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aheinicke27's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.75
While the premise of this book is super cute and witchy, I felt like it was also very predictable. I liked the concept of a village of sea witches living on an island; it had very cozy vibes that would make this a great beach vacation read. I also liked the mystery around the magical abilities of the witches, and the characters ultimate decision to follow her heart and intuition rather than complete a loveless marriage that was expected of her. Could I have guessed that was what would happen from the beginning? Absolutely. However, the story was cute and fast paced, so I didn’t mind too much. This was a book I enjoyed more for the world of the story than the story itself. I also wonder if there is/will be a sequel about the best friend Ivy’s perspective, because I think that could be really cool to explore (and I think she should end up with the governor’s son anyways! There was so much foreshadowing that would happen that I was shocked it didn’t really become a thing in the book’s ending. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it as a cozy beach vacation read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
novelty_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book has my entire heart!
I loved this book. I have no idea why I didn't pick it up sooner. This was haunting, spooky and utterly atmospheric and had everything I loved in a book. Enemies to lovers? Forbidden romance? Magic? Tick. Tick and tick.
The book follows Tana, a witch who works in a perfumery on a small magical island with her family. Ever since she was young, she had an arrangement to marry the son of the governor of the mainland to forge an alliance between them and the witches. The coven Tana belongs to performs low magic, every month going out to the other side of the island, depositing their magic into the sea to avoid a magical build up. One night, Tana accidentally misses the rush and in desperation meets a witch from a long forgotten coven to help use the magic she didn't deposit. Wolfe helps Tana tap into the connection between the witchcraft that flows through her and nature while their friendship grows into something more. Tana needs to choose between duty and her heart, the life she's always known and the future she never imagined.
I think one of the best things about this book is the aesthetic and how atmospheric it is. From the first page this book had a witchy allure that sucked me in immediately. I enjoyed reading about the magic systems and could feel the connection Tana had to her island.
Something else I really enjoyed were the characters. I loved Tana and how vulnerable she was. She was very empathetic with a strong sense of duty and the courage to follow her heart. I loved her family, her relationship to her coven and of course, her relationship to the love interest Wolfe who was tall, dark and handsome personified. He saw Tana for who she was and helped her to embrace herself and her powerful magic.
The only negative I had was the plot. To me, it seemed like it was setting itself up for Tana to either introduce high magic to the witches in her coven and help them to embrace it or to rebel against the mainland. This book seemed to take a more character-focused approach instead, focusing more on Tana embracing herself than what it seemed to set up at the beginning of the novel. It wasn't a bad thing, I still enjoyed the story regardless.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. The characters, the world, magic systems and romance were a highlight for me. The only negative was the plot which I believed was leading up to something and then didn't. I wish this book was a series because I would love to see this cast of characters again and I feel like there was so much that I would love to explore more about.
ACTUAL RATING: 4.6 STARS
This book has my entire heart!
I loved this book. I have no idea why I didn't pick it up sooner. This was haunting, spooky and utterly atmospheric and had everything I loved in a book. Enemies to lovers? Forbidden romance? Magic? Tick. Tick and tick.
The book follows Tana, a witch who works in a perfumery on a small magical island with her family. Ever since she was young, she had an arrangement to marry the son of the governor of the mainland to forge an alliance between them and the witches. The coven Tana belongs to performs low magic, every month going out to the other side of the island, depositing their magic into the sea to avoid a magical build up. One night, Tana accidentally misses the rush and in desperation meets a witch from a long forgotten coven to help use the magic she didn't deposit. Wolfe helps Tana tap into the connection between the witchcraft that flows through her and nature while their friendship grows into something more. Tana needs to choose between duty and her heart, the life she's always known and the future she never imagined.
I think one of the best things about this book is the aesthetic and how atmospheric it is. From the first page this book had a witchy allure that sucked me in immediately. I enjoyed reading about the magic systems and could feel the connection Tana had to her island.
Something else I really enjoyed were the characters. I loved Tana and how vulnerable she was. She was very empathetic with a strong sense of duty and the courage to follow her heart. I loved her family, her relationship to her coven and of course, her relationship to the love interest Wolfe who was tall, dark and handsome personified. He saw Tana for who she was and helped her to embrace herself and her powerful magic.
