I gave this book four stars, mainly because it dragged for me until half way through the book and then it finally started getting interesting. This book is full of how poor Jo as a black,bisexual, twenty eight year old woman, is possibly a witch by society's standards. What that means for her,by being single still by mid twenties, is not right,(she should be married with children), and society's solution for that situation, because otherwise she must be a witch and need to be monitored. She doesn't want to get married at this.point in her life, but feels the pressure of having to register herself as a non witch. Her mother's disappearance is still affecting her, years later. She thinks about whether her mother loved her at all if she actually left of her own volition. There's also the rumours about her mum actually being a witch, as she tells Jo tales of her ancestors as a young girl, especially one who put out the flames when she was being burned at the stake when found guilty.of being a witch.
Women are second class citizens compared to men, especially women of colour. Men who did bad or questionable things would have the excuse of being "bewitched" into doing these things with no culpability for it. So women are having their lives questioned, every step they take in their lives, viewed by strangers and commented on. Could they be a witch?. Especially black women.
Jo's father tells her that her mother's will states that Jo must embark on a journey to an island that meant a lot to her mother and once she's done that, she will inherit lots of money. She sets off on this journey with her best friend Ange for moral support. This is where it suddenly becomes much more interesting........
Many thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #panmacmillan, #newwavehauntedhouse.

Set in a dystopian world where single women are monitored for signs of witchcraft, The Women Could Fly is a simple novel of grief & self discovery steeped in magical realism. Fourteen years after her mother's disappearance Josephine is still dealing with her grief and grappling with the unfair world she lives in and struggling with how her country & society controls its citizens. More social commentary than gripping story, it is worth the read for sarcasm and defiance of the protagonist and if you enjoy a meandering prose of thoughts.

I enjoyed this book with its different approach and dystopian witch fearing world. The main character Josephine is relatable but also selfish at times. It’s quite similar to ‘The Handmaids Tale’ with the controlling patriarchy element but a good twist that they are in control to prevent witchcraft. There is lots of oppression of women and especially of black women as there is today. Love and the reasons for falling/ being in love are explored too.
One thing that bothered me about the story was the reference to vaping - a lot. It’s probably an age thing.

This was a three star book for me.

The premise was really intriguing- a world very similar to ours, where women aren't completely free and women's lives are constantly monitored. Anything "other" is deemed to be witchcraft, which can be punished with death. If you're 28 and single, you need to register with the state and they monitor you. It's recommended that you marry by 30, but even then your husband holds all the power.

This follows Jo, who knows first-hand what accusations can do to a family, after her mother disappears and people are convinced she was a witch. Jo is bisexual, something which is other, and she's black - a double strike against her. At 28 she isn't married and receives a strange request through her mother's will - travel to this island, pick some fruit, and inherit a lot of money.

What follows is essentially a tale about humanity, equal rights, how the world views anything that isn't easily understandable or deemed "normal". It was interesting how witchcraft was woven into this world, but the magic was a little confusing too.

This was an interesting story, i just feel the pacing let it down. It was very slow at times and certain sections were confusing - darting between the present moment in the story and a memory of Jo's, but there was no warning and these memories sort of come out of nowhere. The ending was also a little anticlimactic for me. Overall it was an interesting premise, it just dragged a little for me

I had high expectations for this book, given the comparison the “The Handmaid’s Tale”, which I love. But I found it a bit flat, and all the characters seemed one-note. This is a shame, as the subject, the control of women and the position of black and queer people in society is an important one. In some ways I felt it was a metaphor for what is happening in America today, particularly since the overturning of Roe v Wade.

I’m sorry that I didn’t enjoy it more. I’m sure there are readers out there who will love it, and it certainly raises some subjects for discussion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for the proof.

The Women Could Fly is set in a dystopian America, where women are distrusted and suspected of witchcraft.

The book follows the story of Josephine, who is approaching her 28th birthday and under scrutiny by society as she is black, bisexual and not yet married (all indicators, in her world, of witchcraft). To make matters worse one of her ancesters was burned for being a witch and her mother disappeared in suspicious circumstances when she was a teenager.

As she approaches this turning point in her life Josephine starts to question what she wants from life. Would she be happy settling down with a man like Preston, who she is currently in a casual relationship with?  Or does she have hidden feelings for best friend Angie?

When her father discovers a copy of her mother's will, updated just before her disappearance, it contains instructions for a quest for Josephine and she decides to take it on, to see if she can find out some answers about her mother as well as question her own cynicism about witches and magic.

This is not a genre I typically go for, but this storyline is an interesting idea. It builds up quite gradually, before the reader is thrust, full-throttle into fantasy. I wasn't sure about this at first, but it made more sense as the book progresses. I think this also reflects the main character Josephine's evolving thoughts and beliefs.

The Witches could Fly is set in a dystopian near future where witches exist but are damned by the State. Women must marry before they are 30 and allow their husband to control their lives. Jo’s mother disappeared when she was a teenager, and there are many unanswered questions about whether she was really a witch. Now 28 and unmarried Jo wants to find out what happened to her. She agrees to carry out a last request for her mother which leads her to a mysterious island.
I enjoyed this book up to a point, the first half where Jo is in her regular life is well handled and interesting but I found the section on the island hard going and meandering. It all didn’t quite work and the ending is very sudden. Many people have praised this highly so maybe it just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to #netgalley and #panmacmillan for allowing me to review this ARC

This book brings the magical and the real, the terrible and the beautiful, the curse and the cure and mixes them together to create something spellbindingly unique. The story is led by a gay black woman, a witch, someone who in this world has the name of witch to add to the persecution and fear she receives from the ignorant masses - and the story she weaves is undeniably striking and evocative.

