A review by bookwoods
The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

5.0

“Autumn is its own kind of magic; it reminds us of the beauty in letting go.”

I couldn't even have imagined a more perfect book to start October with than The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin, which held me in its grasp so strongly it didn’t take more than two days to finish. But let me begin by describing the setting: witches have always lived among us, controlling the atmosphere and enabling humans to expand their influence on the natural world. Eventually innocent excitement over the possibilities of a world protected by magic turned to greed and despite the witches’ warnings, humans didn’t know when to stop. Now the weather system is collapsing and there doesn’t seem to be enough magic to rein it in.

Enter Clara, an Everwitch. Witches generally have a season, determined by which equinox they’re born in, and that decides when they can summon their magic and what kind of magic it is. But as an Everwitch, Clara’s magic merely changes with the seasons, never dissipates. This means huge expectations are placed upon her, and in the book we follow her training through the seasons as she struggles to accept and control her powers.

“I have a very powerful, very volatile magic inside me, and I have to figure out how to live with it. And if I can’t, I must decide if I can live without it.”

It’s evident that The Nature of Witches is YA fantasy, with some shortcuts and teenage angst that come with the genre, but I enjoyed it immensely nonetheless. I was particularly impressed by the descriptions of weather, which is the core of the book. Rachel Griffin actually became a certified weather spotter in the process of writing and that shows through. I also appreciate that this is a standalone novel. As such, the ending is satisfactory, but I certainly want to read more of the world and of other witches, so I’m eagerly anticipating Griffin’s second standalone, Wild is the Witch, coming out next year!