3.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

The Nature of Witches has a great premise, correlating to a great message at its core. I liked the exploration of the seasons throughout the year, and the broader themes connected to climate change. I felt this was explored very well through the atmosphere and was the strongest element of the story overall.

Amidst the changes, we have Clara undergoing her training as an Everwitch and learning to use her powers. I liked how there were some parallels to what was going on around her as the world changed, and while I didn’t feel like it worked 100%, I did like how each season brought about new challenges, both for her training and her personal life. The romance, while not my favorite aspect of the book, is well-developed, and is ultimately pretty satisfying.

The book does feel like it’s a bit aimless at times, as there’s no grand, epic reason for everything going on. But I can appreciate the message of the subtle changes in the environment going on around us, and the way it parallels a young woman coming into her own.

I think, with that in mind, this will be a book that will work more for some than for others. If you’re looking for a more “traditional” fantasy with the training leading to some epic battles, you’ll probably be disappointed. But if you’re prepared for something a bit more introspective, I think you’ll enjoy it and get a lot out of it.

I’m calling it now - this beautiful debut urban fantasy feels like it’s going to be a huge summer hit. I was really impressed, but I also love stories about witches. This is a quick, enthralling read with an MC you can’t help but root for. A typical chosen-one troupe with solid character development along the way. It’s an endearing and heart-warming journey of self-discovery and self-love.

Also - a school just for witches because YES, HOW FUN?!

The writing style was so articulate and evocative that I’m telling you I felt these seasons. Big props for the undertone discussion surrounding the severity of overpopulation, pollution, climate change. We love it!

<u> <b>Review for <i>The Nature of Witches</i> by Rachel Griffin</u> </b>

3.5*
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the review copy!

I <i>so</i> enjoyed the talk about climate change, because I'm a biologist and studied a lot of environmentalism in college. It's something that I care deeply about. Add in witches who use seasonal/nature magic? You've got me hooked!

However, there was something about this that didn't quite stick the landing. I enjoyed the concept, loved the environmentalism woven in, the characters were alright, but I wanted more from the handful of characters that we do get to know in this book.

I enjoyed the writing style but felt as though some of it was just a bit choppy in places, and it would pull me out of whatever scene was happening. I wanted more depth exploring each of the different seasons of witches, but we only touch on a couple due to who Clara interacts with throughout the book. I was missing the depth for this book, on the characters, on the types of witches, of the school. If given an extra 100 or so pages to flesh out these things my enjoyment of it would be a good deal higher.

But this book does keep propelled forward. The chapters are short and for me, I wanted to keep going to learn more about the world that Clara was experiencing. You want to know if she will be able to get her magic under control, to combat whatever next natural disaster will take place, and how her relationships will grow and change. To me, the relationships in this book were the most convincing and think that Griffin portrayed these dynamics very well. The author paints such a picturesque landscape of this world in your head, that I would love to see this adapted.

<spoiler> Don't even get me started on Sang and Clara communicating through FLOWERS! I lost my mind, and may have teared up at the beauty. </spoiler>

I would happily read a sequel if there ever was one, to get to sort of mosey around in this beautiful world that Griffin created.

Basically, if you enjoy environmentalism, witches with seasonal nature based magic, and want a beautifully written book that takes a look at climate change you should pick this one up! It gets published soon, and the first print of the book has a <i>stunning</i> case of the hardcover.

Thank you again to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the review copy!

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This book has an interesting premise. I have say it exceeded my expectations. The magic system is well built. I finished it in one sitting and the ending was good and was unexpected. Its going to be one of my favorite read.

A unique debut about the price of magic, and the effects it can wreak on our world.

So, this one surprised me. It was a very different concept from other witchy books, which I was into, but the execution disappointed me a little bit. The writing style felt too staccato for me - there wasn’t a lot of flow. I just couldn’t vibe with it. Also, I couldn’t relate with the main heroine. The world-building was another let-down for me. I honestly just kinda flipped through it with disinterest. It wasn’t rich and vibrant enough to hold my attention. Love the author, but didn’t love this book!