The only negative I had was the plot. To me, it seemed like it was setting itself up for Tana to either introduce high magic to the witches in her coven and help them to embrace it or to rebel against the mainland. This book seemed to take a more character-focused approach instead, focusing more on Tana embracing herself than what it seemed to set up at the beginning of the novel. It wasn't a bad thing, I still enjoyed the story regardless.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. The characters, the world, magic systems and romance were a highlight for me. The only negative was the plot which I believed was leading up to something and then didn't. I wish this book was a series because I would love to see this cast of characters again and I feel like there was so much that I would love to explore more about.
ACTUAL RATING: 4.6 STARS
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I did enjoy this better than the other book I read by this author, but I just think in general her storytelling isn't really for me. There are some beautiful passages and quotes, but I think the underlying plot wasn't anything super special or unique. I also am really not an insta-love person.
🌶️2.5/5 (closed door)
🌶️2.5/5 (closed door)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Cursing, and Gaslighting
Minor: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
The premise, the atmosphere, and the overall world-building were honestly great in this. It makes for a good witchy fall read, if you're into that! I always enjoy how Griffin connects her witches to nature in some way, and that's on full display in this book. Also, I would love to go to magical tea shop like they had in this book. It sounds so lovely!
I think my main qualm with this book is that I wanted more development of the romance. Sure, Tana and Wolfe got to spend a decent amount of time together, but I still didn't quite believe the romance by the end. I wanted it to be developed a little bit more. Not the worst I've read, but I wish there was just a little more spark and chemistry there.
There was good character development, though, and the overall stakes were pretty high by the end of the book. Not a bad standalone fantasy overall, if you're looking for that!
I think my main qualm with this book is that I wanted more development of the romance. Sure, Tana and Wolfe got to spend a decent amount of time together, but I still didn't quite believe the romance by the end. I wanted it to be developed a little bit more. Not the worst I've read, but I wish there was just a little more spark and chemistry there.
There was good character development, though, and the overall stakes were pretty high by the end of the book. Not a bad standalone fantasy overall, if you're looking for that!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Minor: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
thebookkeepers's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked this one more Nature of Witches, but not as much as Wild is the Witch. The female MC, Tana, was very meek and naive, but I did LOVE the male MC Wolfe - without him, I would have lost interest. I found the twists and resolutions all predictable, but I enjoyed the tie to the ocean and the scenes where it was involved. The magic was also pretty to see unfold, even if the spells came across as cheesy at times and too easy for Tana to do with zero training. The romance was stirring at points and as I mentioned, I enjoyed Wolfe's character the most! Though Tana's BFF Ivy deserves an honorable mention. This book had significant cult energy and no one will be able to convince me it's not also a cult story haha.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
emeraldtaila's review against another edition
5.0
Rachel Griffin is that bitch. I love this so much I hardly have the words.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
emilylovesgoodbooks's review
emotional
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
bellebookcorner's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
3.0
I have mix feelings about this book, there are some things that I really like but there are some things that prevent me from fully enjoying this book.
This is my first time reading a book from this author and I fell in love with the writing style. The way it describes the oceans, the way the magic works, and the characters emotions are very well written.
I also like the magic system in this world, it’s unique and very interesting to know about. How you can imbue a little bit of magic into tea or perfume is fascinating and for other people magic can be used to travel through water and heal people.
However, Mortana (FMC) inner struggle between choosing duty or following her heart felt repetitive after a while, it kinda annoyed me.
I don’t really like Mortana’s mother character as well because I can’t seem to understand her actions. At times it felt like she love her daughter but at times she sees her daughter like a pawn she use to secure the safety for the witches.
As for the romance, I don’t really feel the spark between the main characters, they fell for each other slightly too fast. I wish there’s more room for them to interact more or more chapters from Wolfe's POV would be great.
Seeing this book as a standalone, the ending for this book felt too rushed and it wasn’t wrapped up like I expected it would be. While the ending was not what I expected, I wasn’t fully disappointed with it as well.
Overall, it’s a pretty good read and you can give this one a try if you’re looking for a witchy read. This book has the potential to be a good series with great world building and magic system, if there's a sequel I'll probably pick it up.
