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Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'
Wild Is the Witch. Verfluchte Nähe by Rachel Griffin
8 reviews
queer_bookwyrm'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5 ⭐ CW: anxiety/panic attacks, death of a loved one mention, immolation mention, death of an animal
Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin is the second book I've read by her. This book was fine. I liked The Nature of Witches much more than this one. It just lacked some depth for me. It was a quick and easy read though.
We follow Iris, a Lunar witch that has a connection to animals. After having witnessed a terrible death caused by her best friend, Iris and her mom have moved to the Pacific Northwest and run a wildlife refuge. Since then, Iris is determined to keep the fact that she is a witch a secret, especially from the annoying intern, Pike Alder. After hearing Pike's intense hatred of witches, Iris creates a curse to make him one with plans to dispel it so it never reaches him, but an owl gets in the way, absorbs the curse and flys away from the refuge.
Iris decides to go after the owl in order to unbind the curse from him, but is saddled with having to take Pike with her. While searching for the owl, they form a new kind relationship, but things get difficult with the owl becomes injured and there is a risk of the curse getting out of control if it dies.
First of all, what kind of name is Pike Alder? I thought naming the owl MacGuffin was a bit on the nose and too meta for me. It made me roll my eyes for sure. I did like the magic normal world and the different types of witches and how magic works. I just thought the story itself was a bit shallow and predictable. If you're intrigued by a cursed owl in the Pacific Northwest with an enemies to lovers vibe, this would be for you.
Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin is the second book I've read by her. This book was fine. I liked The Nature of Witches much more than this one. It just lacked some depth for me. It was a quick and easy read though.
We follow Iris, a Lunar witch that has a connection to animals. After having witnessed a terrible death caused by her best friend, Iris and her mom have moved to the Pacific Northwest and run a wildlife refuge. Since then, Iris is determined to keep the fact that she is a witch a secret, especially from the annoying intern, Pike Alder. After hearing Pike's intense hatred of witches, Iris creates a curse to make him one with plans to dispel it so it never reaches him, but an owl gets in the way, absorbs the curse and flys away from the refuge.
Iris decides to go after the owl in order to unbind the curse from him, but is saddled with having to take Pike with her. While searching for the owl, they form a new kind relationship, but things get difficult with the owl becomes injured and there is a risk of the curse getting out of control if it dies.
First of all, what kind of name is Pike Alder? I thought naming the owl MacGuffin was a bit on the nose and too meta for me. It made me roll my eyes for sure. I did like the magic normal world and the different types of witches and how magic works. I just thought the story itself was a bit shallow and predictable. If you're intrigued by a cursed owl in the Pacific Northwest with an enemies to lovers vibe, this would be for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Child death
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I loved Rachel Griffin's previous book: there's something about witches and general natural setting being used as the source of their power. I just love witches that derive their powers from flora and fauna, seasons, weather, etc. This one just didn't hit the mark as well as her first book. I felt less of the magic in this one and more of the relationship tension between the main character and her love interest and more focus on her internal conflict with herself. Which honestly would be fine and all, but I couldn't really connect to the love interest or read much chemistry between them. Rachel Griffin's prose and description of the setting is beautiful as always, making me want to take a vacation out to the PNW. But the characters just didn't vibe well with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Cancer
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
eviethebookworm's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is such a lovely and emotional fantasy romance. Rachel Griffin has this ability to weave nature, magic, and humanity into a story that keeps you turning pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Animal death
Moderate: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Terminal illness
snapdrag_n's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Animal death
Moderate: Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, and Child death
tkatt20's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After reading The Nature of Witches, I had a feeling that Rachel Griffin would become one of my auto-buy authors, and this book solidified that. Griffin continues to craft the most unique and wonderful magic systems, expertly weaving it into a story full of love, hope, growth, and heartbreak. I genuinely am at a loss for words to express how much I loved this story. Just trust me when I say that you will not regret reading this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Cancer, Abandonment, Death, Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Medical content
readwithria's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wild is the Witch is a beautiful, atmospheric story about grief, guilt, grudges, and forgiveness. I devoured every moment of it! Rachel Griffin has quickly become one of my favorite YA authors.
The story is beautifully written. The writing is somehow both lyrical and grounded. The characters a so caring and kind. Griffin does a great job of exploring heavy topics like anxiety, grief, and guilt in such a tender way. This is exactly my kind of book, and it feels like a warm blanket next to a cozy fire.
