Witches
The first installment in a beloved dark academia series and inspiration for an onscreen adaptation, A Discovery of Witches is a tale of passion, suspense, and self-discovery. It introduces history of science professor Diana Bishop, who’s forced to reckon with the witchy powers she’s long buried within herself. She does so with the help of a vampire geneticist, Matthew Clairmont, to whom she feels an irresistible pull despite the forbidden nature of a witch-vampire romance.
Ellie, a small-town librarian, has a lot to catch up on when she discovers that she’s a witch, with help from the alluring Prospero, a woman with powers of her own who’s suddenly started hanging around the library. In fact, Prospero is on a mission to help Ellie harness her powers so she can work with Prospero to save her magical homeland.
This is perhaps one of the sweetest, coziest romances you’ll ever read. The enchanting novel follows Mika, a witch who’s recruited to a remote old house to teach three young girls how to control their own budding powers. There, she turns out to be the perfect sunshine to grumpy Jamie, the house’s librarian, who’s incredibly protective of the house’s residents but can’t seem to resist letting Mika in.
This small-town rom-com focuses on Riley Everett, who feels her mystical powers surfacing as soon as she moves into the old house she inherited from her late aunt in Starfall Point. While looking for a coven to join and help her learn more about her new skills, Riley instead finds herself getting close to town history buff Edison Held, who’s on a mission of his own to see inside her family’s legendary haunted house.
