Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

I tore through Witchcraft for Wayward Girls in a day—it’s an incredibly compelling read, with layered characters and a story that’s both gripping and unsettling. Beyond the narrative itself, there’s some heavy thematic material here, especially when considered against the backdrop of current events, making it all the more resonant.

Interestingly, while this is marketed as horror, the horror elements are sporadic. There’s a slow build-up to anything supernatural, followed by a particularly graphic scene that seems to signal a full shift into horror—only for the novel to ease off the gas again for long stretches. It never loses momentum, but it reads more like dark fantasy with horror elements rather than a straight-up horror novel.

One of its greatest strengths is the immersive atmosphere. Hendrix paints a vivid picture of Wellwood House—you can practically feel the oppressive Florida heat and the claustrophobic unease of the girls’ situation. Without diving into spoilers, this is absolutely worth a read, both for the story itself and the broader conversations it invites.