Good Southern Witches

by J.D. Horn (Editor)

The most accessible of supernatural entities, arguably even more so than ghosts, the witch is a wildflower, ready to thrive anywhere she chooses to take root.

She might be a force of nature, a mother, a maiden, a crone. Or she might not be a she at all, manifesting instead as a non-binary person, or a young boy looking to understand how he fits in in a man’s world. She is the knowing outsider, the cunning killer, the healing center, the avenger of the disenfranchised, and patriarchy’s perennial scapegoat.

Sometimes she acts as a window on other realities. Sometimes she stands as the dam holding these alien realities back.

In this volume, she’s dug her roots deep into the soil of the American Southeast. Here, you’ll find Baba Yaga reimagined as a Southern socialite, Kentucky granny witches, Texas water witches, Tennessee tricksters, North Carolina guardians, Georgia killers, Mississippi virgins, and Louisiana whores.

This collection is a love letter to the witch, in all her glorious and fearsome incarnations, because—you have to admit—even when she’s wicked, she’s still damned good.

Featuring stories by Lucy Bennett-Gray, Keily Blair, R. A. Busby,Rachel Coffman, Amanda Crum, Indigo Giordana-Altú, James Allen Grady, E.C. Hanson, G. Lloyd Helm, Rowan Hill, Valerie Hunter, Ruthann Jagge, Peter Lundt, Rod Martinez, Louise Pieper, Lindsay Pugh, Rie Sheridan Rose, Angela M. Sanders, Joe Scipione, J.J. Smith, Nathan Leigh Taylor, Lamont A. Turner, and B.F. Vega.

Genres: Horror, Witches, Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Paranormal, Adult

ebook

Published April 13, 2021

About the author

J. D. Horn is the author of the standalone dark fantasy Shivaree and the bestselling Witching Savannah series (The Line, The Source, The Void, and Jilo). The Witching Savannah series has been/is being translated into Russian, Polish, German, Spanish, Italian, French, and Romanian. He and his spouse, Rich, and their rescue Chihuahua Kirby, split their time between San Francisco and Palm Springs.

Reviews

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional collection of stories that I enjoyed long into the night!! I was introduced to some stellar authors via this book, and definitely hope to read more from them in the future! I loved that each story had a congruent theme, and yet, each seemed fresh and varied. In a themed collection, this can be a difficult task to achieve, but I found each story to be engaging and enjoyable!!

I’ve read my fair share of witchy fiction in my day and consider it one of my favorite sub-genres. But, all too often, there is a not-so-subtle theme of cheezy romance running through them, as if the two must go hand-in-hand. Not so with this collection! Don’t get me wrong… I love a good witchy romance, but I don’t think it’s fair to pigeonhole and it was incredibly revitalizing to see fictional witches portrayed as more than just a sexy outcast with cats and a kooky old house.

Get this book and enjoy!! 5 stars!

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Southern Witches is one of those rare anthologies every single story in the collection was enjoyable. Yet I do have a weaknesses for stories about witches and I haven’t found a contemporary anthology about witches as enticing as this one since Hex Life.

The collection pulled me in at the very first line of the very first story ‘’Baby” by R. A. Busby with the line, the baby bit hard into my flesh and held there.” This anthology was too irresistible to put aside!

The librarian named Elizabeth who found a mysteriously magical manuscript left behind by a library patron in "Bibliomaniwac" by J.J. Smith felt like it was written just for me as it stressed a love of libraries and old manuscripts. (Oh, and my legal name is Elizabeth) And there were more eerie undertones when a dead woman came back to life on All Hallows Eve in "405 Fort Erie Lane" by Rod Martinez. The large range of stories about witches in this anthology is a delight---just a few of the examples of the different types of stories are of a witch who sought revenge for having her son kidnapped in "Rise of the Mother Bear" by Indigo Giordana-Altú or a woman learning about her own magical powers and that she came from a lineage of witches in "Granny Witch” by Rachel Coffman. Anyone who loves stories about witches will love this book. Many of the stories will appeal to fans of dark fantasy and supernatural horror.

I am thankful to Netgalley for providing me this ARC. I rarely justify purchasing books I obtain as ARCs, but as someone who loves having a good collection of witch stories on my shelf, this will be a collection I will definitely plan on purchasing when it officially releases next month!

I am also publishing this review on my blog: http://glamorousbookgal.blogspot.com/...

