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meant2breading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
I gave this book 4.5⭐️ because the vibes were seriously immaculate and it is exactly the cozy, fall atmosphere I wanted to be reading about to kick off this season!! I was enchanted with Griffin’s ability to weave the sea and elements of nature into the magic system and enjoyed how the MC’s beliefs were challenged as her relationships and sense of self developed. The romance was incredibly cute as well. Loved Wolfe’s character!! I will say the pacing in the last 100 pages felt a little off for me and at times, felt frustrated with the people who were supposed to be the FMC’s support system. However, those aspects definitely wouldn’t deter me from reading more from this author or prevent me from telling more folks to read this comfy, witchy, spectacular seaside story. 🌊🍁
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
czoltak's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
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
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: Cursing, Sexual content, 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, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail