The witch has a desire to scratch. Every time she casts a spell or concocts a potion, an itch creeps up her spine and drives her mad. It's as if her magic is connected to her skin, tickling and tingling at the slightest movement. The desire to scratch has plagued her for centuries. No matter how hard she tries to ignore it, the itch persists, growing stronger with each passing day. It distracts her from her work, leaving her unable to focus on the spells that once flowed effortlessly from her fingertips.
“Clarke conjures up a powerful, passionate tale of female friendship and found family.” Publishers Weekly ★
They are very competitive and when they receive an invitation to a fancy dress party with a prize on offer for the best costume they start competing over who will win. The whole look of this book is wonderful, the words whizz and fly around the pages as the twins cast their spells and the illustrations are enchanting.
It distracts her from her work, leaving her unable to focus on the spells that once flowed effortlessly from her fingertips. Instead, she spends hours scratching and clawing at her own flesh, desperately trying to find relief. The witch's desire to scratch is an obsession that consumes her.
The Scratch Daughters by H. A. Clarke
H. A. Clarke does it like no other. . . . [The Scratch Daughters] explores the complex queerness of teen friendships; it explores recovery and rehabilitation; it explores gender and sexuality and uncertainty. Confrontational, wild, fucking magic. — Sarah Gailey, bestselling author of The Echo Wife
If The Scapegracers was capital “Q” Queer, The Scratch Daughters is a massive purple neon sign. . . . A sharp, scathing sophomore novel. — Tor.com
October 25, 2022 / $18.95 / 400 pages
Sideways Pike is desperate. It turns out that Madeline Kline didn’t want to make out with her; infinitely worse, she was only flirting to get access to Sideways’ specter. Madeline has ripped the magical soul out of Sideways’ throat, and with it, everything that makes a witch feel whole. Madeline would know: the Chantry boys took hers, and she’s going to use Sideways’ specter to hunt them down and get it back.
Sideways Pike, lesbian witch extraordinaire, isn’t going to let little things like a treacherous crush or a brutal family of creepy witch hunters stop her, even if it means tracking down Madeline without the Scapegracers—her best friends, her coven, the girls she’s come to love ferociously above all else. But Sideways and her trusty bike are in for a bumpy ride . . .
In The Scratch Daughters, indie-bestselling author H. A. Clarke crafts a brilliant sequel to their tender, biting debut The Scapegracers: a raw and roiling tribute to queer lineage, to finding oneself, and to the deep love of chosen family.
August Clarke is here and queer, etc. They have been published in PRISM international, Portland Review, and Eidolon. They were a 2019 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction and a Pushcart nominee. They researched queerness, labor, and monstrosity at the University of Chicago. The Scratch Daughters is the second book in their indie-bestselling series, The Scapegracers, where they write as H. A. Clarke.
Praise for The Scapegracers
“Clarke conjures up a powerful, passionate tale of female friendship and found family.” Publishers Weekly ★
Teenage girl magic is palpable, urgent, and simply marvelous in this must-have debut.” —Kirkus ★
H. A. Clarke does it like no other. . . . [The Scratch Daughters] explores the complex queerness of teen friendships; it explores recovery and rehabilitation; it explores gender and sexuality and uncertainty. Confrontational, wild, fucking magic.
She has tried every remedy imaginable – potions, ointments, even magical incantations – but nothing has eased the relentless itch. It is a constant reminder of her own vulnerability, a reminder that even the most powerful beings are not immune to the simple discomfort of an itch. Her fellow witches and wizards have offered their sympathy, but none of them truly understand the torment she endures. They cannot comprehend the frustration of being unable to control one's own body, the maddening feeling of having an itch that cannot be scratched. And so, the witch suffers in silence, her desire to scratch a secret she keeps locked away. But despite her suffering, the witch continues to practice her craft. She refuses to let the itch defeat her, to let it rob her of her magic and her power. Instead, she channels her frustration and pain into her spells, infusing them with a raw energy that is both beautiful and dangerous. And perhaps, in the end, it is this very desire to scratch that makes the witch so extraordinary. Her struggle with the itch has shaped her as a witch, molding her into a force to be reckoned with. So while the desire to scratch may never go away, the witch has learned to embrace it, to draw strength from it. For the witch, the desire to scratch is not a weakness, but a testament to her resilience. It is a reminder that even in the face of adversity, she can still summon her magic, still cast her spells, and still make her mark on the world. And so, with each itch that crawls along her skin, the witch smiles, knowing that it is a small price to pay for the power that flows through her veins. For as long as she desires to scratch, she will continue to create magic, leaving her mark on the world and proving that even witches have their own vulnerabilities..
Reviews for "Scratching the Witch's Wound: Unpacking the Emotional Implications of the Itch"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I can't believe I wasted my time on this book. The plot was confusing and all over the place, and the characters were so underdeveloped that I had zero emotional connection with any of them. The writing style was also incredibly dull, with long, repetitive descriptions that added nothing to the story. I really wanted to like "The witch has a desire to scratch," but unfortunately, it fell flat for me.
2. John - 1 star - This book was a complete disappointment. The storyline was weak and lacked originality, and the pacing was painfully slow. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it hard for me to stay engaged. Additionally, there were several grammatical errors and typos throughout the book, which made it even harder to read. I regret picking up "The witch has a desire to scratch" and would not recommend it to anyone.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I found "The witch has a desire to scratch" to be incredibly predictable and cliché. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, and the plot was filled with tired tropes that I've seen a hundred times before. The writing itself wasn't terrible, but it didn't save this book from being a letdown. Overall, I was hoping for something more unique and thought-provoking, but it failed to deliver.
4. Michael - 2 stars - I was excited to dive into "The witch has a desire to scratch," but it quickly became apparent that the author relied too heavily on shock value and gratuitous violence. The story had potential, but the excessive and unnecessary gore overshadowed any redeeming qualities. It felt like the author was trying too hard to be edgy and ended up sacrificing a coherent and compelling narrative. This was not the gripping and thought-provoking book I was expecting.