Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings! Today’s post is a list of five fun witchy book series to fully embrace the Season of the Witch. I do want to acknowledge that chose not to include the Harry Potter books, as although I love them, they have always felt like cozy Winter reads to me. I will be ranking the series here and I chose to only include book series that had a witch as one of the protagonists throughout all of the books, which will make this different from other witchy book rankings I have done in the past. Without further ado, here is the countdown!
Number 5: The Secret Circle series by L.J. Smith
~This one is such a cute and sweet read that has lots of Autumn feels and is perfect for those that like Y.A. witchy series’. L.J. Smith is most famous as the author of The Vampire Diaries, but in the 90s she wrote about many supernatural topics, and this is her witch-focused series! The series is about Cassie Blake, as she returns to her mother’s hometown. When she arrives, she discovers that she is from a family of witches. There is an interesting plot that centers around her joining a coven of teenage witches, all descended from the same group of families that formed the original coven of the town. It did get adapted as a C.W. television series in 2011, but it only lasted a single season. However, if you like these books, I would recommend the series, as it is very fun to watch!
Number 4: The Mayfair Witches trilogyby Anne Rice
~Set in the same universe as The Vampire Chronicles, this series focuses on the life of Rowan Mayfair. There are some fun crossovers throughout the series with the vampires due to the shared universe, however, most of the crossovers are in The Vampire Chronicles. In fact, the novel Merrick, which is in the vampire series, is actually titled after a witch character, which I find amusing! That being said, you can read these books without having read the vampire books if you choose to. I myself have not yet finished The Vampire Chronicles, having read several but not all, but I did finish the Mayfair Witches Trilogy! It is a very interesting Southern Gothic style take on witchy mythos, but it is very strange! To me, strangeness is a plus, but I know that not everyone likes it when things get too bizarre.
Number 3: The Witches of East End trilogy by Melissa de la Cruz
~Set in the same universe as the Blue Bloods Series, but this is not a Y.A. series, instead being the first series by this author marketed towards adults. I love the angle of having the characters be actual Norse deities, who after leaving Asgard ended up being witches in our world. It is a truly fun trilogy of books to enjoy for a short autumnal read, as none of the books are too long! This is another one that was made into a television series, but it was also short-lived, only having two seasons. I do highly recommend the series if you enjoy these books, to increase the Autumnal enjoyment!
Number 2: The All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness
~This is the series that went on to become the television series A Discovery of Witches, titled after the first book in the trilogy. The story of Diana Bishop and her vampire true love, Matthew Clairmont, is a delightful love story that spans an epic battle between forces of light and darkness. This has a little something for everyone, romance, time travel, a complex mythos, and lots of historical goodness! I love both the books and the television series, perfect for cozy date nights with your beloved!
Number 1: Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman
~I doubt this came as a surprise for long-time readers of my blog. I am a huge lover of both the Practical Magic books and the 1998 film, which is one of the best witchy films of all time! The story of the women and witches of the Owens family is one that is so endearing that if you love the film and have not checked out the books, I believe that they are a must-read. While the original book is not identical to the film, I find that refreshing because they can both be loved on their own merit without the film inevitably failing to live up to the book. After all, if the film tried too hard to copy and paste the original content, we would not find it so appealing! The subsequent books were published after the film and even took inspiration from the way the film interpreted the material, making them very intriguing reads. I recommend reading these books in publication order because I love how the story unfolds by having the second two books be prequels giving us more context on the Aunts and then the Owens ancestress Maria before the finale! That being said, I would be interested in possibly reading them chronologically on my next re-read and see how the story flows in that way.
~I hope that you have enjoyed this countdown. Are you a fan of any of these series? What is your favorite witchy book series? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services! I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon! Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/