Reviews with content warning for Gore - Wild and Wicked Things

Really interesting introduction of the characters early on, I feel like there could be a really good spin off with the council as it was rarely mentioned.

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soupdragonahoy's review

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

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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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azrah786's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

3.25

[This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I received a proof copy from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review**

CW: blood, gore, injury, self harm, murder, death, death of parent, domestic abuse, parental neglect, sexual assault/rape, pregnancy, abortion, alcohol/drug use, panic attacks
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I’ve got to start by saying that there were parts of this book that I enjoyed but it sadly didn’t blow me away like I expected it to.

Wild and Wicked Things is an historical fantasy novel that centres on a young woman, called Annie who arrives on Crow Island to claim an inheritance left by her late and estranged father. With a rumoured history of dark magic the island itself has a reputation of being the favoured haunt for those who wish to dabble in illicit magical vices – things that Annie wants to very much steer clear of.

However, when she witnesses an altercation between her childhood friend Bea and her mysterious and infamous neighbour, Emmeline Delacroix who is rumoured to be a witch, Annie finds herself unable to resist the pull she feels towards Emmeline and her world.

“Magic is…a trickster. It draws you in, makes you think you can control it. You get a taste and then you get careless. You can’t control it any more than you can the tide or the rise of the moon.”

Described as a sapphic Great Gatsby meets Practical Magic I came running for the Gatsby side of things.

May’s writing beautifully pairs together the small and mysterious island atmosphere with all the glitz and glamour of the 20’s. The ambiance from the classic was definitely there but more so in the beginning with how there was a brooding figure throwing parties to attract the attention of a certain someone, and in all honesty Emmeline did have a Jay Gatsby air about her and Annie that of Nick Carraway. However, I wouldn’t class this book as an all-out retelling as it definitely leans more towards witchy territory. Particularly the second half of the story that develops more of a gothic thriller storyline.

I personally haven’t read Practical Magic so can’t comment on the likeness to it but I became enthralled with the magic and witchcraft side of the worldbuilding. The titbits of backstory that showed how magic had originally been so imbedded into people’s lives and their work until its usage in the war made it become prohibited really intrigued me. As did getting a glimpse at the differing powers that the various witches we meet in the story have.

Though I also feel like this wasn’t focused on enough and the progression of the plot was favoured instead of the magic ever properly being explained.

“Just a glance from Emmeline and I wasn’t myself. Or maybe I was more myself than I’d ever been.”

However, I think the main reason I didn’t love this one lies with the characters. I am a reader who loves to get caught up in the characters and their relationships and I’ve got to say the supporting characters and their stories seemed more interesting to me than the primary ones. I mean I liked Annie enough and she did have a pretty remarkable character development but I felt like there wasn’t enough of a balance when it came to how many chapters were split between her perspective and Emmeline’s perspective.

Also I wasn’t entirely convinced with their relationship until right near the very end and this has got a lot to do with the back and forth that was going on between Emmeline, Annie and Bea which was going on for most of the book and I found myself getting bored of it early on. I enjoyed the moments when Emmeline was with Nathan and Isobel a lot more – I loved their little found family unit.

I am glad I managed to push through the slow pacing and dragging middle part of the story though because the last 90 or so pages were in my opinion the best part of the book.

Anyways a lot of these points are very much me things so I think if you enjoy gothic witchy stories that border the horror genre then you should definitely give this one a read.
Final Rating 3.25/5 Stars

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ellenigrace's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense

4.5

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tigerlilliereads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Wow! This was rollercoaster ride of a book. Dark and bewitching the whole way through.

This book Initially gives you a gender switched Gatsby feel but… I am allowed to say better? With witchcraft, blood debts and sacrifices, evil spirits, creepy crows and complex relationships. This book focuses on the main character of Annie, whose estranged father dies and she goes to the island he has been living on to settle his affairs. There she reconnects with her lost friend Bea, discovers family truths and a strange beautiful neighbour that throws parties that are not strictly legal…

Honestly didn’t have any expectations going into this book, I had just seen it talked about so much. But this book is definitely darker and more wicked than I anticipated, the characters are complex but I loved them and the way the story unfurled. Very dramatic, dark and creepy at times… I love a witchy book, this one was outside my normal comfort zone but I loved it.

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