I love witches. I love that their stories are laced with promises of magic and desire, and once you’re in deep enough, you realize that they’re really about complicated female relationships, feminine solidarity against a backwards society, and the overthrowing of the patriarchy. For the most part, at least.
I didn’t set out to write a witch book, but I discovered that when you put some strong women together and let them find love and family within one another, chances are that magic will happen. That’s how THE MONSTROUS MISSES MAI, my historical fantasy novel came together, but after I wrote it, I realized that the themes are delightfully universal. So many of my favorites are books and movies about women coming together to lift each other up. If you enjoy that kind of stuff, here are some recommendations that have similar vibes to my accidental witchy story and would make great pairings with the book.
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
Three single women in a picturesque village have their wishes granted, at a cost, when a mysterious and flamboyant man arrives in their lives.
I was introduced to this movie after I’d already written my book, but as I watched it for the first time, it really resonated with me. Three friends who are already doing pretty well supporting each other suddenly have their lives disrupted by a man making promises too good to be true. I enjoyed the magic, friendship, and themes of sacrifice in this movie, and definitely have the book by John Updike on my list now!
Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
While her husband leaves home every day to work in a top-secret facility, a young 1950s housewife begins to question her life when she notices strange behavior from the other wives in the neighborhood.
This movie is an absolute feast for the eyes. Everything about it is gorgeous, from the dresses to the hairstyles to the set design. It draws you in with these eye-candy pieces, keeps you hooked with unsettling moments and foreboding reveals, and then turns your reality inside out in the big finale. I want to watch it again and again, if only to see Harry Styles dance.
The Craft (1996)
A newcomer to a Catholic prep high school falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft, and they all soon conjure up various spells and curses against those who anger them.
This is one of my favorite movies ever, even though I’m a Halloweenie and scare easily. I’m willing to put aside my fears to watch this every year. I love the characters in this story, how their desires and need to belong drive them down a path of dark magic and sacrifice and power.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-2023)
After her husband leaves her, young mother of two Miriam "Midge" Maisel discovers that she has a talent for stand-up comedy. Could this be her calling?
This is not a witch story, but much of The Monstrous Misses Mai was inspired when I watched this magical production about a 1950s housewife who pursues a career in comedy, much to the chagrin of her parents, ex-husband, and everyone around her. Even though the story centers around jokes and pretty dresses, it speaks so much about what women can achieve in spite of the obstacles both near and vast. Also, the hats!
Love Potion No. 9 (1992)
Two scientists who are hopeless with the opposite sex experiment with a substance that makes them irresistible to anyone who hears them speak.
Another not-a-witch-exactly type of story, but still one about people who set out to perform a bit of magic only to have things spiral out of control. And then of course, the lengths they must go through to save what they didn’t realize meant so much to them to begin with. This is just a really fun movie.
Death Becomes Her (1992)
When a fading actress learns of an immortality treatment, she sees it as a way to outdo her long-time rival.
This movie combines all my favorite elements–dark magic, complicated female friendships, revenge, and Meryl Streep. I was also shocked to learn that Bruce Willis had hair at one point? But I digress… I loved how silly this movie was and how it didn’t take itself so seriously, yet had interesting things to say about privilege and society. Another great escape that would make a fun pairing with The Monstrous Misses Mai.
Bonus: Joy Ride (2023)
Follows four Asian American friends as they bond and discover the truth of what it means to know and love who you are, while they travel through China in search of one of their birth mothers.
While there’s no actual spellcasting in Joy Ride, I couldn’t not include it because there are so many similar elements of female friendships in this movie that I connected with. How you can feel like you don’t belong, especially among the people who should know you the most, and how lifting up your friends can help you discover yourself. Another super silly and fun romp that I highly recommend!
A determined young woman in 1950s Los Angeles walks a darker city than she ever imagined in a spellbinding novel about the power to make dreams come true—whatever the sacrifice.
Los Angeles brims with opportunity in 1959—though not for aspiring fashion designer Cordelia Mai Yin, the first-generation child of Vietnamese immigrants, who finds the city unkind to outsiders and as dispirited as her own family. When Cordi rents a cheap loft in an old apartment building, she quickly warms to kindred souls Tessa, Audrey, and Silly. They also want better things and have pasts they’d rather forget. That they all share the same middle name makes their friendship seem like destiny.
As supportive as they are of each other, it’s a struggle just to eke out a living, let alone hope to see their wishes for success come true. Until an ever-present and uncannily charming acquaintance of the landlord’s offers a solution to their problems. He promises to fulfill their every dream. All it takes is a little magic. And a small sacrifice.
As one surprisingly effective spell leads to another, their wishes get bigger. But so does the price they must pay. Amid the damaged seams of her life so far, Cordi must realize her own power in order to rip free, without losing everything she’s worked so hard to achieve.
Fantasy Magical Realism [47North, On Sale: April 1, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781662517846 / ]
Van Hoang’s first name is pronounced like the van in minivan. Her last name is pronounced “hah-wawng.” She earned her bachelor’s in English at the University of New Mexico and her master’s in library information science at San Jose State University. She was born in Vietnam, grew in up Orange County, California, and now resides in Los Angeles with her husband, kid, and two dogs.
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