The romance in this book is also beautiful. This is exactly my kind of enemies to romance story - two people who already know each other, but not very well, learning about each other and appreciating their flaws as well as their strengths. Pike and Iris are so caring toward one another, and I loved reading about their developing relationship.
I will definitely be reading this again. 5 stars.
The story is beautifully written. The writing is somehow both lyrical and grounded. The characters a so caring and kind. Griffin does a great job of exploring heavy topics like anxiety, grief, and guilt in such a tender way. This is exactly my kind of book, and it feels like a warm blanket next to a cozy fire.
The romance in this book is also beautiful. This is exactly my kind of enemies to romance story - two people who already know each other, but not very well, learning about each other and appreciating their flaws as well as their strengths. Pike and Iris are so caring toward one another, and I loved reading about their developing relationship.
I will definitely be reading this again. 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Blood
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Animal death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Death
lizgriffinwords's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
Wild Is the Witch is a contemporary fantasy standalone set against the backdrop of the Pacific Northwest. It has enemies to lovers, a meddling animal compassion, and tender representation of anxiety and PTSD. With a small cast, the relationships are heightened and intimate. Like Rachel’s debut, WILD is a book I wish teenaged me could have read, and one that I will happily reread.
CW: animal distress/injury/death, peril, anxiety and panic disorders, death of friends and siblings (in past)
CW: animal distress/injury/death, peril, anxiety and panic disorders, death of friends and siblings (in past)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Child death
growmealibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-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
4.0
Wow! I loved the audiobook of this new YA novel that releases this Tuesday (8/2). Wild is the Witch is a stand alone YA Fantasy that follows our main character Iris who is a witch but hides her identity from those around her. She loathes her coworker, Pike, and to ease her frustration she attempts makes a curse just for him that she never intends to cast. This is where everything goes wrong.
The result of her actions leads to her and Pike hiking through the woods, looking for an owl that has carried her curse away. The only problem is, Pike hates witches, and doesn't know he's currently with one, looking for a curse that was meant for him.
I really enjoyed the character development throughout this book. I found Iris and Pike to be lovable characters that were written with finesse. The magic system in this story was incredible and believable.
I appreciate that this is a stand alone novel as well. We don't get very many stand alone anymore, and it is refreshing to read a fun and quick witchy romance.
I have two main issues with this book. The first is that it is marketed as a YA novel. This book definitely reads on the older end of YA stretching into NA or adult fantasy territory. The second is that the main conflict of this book centers on our main character lying about who she is and what she has done. I appreciate her character growth throughout the book, but wish that the central conflict wasn't centered around her inability to be open about who she is. However, I don't find this to be a huge downside, when considering who this book is marketed towards. This is a great lesson for teens to learn and a great book to learn it through.
I really enjoyed the audiobook of this as well. The narrator did a wonderful job with the pace and changing up the tone as needed for different scenes.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes YA, romance, and witches. Rachel Griffin has become an auto-buy author for me at this point!
*I was able to listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook through NetGalley.*
The result of her actions leads to her and Pike hiking through the woods, looking for an owl that has carried her curse away. The only problem is, Pike hates witches, and doesn't know he's currently with one, looking for a curse that was meant for him.
I really enjoyed the character development throughout this book. I found Iris and Pike to be lovable characters that were written with finesse. The magic system in this story was incredible and believable.
I appreciate that this is a stand alone novel as well. We don't get very many stand alone anymore, and it is refreshing to read a fun and quick witchy romance.
I have two main issues with this book. The first is that it is marketed as a YA novel. This book definitely reads on the older end of YA stretching into NA or adult fantasy territory. The second is that the main conflict of this book centers on our main character lying about who she is and what she has done. I appreciate her character growth throughout the book, but wish that the central conflict wasn't centered around her inability to be open about who she is. However, I don't find this to be a huge downside, when considering who this book is marketed towards. This is a great lesson for teens to learn and a great book to learn it through.
I really enjoyed the audiobook of this as well. The narrator did a wonderful job with the pace and changing up the tone as needed for different scenes.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes YA, romance, and witches. Rachel Griffin has become an auto-buy author for me at this point!
*I was able to listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook through NetGalley.*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death and Chronic illness
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