Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

They called them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, to give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened. 

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This is a character driven story that takes place in the 70s, following Fern, Holly, Rose, and Zinna. These girls are hidden away by society at the Wellwood House and stripped from their rights, autonomy, and identity. They are told what to do, what to eat, where to go, and to never share personal details with one another, not even their real names. It isn’t until Fern meets a librarian that gives her a book about witchcraft that she realizes her true power. 

As I was reading this book, I was curious as to what inspired Hendrix to write a story like this, especially as a male author. In the Acknowledgements, he wrote that he discovered that two of his family members were sent to these homes as teenagers. He shares, “This is how I first learned about maternity homes. For years I tried to understand what they had been through, but I couldn’t wrap my head around how scared and isolated they must have felt.”

With the help of a whole team including lawyers and doctors, Hendrix authentically captured the fear, trauma, and horrors that these girls had to face during that period. I’ll admit this wasn’t an easy read, but these topics never are. You’d think the horror in this story would come from the witches, but the real horrors lie in how society openly treated these girls. This story is about strength and resilience, and each female character in this story embodied that beautifully. 

As someone who’s not typically drawn to stories surrounding witches or vampires, Hendrix has managed to make two of his books, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls and The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires soar to my top 5 favorite books of all time. The ultimate message behind this story is that women have been and always will be powerful. This book covers heavy topics, but if you enjoy strong female characters with lots of emotion, I highly recommend this one. Get your copy on Amazon today. 

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Genre: Horror

Pages: 476

Rating: 5/5 

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