[Stephanie Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Southern Witches is an anthology of short stories featuring a favorite supernatural being; the witch. 🧙🏻‍♀️Each story takes place in the south. I love the idea of a southern setting because most of the time people hear the word witch and immediately think of Salem, forgetting that there are witches all over the world.

A lot of stories about witches include a lot of fantasy elements. I found this anthology to really bring out the other side of witches and witchcraft, veering away from fantasy fiction and making it dark. Each story is entertaining but I do have my favorites.

“Bibliomaniwac” by J.J. Smith
Don’t read everything you see.

“Backtrack” by E.C. Hanson
Be careful who’s following you on Halloween Night

“Waking the Trees” by Amanda Crum
Nature gets its revenge.

“Telling Secrets” by James Allen Grady
This one isn’t scary, but it’s heart-warming and wholesome, aside from a few disturbing details.

“Hazing Night” by Rowan Hill
This is an empowerment story for women and feminists. Loved this so much!

“CrissCross Girls” by Ruthann Jagge
Another feminist story about coming into your power, and seeking revenge.

Those are my favorites of the collection with a brief one line description on each.

This collection is a perfect introduction to talented authors with vivid imaginations. Whether you’ve read their work before or not, these stories showcase their excellent storytelling. Oh it’s also perfect for the upcoming spooky season. 🎃

Check it out for yourself. 🧙🏾‍♀️

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

What’s great about this book of stories is it’s old fashioned witchcraft. Witchy stories, and none of the modern day nonsense that goes with it. No romance disguised as paranormal. No happily ever after’s. Just good old fashioned earth magic. The old kind. The stories are great to dig into. They move quickly, and their fun in their darkness. You get your fill of the maiden, the mother, and the krone. There is even some male magic and some non-binary characters as well trying to find their way in the magic world. I highly recommend this book to people who like the dark magic stories, coupled with the white magic. There is no good and evil in these stories. It’s just people, with that that entails.

[Lorna Vivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadnt read a collection of short stories for ages but as soon as I saw the theme and read the words 'the witch is a wildflower, ready to thrive anywhere she chooses to take root' I knew i had to read this. I was not disappointed, I think a lot of thought went into choosing the particular texts and artwork which was beautiful. This is a perfect autumn or winter evening read full of stories that will bring a chill down your spine, in a good way. I was impressed by the diversity of the stories and how they each had their own unique takes on the theme, they all felt modern in style and it was interesting how they translated traditional concepts like the changeling or figures like Baba Yaga into these modern worlds. A lot of the texts leave me with questions and a need to re read them to learn all their secrets just like a spellbook.

[Eule Luftschloss · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf at 40%

This anthology is all about witches who happen to live and work in Southern USA. The marketing promised horror, which this really isn't. Horror is supposed to make you feel something, but I was mostly bored by these stories so I stopped. On one hand, they're very short, most between 7-10 pages, and don't even get to settle in before they end.
I can't even tell you about trigger warnings, which this book surely needs, but all I read morphed together to one big lump and I can't tell you any details.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a treasure trove of witty, canny, well-told short stories, each one introducing the reader to a unique and interesting Southern witch. As you might expect, there are some cunning women in the Appalachian tradition, but also practitioners of vodun, weather witches, non-human witches, and more. This collection was a delight to read and I was sorry when I reached the end of it.

[Candace Nola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Southern Witches is a massive collection of tales about witches, witches of all kinds, and origins, from Southern lore and beyond. Who doesn’t love a good witch story? I remember dressing up as a witch countless times for Halloween, wishing I was a witch later on as an angsty teen and loving the lore and legends surrounding them.

Magic, potions, hats and broomsticks, crystals, chanting and dancing under the moon; all things that intrigue curious girls, young or old. This collection has it all. The anthology opens with a beautiful foreword by JD Horn, before moving on to an absolute stellar line-up of stories. There are far too many stories here to describe them all but I picked out a few favorites.

One of the earlier stories in the books, “Putting Down Roots” by Keily Blair, left me chilled as the meaning of putting down roots takes on a whole new meaning when young Eliza returns home after the death of her sister. She hadn’t been back since her and her sister had left home years before. Eliza swears to make a quick visit home to deal with Maw Maw Pearl after she calls to tell her that she missed the funeral and her sister was buried in the family plot, against her wishes. Eliza drives home in a rage only to discover that her roots go deeper than she ever imagined.

