This one surprised me! I didn’t have high expectations, and for someone who doesn’t read a ton of fantasy, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised and cannot wait for the second book to be released!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

Though I find the premise promising the execution of the story's first chapter or two left me disinterested in learning more about any of the characters who I found uncompelling.

I really enjoyed the magic system of this book. I like how the seasons corresponded to a different category of witches. Such a good book!

The Nature of Witches kept me entertained throughout the book. It was an engaging read for me and I flew through it pretty quickly. I would recommend picking this one up!

I read this as a physical copy, because after seeing how stunning it was, how could I not??? Let me just say, the inside of the book is just as beautiful as the outside!

The Nature of Witches is a moving tale about humanity's destruction of the Earth and our unwillingness to change. It is a gorgeous story of finding your place in the world and accepting responsibility for the wrongs we've committed against each other and the world we call home. I can't remember the last time I cried over a book before this. Griffin's writing is stunning and poignant, evoking emotions with ease. I will be reading anything from her!

I really loved this book a whole lot. I loved the 2 main characters especially, Sang. I would really love another book set in this world. I loved how in the different seasons Clara's magic acts different. And how a certain season Clara emotion changes as well.

Haven't read YA in awhile and this one was okay. The concept is interesting, but overall it was a little too cheesy for me. The dialogue especially didn't always feel realistic.

Thank you for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I recognize I am not the intended audience. With that being said, I want more from this story.

It wasn't bad, but there was not a whole lot to it.

The characters were not particularly memorable and the MC lacked a full character arc. It could be she was intentionally written that way, but I was not a fan.

The magic system was interesting, I did think the author did do this part justice. My only complaint was the info dumping akin to being in a science classroom, I really do not like stories do that. Show us, don't tell us.

The cover is stunning though, 5 out of 5 stars.

I probably will not read from this author again personally but I do think it will appeal to its intended audience.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading The Nature of Witches. The blurb gave the basics and I avoided reading any reviews. This was the perfect way for me to go into this book.

Elemental witches controlling Earth’s weather is a fantastic concept. When you factor in the damage humans are inflicting on Earth creating climate change, it makes perfect sense that the witches are losing control.

Clara is the only Ever witch, meaning her powers adapt to each season instead of going dormant during the off-season, like the other Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter witches. This makes her an outcast, afraid of her power and abilities.

After seventeen years at the Eastern School of Solar Magic, Clara is determined to protect the ones she loves or be stripped of her powers while trying. This sets the premise for the entire book.

We meet many influential characters throughout the story that each have a profound effect on Clara. Sang, Paige, and Mr. Hart are the three that have the most to gain and lose by helping Clara discover the secrets of her power.

The tale is full of battles waged against elements, other witches, society, and authority. Just like a magnificent summer storm, the intensity of the story builds page by page until it crashes over you and you simply can’t stop reading.

Early in the book, I was a little put off by Clara’s “poor me” attitude. As the story progressed I began to see why she occasionally lapsed into a pity party. By the end, I understood the how and why of the feelings and the courage it would take for her to conquer her emotions and her powers.

The Nature of Witches is one of the best books, I’ve read this year. It captivated my attention, made me think about climate change in a new way, and left me reliving sections for days after finishing the book.

I highly recommend the book to all readers. This magical tale is sure to delight lovers of nature, witches, elements, science, and even romance. I’ve confidently placed it in the top ten books I have read this year.

Witches have powers that are tied to seasons, with their powers being at their max during the season they were born in. Clara is a little different, however. Being an Everwitch her powers are not tied to one specific season, but all of them. And the world's seasons, and the magnitude of them, rests in her hands.

I'm very, very torm about this book. The concept was unique and intriguing. Witches that have powers tied to the seasons was a great concept and had a lot of potential. The writing was good and while the pacing was slow, it still held my interest.

Clara was an absolutely annoying FMC. She's bratty and scattered when it comes to her emotions. I liked that she was called out by other characters for her behavior, so that was a refreshing change of pace.

I really loved this!! I felt like the premise was quite original, which is hard to do. Very atmospheric and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I cannot wait to read more by Rachel Griffin and already have her next novel, Wild is the Witch on pre-order. This is such an interesting idea, having the world's climate controlled by witches and it is brilliantly written, with great imagery. The whole novel is amazingly atmospheric and I could not put it down.

