September Books & Banter Club: A Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan

Books & Banter is our general fiction book club, focusing on great new reads that matter! THIS MONTH – we’re meeting on the 5th Tuesday (because our Alchemised release party is happening on the 4th Tuesday!)

As always, our book clubs are free and open to all, and the book club pick is 10% off the regular price. You bring the conversation, we’ll provide the treats!

This month’s pick is A Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan
$30.00 Book club price: $27.00 Hardcover, 416 pp

Morgan Ryan’s A Resistance of Witches casts a bold new spell on historical fiction, blending the urgency of World War II with the raw power of witchcraft in a gripping, genre-bending tale. Perfect for fans of The Discovery of Witches and The Night Circus, this atmospheric novel explores the courage of one witch who dares to stand alone against the darkest forces of her time.

Lydia Polk never expected to become a key figure in Britain’s magical war effort. Raised outside the inner circles of magical society, she’s plainspoken, headstrong, and underestimated by nearly everyone—until Hitler’s army begins its march across Europe, and the witches of Britain are called to join the fight.

When a Nazi witch infiltrates the Royal Academy, leaving tragedy in her wake, Lydia is thrust into a race against time to track down the Grimorium Bellum—an ancient and deadly magical book that threatens to tip the balance of the war.

With the elder witches reluctant to sacrifice more of their own for a government that’s long denied their existence, Lydia is left to pursue the grimoire on her own. Her journey leads her deep into occupied France, where she forms unlikely alliances with Rebecca Gagne, a fierce and mysterious resistance fighter, and Henry Boudreaux, a Haitian-American art historian with secrets—and magic—of his own.

Rich with action, shadowy secrets, and a strong thread of resistance, this novel is as much about inner power and chosen family as it is about magic and espionage. Plenty to unpack—from the moral complexity of war to the costs of power, loyalty, and love in perilous times, and what it takes to stand your ground when the world wants you silent.