A Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan

 A Resistance of Witches is Morgan Ryan's debut novel. 

It's World War II. Lydia Polk is the protege to the Head Mistress at the Royal Academy of London when a Nazi coven infiltrates. Lydia must find a terrible magical grimoire before the Nazis get it. Adventures ensue.  

What a truly delightful book. There's magic! Killing Nazis! Found and nuclear family. Characters who are smart, but sometimes do stupid things because it's war! 

I have some quibbles, but you know what? If it sounds like you might enjoy this book, you probably will. 4/5 stars

Lines of note:

“There are Nazis everywhere. They just go by different names.” (location 2125)

Yeah. Just....yeah. 

She curled and pinned her hair, and fixed her makeup, rouging her cheeks and painting her lips a deep claret red. (location 4680)

This line reminds me of the line from the song "Fancy" - Mama washed and combed and curled my hair and then she painted my eyes and lips. 

To my parents, who showed up to every choir concert and school play, who let me major in theater without complaint or reservation, and who always told me that a real job is fine, but please don’t forget about your writing. I love you. (location 5616)

OH MY GOD I WANT HER PARENTS TO BE MY PARENTS. 

This is a story about mothers. I was unbelievably lucky to be raised by a mother who taught me from the beginning that words have power, and who modeled what it meant to live a creative life. Whatever magic I have, I got it from you. (location 5624)

AND THEN I WAS CRYING AT THE END OF THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

Things I looked up:

Is Clementine Winston Churchill's wife? (location 149) - Yes. That's all. Although this line in her Wikipedia made me snort: her mother Lady Blanche's known infidelity and his suspected infertility makes her paternity uncertain.

Zigeuner (location 1715) - a German word, used by the Nazis to describe Roma, Sinti and Traveller communities. It is thought to derive from a term meaning 'untouchable.' Egads. 

Clearly you don’t mean to include the brujas, or the vedmy, or the ćovaxanǎ. (location 4394) - These are all synonyms for witches in different languages. 

Hat mentions (why hats?):

Stay away from the man in the white hat. (location 2664)

wide-brimmed hat (location 3150)

broad-brimmed hat (location 3174)

He tipped his hat to an auburn-haired woman on the corner, waiting for the bus in her sky-blue coat and matching hat, and she nodded back. (location 3715)

Gentlemen clutched their hats to their heads as they rushed past the chestnut trees and scrubby vegetable allotments, and ladies cried out in frustration as the wind tugged at their hair...(location 3959)

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Who thinks WWII with witches sounds fun? Who thinks it sounds like it's disrespectful to the true story of the war?