Book Review for Conjuring the Witch by Jessica Leonard

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form. 

Conjuring the Witch, by Jessica Leonard, is a religious horror about what it takes for a woman to fight for her freedom, even if it means burning everything to the ground. Steve and Nicole Warby are newcomers to the Lilin Assembly of God. After reading a lesson about Deborah, a female judge and leader from the Old Testament, Nicole is inspired to try and become a councilwoman for the church. However, Reverend Grey not only refuses her request but adamantly forces her, as well as other women in the congregation, to try to remember their places. After all, their husbands have the final say with their fates, and not them. Things take a turn for the worse when, not only do the “witches” of the woods nearby start to draw near, witches that the Reverend Grey had been warning them about, but Nicole begins to heed their call. 

I’m actually surprised at how much humor the characters have despite the gravity of their situation. I adored how the men know that, even though Reverend Grey has all these standards for how a wife should act, he himself doesn’t have a wife. He reminds me of those “alpha men” who proclaim that women are beneath them, that they can get any woman they want, only for those very same women to turn them down. Of course, the congregation is a continuum; after all, Sara is an example of a woman who will betray her gender if it means getting accepted by other men, although she improves in the end. And as controversial as this may be, I can’t help but be a little sad with Steve’s fate in the end. Still, I do agree with Heather Finch’s philosophy; after all, the men who do nothing, who don’t protect and instead allow their partners to be abused and harassed and humiliated, aren’t welcome in a woman’s safe space. 

I feel like the book is a mirror for the modern-day witchcraft movement. A lot of women, myself included, have left the church because of their vile treatment of women and children. In that I have to agree with Nicole’s assessment; for all its preening and posturing, the church is witchcraft’s greatest source for practitioners. Moreover, for men to label women’s domestic tasks as “witchcraft” is funny; my paternal grandmother on my father’s side was the village herbalist back in Vietnam and would care for those who needed it. I’m painfully aware that her practice, as well as aspects of my own culture, would be labeled as witchcraft in the eyes of “Christian” ministers. That being said, it’s also a word I take pride in. Additionally, there is nothing more powerful than a circle of women who come together for a common good. Even if you’re not in a coven, having spiritual fellowship with other women can be comforting. In that sense, I feel even things like Women’s Bible Studies are witchy. Go figure. 

I do wish the POVs were more spaced out. It was a little unnerving to read one character’s thoughts since I feel like I’m suddenly shifting to another character’s. It was also a little extreme in its assessment of how women become witches (I wish I had the power to burn my enemies to the ground). Regardless, I enjoyed the book and would give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Get the book here!