“Bad Apple” by Louise Pieper also resonated through me. For such a short story, the characters were almost visible, leaping off the page. The narrative is being told from the main character's point of view, drawing you right into the story, and the down-home country accent she uses is almost audible in your head. Tace Bolley is her name and she lives on the family apple orchard that hides more than a few secrets. I found this story charming and delightfully creepy at the same time. Let’s just say Tace Bolley is a determined young lady.

A little further along in the book, we come to “Waking The Trees” by Amanda Crum. This tale tells us about Marcus who is out in the forest to mark trees for cutting due to disease. He is not quite finished when he gets a call on his Walkie Talkie from his boss, telling him a storm is brewing and he needs to get to camp. Marcus agrees and starts packing it up when a young lady appears on his path. She begins to question his presence and his work in the forest with a deep personal interest only to be interrupted by the approaching storm. She invites him back to her cabin to shelter since he will not make it back to camp. He soons finds himself in a situation that he did not plan.

Another one of my favorites was “The Criss-Cross Girls” by Ruthann Jagge. This was a clever story about water witches, revenge and redemption that I just loved. The weather in South Texas has not been very kind as of late and the crops are dying, as are the animals. Seventeen year-old Birdie is out walking the plowed rows looking for any treasures that have been turned up, having found arrowheads, silverware and an old tin heart before. She just wants to get out of the house and away from her brother when she is caught up in a dust devil that knocks her unconscious. Her mother finds her a while later and gets her in the house where Birdie is still delirious and has been burned or marked somehow on her hands. Her mother quickly wraps her hands to hide them from her father, who is overbearing and abusive on the best of days, let alone on his worst days. A few days later, Birdie’s father takes them to a social at the neighbors farm where matters with the menfolk take an awful turn. This story had a lot of moving parts and backstory which helped enrich the overall story line rather than confuse it and I really loved the surprise ending.

There are just too many great stories in here to describe them all but these were all stand-outs for me and I guarantee that you will find several new favorite witch tales to tell around those late campfire nights. I’m giving this five stars for the sheer volume of quality stories in this collection.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 rounded up to 4.
Thanks to Netgalley and Curious Blue Press for a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was excited to see a short story collection about southern witches. I expected these stories to evoke atmosphere distinctly Southern (even better if distinctly one particular place in the South), and I expected them to have witchy themes or plots.

Concept
All the stories had good concepts. I didn't dislike the central idea of any of them. They could all be made into great stories. The concepts of each were unique enough that the stories were individual and never felt repeated within the collection. I liked that there was such a wide range of witchy aspects, many of which I'd never encountered and were fun/interesting to read.

Atmosphere. This is going to be long. Sorry.

Some stories did better than others at evoking atmosphere. Baby did a great job of producing a witchy atmosphere, and it made it rural. I'm from the area the story's set it, and though I wasn't convinced it was the same area, Baby still stuck out as one of the better atmosphere-evokers.

Most of the stories didn't strike me as having anything Southern about them, except an odd mention of an Southern state name or town. General rural America fits better as a setting description with the majority of these stories. It felt like some authors threw in stererotypical dialect or a shout-out to a southern town just to fit their stories into this collection. I can be picky about this point, but it gets old when authors don't understand a setting that you do and try to sell you a place they've seen on TV. Other people might read these stories and not notice or not care. Honestly, if this was just renamed "American Witches" and the authors allowed to edit the locations of their stories, I'd shut the heck up.

But if Southern is in the title, I'm expecting something of the South to emerge true and be a big part of the story: its history, the various subcultures, something. For example, when Grady Hendrix titled a book "The Southern...," he nailed the setting as not only distinctly Southern but also as distinctly Charleston, and the setting is almost its own character vital to the story. Hendrix also doesn't cross the sometimes fine line between characterization of the setting and stereotyping. I think it helps that he knows the setting so well. When I read his other works that had nothing about setting in the name, I had no expectations of the setting going in and left without disappointment.

Execution
While reading the first story in the collection, Baby, I thought the writing phenomenally inviting. I wanted to keep reading and reading. I read the next story, which was also interesting, and then the next, and then somewhere along the way I wanted to stop. The execution of the stories, at least to me, and I don't mean to hurt any feelings here, seemed to be best at the front end of the collection. I don't think the later stories were horrible, but they seemed to lack the polish of the earlier stories. With revision, they could be great, too. Again, all of the stories had great concepts. It just read like some of them weren't ready for publication. I found value in every story, though. I believe every author in this collection capable of perfecting their stories, and I'd read from them all again.