Big thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Fire for sending me an ARC copy of this book!

YA Fantasy Book Breakdown:

Writing Quality: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
World Building: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Characterization: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ .75
Witty Banter: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Plot: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Sub-Plot Romance: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Enjoyment Level: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

「 Overall: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆」

Wow!! This book was so amazing. I loved every aspect of this powerful story. Griffin takes us all on an amazing journey as the main character, Clara, learns what is it be an Everwitch. She goes in a journey and discovers just how amazing and powerful she can be as she learns to finally embrace love in all forms. Wonderful powerful book that I adored.

This book was lovely. The writing was beautiful; I found myself re-reading passages at times because they were such a delight and painted such a vivid picture. That happens VERY INFREQUENTLY with books I read these days, so the strength of the writing itself made that much more of an impact. The characters were believable and I enjoyed their arcs, though I wasn’t as engrossed or gripped in Clara’s story as I would’ve liked to have been. I also thought some of the plot points were weak and lacked imagination (I.e. the “reset” for her magic). Felt like a cop-out. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, but the main character was difficult to connect with emotionally and the plot devices could’ve been more creative.

4/5 stars.

This was a facinating premise about magic helping the environment. I enjoyed this book! Another sweet reminder that love is love.

The Nature of Witches is an immersive and compulsive contemporary fantasy novel in which witches and non-magic humans (who are called shaders) cohabit together in a world where the witches control the climate and the weather, keeping everything steady and calm. Every witch is tied to one of the four seasons which is when they are stronger and more powerful, but, among them, there is one witch who is more powerful than the others, an Everwitch: they are tied to all four seasons and when the season changes, so do they.

Clara is an Everwitch, considered the most powerful witch alive, and everyone’s expectations and hopes are on her. The climate is rapidly changing, there isn’t enough magic to control it and witches are dying in their effort to stop the atmosphere from collapsing. However, Clara doesn’t feel up to the task. She doesn’t accept her power and she doesn’t trust herself to control it, so she isolates herself to protect the people she loves.

Clare attends a Hogwarts-like school in Pennsylvania where she attends classes with the other students, but she doesn’t have any friends and resides in an isolated cottage. Despite her reluctance, Clara needs to master her power, so she is put together with Sang, a young botanist from California, to help her control her magic and save the witches. As the season changes, Clara and Sang’s relationship develops, but is she ready to let herself go and risk being with Sang?

Clara is an intriguing and well-crafted protagonist. She is a seventeen-year-old girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She is afraid of her powers and she just wants normalcy and quiet. She feels pressure over everyone’s expectations, and she feels their disappointment when she doesn’t show her potential and her power. Most of all, she feels grief and guilt, and she feels responsible for the people who died because she lost control of her power, so she punishes herself. I liked the character of Clara because she feels authentic and relatable, but my favourite character was Sang: I found him sweet, calm, kind, genuine, and fun.

I really enjoyed reading The Nature of Witches. It is unique and refreshing, not your usual fantasy novel. It is a timely, thought-provoking, and engaging story with a strong ecological theme of climate change, but also themes of romance, friendship, and the journey of rediscovery and acceptance of oneself.

This was such an intriguing concept of Witches versus Shapers but I will say that it is definitely not geared towards the perception of witches that most people think of. It's really more of a science/nature/climate control novel where teenagers are trying to hold off impending doom by controlling weather patterns.

The main character is especially gifted and called an 'Ever' who is able to create her magic during all seasons. She has issues with her powers and decides that she is tired of being used and tired of hurting those she loves. The novel centers on how Clara deals with her powers and how it affects her relationships. She herself was an easy character to root for, but some of the things she worried about were repetitive and sometimes she went through the same thing twice.

