Book title: The League of Gentlewomen Witches
ISBN: 978-1-405-95492-1
Author: India Holton
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication year: 2022
You will learn most things by looking, but reading gives understanding. Reading will make you free. – Paul Rand
PICTURE a world in which ‘Pride and Prejudice’ collides with ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ in the middle of enchanted teacups and flying bicycles; this rich fusion is what India Holton’s ‘The League of Gentlewomen Witches’ is all about.
This delightful historical fantasy romance is the second book in Holton’s ‘Dangerous Damsels’ series, continuing the story of ‘The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels’.
But never fear – it reads perfectly well on its own.
At the centre of this charming chaos is Miss Charlotte Pettifer, a conscientious witch with perfect manners, unwavering ambition, and emotions that are firmly suppressed.
As the likely heir to the Wicken League – a society of respectable witches who believe that magic should only be practised in times of dire need (and never, ever for enjoyment) – Charlotte has been charged with retrieving a mythical amulet formerly belonging to Beryl Black, the formidable founder of the League.
Her search is complicated by the inconvenient arrival of Captain Alex O’Riley, a swaggering Irish pirate with a talent for ignoring authority and looking devastatingly handsome in high leather boots.
Witches and pirates compete to obtain the potent relic – now held in the British Museum – while Charlotte and Alex are first reluctantly attracted, then irresistibly drawn into a whirlwind, flirtatious game of magical cat and mouse.
The action continues with the thrill-a-minute zip of a runaway carriage chase – one that, in this world, is occasionally quite literal.
With tea shop altercations, brazen thefts, explosions, and magical bicycle-flying escapes, the book is rife with comedic set pieces and farcical incidents, all admirably served by Holton’s stunning, intelligent writing.
Charlotte and Alex’s banter is fast and sidesplitting, with romantic tension building deliciously on each page.
Holton’s prose is gloriously Victorian in tone but tongue-in-cheek, mixing old-fashioned charm with modern twists and bold humour.
Characters speak in exactly Austen-esque speeches while punching one another, casting spells, or falling out of windows.
The reader is rewarded with a blend of deadpan humour, swooning romance, and over-the-top action sequences that somehow blend in perfect harmony.
And underneath the foam and silliness, there is genuine heart.
Charlotte is more than just the two-dimensional portrait of an oppressed heroine; she is a multidimensional character with depth – intelligent, lonely, driven, and starving for purpose and companionship.
Her struggle to reconcile the demands of her League with her developing feelings for Alex develops into scenes of searing emotional revelation.
Similarly, Alex – beneath his swagger and bitter sarcasm – is revealed as a man with pain, with sensitivity, and with unexpected depth.
One of the greatest delights of this novel is how it overturns conventional gender roles and power dynamics.
Charlotte may be a “gentlewoman witch”, but she can knock a man out cold or steal an artefact with tea in hand.
And Alex may strut about like a pirate, but his respect for Charlotte’s strength – and his growing love for her intellect – adds substance to the romance.
Their enemies-to-lovers arc is messy, funny, and ultimately very satisfying.
So, what is it – a romance? An adventure? A fantasy? A satire? ‘The League of Gentlewomen Witches’ is all of these and more.
It’s presented with a light hand, but it succeeds in delivering genuinely touching moments.
In addition, it has a wonderful sense of feminism, depicting women who have power, ambition and complexity – who simply choose to use that power to fly over London or move furniture with a wave of their fingers.
For fans of fast-moving romantic comedies laced with magic, this book is a must-read.
Fans of authors like Gail Carriger or Terry Pratchett will find plenty to love in its pages.
But even non-fans of the fantasy-romance genre might be captivated by Holton’s charm before they even realise it.
What happens when a rule-following witch meets a rogue with charm?
A vortex of chaos, magic, and a romance that takes flight – literally.
Holton’s novel is a soufflé of a book: light, humorous, and surprisingly satisfying.
Like any charming magical object, it will probably leap off the shelf and into your heart.
