A gorgeously written, haunting tale. THE NATURE OF WITCHES hooked me from the first page, painting the image of a world painfully similar to our own, but layered with a magic that was achingly hopeful. Clara is a complex, prickly, desperate character who I immediately fell for, and her journey over the course of the year is a masterclass in character growth.

Also, it's queer as heck.

A must read for fans of contemporary fantasy.

This was a really surprising book. Even after reading the synopsis I wasn't quite sure what this book was going to be like. I was pleasantly surprised at the directions this story went. It ended up being an enjoyable read with a really interesting storyline.

So basically the book is about witches who have full powers in their own seasons, but Clara is an Everwitch which means she has the power of all 4 seasons. Each season has its own characteristics and I really liked that they all seemed to fit well - for example, the Winter witches are very direct and straight forward, the Summer witches are more light hearted, etc. It just worked well and made me feel in tune with each season.

The book had some really powerful messages about the environment and the impacts that humans are having on it, so that was a really neat aspect. It was a bit odd to realize that this was set in modern society - the idea of witches talking to government officials in this day and age threw me off a bit but didn't retract too much from the story. There were times when I felt this was a bit slow going, but the overall story was one I enjoyed so I didn't mind the slower sections.

I liked the characters and the mental journey Clara had to go through. Watching her come into her own and learn to love was really sweet. Sang was a great character - a nice balance to Clara. Overall, I think this was a really good book with some great messages. I recommend giving it a try when you get the chance!

Loved the unique tie ins and twists on an over done genre. This is not your typical witchy novel. Fell in love with the main character and the pages flew from there. Couldn’t put it down. Bravo Rachel!

What a unique premise! I always love books about witches, and the connection to the changing seasons was new to me. Sang was amazing, though I wish Clara was just a tiny bit more interesting and likeable.

A beautifully written story with the change of the seasons, we follow Clara who is a student at the Eastern School of Solar Magic. Clara is an Everwitch, the last one that has been born in 100 years. The changes of the climates becoming more monstrous over the years have become impossible for the witches of each season to control. Clara is the world’s only hope.
An ode to climate change as well as how love changes throughout the seasons of a year, I was fully entranced with this debut novel. A love so lost and broken because Clara cannot control her magic and protect those around her, Clara is hesitant to get close to anyone. But when Sang comes along, that changed everything. This is a love story I was hoping would come out with a happy ending, I shed tears throughout until the very end. I highly recommend this debut YA novel and I will be re-reading this fall.

I’ve put together a list of songs I felt went well in each season from Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Evermore albums.

Summer
August
Long Story Short

Fall
Coney Island
Closure
Cowboy like Me
Exile

Winter
Tis the Damn Season
Gold Rush
This is Me Trying
Willow

Spring
Ivy
Mirrorball
Cardigan

Summer
Invisible String
Happiness
My Tears Ricochet

Fall
Evermore

I have to admit I really didn't enjoy this book but I didn't hate it either. I have very neutral feelings about it.

I was excited for The Nature of Witches and thought it would be right up my alley. It kind of was but it wasn't great. There is a level of creativity and imagination within the novel that I really admired however it also somewhat did not make sense to me that witches help control the weather cycles and each of them is a season, their powers weaken in other seasons and there's one girl supposed to save them all because she has the powers of all four seasons. As a whole it really didn't do it for me but again the imagination in certain parts of the novel was really fascinating.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for the digital reading copy.

The Nature of Witches is a fun read, a new unique magic system, dramatic powers, teenage angst and romance.

That said, I am not a part of the target graup of readers for this book and the futher I get from my
teenage years the less tolerance I have tor angsty teenage heroines, and that includes this one. So many problems could be resolved if the MC had just listend and talked to other people, but like I said that is probably my age talking so ignore this paragraph if you are a teenager.

I enjoy a good contemporary fantasy and the climate change angle is worth exploring through a diffrent.
genre.
Rachel Griffin is certainly worth keeping an eye out for in the future, her text is engaging, the story suspenseful
the characters sympathetic and show personal growth. The world building is interesting, magic and technology working in tandem is rare in fantasy and I look forward to see more of how the witches and the humans will work together in the future.
A solid first book from the author.

This fantasy novel follows Everwitch Clara through an academic year of her life at school. In this contemporary set new take on the genre, witches help control our climate and have done for centuries. However the seasons are changing and becoming eratic, and Clara's powers are needed. Unlike the other witches of the seasons, whose magic comes and goes through the year, Clara's power encompasses all seasons, and she needs help harnessing it. New boy at school Sang, a kind and patient botanist, is introduced to Clara to help her train. Their relationship develops and Clara is put through various tests through the course of the book.

