WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS by Grady Hendrix – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
Published by Berkley on January 14 2025
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 496
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Grady Hendrix’s latest takes a more serious tone as he explores heavy topics like teen pregnancy in this emotion-packed story of friendship and self discovery.

Power cannot be given, it must be taken. It is the ability to enact your will upon the world and it must be earned by the spilling of blood.

– How to Be a Groovy Witch

Grady Hendrix is the master of unique ideas, and once again he proves how talented he is with this odd but effective mash-up of teen pregnancy and witchcraft. Hendrix channels the 1970s and delves into women’s rights and body autonomy with searing social commentary, graphic childbirth scenes, and some truly frightening witches, and at the same time captures the innocence of girlhood and teen friendships. This is a much more serious story than we usually get from the author, with only brief moments of lighthearted humor. Instead, Hendrix gives his readers unexpected emotion and plenty to think about.

In 1970 Alabama, fifteen-year-old Neva finds herself pregnant, and after telling her parents, she’s whisked away to Wellwood Home in Florida, a place where pregnant teens can hide their shame, have their babies, and then return to their old lives as if nothing happened. Miss Wellwood, the stern woman who runs the home, renames her “Fern” (all the girls are named after plants or flowers) and sets down her strict rules. Girls must eat what they are given (salt and sugar are forbidden) and attend weekly physical check-ins with the resident doctor. Above all, they must never go outside, as Wellwood Home is a place of shameful secrets. The girls spend their days watching TV or attending mandatory counseling, waiting for the day they will be taken “downtown” to give birth.

Fern soon adapts to the new routine and even befriends the other girls, but being pregnant brings its own fears and uncertainties. None of the girls really understand what will happen during childbirth, although it’s a given that their babies will be taken away from them and given to good homes. With no ability to make decisions for themselves, Fern and her friends seem resigned to their fate.

Until one day, when the bookmobile comes to Wellwood Home, Fern meets Miss Parcae, the librarian who gives her a book that changes everything. How to Be a Groovy Witch is full of spells and instructions to change your fate, if only you are strong enough and willing to give the ultimate sacrifice: complete obedience to the coven, and of course, your blood.

Hendrix captures the 1970s vibe perfectly, which isn’t a surprise as he’s well versed in vintage pulp horror. There are plenty of horrors in Witchcraft For Wayward Girls, not all of them supernatural, and in fact I found the witches to be less horrific than the adults in this story, which is full of racist, misogynistic characters. The girls, all in their teens, are obsessed with astrology, and most of them smoke (smoking is the one vice they are allowed, which is an unfortunate sign of the times). Despite knowing that racism and outdated opinions about teen pregnancy were prevalent in 1970 (and really, has much changed since then?), it was sad and shocking nonetheless to see how Fern and her friends were treated. Nurse Kent and Dr. Vincent use invasive medical procedures without the girls’ consent, and they even call them derogatory names like “barnyard animals.” When a Black girl named Zinnia comes to the home, she’s treated even worse than the other girls (all white), which was heartbreaking to witness.

Hendrix uses witchcraft as a way for Fern and the others to take back their power, and it works—sort of—although things do not turn out the way they expect. Miss Parcae, the catalyst for everything that happens, seems benevolent at first, someone who is on the girls’ side and wants to help. But beneath her librarian persona is a woman with a sinister agenda of her own, and as the girls get deeper into the spells and cryptic advice between the pages of How To Be A Groovy Witch, they soon find out that witchcraft isn’t something to be taken lightly. I liked that the author infused the witchcraft parts with so much darkness, which I wasn’t expecting.

I also loved the emotional elements involving the pregnant girls and their babies. Although on some level they realize they won’t get to keep them, the girls still wonder things like whether they’re having a girl or a boy or what their baby will look like. Rose, one of my favorite characters, is determined to keep her baby, who she calls Blossom. Even Fern, who can’t wait to return to her old life, is convinced her baby is a boy and calls him Charlie Brown. Even more heartbreaking is the drama surrounding Holly, the youngest girl at Wellwood Home, whose circumstances are horrible. All of the girls ban together to help Holly out of her inevitable fate, hoping that witchcraft will save her, but of course things do not go as planned.

I did have some issues with the story, though. First, I think it’s way too long, especially the first half, which drags on without much happening until the witchcraft elements are introduced. Then there are the graphic childbirth scenes near the end, when Fern finally gives birth, and because we see the story through her eyes, we get to witness every second of her experience. Maybe Hendrix was trying to mimic actual childbirth, which can take hours or even days, but having given birth twice myself, it’s not something I want to relive in a book. Fern’s birth scene goes on forever, with plenty of stress and pain, and honestly, I just wanted it to end! Even worse, if you’ve ever had an episiotomy, you will not want to read about Fern’s experience, trust me.

However, I was not prepared for the emotional epilogue, which jumps forward in time and shows what happens to Fern, Rose, and Holly. Hendrix redeemed himself with this glimpse into the future, a wonderfully hopeful ending to a story full of pain and suffering. Ultimately, Witchcraft For Wayward Girls isn’t really about witchcraft at all, but the resiliency of young girls and women who are trying to shape their own futures. Grady Hendrix fans who are looking for his usual brand of humor and over-the-top action might be disappointed, but I found plenty to love about this book.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.