I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Animal death
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
disclaimer if you’ve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: You’re correct that I don’t really give starred reviews, I feel like a peasant and don’t like leaving them and most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless if I add stars or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
Premise:
-contemporary young adult witchy fantasy
-singular first-person POV
-set on a small island next to a coastal town
-19-year-old Mortana "Tana" Fairchild's future is laid out for her, including her future husband and what path she will take on her Covenant Ball night
-Tana has come to terms with this, because she feels immense gratitude, love and duty towards her parents, who lead their coven, and have decided that this will help the future of their coven
-Their coven has only used low/weak magic ever since dark magic was banished years ago
-Allegedly, dark magic will kill a witch from the inside out and so will a specific flower, moonflower
-Tana's best friend Ivy also supports her and reassures her that this is all for the good of the coven and is much bigger than her; history in the making!
-Tana is all about familial obligation and civic duty
-Tana is to marry a "mainlander" Landon (LOL I love the name choice here), as his father is the governor on the mainland, and can protect the witches from anti-witchy sentiments and attacks
-One night, Tana sees a moonflower, and shortly after, meets Wolfe, a mysterious boy who claims Tana doesn't know all there is to know about the island's magic
-cw: animal death, gaslighting, manipulation, toxic relationships, classism, cursing, extremely light sexual content (Closed door), emotional abuse, blood
Thoughts:
I was pleasantly surprised by this witchy fantasy! Though Griffin used common tropes in fantasy, I didn't see them coming in this atmospheric, angsty star-crossed romance and coming-of-age. I appreciated Tana's arc, and could deeply relate to it. It's almost as if this transported me back to the first time I realized (as a young adult, not a child) that my parents and the institutions I was taught to respect/admire weren't entirely honorable or so black-and-white.
It's rough to get your world(view) rocked! It is painful to realize that something you believed in so fully, so deeply, so existentially to your core, is not true. Tana's arc was an agonizing but tender example of how people feel when they are presented with information that makes them question their belief systems. To stand so strong in a conviction, and then to watch it unravel as you learn or experience something new? Sheesh.
I also felt for Tana's struggle between the life she had come to terms with and the life she couldn't let go. It's cliche, sure, but it's real; once you have a taste of what "could be," how could you ever go back? For some reason, it was giving A Walk to Remember's Jamie telling Landon (WAIT OMFG A NAME CROSSOVER IN MY REFERENCE, HOW FUN FOR MEEEE), "I was getting along with everything fine. I accepted it, and then *you* happened! I do not need a reason to be angry with God." Tana was fine with a bland, magicless life until she felt the alternative in her bones!
I think it lulled a bit in the middle because I was left wondering where the plot was taking us. I don't mind a chunk of the book being dedicated to character development; that's fine, but I just wish that more time would've been spent on the romance because once the romance started to hit, it was so lovely!
Premise:
-contemporary young adult witchy fantasy
-singular first-person POV
-set on a small island next to a coastal town
-19-year-old Mortana "Tana" Fairchild's future is laid out for her, including her future husband and what path she will take on her Covenant Ball night
-Tana has come to terms with this, because she feels immense gratitude, love and duty towards her parents, who lead their coven, and have decided that this will help the future of their coven
-Their coven has only used low/weak magic ever since dark magic was banished years ago
-Allegedly, dark magic will kill a witch from the inside out and so will a specific flower, moonflower
-Tana's best friend Ivy also supports her and reassures her that this is all for the good of the coven and is much bigger than her; history in the making!
-Tana is all about familial obligation and civic duty
-Tana is to marry a "mainlander" Landon (LOL I love the name choice here), as his father is the governor on the mainland, and can protect the witches from anti-witchy sentiments and attacks
-One night, Tana sees a moonflower, and shortly after, meets Wolfe, a mysterious boy who claims Tana doesn't know all there is to know about the island's magic
-cw: animal death, gaslighting, manipulation, toxic relationships, classism, cursing, extremely light sexual content (Closed door), emotional abuse, blood
Thoughts:
I was pleasantly surprised by this witchy fantasy! Though Griffin used common tropes in fantasy, I didn't see them coming in this atmospheric, angsty star-crossed romance and coming-of-age. I appreciated Tana's arc, and could deeply relate to it. It's almost as if this transported me back to the first time I realized (as a young adult, not a child) that my parents and the institutions I was taught to respect/admire weren't entirely honorable or so black-and-white.
