Grady Hendrix has developed quite a reputation for inventive supernatural tales with the right amount of tongue-in-cheek humor. That said, his latest release may be his best written and most serious literary horror novel yet.

The primary characters are a group of rather snarky pregnant young women who are being housed under the roof of a home for wayward girls during the sweltering Florida summer of 1970. Throughout the book, Hendrix gently reminds us of the turmoil that was going on in the world at that time: Vietnam, Ohio State, the Manson murders. It ends up being quite the appropriate sounding board for a novel that is brimming with all sorts of rebellion.

"WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS is an unforgettable read and already will be one of the most memorable horror novels of 2025."

Fifteen-year-old Neva is being driven by her father to Wellwood House in St. Augustine Florida. Her family is telling everyone that she is away at drama camp. Upon arrival, Neva is promptly given a pseudonym like all of the residents at Wellwood and now will be known as Fern. The first of several young women Fern meets is the brash and snotty Rose, and later she will befriend others who are in the same predicament: Daisy, Briony, Zinnia and Holly. It will not be long before you put together the floral theme of the girls, courtesy of Miss Wellwood, whom Fern describes as a large battle-axe of a woman who resembles Richard Nixon.

During her stay at Wellwood, Fern receives kind care from the nurses and psychiatric counselor, as well as less-than-sensitive handling by the house doctor. The girls are forced to share cramped quarters with multiple roommates, and their leisure time is extremely limited. One evening, Fern has a terrifying experience when she enters the shared bathroom to find another young lady giving birth in what looks like a pool of blood and gore.

However, everything changes when the library van visits the home during the summer to lend out books to the girls (once approved by Miss Wellwood, of course), and Fern is introduced to the librarian on board. Miss Parcae recommends a special book called How to Be a Groovy Witch. Various passages are featured at the beginning of subsequent chapters and provide some rather serious words of witchcraft. It is not long before Fern and her friends recognize that Miss Parcae is an old witch herself and head of the local coven.

Miss Parcae confides in Fern that she must force the world and bend it to her will. She takes this advice to heart as four of the girls create their own craft and cast a spell on their doctor, who gets to feel what it is like to be pregnant in a bad way. Fern is so impressed that she seeks out Miss Parcae for more. She is anointed into their coven, where she renounces the world of man and pledges herself to them. Little does Fern know the seriousness of this act and the ulterior motive that Miss Parcae has in selecting her for their brood.

Things will get unpredictably out of control before this tale wraps up. Along the way, Grady Hendrix subjects readers to a wild ride deep into the world of very real witchcraft. WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS is an unforgettable read and already will be one of the most memorable horror novels of 2025.