Book Review - Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

 

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix is a horror tale about a coven of rebellious teenage girls who discover real magic and the consequences that accompany it. In St. Augustine, Florida, there is a home called Wellwood House. This house is for girls who become pregnant at an inconvenient time. The girls are either unwed, too young, or considered promiscuous. The house shelters unwed mothers, allowing them to have their babies in secret and then give them up for adoption. This way, the girls can return home to their families as if nothing ever happened.

In the hot summer of 1970, fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at her new home. She is pregnant and terrified since her dad dropped her off without saying goodbye. Under the care of Miss Wellwood, she meets about a dozen other pregnant girls, like her. Rose is a hippie who insists that she will find a way to keep her baby, and they will escape to a commune together. Holly is a strangely mute girl who is barely fourteen. Zinnia is a musician who plans to marry her baby’s father.

Everything the girls do, eat, and discuss is controlled by the adults who claim to know what’s best for them and their babies. Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft. The book contains power, something the girls have never had before. As they take revenge on those who hurt them, they realize that power can easily be destroyed as it is created, and everything comes with a price.

The book was an interesting read. I thought it would go one way, but it ended up going another. I felt that the book portrayed the Wellwood house and its occupants as strict and devious individuals who wanted to hurt the girls. However, I believe they were acting in what they thought was best for babies. I was expecting them to be monsters who sold children and were using the Wellwood house as a baby factory.

I anticipated a lot more horror or frightening moments. The novel primarily focuses on the young women trying to deal with situations beyond their control. While the book does have a few moments where witchcraft takes center stage, it didn’t feel spooky or scary. Perhaps because the book started strong but then dragged, it was only towards the end that it began to get good. I would still be open to reading more books by the author, as he writes very well, and his characters are well-developed.