Reviews

A Natureza Das Bruxas by Rachel Griffin

paige5011's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

hellobookbird's review against another edition

3.0

Just remember: the choices you make today will be felt by who you have yet to become.

For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.

Women are discouraged from being direct and saying what we think. That's why I love winter: It taught me to stand up for myself when the rest of the world is happy to walk over me.

I was intrigued by the concept of seasonal witches and only being able to wield their powers during their specific season. Like, what a cool concept! Unfortunately, not much was done with it which was a true shame.

The novel uses the seasonal witches and their strengths to help bring attention to how humans (vaguely) are causing such drastic climate changes by not respecting and caring for the Earth. Blizzards in summer, heat waves in winter, tornadoes outside of spring...Mother Nature is stomping loudly at being ignored. The whole of the backstory is opening a dialogue (off-page) to get the humans to see the errors of their ways while the witches struggle to keep the world from turning on itself. And all of this rests on the shoulders of one witch...Clara, who doesn't accept that the price she has to pay to save the world is those she loves.

This sounds way more dramatic than it actually plays out. The read itself is sedate and winding while Clara learns to cope with her magic...so if slow-paced books aren't for you, pass this one by.

The backstory, while present, is heavily overshadowed by Clara's internal struggles. While the descriptions are atmospheric (I really enjoyed the focus on nature and how it feels), I felt a disconnect with the characters. Tension just wasn't there so I wasn't invested in the struggles. I also had quite a few problems with some of the smaller concepts of the book (One: I really could not understand why being an Everwitch was such a BIG THING until pretty much the end of the book and I felt the transition was a bit jarring; two: Clara's personality is supposedly supposed to change with the seasons—kind of like zodiac, each season has personality characteristics—which just did not come through at all; three: um, how does that solution even work??? I NEED ANSWERS.) which might not be a huge deal to most readers but definitely was frustrating to me.

All-in-all, I didn't regret the read but probably won't check out more from this author. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, though!

Recommended as a library read only if you're cool with slow-paced books.

lau_vansunshine's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

bloodwitch's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

oddlybritt's review against another edition

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. I really loved the magic system being tied to the seasons and the overall Hogwarts vibe the story gave off.
Although I did get frustrated with the main characters self pitying and self deprecating thoughts, I did understand why she felt that way and could relate to it in some ways. It was nice to see her character development throughout.
This book brought me to tears MANY times as I felt very connected to the main character.
I also really liked the message of climate change and how dangerous it can be if we don’t start caring for our planet. The romance was so wonderfully cute and refreshing as well.
Overall I really loved this book.

shaylas_shelves's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I couldn't have loved this book more. It's such a good quick read. This would be great for anyone in a reading slump..

heyhellohalie's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

ameliaowdom's review against another edition

emotional medium-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

4.5

tegan6231's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

prolitficfairy's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

The story was good, the book was slow for me. I do love all things witches especially when they’re coming into their powers and facing the struggles of learning to control their powers. A Discovery of Witches was my first YA Fantasy so this book already was riding on a positive chance of me liking it.