Format/Editing
I wanted to give a shout out to the editor because the kindle edition was one of the best I've had from Netgalley. It didn't have weird formatting issues or lots of errors. I know that Netgalley usually gives proof copies, but it was nice to see that the editor obviously cared about giving reviewers the best reading experience possible. It was also nice to discover some authors early in their writing careers.

[Dione Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Menagerie

This book was a menagerie of tales.. I would like to read the stories in total form. I would read them.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a collection of witchy short stories, this leaves something to be desired. Almost every story seems to just cut off instead of finish.

[Caroline Kigans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another anthology read for the girl who isn’t keen on short stories. Go figure! These short stories are full of my favorite kind of character: southern women who hold their own in some way. Old southern Belle witches, young girl witches, redneck backwoods witches, and the best woman of all - Mother Nature. The stories are incredibly diverse even with the common theme of “southern” persons. Some of the stories fell flat, but overall it was a great grouping of stories, some of which are truly excellent pieces of supernatural literature. If you like witches, and Southern gothic (and even some Southern preppy thrown in for good measure!), pick up this anthology and drink some tea spiked with bourbon to get lost in some witchcraft.

I’m grateful to the author, publisher, and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC! Thank you again!

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of short stories, well written and interesting.
Great characters that reflects a traditional ideas of witchcraft and powerful women.
I liked it and it's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc, all opinions are mine

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Southern Witches is an anthology put together to pay respects to witches in any and all of her forms.

While most of the stories in this anthology missed the mark of what I would consider ‘horror,’ even when painted with the broadest brush, it was still an evocative and entertaining grouping of stories revolving around ‘witches’ in the southern USA.

Much of the time, the magic in these stories was a small element, a little detail here or a bit of foreshadowing there. I enjoyed the subtlety of the magic, that it wasn’t grandiose or over-the-top in most stories. There were exceptions, where magic played a much more central role or manifested itself as a central point of the story, but largely, the characters referred to as ‘witches’ were such in title and renown more than grandiose displays of magic. Another element I enjoyed was that the witches of the stories were almost never the antagonist, but either neutral or benevolent people just trying to live their lives like everyone else.

Some of the stories felt like they may have been building on existing lore, either completely fictitiously, or building off possible urban legends common to the south. In a few stories, it was harder to sink into, feeling like no matter how much explanation the story provides I’m never fully ‘in the loop.’ Though, I’m not sure if this was a failing of where I am, or a failing in the storytelling not being able to pull me in or provide enough information to fully transport me into the world.

And so many of the worlds were so rich and interesting. One of my favorite stories, “The Witch and the Waif” by Rie Sheridan Rose, lets you know early on it’s a take on Baba Yaga, and it was so much fun to read I was upset when it ended! Some of my other notable favorites include “Putting Down Roots” by Keily Blair and “Rise of the Mother Bear” by Indigo Giordana-Altú.

All in all, this collection was full of masterfully written stories. Reading it was an absolute delight. The anthology is out mid-April, and it’s definitely worth picking up.

I was provided an advanced copy of this anthology by NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This review has also been posted to my blog, Fallen Fiction Reviews.

[Paul Downey · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the mythological figure of the witch has been part of popular culture for centuries, on the big screen or on the page there hasn’t been an all-encompassing anthology of the many incarnations – until now.

J.D Horn’s anthology has 24 stories squeezed into, with pretty much every version of a witch you could find.

We look at changelings, whilst also broaching different subjects including vengeance against abuse men, families of witches, gay teenage romances plus much more.

Some stories really hone in on the towns they are set and also flip the narrative back and forth, with witches sometimes being saviours and other times working for a darker purpose.

Each story is quite short, it makes Good Southern Witches a fast-paced read, my only complaint was that many of the stories had the potential to be fleshed out into a full-length story.

Good Southern Witches is released on 13th April 2021 by Curious Blue Press.

[Debbi Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The blurb for this book said you would find it, it it would find you. It found me and never let go.
Its rare to find an anthology with all great stories but I found this to be one.
Witchy tales from past to present, this book was fantastic.

My thanks to #Netgalley

[Heather Daughrity · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fun read. I needed a little lighter fare and this one hit the spot. Not that the stories are all lighthearted, they're not. There's darkness and murder and grief woven into these tales of magic, but there's also love and humor and the beauty of women's friendship.