This book is a sweet witchy YA story, with a nice LGBTQIA+ rep, themes of climate change, and exciting moments. A little like Fate: The Winx Saga meets Practical Magic, this book is great for young teens.

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin
YA Fantasy
Publication Date: June 1, 2021

A witch’s power is tied to a season with the exception of Clara, an Everwitch, whose power changes with the seasons and never diminishes. There hasn’t been a witch like her in over a hundred-years. Unfortunate circumstances have left Clara reluctant to use her own powers. The book follows Clara’s journey as she learns to embrace her powers and learns to do so in a manner which allows her to develop relationships with those around her.

This book was unlike any YA fantasy I have read before. I’m used to witches being framed in a dark, creepy or gothic like manner. The witches in this story are tasked with managing the environment as a counterbalance to the destruction caused by humans. As the humans consume more resources and damage more of the environment the witches are depleting their powers trying to keep up. Honestly, witches depleting their powers to save the planet seems like an easier way to digest the current reason for the state of the planet than just sheer human stupidity and selfishness.

I really loved how there was an absence of the traditional antagonist. There was no villain (except maybe human stupidity) and the story was simple in the sense it just followed the evolution of Clara’s self-confidence. It was a super easy and light read. Her relationship with Sang was not about passion or flirtation but depicted a relationship about strength and support. It was the ultimate couple goals.

The only source of confusion for me was the book states that Clara’s wants and needs change with the season. With the exception of the one scene that takes place during the autumn equinox I didn’t really get a sense from her actions or inner monologue that anything changed except her powers.

I really enjoyed this book and my only regret was not reading it next to a fire, on my favourite chair with a cup of tea because that’s the kind of vibes this book gives off.

Pagesandtealeavess recommendation [add to your TBR].

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit!
The plot was interesting enough to keep me engaged, and the writing, while somewhat dry at times, got to the point without excess of flowery language which is important to me. The one downside is The MC has some trauma going on, and I sort of wish that had been explored in a healthy way rather than just kinda-getting over it? I did however really like the magic system in this book, how the magic system developed and the growth of the MC over time.

There are mild hints of LGBTQ relationships, but the main ship is hetero. There were also a lot of environmentalist notes in the story, which I appreciated.

I got this as an ARC from sourcebooks fire.

What a beautifully descriptive ode to nature, magic, and love! Griffin’s debut novel is truly a work of art with such depth of world and character development that it feels alive and breathing. I wrote the above statement as soon as I finished the novel but then I had to sit on the story a few days before being able to write this review. I found the plot idea, seasonal witches who are powerful during their season and can control the essence of that season but lose the majority of their power and luster on off-seasons. And then EVERS!!, to be new and fresh. I was so excited from the beginning of the book because I had no clue where this story would go and I wasn't disappointed.
My only hesitance about the story is that Sang is exponentially wiser than his actual years. Some of what he says, the concepts, and the emotional spectrum he feels, shares, and understands are just too mature for the other students in the story and especially for Clara's character. He is by far my favorite character of the book and someone I wished I knew in real life, but he just doesn't fit with the maturity level of the rest of the characters. His quote, "You are the most magnificently disruptive thing that's ever entered my life." actually made me stop reading to truly think about what it would feel like for someone to see you in that precise way. I felt like he was saying, "You are awe-inspiring and uniquely made in such a way that it makes me look at my existence differently because you are in my life! It's one of the most awe-filled, emotionally charged statements I’ve read in my 43 years on earth. I also found the quotes at the beginning of each chapter to be truly thought-provoking. I actually screen-captured them to put in my quote of the week rotation in my home command center. Such beautiful work by Griffin!!
Highest praise and complete hope that Griffin will write another novel soon.

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis of this book, I knew I wanted to read it and was so excited when I finally got approved.
The Nature of Witches was such a quick and easy read. I felt transported into the story straight away and could not stop reading about it. I absolutely loved the premise of this book. A witchy story based on the seasons and climate change. I really, really wanted to love it more than I did. But I think it was a me problem, and not the book's.
What I loved about the story was the setting. Who doesn't love a magic school? Also, the fact that every witch's powers would be based on seasons was quite intriguing.
I could not fault the messages of self-acceptance throughout all the books as well and I think that this would be a really good book recommendation for younger readers.
I just wished the world was most fleshed out, as I thought the plot was so easily and quickly resolved. I was left waiting more.

I was not a massive fan of the romance either, and thought it took over most of the story.
Overall, still a very enjoyable ready and would still recommend to anyone who would ask me about it.

3-4 stars, must admit while I felt this was a bit too cheesy, I did enjoy it as well. It had some interesting and unique takes on usage of magick, as well as a well written and engaging story. I think overall, the author did well at creating a fun, intriguing book with fantasy themes, but important things intwined. It was a nice break from my normal genre and would definitely recommend to those who love fantasy, especially those dealing with witches!

