Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Wild is the Witch

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.

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readwithria's review against another edition

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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.

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lizgriffinwords's review against another edition

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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)

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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

4.0

Atmospheric, witchy, and such a quick read! You get pulled in from the beginning, and the plot overall is pretty fast-paced. I basically almost read the entire book in one sitting! I enjoyed the way that the relationship evolved throughout the book; it felt realistic and believable. And not too heavy on the romance, which I especially appreciated.

The magic system was interesting, I just wish we got to see a bit more of it? We get bits and pieces throughout, I think I just wanted a little more magic. Give me more books set in this world because I'd love to see the different ways witches use magic. Maybe we'll get something in the future!

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cedence's review against another edition

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adventurous informative lighthearted relaxing sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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brucethegirl's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Iris Gray watched her best friend lose her powers after being involved with the death of a friend. She knows the cost of being careless with her magic. She and her mother moved to the north west to escape the targeted attacks against her by non-witches. She and her mother open an animal refuge and hire summer intern Pike- who hates witches with a passion. While venting after a particularly heated argument with Pike, she accidentally loses the curse and puts everyone in the region in danger of becoming a witch. During which the surge of magic could kill a person.
I really enjoyed Iris as a character, she wasn't perfect, she made big mistakes. She doesn't learn from her mistakes right away. She has self-centered but self-preserving tendencies born from what she went through before the book begins. As a result she's a character that not everyone will relate to, but she's realistic. Her interactions with her mother were too few, her interactions with Pike were top tier rivals to lovers goodness. I loved following her journey through the forest as she came to terms with what she has to do, and what is best for everyone- even when they mean possible bad outcomes for herself.
I also loved how it all focused on following an owl. I loved the setting of a rehabilitation sanctuary, and wish more of the story took place there. I loved the world building of magic and the way Griffin established the social norms around witches and how they worked within society was so well done and easy to understand.
Overall an excellent, fun read with strong emotions and a lot of heart.

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themoonphoenix's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious slow-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

5.0

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megbooks02's review

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adventurous hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

“That’s one of the worst casualties of being hurt by someone who was never supposed to hurt you: you start to question all the beautiful things that led up to the ugliness, start to wonder if some of the moments you thought were perfect were actually painted with a dirty brush.”

I LOVE Rachel Griffin’s writing and storytelling! Wild is the Witch was such a cute story that’s definitely perfect for fall!

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