When I saw A Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan was a blend of witchy fantasy and historical fiction, I knew I needed to pick it up and give it a read. If you know me, you know I like both of those things in my books, and the idea of witches involved on both sides of WWII piqued my interests. So, let me thell you about this novel.

Stubborn, plainspoken, and from an unimpressive family, Lydia Polk never expected to be accepted into the Royal Academy of Witches. Now, with Hitler’s army rampaging across Europe, the witches of Britain have joined the war effort, and Lydia is key to the cause: she must use her magic to track down magical relics before Hitler and his sycophants can. Then a Nazi witch infiltrates the Academy with heart-breaking consequences, leaving the coven shaken, exposed, and divided. The elder British witches have no interest in further loss of coven life in service of a government that has forced them into hiding for generations. But with the discovery of the Grimorium Bellum, an ancient book that leaves a trail of death and destruction wherever it goes, Lydia knows her mission has never been more urgent. Alone and woefully outnumbered, Lydia makes her way to the heart of occupied France, where she finds allies in Rebecca Gagne, a fierce French resistance fighter with a secret, and Henry Boudreaux, a handsome Haitian American art historian with a little magic of his own. Together, they traverse the country, stalked by the natural and supernatural alike, in search of the grimoire. But, as Lydia soon discovers, finding the book is only half the battle the Grimorium Bellum itself has a dark agenda. Lydia must subdue it before the witches of the Third Reich can use it—but she’ll have to survive the book herself first.

If you are a fan of the Juno Dawson HMRC series (Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, The Shadow Cabinet, and Human Rites) with its older protagonists, adult witchy fantasy setting in a modern world, and the integration of witches in society, albeit secretly, then I think A Resistance of Witches is going to be right up your alley. While the characters are a little younger than the women from that series, there is a similar feel in their intentions and motivations. There is also the strong SOE protagonists situation in A Restsiance of Witches which I feel appeals more to an adult demographic. That isn’t to say a younger reader wouldn’t enjoy it, I just don’t think they would enjoy it as much as the action and plot progression is slower.

I really like the seriousness and urgency within these characters, especially after the more harrowing elements of the plot have occurred, the ones that would leave an undeniable impact on thesecharacters and therefore would shape their perspectives going forward. From Lydia who lives the life of a witch who wants to help stop Hilter’s reign, sacrificing much in the process and losing even more, to Rebecca who has been involved in the French resistance momvement for some time now, and who has a background and family ties that make this mission all the more significant. Last but not least, we have Henry, a man who has a lot of family history behind him, not to mention the current pressures and restrictions of being a black man. All three of these characters are so well written, they are constantly learning and growing, and they show great personal development throughout the novel.

My only gripe with A Resistance of Witches, which is a similar way to how I felt reading Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, is that it is a little slow going for me. I can be engaged in a few chapters and then the next is too slowgoing to keep me immersed, causing me to pull out of the reading experience a little. I managed in the end, but it is worth noting for those wanting an exhilirating, fast-paced read. You won’t get that with this novel. Regardless, I have a feeling more than a few historical fiction, historical fantasy, and cosy adult fantasy readers will enjoy A Resistance of Witches.