"We aren’t in this alone and shouldn’t act like we are; the atmosphere is hurting, and that’s a problem for all of us, witches and shaders alike. The challenge is great, and we have a lot of work ahead of us. But we’re in this together, and if there’s anything I’ve learned this past year, it’s that together is where the magic lies."

I loved the relationship Clara has with Paige and Sang as they added depth to both the story and the character development. There were a few spots of ingenious scenes that I don't want to give away that have to deal with flowers or creations which were spectacular. The teacher Mr. Burrows was quite easy to dislike, and it gave off the villainy Hogwart's vibes. A very enjoyable and entertaining experience with a worthwhile ending to savor.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Four seasons, each with its own set of witches. Each set at the peak of their powers during their season. And then there is Clara, the everwitch. The one witch who’s power transcends through all the seasons. Ever shifting, ever transitioning, ever powerful. Clara’s life has not met the path of least resistance. Born to shader (non witch) parents who die at the hands of her power, tragedy where those she cares for are concerned riddles her with self doubt and resentment. Unfortunately for Clara she doesn’t have time dwell, she was meant for something more. And the Earth is running out of time.

This books was fantastic. Such a refreshing magic system revolving around a perpetual connection to the sun. I loved that this book brought to the surface real issues concerning global warming and the destruction that humans have caused. Clara while aggravating at times was relatable and I truly felt the heart wrenching self loathing that she periodically spiraled into. My only criticism, if it can even be called one, was the issue of the word used for non witches. I feel it was more lack of understanding on my part, missing something or not putting it together quit right in my own head. Absolutely not a deterrent from the story or the beautiful evolution of the characters. So much so that this morning I already preordered my special edition copy!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Nature of Witches and express my opinion.

The Nature of Witches is a quick and easy read and a great standalone novel. I loved the fresh take on witchery, climate change, 'the chosen one' heroine and warm romance. Though I would recommend to a friend, I do believe the story could've handled a larger plot and more conflict.

The Nature of Witches follows Clara, an Everwitch, who is at the Eastern School of Solar Magic to learn how to use her unique powers to better control the worsening climate change. Her magic is powerful in all four seasons, where most witches only have power in the season they were born into. The book kept me wanting to read more about Clara and her story--how she learns to trust herself and her friends, how she can find and deserve love and how she can best use her gifts to benefit the planet. She also becomes a beacon of hope for others who have similar gifts in the future, so they don't feel so alone and can more easily access their magic. I really enjoyed the journey the book described, although I found it rather slow in the beginning, as the story moved on, I found it engaging and interesting. The more I read, the more I wished there were a bit more backstory as to how she found out she was a witch (sounds like it is unusual in their society? her parents weren't witches--is it seen as a blessing or curse?), exactly WHAT happened to her parents (it was mentioned often that she caused their deaths, but really not much detail (same with her friend Nikki), more details on what her school is like (classes. traditions, other schools. etc), and how are they getting the non-magical humans to assist them in changing the climate? The book focuses on something that many young adults are feeling anxiety about--climate change, and it makes us question ourselves--are we doing some small part to create some good in the world? Thinking this book would make a wonderful series or even a movie.

I wish I could say that I enjoyed this book more. I think the concept was really interesting, and the writing was good. But for a book about witches there were very few paranormal elements to the story. As an example, to form a thundercloud the story would just show a witch standing still, concentrating for a minute or two, and then POOF there’s the cloud over their head. There were no details to it, no razzle-dazzle. I also thought that Clara was a weak main character. Her emotions make her magic very volatile and prone to lash out at those she cares about (I don’t know why this isn’t a problem for any of the other witches, they’re all teenagers at a school). Her teachers are well aware of her problems, and yet rather than trying to calm her down and bring her some peace in order to better focus her magic they come down on her like a ton of bricks, very harsh and telling her she needs to get control of this, she’s their only hope, here’s all the pressure lumped onto your head. How exactly is that supposed to help her get control of her powers?