In an almost uncanny valley style, we see a world that feels familiar yet so strange - pulling the reader in with lyrical prose and engaging characters until the very last page.

I didn’t find this to be the Atwood/Butler esque story promised by the blurb but engaging nonetheless, after a drawn out first half. I enjoyed the overarching social commentary but would have liked the author to take this much further throughout, particularly in its comment on race and gender.

Josephine’s ancestor survived a witch burning. Her Mum vanished when she was in her early teens and was the subject of TV shows. She’s about to turn 28, and as an unmarried bisexual woman, she will soon have to register with the authorities and be monitored to ensure that she’s not a witch.

This is a really clever book as whilst it has dystopian/mystic themes, it’s very much rooted in the modern day USA. The control of women through the regulations surrounding witch craft are scarily feasible, as is the deep seated misogyny and discrimination against minorities.

There are some fabulous one liners, and unusually for me, I underlined numerous quotes. My favourite was “pizza is not emotional penicillin.”

I really liked Josephine as a character and her friendships with Angie and Preston, the plot ticked along nicely, but mostly I enjoyed how apt and real something so improbable felt.

With thanks to netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Joy's mother went missing when she was 14, just over thirteen years ago, and has finally been declared legally dead. There's a history of witchcraft in Jo's family, and this will not be accepted in modern society - if a woman is unmarried by the age of 28, then she must be tested for witchcraft. She will then be closely monitored, unless she gets married.

As Jo tends to her mother's affairs, she discovers new things about her mother and about herself.

Ach, I dunno. I liked the premise of this one A LOT. Witches? YES. Feminist? YES. But for me, it was a little too Lena Dunham does Magical Realism. I don't mean that to be mean - I think there's an audience for this, but I just don't think I was it. I wouldn't read it again.

I didn’t recall requesting this book but as it was on my “shelf” I thought I would give it a go. This isn’t a genre that particularly appeals to me and I didn’t really enjoy this book at all. Although the writing style was okay I thought it was a bit slow. Although in someways reminiscent of The Handmaids Tale sadly it doesn’t have the same impact. Just not for me.

Perhaps I should have been a little more careful about reading the description. The Women Could Fly is a dystopian novel, a genre I normally avoid. Having said that, I’m always open to having my mind changed, and this book sounded interesting, so I gave it a go.

Jo lives in an America where women can still be accused of and burned for being witches. Her mother mysteriously disappeared when she was a child and she is black, both of which factors make her more vulnerable to accusation. In this version of society women must be safely married off before they reach thirty, thus losing all autonomy. Naturally, if they fail to marry they still lose it, having to undergo testing and supervision to make sure that they are not witches. Jo is twenty eight, and in a very dangerous position.

The novel was split into two places – the island of witches and the rest of America – and even the writing felt very different in the two. The interlude on the island was a bit odd, and I almost gave up at that point, but I’m glad I didn’t, because the last third of the book was the most intense bit, and I finished it in one go. It was a good, readable story that would probably appeal much more to someone who likes and chooses to read dystopia.

There were a few bits that bothered me – the relationships were all off-kilter, and although I realise that this was deliberate, I didn’t really like it very much. I did find myself wondering (when Jo and Angie discussed emigrating to Canada) why, if this was only a problem in America, people didn’t just leave?

This was a gothic, haunting and atmospheric story that I couldn’t put down. It was gripping and engaging the whole way through with a level of suspense and unpredictability that added an extra layer to the storytelling. It was a chilling read that has stayed with me since I read it. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

An interesting dystopian novel in which women who are unmarried at 30 are viewed with suspicion and denounced as witches. But here witchcraft is actually real.

The protagonist is a young, bisexual, black woman who is close to thirty and struggling with the loss of her mother. But the most interesting aspect of this story is its parallels with modern US society, particularly the recent overturning of Roe v Wade. The fictional world sees women controlled by men, but as in the US now, it’s women of colour who suffer even more.

This is a good novel, but possibly not with the heft of other similar feminist dystopia that I’ve read recently. If you like dystopia with a touch of magic realism, you’ll love this book.

I loved the concept and enjoyed the writing in the first half but if fell quite flat for me. I didn’t connect as much as I’d like to with the characters.

Could not put this enchanting book down, to say I devoured it would be an understatement. This is a thrilling book which is a fresh of breath air for the genre. Magical.

I have to admit I thought I'd enjoy this more than I did. It's a wonderful unique idea but somehow lacks something in it's execution.

An engaging and timely novel, exploring sexual and racial prejudice in a dystopian setting. Josephine is a bisexual, black, unmarried woman aged 28. As the story unfolds the reader understands why Jo and her contemporaries consider marrying for convenience and against their will.
Although it took me a while to get into the book, once I did I warmed to the main character and found myself engrossed in her life and world. The pace of the book changes throughout, ebbing and flowing, and this did affect my reading of it, but all in all a good, although at uncomfortable at times, read which made me think about the themes.

With thanks to NetGalley and the authors who supplied me with a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

A very impactful novel about race, gender, women’s rights and autonomy, especially given the recent, horrific, overturning of Roe vs Wade. In this world where women are accused of being witches, race further increases chances of this and the fear that women of colour experience in this not-so-dystopian world.

Whilst I enjoyed the beginning of the novel, the pacing felt slightly off in the latter half, and I was slightly confused at parts. My favourite part was the introspective elements whilst the characters were grappling with following societal expectations or their own desires.

Overall, I felt this book is an excellent exploration into prejudice and the internal state of mind whilst living under an authoritarian rule. However, there were too many inconsistencies in the plot and pacing issues for the book to have its full impact.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy.