The Late-Night Witches is everything I want in an early fall, ready-for-Halloween witch book. Two sisters growing side by side into who they’re meant to be. Hidden witch powers that manifest with mixed success. An ominous prophecy and constant danger, mixed with humor, love and sarcasm. It’s cozy, empowering, and fuels my constant wish that magic was real. For anyone wanting a witchy adventure that’s filled with vampires, family bonds, and a dreamy magical house, this is the book for you.

The Best Bits

A Few of My Favorite Things

An Imperfect Main Character Who Grows Into Her Own

Cassie can be a struggle of a protagonist to follow along with, making her growth all the more powerful as you advance through the book. She never believes in herself, always second guessing decisions, thoughts, and every action she takes. Nothing about becoming a witch is easy for her, but she is constantly trying to fulfill the prophecies surrounding her. She’s selfless, which interestingly is a big part of her problem. The book really examines the concept of being selfless versus accepting yourself and using your power to help others. They’re very different things, and the second is what’s necessary to fight your battles and win. We get to watch Cassie learn this lesson, occasionally at a frustrating pace, but that frustration is perfect for the book, especially when tempered by the blinding confidence of Aunt Dorcas and Cassie’s sister, Eliza. 

The Wild Vampire-Hunting Aunt

From her first appearance, I was obsessed with Dorcas. She is arguably the most powerful witch in the world, always advancing her witchcraft through potion making, spell work, and general testing of her powers. She’s hilarious and mischievous and refuses to back down from a fight she never got to participate in when it was her time. Above all, she fiercely loves her family, even when they cut her out for decades of their lives. She’s waiting in the wings, ready to help her nieces fulfill their destinies, and you can’t help but laugh every time she saunters into a chapter. I was thrilled at how big of a character she was and she’s really just the perfect witch for this story. 

Family Relationships Always Being Tested

Cassie and Eliza’s bond was one of the most interesting parts of the story. On the one end, Cassie is always trying to protect Eliza by preventing her from being herself. Eliza is always trying to ‘be herself’ at 150%, going out of her way to live a wild life, get into scrapes, and eventually learn every possible witch power there is to learn. They’re opposite sides of the same coin, but they’re connected on a deep level. It takes Cassie accepting that she can’t win without the help of her sister, and that’s the thing their mother never had in her fight against the all powerful vampire. By the end, Cassie believes in her sister and Eliza never doubts Cassie has a deep power just waiting to burst out. 

The House

Finally, I’m obsessed with the ancient house on a beach, filled with hundreds of years of family secrets. It comes complete with endless rooms, window seats looking over the sea, an extensive library, and a greenhouse that sounds like everything I could want. It’s not quite a sentient character, but it’s definitely a character of its own, providing a fitting backdrop as these three women come together to fight a seemingly impossible force threatening to tear apart the world. It’s as much a home as a house could be, and it adds to the underlying coziness of the story.