It's rough to get your world(view) rocked! It is painful to realize that something you believed in so fully, so deeply, so existentially to your core, is not true. Tana's arc was an agonizing but tender example of how people feel when they are presented with information that makes them question their belief systems. To stand so strong in a conviction, and then to watch it unravel as you learn or experience something new? Sheesh.
I also felt for Tana's struggle between the life she had come to terms with and the life she couldn't let go. It's cliche, sure, but it's real; once you have a taste of what "could be," how could you ever go back? For some reason, it was giving A Walk to Remember's Jamie telling Landon (WAIT OMFG A NAME CROSSOVER IN MY REFERENCE, HOW FUN FOR MEEEE), "I was getting along with everything fine. I accepted it, and then *you* happened! I do not need a reason to be angry with God." Tana was fine with a bland, magicless life until she felt the alternative in her bones!
I think it lulled a bit in the middle because I was left wondering where the plot was taking us. I don't mind a chunk of the book being dedicated to character development; that's fine, but I just wish that more time would've been spent on the romance because once the romance started to hit, it was so lovely!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Classism and Toxic friendship
Minor: Blood, Sexual content, and Cursing
kaetheluise_nckl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book felt like home.
It also doesn’t require many brain cells to read, because it is, at times, quite predictable.
However, I enjoyed myself thoroughly.
My favorite part was the magic system — as a practicing baby witch it was interesting to see a normalized fantasy version of moon circle magic be integrated into this book.
I think the author did an incredible job with that.
The plot unraveled at just the right speed, and I found it had just enough twists and turns to keep me engaged — also in the way it presented the lore. There was very little info dumping, and instead, the reader gets to discover new information along with the main character.
If I had to be nitpicky and name things I didn't like as much, I would say that I think it would have been nice if the magic system, which was hinted to be related to the moon, was a little more fleshed out.
The author could have made use of the wheel of the year and integrated more modern-day witches' sabbaths.
But then again, I think I am just saying that because I am a practicing witch and I get to have opinions on magic.
And— Wolfe is probably not my favorite name for a male love interest, it took me a little while to get over his name and focus on his personality.
But it's fine. I'm being nitpicky here.
If you are looking for a light and breezy YA romantasy and don't mind your books being predictable or having fade-to-black intimacy, this book is for you.
If you like enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, "You only love me because I wanted you to fall in love with me" and something akin to a hero corruption arc, this book is for you.
If you like books about witches, this book is for you.
I would definitely (and have already) recommend this book to people, and I will declare it right now:
This book has made me yell at my screen, squeal, and kick my legs, and it is going on my list of favorite 2023 reads.
It also doesn’t require many brain cells to read, because it is, at times, quite predictable.
However, I enjoyed myself thoroughly.
My favorite part was the magic system — as a practicing baby witch it was interesting to see a normalized fantasy version of moon circle magic be integrated into this book.
I think the author did an incredible job with that.
The plot unraveled at just the right speed, and I found it had just enough twists and turns to keep me engaged — also in the way it presented the lore. There was very little info dumping, and instead, the reader gets to discover new information along with the main character.
If I had to be nitpicky and name things I didn't like as much, I would say that I think it would have been nice if the magic system, which was hinted to be related to the moon, was a little more fleshed out.
The author could have made use of the wheel of the year and integrated more modern-day witches' sabbaths.
But then again, I think I am just saying that because I am a practicing witch and I get to have opinions on magic.
And— Wolfe is probably not my favorite name for a male love interest, it took me a little while to get over his name and focus on his personality.
But it's fine. I'm being nitpicky here.
If you are looking for a light and breezy YA romantasy and don't mind your books being predictable or having fade-to-black intimacy, this book is for you.
If you like enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, "You only love me because I wanted you to fall in love with me" and something akin to a hero corruption arc, this book is for you.
If you like books about witches, this book is for you.
I would definitely (and have already) recommend this book to people, and I will declare it right now:
This book has made me yell at my screen, squeal, and kick my legs, and it is going on my list of favorite 2023 reads.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Animal death
fade-to-black intimacy, arranged marriage