Quick Synopsis – With Hitler’s army rampaging across Europe, the witches of Britain have joined the war effort, and Lydia is key to the cause: she must use her magic to track down magical relics before Hitler and his sycophants can. When a Nazi witch infiltrates the Academy with heart-breaking consequences, the coven is left shaken, exposed and divided.

Alone and woefully outnumbered, Lydia makes her way to the heart of occupied France, where she finds allies in Rebecca Gagne—a fierce French resistance fighter chockful of secrets—and Henry Boudreaux—a handsome Haitian-American art historian with a little magic of his own. Together, they traverse the country, stalked by the natural and supernatural alike, in search of the grimoire. But, as Lydia soon discovers, finding the book is only half the battle—the Grimorium Bellum has a dark agenda all its own. Lydia must subdue it before the Witches of the Third Reich can use it—but she’ll have to survive the book herself, first.

Song This Reminded Me Of – Witchy Woman by Eagles

Publication Date – July 15, 2025

Bookshop Link – A Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan (I receive a small commission if you purchase using my link)

Content Notes – This book takes place during WWII and contains antisemitism, violence, torture, blood, death, and other similar themes.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐out of 5

Review – I devoured this book. Seriously, the storyline was so captivating, and I had a hard time putting it down. This is a multi-pov novel with Lydia, Rebecca, and Henry all having their own point of view chapters. One part I didn’t enjoy is that Lydia was very much the main character, I felt like giving Rebecca and Henry their own points of view didn’t add enough to the story. I actually would have liked more Rebecca and Henry, both of whom were people that were directly affected by Hitler’s regime. Lydia was more fighting because it was the right thing to do, which is a good reason, but I felt like both Henry and Rebecca had more compelling backgrounds.

Lydia starts the story as very insecure in her powers, especially because she doesn’t come from a long line of established witches. Her family has always practiced herbs and potions, things considered to be minor magic. She takes on the task of finding the Grimorium Bellum not just because it’s the right thing to do, but so she can prove herself. Her traveling to France to find the book of dark magic, sets off the introduction to Rebecca and Henry. Honestly, once Lydia steps foot in France the plot takes off.

On the surface this is a story about Britain’s witches covertly undermining Hitler’s regime, but beneath the surface it’s a story about motherhood and the sacrifices women make. Each main character has a complex relationship with their mother. Again, I would have liked if there had been more development for Henry because his mother was so fascinating. I also felt like Henry’s storyline didn’t get the same closure as Lydia and Rebecca.

This is a great historical fantasy and I definitely recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing – Viking for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.