If you know me, you know I’m not a horror movie girl. In fact, one of my first articles for The Hoot was a list of “spooky” books for horror-movie haters like myself. However, I have made a point of pushing myself out of my comfort zone and attempting to read a variety of horror novels. One author I’ve discovered through this process is Grady Hendrix, whose most recent release, “Witchcraft for Wayward Girls” was published at the beginning of 2025.
This was my third Grady Hendrix book after “We Sold Our Souls” (which I absolutely loved) and “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires” (which I found disappointing). I was so pleased that this book ended up being more like the former than the latter! It had a fascinating and unique premise, as the book takes place at a Wellwood House, a “home for unwed mothers,” where teenage girls go to see out their pregnancies in early 1970s America (notably a few years before Roe v. Wade was decided). While staying at the home, the novel’s main character, Fern, encounters a librarian who gives her a book of spells. Fern shares this book with a few other girls in the home, forming a “coven,” although the girls quickly discover that magic comes with a price.
“Witchcraft for Wayward Girls” felt painfully relevant to today’s post-Roe era in the U.S. It deals heavily with themes of misogyny and powerlessness, as the girls do not have any control over their pregnancies or their children. I was pleasantly surprised that a male author was able to capture this so well. Some of the most disturbing moments in the book were about this total loss of autonomy that these girls face. As such, the novel is surprisingly well-developed outside of the horror/supernatural elements, as nearly the entire first quarter of the book has no “witchcraft” at all and is more focused on establishing Fern as a character and Wellwood House as a setting. The book also does not cross over from being “magical” to being scary for a while after that, so be aware of that slow(ish) burn going in. Personally, I did not have a problem with it (even if it made the book drag very slightly at first), but I think some readers might be surprised. For all my fellow readers who are typically horror-averse, I certainly did not find the novel too scary to handle. There were definitely some graphic scenes that were quite uncomfortable to read, but I was never freaked out enough to put the book down. I can confidently recommend this to anyone who is not a typical horror reader.
Regarding the quality of the writing, at first it was somewhat difficult to keep track of all the characters, but I eventually figured out who the few are that matter. I also realized as I was reading that Fern was actually quite flat as a main character. I really felt like I didn’t know as much about her or her personality as I should have. I got a much fuller picture of some of the side characters than of Fern herself. I was satisfied with the knowledge I got about the magic system that the witches Fern encounters used. However, some employees of the home fight back against the witches with magic of their own, and I felt it was a missed opportunity when Hendrix failed to explain how these characters learned to protect themselves against witches.
Overall, I really liked this book and found myself sucked into it. I was eager to pick it back up again whenever I put it down. I had a great time while reading it, and I absolutely want to read more Grady Hendrix books after this!