Thank you to NetGalley & Sourcebooks Fire for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my o

This was such a joy to read. It had me hooked from page 1, and was so gripping I just couldn’t stop reading once I started. As a fan of witches and books about witches I knew before I even started that I was going to enjoy it, but I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did which was a pleasant surprise.

I was really excited to read this book based on the concept. Witches who control the weather sounded fun. I really enjoyed learning about each of the seasonal magic systems and Clara's anxieties around learning to wield them all but in the end I felt it fell a little flat. I wanted more of the magic system.

I felt confused about what the purpose of the story was. I didn't feel like the storyline around why the weather was changing so much and why it was affecting the witches was explained very well or clearly. It seemed like the story mostly revolved around her learning to use her powers with a few instances where she uses them to help people but it wasn't clear why she needed to do that.

Sang is such a sweet love interest. I enjoyed his character more than I did Clara overall. I could tell it was going to be an enemies to lovers trope in the beginning when he gets assigned to train Clara and she was not too thrilled about it. Over time he helps her learn not just about her magic but also about herself. I would have loved more of him. The romance was definitely the focus of this so if you're looking for a book about angsty love than this is one for you.

i genuinely don't understand this book. i did in fact dnf it, but how can anyone enjoy this? yes to each their own, and I get that. but the writing is SO CHOPPY. your mind cannot physically concentrate because it stops in awkward areas, I'm not sure if the formatting is just weird or what. also, the beginning was written in the most cliche way.

i also don't know if it's because I just read a lot of books, but why have all the books I've read lately sounded like other books I've read? maybe I'm reading too much into it. but I can't get attached to a story when it sounds like every other book in its genre.

if you are VERY interested in the genre and are willing to stick it out to like 40% go for it.

An intriguing coming-of-age novel, The Nature of Witches, is about a group of young witches in training who control the weather amidst severe climate changes, told through the lens of Clara, a supremely powerful Everwitch.

Devastated by the death of her parents and best friend, Clara Densmore retreats into her own world and refuses to use her powerful magic to alter the weather. Then she is assigned to Sang, a Spring witch, to help her control and release her magic. His easy-going nature calms Clara, and she finds herself falling in love with him. But if she becomes close to someone, her magic goes haywire, and that loved one dies. And Clara is forced to choose between claiming her destiny or keeping the ones she loves.

I liked the unique aspect of using witches to affect climate change. The reader empathizes with the main character Clara as she searches for love, acceptance, and her true calling. I found this young adult romance novel to be refreshing and uplifting and hope to see a sequel to this story. I thank NetGalley for letting me review it. #NetGalley #The Nature of Witches.#romance #fantasy #youngadult #witches

I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but it definetly wasn't it..... It was something else entirely and I absolutley enjoyed every minute of it! Well written and with the perfect dramatic flair I will absolutley be ordering this one for my library's YA collection.

As if being a teenager isn’t hard enough…toss in some uncontrollable magic, the knowledge that you’re destined to either end up alone or spend your life falling in and out of love according to the season, and the overwhelming expectation that you’re the one who can save the world…and it’s no wonder Clara is contemplating giving up her magic.


What I Liked…Nope, Loved:

This book is a wonderful new take on the teenage witch trope. I love the focus on the connection between witches, their magic, and the sun/earth. This book offers a stellar, flawed, main character, and the author takes the time for us to get to know her, to understand how she thinks and what she feels. And I love the subtle, yet ever-present distinction between physical attraction and love. I also loved that Clara gets to be her own hero, not a damsel in distress, but a young woman trying to find her way in the world who has to learn to love herself AND that asking for help when you need it is okay.

I couldn’t help but root for Clara from the very first chapter. She’s snarky, funny, loyal, compassionate, and strong. This was one of those books that I couldn’t wait to see how it all turned out while at the same time didn't want it to end.

This is one of the best debut novels I read in a long time and look forward to seeing more from Rachel Griffin.

For it’s fresh take on a familiar trope, the believable romance, it’s sophisticated magic, and for keeping me up way past my bed time…five easy-to-give stars.