Women are a Dangerous Magic

by Elora Ramirez

They were the ones who bound the magic. Now, they are the ones who must set it free.

Lifetimes ago, five priestesses cast a spell to protect the power of every woman who would come after them—sealing away the goddess’s magic to keep it from those who sought to steal it. Sisters of the Red Thread, they whispered the spell in the dark of night, an incantation of forgotten power. But protection came at a their own lives.

Now, their bodies are humming with the stirrings of something ancient. They weren’t supposed to remember, but the goddess is stirring from her slumber—and so is their magic.

The only they are not the only ones who know.

A secretive group has been waiting—watching—for their awakening, intent on siphoning their magic before they can reclaim it. This society has surveilled the women over lifetimes, the leader intent on keeping his power.

Their darkness is about to discover just how dangerous a woman’s magic can be.

The women must find each other, unlock the ritual buried in their blood, and awaken the goddess once more. If they fail, history will repeat itself. If they succeed… the world will never be the same.

313 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 13, 2025

Reviews

[eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so empowering to read as a woman! The fantasy mixed with the history made it so enjoyable and relatable as well as the different life experiences of the main characters. There were a bunch of times that I felt a bit bored through the story but overall I loved reading it! May women always be empowered and remember who they are!

[Caitlin Dolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Women are a Dangerous Magic was a good, middle of the road book about women remembering the magic they used to hold in this world. And while I really loved the idea of this book I wish it didn't rush through the events in the span of one day. The characters are a little too willing to just accept that they had past lives and can know wield magic; while it seems like others have had use of their magic for awhile now and just never mentioned it.
This book feels more like a prequel than a true stand alone book (or maybe start to a series). I would have loved more world building and a bit more depth.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

[Kcaroth1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Women are a Dangerous Magic by Elora Ramierz follows five women as they reawake, sort of a spiritual remembering, to a goddess’s magic and power. There is a shadowy group that is actively trying to keep this magic hidden and will go to any length to do so.
Ancient spells, female empowerment, dragons, magic, secret chambers...I expected to love this. And there are some really good ideas and an interesting premise. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me. Other than the different powers each woman was supposed to suddenly develop, I couldn’t really tell them apart. Despite some pretty world and life changing occurrences happening over a day or so, none of the characters really seem to need time to process or question. There is some internal dialoging about the changes, but it is all pretty similar for each woman. Some of them even receive similar objects, in very similar ways. Since there is a lot of telling and little showing, the pacing is very slow, and I found that I was forcing myself to finish.
On the upside, there were some relatable moments with women feeling belittled, pushed aside, ignored, or worse, and it felt good to see some pushback and regaining of balance.
Thank you to Netgalley and Femina Books for the eARC.

[Linnéa Lange · Rating 4 out of 5]

A world changing moment occurs when women all over start remembering the magic and power they’ve lost at the hands of men who don’t want women to be too powerful. It’s a feminist retelling of history where they literally grapple with oppression they’ve faced from men. They find sisterhood and a common enemy.

The writing is a whirlwind that grabs you from the first few chapters leaving you wanting more. At times it’s a bit tricky to follow the storyline just because it moves so fast and the main characters just remember, accept and get angry. There are definitely unbelievable elements and at times feels like a Dan Brown novel, but with a strong feminist theme. But it’s clever, and fantastical, magical even. The writing is good and it’s a gripping story.

Read this if you’re in the mood for sticking it to men. Don’t read if you want nuance, you won’t find it here. It deals with themes of men’s rights activists, politics and men who hate women.

I hope future books bring world building, a little more nuance and maybe some questioning of a new world order. But overall a really good read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for letting me read and review!

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me feeling hopeful and optimistic. I’ve read several books this year with reviews stating they were about female empowerment only to feel frustrated with patriarchy and not powerful to change anything. This book was a reminder of our shared history as women and the power we have even when it feels lost, unused, or hidden. For readers living in a political climate that weighs heavily on them as they think about the future of women and their daughters, read this book to give you those reminders.

I wish I had more time with this story. I wanted more time to get to know the characters. There are quite a few characters for a shorter novel, and most of them have interesting back stories. It sometimes felt like a case of being told things versus being shown things. This was particularly true with the commentary about the history of patriarchy as each character comes into their memories. By the end, this felt a little repetitive. I also felt the conclusion was reached a little too easily. A couple more bumps in the road would have made the story more engaging.

Thank you NetGalley and Femina Books for letting me an ARC reader!

[Shaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am in awe of this story. Such a unique but sadly familiar world where women’s power was stripped from them and then they were blinded to their true nature. The tendrils of the story came together in such a beautiful way. I wish I had more time to really get to know the different characters. I hope will be more stories told inside this world. A special novel that I won’t soon forget. Elora is a spell caster in her own right.

[Stephanie Cicero · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story had me hooked after the first chapter. I enjoyed meeting each character individually and then seeing how their stories tied together. Interesting world building and character development that had me turning the pages. Looking forward to the continuation of this series.

[Lottie C · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

This one absolutely dragged

[Emily Oakes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I loved the strong female power theme that ran throughout, i love books that involve witches and dragons, so both? WONDERFUL. I loved the different characters, their own stories and personalities, and enjoyed that the book took the time to really paint their pictures.

What made this book lack for me was the writing structure. Sometimes I couldn’t tell who was speaking, who was addressing who and became confused. At times it did drag, but the main issue for me was the flow of the story and especially the dialogue

However, enjoyed overall, and glad I gave this a read!