Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Wild and Wicked Things

Beautiful writing. Lyrical. Definitely feels Gatsby inspired. Loved the setting and the magic system. Enjoyed the romance (sapphic). Definitely a dark book so please check the trigger warnings but it was woven together well and not fetishized. Not necessarily a new favorite but one I’d recommend to someone who likes historical fantasy for sure

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lesty_gibbs's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The writing is really gorgeous, and I adore the premise. 1920's sapphic witchy great gatsby vibes? Phenomenal. It took me a while to connect with the characters, and I was only really enjoying Annie once she was leaning into her own character arc.

I loved the growth in the relationship between Annie and Emeline. They were great, and the way their characters were explored was really interesting. I couldn't stand Bea though, which I felt let the ending down because of how integral her safety, and the characters caring about her safety, was to the final plot. Things would have been far smoother if they just removed Bea from the equation, and I couldn't find myself justifying why she was there. She had a moment towards the end suggesting growth, but it felt too little too late.

I also wished the plot with Annie's dad could have been more fleshed out, I actually found myself forgetting about him and the story surrounding it, which left me scrambling to pick myself back on track for Annie's personal growth. It also made one of the final plot points feel quite shoehorned for me, since it hinges on the dad plot line, yet it's so drawn out that I felt like that part of the story was put on the back burner.

That being said, I really did love how some the themes were handled, and again, the prose itself was so beautiful. Overall, I loved Annie's growth, how her belief system was challenged, and how she was changed by the end. Emmeline was phenomenal, and I loved how it explored her self doubt, her grief, and the continuing impact of her childhood abuse. The magic system was really cool, and I especially loved how it explored the consequences of ones actions, and how it was used as an allegory for other issues, such as sexuality, etc.

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author2223's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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gothbaby's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I started this book hoping that it would be a 5 star read based on the cover, the blurb, and the writing in the first few chapters. I felt like the story was building on itself quite nicely so I was very disappointed when it fell flat.

I will start with the plot, since that was my biggest source of frustration. I was so happy to pick up a sapphic adult fantasy book. The fact that it was about witches felt like a true lottery win for me. However, the plot was so flat that I kept having to ask myself whether or not I was expecting too much of certain plot points.

The first being the constant allusion to Emmeline’s “darkness.” I put that in quotations because there was nothing indicative of that in the book… she was perfectly kind if not moody. I expected her to literally bathe in blood and perform salacious spells based on the way Annie described her. Instead, the actual magic factor was almost inexistent.

Based on Annie’s visions and the tether, I also expected her to come to great power but there was nothing of the sort. She was meek and showed no interest in actually practicing magic. I found it strange that the author kept referring to all of her senses and the pull of the tether but never had her explore any of it. It felt like a really underdeveloped magic system and plot overall.

Personally, I wanted the crows to have a larger significance. I expected the book to be darker and more intense, more thrilling, but there was none of that. Along with the whole Bea/Arthur blood debt thing (which I found boring and a weak conflict), this was my main source of apathy towards the whole book.

The sapphic subplot was engaging until it wasn’t. I feel like the author relied too much on

Annie’s and Emmeline’s tether to construct a believable relationship between the two.

I wanted Emmeline to be mysterious and for that plot point to feel physically real to me, but instead the book

ended with me feeling like Emmeline would leave Annie because she didn’t love her as much.

The author’s choice to reiterate people’s magic scent was very repetitive. I started to anticipate it any time characters interacted and it seemed like the author had nothing else to use in terms of describing the character’s presence. Again, it felt shallow.

I’m so disappointed by the feeling that this book just wasn’t executed to its fullest potential. That the story wasn’t exciting to me.

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melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC of this book.

Wild and Wicked Things is a magical Great Gatsby retelling set on Crow Island, where magic is prohibited in the aftermath of World War I, but that doesn't stop Emmeline Dalacroix. When Annie Mason moves to the island to pack up her estranged father's things, she is entranced by the world of magic and the mystery of Emmeline and her best friend Beatrice.

I loved this! I will say I was instantly hooked by the writing style and the mystery of the island. I loved Annie's character and all the growth she showed. I'm gonna be perfectly honest, I did not know this was a Great Gatsby retelling going into it. I guessed it pretty quickly though--almost as soon as Emmeline's pov chapter started. Then I looked it up. Hah.

This was really good! I loved the sapphic pining and the forbidden magic. The main conflict was really interesting and I loved the follow through with the conclusion! The narration was also excellent.

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