Coming from a South-adjacent area myself (no one seems to know exactly what part of the country Oklahoma belongs to), there was such wonderful familiarity to these stories for me. From the sweltering heat to the drought-plagued crops, the cicada song and the drawing voices, these stories bring alive a setting that speaks of home to me.

These are not horror stories, the witches contained herein are good, as the title suggests. Powerful, yes, sometimes angry, justifiably vindictive, but ultimately good.

This book is a little slice of Southern goodness mixed with folklore and imagination to make a truly enjoyable collection.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

📖My Thoughts📖

This is the absolute perfect spooky fall book! This is a book full of short stories, all entailing witchcraft and magic of some sort. There are some that are lighter than others, some that include some rather gory details and scenes, and some that leave you grinning. This anthology includes 24 short tales by 24 different authors, each bringing their own flair to the mix. It was a very easy and quick read, as well as very entertaining and enjoyable. There are a few parts that may make some individuals a little squeamish. A mixture of horror and sci-fi, there are some areas that may be triggering to some individuals, so if you have any triggers, proceed with caution. This is the perfect book for the upcoming fall season, so go grab yourself a copy and snuggle up with a hot cup of joe!
Thank you Netgalley, J.D. Horn and Curious Blue Press for the opportunity to read and review this captivating book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

My feedback is so late on this one but it took me two Halloweens to finally read all of the stories in this #ARC. Like most short story compilations, not every story was a winner for me, but there are some great ones in here, chilling and perfect for a cozy night when you want a little scare. I am sorry this book has not gotten more attention--it deserves it! I really enjoyed Jezebels and Harlots, Granny Witch, Blackout, Crisscross Girls, and Allegations of Alchemy.

[Eric Guignard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended book for great short stories: Horror, mystery, and thrills. Here was my original blurb, and I stand by it: “Like any successful conjuring brew, GOOD SOUTHERN WITCHES is that precise mélange of carefully-curated anthology ingredients: powerful tales, enduring voices, and enchantments of the darkest desires. Stir and serve freely upon devotees of macabre imagination.”

[Dreams · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only made it through the first story in this collection. Between the abuse, cheating and horrible grammer I cannot bring myself to continue. I felt no connection to the characters. This might be something someone enjoys, but unfortunately this book is not for me.

[A.L. Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

So excited to get this today and read it all in one sitting. Looking forward to reading it again!

[Margin of Terror · Rating 1 out of 5]

I suspect this was mislabeled as a horror, as it really doesn’t hit many of any horror notes at all. There’s nothing particularly wrong with it, I just didn’t find it compelling. But that might be because it’s not my genre. This collection is better aimed at fantasy readers.

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Southern Witches, edited by J.D. Horn, is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of 24 tales of witches—good, bad, female, non-binary, old, young, gay, and straight. There are stories here for every fan of witch lore: you have granny witches providing tonics for wealthy clients, generations of witches welcoming their heir into her powers, spiteful witches to claiming lives to free her own, Earth witches protecting the environment when trees are to be destroyed, and a couple of cozy witches keep a balance between our world and the unknown.
I really enjoyed this anthology, not every story was my cup of tea, but that is to be expected in any collection of short stories. This was my first time reading any release by Curious Blue Press, now I will be looking forward to anything and everything they release. I loved that the authors selected for this anthology were not names that I have seen over and over in other publications. I now have new writers to check out. I really appreciated the LGBTQIA representation in this collection, not a lot of presses will make that a priority.

4/5 Stars
Thank you to #NetGalley and #CuriousBluePress for providing me with an eARC for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[bookishjaybird · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good read for spooky season! I enjoyed a lot of the stories, and the world building/writing of most of the stories. The artwork stories were so so cute, it was probably my favorite part of the whole book! It isn't higher than a 3 star read for me because towards the end of the book a lot of the stories followed the same pace and arc, and felt almost the same. So that was unfortunate, I would have liked to see more variety in the type of stories/characters that were written about!

[Molly Trammell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an ARC review. Thanks to Netgalley and Curious Blue Press.

This is a solid, entertaining, enjoyably unsettling anthology. It is a wonderful Gothic/horror/uncanny short story collection centered around, well, good southern witches. Every story presents something unique and this collection highlights an impressive group of authors to watch.