The first thing that always captures me in Rachel Griffin’s book is her beautiful, prose-like writing. I write down so many quotes from her books and love looking back over them to read over and over again. I wish I had read this book before her others so that I could give a good comparison of her debut and the growth of her writing but I honestly kept forgetting this was her first book, it was that well-written. The atmosphere was amazing, all of the descriptions had me smelling and seeing everything as if it was in my own living room. Her magic system was one of the easiest I’ve ever read, not confusing at all and so well fleshed out. I loved the romance, even though it felt a little juvenile at times, it more than made up for it throughout the book. My favorite part of this entire book was the quotes at the beginning of every chapter and how they tied into something specific within that chapter. I also loved how the quotes tied up in a huge way at the end. I’m really sad this book is just a standalone, I need more from the two characters and I want to see more of Clara’s personal growth as an Ever witch.

If you’re looking for a book that will give you all the cozy, fall, witchy vibes this is definitely one to pick up. I will be thinking about this book and rereading this book for many years now.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for the copy to review.

For centuries, the witches have controlled the climate. They have kept the delicate balance between warm and cold, they have kept extreme weather at bay, but now things are changing. The climate is getting harder and harder to maintain, and witches are burning up...literally. With witches tied to the seasons, their hope relies on the next generation of witches coming through training to be better, stronger, and more dynamic than those who have come before. But their hope is relying on Clara most of all. The first Ever witch in a century. The only Ever witch of her generation. It is predicted that her power that links her to all four seasons will be the power to save them all. But Clara doesn't want such a power. Clara doesn't want any of it, because for her, all her power has brought is death and isolation. But when trainers arrive from a school across the country, she finds herself drawn to Sang, a guy with an affinity for plants, but with her power killing everyone she has ever loved, she is stuck between wanting Sang and her destiny.

I basically was hooked on this book from start to finish.

Clara annoyed me a little at the start because I hate whiny characters in books, but we quickly find that she's maybe warranted a bit to be whiny. She is pushed to the edge by her trainers, her family have died, her best friend has died, she lives isolated from the other students in her school and her destiny to save the planet and the witches lies heavy on her shoulders. She actually winds up being a great character as the book goes on and I loved watching her blooming relationship with Sang develop. There was no insta-love, which is a pain of mine, instead Clara actually isn't interested in love at all after her past experiences with her power. It seemingly happens quite organically which makes it all the more emotional.

I cannot wait to read more from this author and visit this world again.

Great writing. Very intruiguing. I might take a pause from so many witchy books for a bit. But this was a good one.

This book was amazing. I loved the epic magic and whimsical feel it gave me reading a romance. I loved how Clara changed with the seasons. This was such a cool fresh concept on the magic world. I highly recommend for anyone who loves witchy romances. This one is for you!

4.1 stars

Oh what a captivating and spellbinding story! A world where magic is tied to the very seasons themselves! Elemental magic, heartwarming romance, and a quest to save the world from chaos... what a charming combination!

Clara is an Everwitch with a rare and powerful magic that can harness the energy of every season. As the world's climate becomes increasingly unstable, Clara's magic becomes more crucial than ever.

This book takes you through the changing seasons, each filled with its own challenges and discoveries. From wild and untamed magic to the responsibility of wielding incredible power, Clara's journey will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Why you should read this book?

- Magical storytelling about the power of nature and the complexity of relationships
- Truly inspiring character ARC about self-discovery and courage.
- Refreshing take on magic, tied to the beauty and chaos of the natural world.
- Great pacing
- relevant topic of climate change.

For fans of elemental magic, romantic twists, and stories that explore deeper themes, "The Nature of Witches" is a must-read that will leave you enchanted and moved.
For fans of elemental magic, romantic twists, and stories that explore deeper themes, "The Nature of Witches" is a must-read that will leave you enchanted and moved.

The idea of witches with control over the elements is a perfect pairing, and it’s portrayed in such an interesting way in this novel that it was impossible not to get sucked in. The visuals, moments of tension and the love story are interwoven seamlessly, and after the first couple of chapters I found myself sailing through this book. I’m so looking forward to reading more of what Rachel Griffin has to offer!

This book had so much potential to be a story I really loved. Witches connected to seasonal magic is a really interesting concept and one that I absolutely love. But unfortunately a few things fell flat for me.

First of all...the characters. The main character was a bit whiney and annoying at times. I found myself getting frustrated with her quite often. She is very melodramatic. I didn't care much for any of the other characters either. I think Sang would have to be my favorite even though I wasn't a big fan of the romance development. He was very sweet but something about the two of them and the romance didn't sit well with me. Possibly could have been the pacing which is a big issue for this story in general.

It took way too long for anything to really happen at all. This is very slow paced, made worse by the writing style which felt very...monotone is the best word I can think of as another person said. It felt like nothing was happening the entire book and then when a couple of moments that were supposed to be big events were happening, it just didn't feel like it was that serious. I think we were supposed to feel that the stakes were high but I just didn't. I felt no intensity or anxiety about the things that were supposed to be big.

Another part I was super excited about was that this book points out the issues regarding climate change and how people are ruining the atmosphere and the effects of that, which is extremely relevant to today. I really wanted a bigger message behind this and for this book to make an impact in that direction but it seemed to take a back seat and was brushed over in favor of Clara's internal struggles instead.

It was a decent read and a pretty good one as far as debut novels go. Just didn't quite meet my expectations.