Absolutely loved everything about this book. I had trouble with downloading the copy I was provided via Netgalley, but after seeing the book at a B&N I had to get it for the lovely hidden hardback cover.
I love that the book is unconventional in so many ways. The magic system is unique, the characters are loveable (even when they're not likeable), and Griffin writes so beautifully that I almost didn't mind that I spent half the book feeling an impending sense of doom.

I'd give 6/5 ⭐ if I could.

Beautifully atmospheric, beautifully written, beautifully heartfelt.

The magical system of witches, and cast of characters @timesnewrachel weaves, jumps off the pages and hits you in the heart.

Our MC, Clara, has experienced much trauma in her life, being an Ever witch. An Ever is a witch who's power is tied to all seasons, and not just the season in which they were born. Ever witches are extremely rare.

Because of her power, and past tragic events, Clara closes herself off from people, and develops a Martyr like persona. However seeing her growth with Sang, who trains with her how to harness her immense power, you see her become more confident, more open, and more assure of herself. But, like all of us, we see her struggle back and worth between these new found feelings of herself and her old self. Which, we all have those struggles.

I love the representation of Clara's manifestations of mental health and dealing with grief. We all react, deal, and heal, differently from one another. The LGBTQIA2S+ representative was also beautiful. Clara being bisexual, and as completely natural as the Sun rising and setting each day, is how it should be with everyone, everywhere. Beautiful.

The eeriely similar state of the cyclical climate, and tie-in with how we as society are rapidly throwing this cycle out of balance, was intense. As it should be.

Love, love, love.

Thank you to Netgalley, and Rachel's publishers, SOURCEBOOKS Fire, for allowing me to read and review The Nature of Witches.

Although the pacing of this one was a little off at times it was still worth the read. I love books about witches and this one was very interesting on how the author did the witches powers. I loved the feel of the story and the changing seasons.

I thought this was such a great book. Once I got started it was hard to put down. It had a great witchy and nature vibe. I love how the witches help control nature and each of them have their own seasons. Summer, Winter, Spring, Fall. But there is Clara who is an Everwitch which means she can control all the seasons. With this power comes great reasonability and very dangerous responsibility. Clara fears that her magic will kill everyone she loves. It already took her parents and best friend. When the weather goes out of control and witches are starting to die Clara must really focus on her training to help save her people and the world.

Mostly spoiler free review. Spoilers kinda past the 6th paragraph

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The story and most of the characters were compelling. I was really impressed with the magic system in this universe. I dont feel there has been much magic based on seasons/changing seasons so that was pretty neat.

The not so subtle climate change was also nice. Too bad we don't have witches around us trying to help us solve our problem pushed forward faster by corporate greed. But I digress.

I was excited with Bi representation with the main character at first. But it kind of felt like it was disingenuous or just another box to tick for representation. I could be off the mark but as the book progressed thats the impression I was left with and was saddened by it.

The pacing of the book was both very well tied in with the changing of the seasons and clumsy? Some transitions between scenes and conversations seemed very rushed or not tied together very well. Some instances needed more flow and transitions.

I could also live without the very very subtle religion/god tie in. This is one hundred percent my personal preference. I know and acknowledge that there are religious/christain witches. Sometimes though I could live without Christian religious references in fantasy books.

Overall I would still give this book a 4 star rating. I don't know if I would read it again but the first time was very good.

Clara made peace with her inner torment, found love and friendship, and self acceptance. And really the self acceptance should be the main take away for readers. You are amazing the way you are, dont let anyone tell you you are too much.

I did not finish this book (DNF @ 37%). It felt like nothing was happening and the same things kept repeating, none of which gave me any sense of where the plot is going. Usually compelling characters can pull me through that sort of ambling plot, but I also disliked the voice of the main character. This may have been in part due to the writing style. None of the other characters were developed enough for me to care at this point. The season-witch worldbuilding was neat, but I had little sense of the broader world implications; the climate change themes felt simultaneously heavy-handed and surface level.

"A season for everything"

The Nature of Witches weaves a magical tale of witches, nature, changes in us and exploring our true selves.

I enjoyed this book and thought it was an interesting story. The Nature of Witches had a bit of a Wicked meets Harry Potter with a focus on nature vibe. I was a little surprised that the love story kind of took center stage I wasn't really expecting that but if YA love stories are your thing you'll enjoy this one!