[Review] Good Southern Witches by J.D. Horn (Editor)

Good Southern Witches is an anthology put together to pay respects to witches in any and all of her forms.

While most of the stories in this anthology missed the mark of what I would consider ‘horror,’ even when painted with the broadest brush, it was still an evocative and entertaining grouping of stories revolving around ‘witches’ in the southern USA.

Much of the time, the magic in these stories was a small element, a little detail here or a bit of foreshadowing there. I enjoyed the subtlety of the magic, that it wasn’t grandiose or over-the-top in most stories. There were exceptions, where magic played a much more central role or manifested itself as a central point of the story, but largely, the characters referred to as ‘witches’ were such in title and renown more than grandiose displays of magic. Another element I enjoyed was that the witches of the stories were almost never the antagonist, but either neutral or benevolent people just trying to live their lives like everyone else.

Some of the stories felt like they may have been building on existing lore, either completely fictitiously, or building off possible urban legends common to the south. In a few stories, it was harder to sink into, feeling like no matter how much explanation the story provides I’m never fully ‘in the loop.’ Though, I’m not sure if this was a failing of where I am, or a failing in the storytelling not being able to pull me in or provide enough information to fully transport me into the world.

And so many of the worlds were so rich and interesting. One of my favorite stories, “The Witch and the Waif” by Rie Sheridan Rose, lets you know early on it’s a take on Baba Yaga, and it was so much fun to read I was upset when it ended! Some of my other notable favorites include “Putting Down Roots” by Keily Blair and “Rise of the Mother Bear” by Indigo Giordana-Altú.

All in all, this collection was full of masterfully written stories. Reading it was an absolute delight. The anthology is out mid-April, and it’s definitely worth picking up.

I was provided an advanced copy of this anthology by NetGalley in exchange for a review.