This was a unique take on the idea of magic and the message that it gave regarding modern issues (air pollution, climate change) really hit home. The idea of witches having a specific season that their magic is tied to gave a new feeling for magic. Having a few, like Clara, have magic all the time led to one of my favorite tropes, "The Chosen One." Her friendship with Paige and romantic relationship with Sang were very real and helped the story push forward.

I would recommend this book for anyone that loves a witchy story, especially one set in modern times.

I devoured this novel in one sitting and have already recommended it to my book club!
In The Nature of Witches, the humans and the witches work together to combat the effects of global warming but global warming has gotten out of hand. Clara is in school for witches where each witches power is tied to the seasons. Clara dislikes her power as she is unable to control it and it turn has hurt those she loves. Across the seasons, Clara learns to control her power and accept herself/love herself.
I really found the take on global warming and witches and humans working together to be a super unique concept. The aspect of humans taking and taking and taking with nothing to give back to Mother Earth couldn’t be more true. I cannot wait to read novels by Rachel Griffin!

Tha k you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was quick read and pretty enjoyable. However I'm a bit on the fence with this one. I enjoyed the plot/story quite a bit, but never felt as connected to the characters as I would have hoped.

I love a fantasy/sci-fi book that leans into ecological/ botanical themes and this one didn't disappoint. Magical school vibes with a unique twist on elemental magic. A sweet romance and a protagonist who needed to learn to trust herself and let people close again after trauma. I might've enjoyed this more without the chosen one trope, but overall this was a worthwhile read.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF at about 40%. The book was OK, but I felt like it was lacking so much backstory, character development and richness. I constantly felt like I was missing something and couldn’t get past that. Felt more like an initial idea as opposed to finished product. Likely a me problem and not a book problem.

The Nature of Witches is perfect for fans of Shea Ernshaw and Adrienne Young. Rachel Griffin created an utterly magical world that I couldn't get enough of!

I have been wanting to read The Nature of Witches since I received the arc for it way back when. But for some reason I never got to it. When it came time to request Wild is the Witch I knew I had to have it because the covers were stunning which had to mean the books were amazing. And I’m here to say that neither book disappointed.

Getting approved for Wild is the Witch was the motivation I needed to read The Nature of Witches and I really enjoyed it. It was a solid 4 stars for me. So I was excited to read the next book, even if it was different characters.

I absolutely loved Wild is the Witch. Iris was such a fun character to follow and here and Pike together was my fave. The way magic works in this world was really interesting and I liked how different it was to other books with magic and witches. This read like a really good YA contemporary with magic to make it even better.

If you like witches, magic, and enemies-to-lovers you need to read both these books. I gave Wild is the Witch ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I am just now seeing this review function on Netgalley! This book, back when I read it, changed how I view YA literature. Its perception of witches and teen girls and magic and the climate is so fresh and yet comforting. I love how Griffin has found a niche for herself as a writer and really delved into it, finding such a dedicated readership who finds comfort and connection in her stories of magic. I loved her second book and am looking forward to her third! Thank you for this e-ARC, way back in the day!

Witches have helped humans with the seasons for centuries where witches are connected to a singular season, but not Clara, she is an Everwitch. However, Clara has not been able to control the power within her, which has resulted in the deaths of people she loves. The solution: isolation. But when visiting witch, Sang, comes to train her, she can't help but to fall for his Spring patience and gentle understanding. But her fear of hurting him will cause her to push him away.

Ok so there's definitely an audience for this book, but it's not me.

It's a cool concept and gives druid-vibes AND I especially appreciate the theme of climate change awareness. HOWEVER, Clara as a MC was annoying, self-centered (I fell asleep counting how many "I"s and "Me"s were on each page), and totally insecure (even in the end when she's so "confident"). Sang as a vaguely "Asian" character reads as tokenism (it's literally mentioned once...okay maybe twice after he mentions his mom immigrating from Korea) and had literally no part in his character identity - it feels like the author threw this in to have some "diversity" pat on the back.

The cover is gorgeous though...

I appreciated the message regarding climate change, but I felt like the importance of that got caught up in too many tropes. It was not one of my favorites this year. I actually read the author's newest book first and enjoyed that much more, so I will keep trying her works.

I appreciate NetGalley for allowing me an arc of this book for my honest opinion.

Hmm... so I'm on the fence about this book because the writing was lovely and some of the characters were very endearing, but the plot didn't quite captivate me like I wish it had.

Clara is an Everwitch and belongs to a band of witches in Pennsylvania who keep nature from being destroyed by wildfires and erratic weather. Mr. Hart is her teacher and wants to help her master her abilities and conquer her fear of harming another after she hurt and killed her best friend Nikki and her parents. Clara changes her personality with the seasons and in summer she enjoys being in relationships but in autumn she loses all feelings for the other person. After Mr. Hart is killed by her magic, Clara wants to give up and resign herself to a life of solitude so she can’t harm anyone else. When Sang arrives to help train her, she starts to believe in herself and hopes she will be able to finally control her magic.

Likes/dislikes:
I love the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, sometimes they’re inspiring and sometimes they’re eye-opening. I like the internal struggles of the main character. I also like how the community eventually works together.
Mature content:
PG-13 for kissing and allusion to sex with no details. Bisexual main character.
Violence: PG for death from uncontrollable magic in a flash of light.
Language: R for 19 swears and one f-bomb.
Ethnicity: White, Asian.

Well paced and engaging read. I look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.