If you’ve been to a Starbucks or Trader Joe’s recently, you know that fall is in the air (even if that air happens to be 100+ degrees).

For me, fall is also witch season. I love books about witches almost as much as I love leaves changing color (because it’s fall, not because the trees are dying from the heat). The publishing industry also appears to love witches, and without even planning to, I’ve read five newly published novels this year with “witch” in the title.

Here’s my personal take on each of these books. Please note that this is my personal preference! My last “ranked” title, for example, will most likely be many people’s favorite (perhaps even most people’s favorite, if the Goodreads score is any indication). In other words, your mileage may vary! But here’s my take.

Note: I have affiliate links to purchase each of these books via my online bookstore. The price for you doesn’t change, but I may get a very small portion of the proceeds.

The conceit of A Time of Witches is an intriguing one. Like other books on this list, it involves stories told on different timelines, with one taking place in Suffolk, England in 1645 and the other starting in present day Savannah, Georgia. In the 1600s we follow Sybil, a woman with supernatural powers who is charged with being a witch (for non-supernatural reasons) and is about to be burned at the stake; in present day we follow Lilith, who soon realizes and rapidly accepts that she has some magical predilections of her own. Lilith has a connection to Sybil, and is drawn to England to potentially save her across time. Intriguing, yes, but I just couldn’t get into this book, even though it also has an older witch who has a skunk as a familiar. The dialogue felt wooden to me and I couldn’t get invested in the characters or the story, especially Lilith’s. Again, your mileage may vary! But this one was tough for me to get through.

The Farewitch of Foxe Holler is solidly in the cozy fantasy camp. It follows a Farewitch named Honey, who (as her name suggests) magically heals the residents of Foxe Holler through the food she bakes. Things get upturned for her, however, when the moody warlock who lives in the secluded farmhouse tasks her with healing him from a mysterious ailment. Spoiler: He’s also hot! A decent read, especially if you like food magic.

This book from the author of Practical Magic takes place in a magic-infused version of 1950s Cambridge, Massachusetts. There, two young witches connect when they are inducted into the Lilith Society at Radcliffe college. The plot is secondary here and rolls out slowly; some witches are disappearing without a trace, which becomes more concerning as the book progresses. There’s also a star-crossed romance, and it checks the box for stories in alternate timelines, as some chapters also are told via found letters from the first witch in Cambridge, who came to the area in the 1600s. It’s an enjoyable meandering read, where the vibes are more the point than creating a page-turner.  

This book has the perfect amount of meta-ness and quirkiness to it. The story centers on an older witch named Gretsella, who finds a baby on her doorstep one day in the fantasy-village-with-contemporary-touches called Brigandale. She names that baby Bradley, and he grows up into an adorable himbo hairdresser who just happens to be the heir to the throne. When he turns 18, Bradley takes the throne thanks to over-eager woodland creatures and a handsome knight, and it’s up to Gretsella to make sure the kingdom doesn’t fall to pieces. It’s whatever the autumn equivalent of a beach read is (a foliage turner?), and one of the more delightful books I’ve read all year.

This book retells Arthurian legend through the eyes of Nimue, the witch destined to be Merlin’s doom. Half of the book, however, takes place in World War II England, where many people are mysteriously having dreams about King Arthur returning and glimpses of magical creatures are seen around Britain. This timeline is told from the point of view of the librarian, Ellie, who is told to leave London to head to a remote estate in Wales to catalogue the library of an absent, mysterious collector. There, she forms a friendship with the groundskeeper, and — unlike others — starts dreaming of Nimue rather than Arthur. The prose is excellent, the theme of how stories shape us will stay with you after reading, and the mystery of how everything is connects unfolds at a satisfying pace. Well worth the read!