Will make sure to buzz around platforms and use my low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

More like 1.5 stars...

Clara is moody. The seasons change and she becomes basically a new person. Clara can't stay focused, doesn't want to use her magic, and generally is unlikeable.

The magic idea is interesting, the balance of nature and human impact. However, it reads like a preachy manifesto. I'm all for saving and even hugging trees, but don't need a fictional story to belabor the point.

I wanted to be swept away by the beauty of nature magic, but instead it was a story about how the "last airbender" doesn't want to be one. It was simply boring and women are not this weak.

Overall I think you can skip this one.

I am always here for an interesting new magic system, so this book caught my eye immediately. I thought there was a lot of good here dealing with coming of age and coming to terms with who you are and what you want. On the other hand, I thought the book could have easily been 100 pages shorter. It got to be pretty repetitive and some of the ideas that could have been really powerful (specifically involving the state of the environment) were so blatantly spelled out and repeated so many times that even though I'm totally here for that reading and for changing the way we interact with the environment, even I was rolling my eyes and thinking "we get it already."

Even with the things I would have changed, it is definitely an interesting and worthwhile read!

I just reviewed The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin. #NetGalley. This book completely came out of left field, and took me by total surprise! It took me a little while to get engaged with the story at the very beginning, but once it caught my attention I was hooked!! Now one thing I can say is that if you were to have ever told me that I would enjoy reading a young adult novel that has to do with these two things: 1. climate and 2. witches... I would have laughed at you and kept reading whatever I was into. However, with this novel, the author just had this amazingly, unique way of telling how witches have actually been the ones controlling/protecting the earth's climate. Another (very surprising) fact about this book, is that every time I was trying to explain it to someone who asked me about this novel was that it was "the female version of Harry Potter basically". This author also did a great job with the depictive description she gave of the theme/background and the characteristics of each and every character as well. I feel like I was able to keep a very detailed image of the whole story the whole way through the novel. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys young adult novels with fantasy and modern day topics!!

DNF @ 35% - It just got too cheesy for me, all the internal talk about her magic and how she's holding back. I would have liked more background on her as a character. How she grew up, how she discovered she was an Ever, etc.

Also the cover is obviously a girl flipping her hair up - with all the writing about controlling the wind, it would have been better if she was caught mid-spin so her hair had a more tornado feel to it, rather than just a plain hair flip. I do love the background behind the girl on the cover though!

Name: The Nature of Witches
Author: Rachel Griffin
Genre: Supernatural, Adventure, Drama, Romance, YA,
Rating: 3/5
Review:
The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin is a pretty cliche novel about a special witch, who is entrusted to save the world but she refuses to accept her true powers.
The world consists of Humans and Witches living with each other. There are four types of witches, Summer, Winter, Autumn, and Spring with each season, they can only use their power during their season. And there is one Everwitch, whose magic is more powerful than any of the seasonal witches, and their magic works throughout the year,
The protagonist of this novel, Clara is an Everwitch. But she is not ready to use her powers because she is afraid of losing her control and harming her loved ones. Every time she loses control, she loses someone she loves. But if she will not use her powers, the environment will be affected adversely by climatic changes.
She is assigned with a newcomer witch, Sang, who will be training her to learn control. With the changes in Season, her magic changes and so does she.
What will happen if she loses her control? What if she loses herself in the process? What will happen if she falls for Sang and endanger his life as well? Will she able to protect everyone she loved?
I liked the world-building in this book. I also liked the fact that the author addresses major climatic changes and environmental problems in this book. The protagonist is bisexual, which is something I took as a pro point. But the story itself is pretty cliche. The chemistry between Clara and Sang reminded me of Rose and Dimitri from Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.
I found the protagonist, Clara similar to most of the YA novel, not accepting her true nature, refusing to accept her powers, dead parents, losing her loved ones, falling in love with their trainers. But this book is enjoyable and will keep you entertained.

I do not even know where to begin with my love for this book. The characters are seemless in their personalities, imperfections, and growth. The Nature of Witches's storyline is enchanting, captivating, and absolutely brilliant. This book made me feel big feelings as I laughed, cried, and hoped with Clara. What an absolutely magical tale to be wrapped up inside. Please tell me this will be a series.

This fresh contemporary fantasy is doing something really special for teen readers. Mixing innovative witchcraft magic worldbuilding inspired by the four seasons with the ever present dread of climate change, this is a book made for our time. Teens will love the main character, a messy, imperfect girl carrying heavy burdens and fighting for those who love. The romance is also one of the warmest I’ve read in a long time with a hero that is pure cinnamon roll. Highly recommend this incredibly special debut contemporary fantasy from this author to watch.