The Green Witch is a guide for embracing good witching. It suggests a romantic, more magical approach to life and living that will resonate with some people more than others.
Often, The Green Witch dispenses good life advice, “Remove what you don’t use” (p.43), “Peace can mean a variety of different things depending on your need: serenity, relaxation, an absence of aggression” (p.34), and “Healthy love of the self is crucial to a well-balanced energy and to healthy self-esteem” (p.33).
At other times, the romance of green witch life becomes a little too magical, even for my love of fantasy.
“When you feel you have observed enough, send the plant a feeling of gratitude for its cooperation, then visualize your energy disengaging from that of the plant and drawing back into you palm.” (p.63)
Nevertheless, as a fantasy writer, The Green Witch was full of brilliant images and ideas, and as a reader of fantasy, it stirred my cravings for witchy titles! Please enjoy the following list of witchy fictions, and don’t hesitate to share titles I’ve missed in the comments!
Witchy Reading List
Here’s the short list, but be sure to scroll down for a summary of any title you’re interested in.
- A Spell for a Smith
- Dime Store Magic
- The Farseer Trilogy
- Circe
- Wakenhyrst
- Under the Oak Tree
- When Women Were Dragons
- The Last Unicorn
- A Song of Ice and Fire
- Stardust
- Narnia
- The Last Wish
- Wicked
1. A Spell for a Smith (webtoon)
This is one of my favourite webtoons. It’s a heartwarming, slow burn romance between a shy, outcast witch and a large hearted blacksmith dwarf. Set in a close-minded, fantasy, faux-medieval village, this webtoon is at the top of my list for featuring the magic closest to the descriptions in The Green Witch.
Like most romances, the two leads must learn to love each other’s differences and allow personal secrets to be uncovered, but what makes this narrative special to me is the depiction of very relatable anxieties in quietly funny ways.
2. Dime Store Magic (novel)
Book three in the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong is for 18+ readers. Featuring murder, romance, and magic, it’s a steal on Kindle.
Paige is a young witch in her twenties, groomed by her mother to lead her supernatural peers, but still inexperienced and newly responsible for parenting a teenage orphan. The last thing Paige expected was a legal battle and the satanic panic on her doorstep.
Sound like a book for you? Check out my review of Dime Store Magic and more in my collection of Kelley Armstrong reviews.
Additionally, if you enjoyed Dime Store Magic, I also rated the sequel, Industrial Magic, very highly.
3. Farseer Trilogy (novel series, comic series)
The Farseer trilogy doesn’t feature your typical witches and wizards, unlike many items on this list, but there’s magic, dragons, and potions—which certainly qualifies it to be on this list.
For fans of books about the bonds between animals and humans, this trilogy can’t be skipped. Experience a homely, heart-rending fantasy with Robin Hobb’s The Realm of the Elderlings series.
4. Circe (novel)
Circe, the witch of Aiaia, is an old myth from Greek legend, and Madeline Miller’s retelling is one of the most popular renditions on the market.
Written from a first person perspective, discover Circe’s origins and desires through Miller’s poetic storytelling.
5. Wakenhyrst (novel)
Wakenhyrst is about a society steeped in witchcraft and longing, but more than that, it’s a gothic mystery. It’s up to the reader to learn whether the magic was real, or a figment of the characters’ imaginations.
Read Wakenhyrst for an Edwardian psychological thriller with romance are dark desires.
Already read Wakenhyrst? Check out my review instead.
6. Under the Oak Tree (novel series)
It’s another addition for fans of 18+ romance and fantasy books! Originally written in Korean as two novels by author Suji Kim, this duology is being translated into a multi-book series by Inklore for English-reading communities.
Firstly a story about disability, anxiety, and trauma, Under the Oak Tree also features dragons, elemental magic, and some very explicit sex scenes.
The second book in the translated series was recently released. Subscribe to the blog for upcoming reviews on Under the Oak Tree titles.
7. When Women Were Dragons (novel)
This isn’t a book about witches as much as it is about magic and the persecution of women—which makes it so close to being about witches that I thought it deserved to be on this list.
While not one of my favourite reads, it has a 3.8 rating on Goodreads and was a nominee for the Goodreads’ favourite fantasy list in 2022, so it could be a great read for you!
8. The Last Unicorn (novel, film, comics)
First a book, later an animated film, The Last Unicorn features at least one wizard and one hag, and it’s my favourite book of all time.
Follow a unicorn on her journey to discover whether she is truly the last, or if her brethren can be returned. It’s a magical novel told beautifully.
9. ASOIAF (novel series, TV series)
A Game of Thrones might have dragons, but its magic is often debatable. Do the Starks merely dream that they are wolves, or do they truly warg into their companions at night? Are prophecies real, or is it human belief in them that causes a prophecy to seem true?
With self-proclaimed witches and an interesting relationship with magic, A Song of Ice and Fire certainly belongs on list, and I still hope we’ll get to read Winds of Winter one day.
10. Stardust (novel, film)
Many of the titles on this list feature good witches to be celebrated, but Stardust’s witches exist to be reviled. If you’re looking for a title where one can exalt in evil, this is the fairytale novel for you.
The film is also a quite charming.
11. Narnia (novel series, film series)
Featuring the book titled, The Lion , The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Narnia is a land that knows powerful witchery, though seemingly not the green witch kind.
The principle witch in Narnia is the ‘white witch’ within its lore, but where in other universes such as Lord of the Rings, a ‘white’ force would be considered, in Narnia, ‘white’ is synonymous with winter and death.
The tales of Narnia are curious reads that have inspired a significant number of academic works. Featuring a lot of Christian imagery and some questionable ideals, they’re quick to read and certainly interesting. My personal favourite was always The Horse and His Boy, but the witchiest books in the series have to be The Magician’s Nephew, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and The Silver Chair.
12. The Last Wish (short story collection)
I haven’t read any of the other Witcher novels, but The Last Wish certainly deserves to be on this list.
Featuring whole schools of witches, plenty of potions and fabulous creatures, Andrzej Sapkowski conjures a delightfully grim universe for main character, Geralt of Rivia, to slash, hack, and talk his way into deeper trouble.
Aside from the books, the games and Netflix series also exist.
13. Wicked (novel series, film duology)
Unlike the other entries on this list so far, this is a franchise that I haven’t yet read. I know Wicked well through the play and films, but the novels are still in my TBR pile. Nonetheless, it clearly deserves a place on this list as a narrative about two witches and what it means to be truly good.
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Think I missed a title? Let me know in the comments section below!
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