Wonderful book! I loved the magic system, romance and characters. Also, the cover and naked cover are so pretty!! This was a super cute fantasy and a wonderful debut. Check it out!

This is the perfect witchy book, with a unique take on magical powers. Witches have power tied to nature, with strength tied to a particular season. That is, unless you are an Everwitch, like Clara. However, Clara has had a lot of hardships in her life, and it is not easy to overcome her personal fears and self-doubts in order to reach her full potential. But, without her, the world may be doomed to the impact of human behaviors and their effects upon mother nature. Griffin creates a beautiful story, tying in climate change with magic and powers, as well as a good romance. I loved this book and can't wait to read more from her in the future!

Thank you to @NetGalley, @Sourcebooksfire, and @TimesNewRachel for an opportunity to read this book!
#NetGalley #TheNatureofWitches #RachelGriffin #SourceBooksFire #witches #magic #magicalreads

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While I know witches usually relate to nature, having a book with witches and their magic completely entwined with each season was awesome. I loved reading about Clara who didn't trust her magic and her journey to learn to trust it. I finished this book in two days once I sat down to read it. Highly recommend.

Rachel Griffin's The Nature of Witches is warm and cozy and magical, with a sweet romance I wouldn't normally like except I loved it here. I normally try to summarise my reviews at the top, but I really can't think of something short and snappy to say about this book, except please read it.

I'm trying to be a lot pickier with the books I rate 5 stars nowadays, but I couldn't resist giving one to The Nature of Witches. This book was beautiful, and I'm kicking myself for not reading it earlier, especially when I got an eARC months before the book actually released last June and so could have actually read it what-seems-like-500-years-ago.

I wish I could end this review there, but I guess I have to actually talk about the book!

I loved Clara. She's imperfect and messy and feels things deeply, and I Just Adored Her. I really don't see how Rachel could ever improve her craft to write a better book than this one (although I'd be delighted to be proved wrong), because Clara's emotions were palpable. Especially her grief and anger over losing her parents and best friend... I felt those – hard. Her struggle and journey over controlling her magic was equally heartbreaking and heartwarming. After so long hating herself and fearing her magic, it was wonderful to see Clara become more comfortable in herself and her confidence grow.

I've read a few books in recent months where I haven't been able to click with any love interest who wasn't your typical dark, brooding villain because I didn't think they had any personality, but Sang wasn't brooding or a villain and I loved him. He was so sweet, exactly the type of boyfriend you would want in real life... Rather than someone who has maybe tried to kill you or is just generally a jerk, haha!

The other characters in this book are also delightful. Mr. Hart and Paige (Clara's ex-girlfriend) are standouts for me. I actually had a teacher in high school called Mr. Hart (he wasn't my favourite but he was still really nice), so Clara's scenes with him felt really special for me. I loved their bond and their trust, and how much Mr. Hart truly believed in Clara, even when maybe no one else (including Clara herself) did. I didn't know how to feel about Paige at first, but over the course of the book, she definitely grew on me. She's a little prickly, unafraid to say what she thinks and feels. You could feel all the history and tension between Paige and Clara, all the things they left unsaid. It was really touching seeing the two of them patch things up towards the end, and I wouldn't be mad at all if Paige ever got her own spin-off.

Someone give me a video game where I can wander around the Eastern School of Solar Magic and go to classes there. No, seriously, please. I loved everything about the world building in this book – it was the definition of atmospheric. If there isn't already a 'what season witch would you be?' quiz, I need one. The Nature of Witches is proof that fantasy books don't need to be epic with mind-blowing plot twists for them to be enjoyable or fast paced. Nor, in fact, do they need to be part of a super long series!

Overall, and though this review wasn't super detailed or long, I really can't say enough good things about The Nature of Witches. I adored it, and Rachel Griffin was clearly born to be a storyteller. I cannot wait for Wild is the Witch to come out, and I will be preordering a copy as soon as I possibly can. Even if you're not a fan of "quieter" fantasy books (or standalones), please give The Nature of Witches a chance. This book is wonderful, and I can't wait to see Rachel writing and publishing books for many, many years to come.

I typically adore stories about witches and this was just the same. Wonderful telling of Magic that includes messages about climate change. Usually over discussion of things like that can turn me away but it’s all so well done. Just a wonderful book.

The Nature of Witches is a beautifully written standalone novel about a witch, her ever-changing magic, and the costs of keeping-or losing-her magic.

Clara is an Ever-witch, the first one in several generations, and no one knows how her magic works. Normally, a witch's power is connected to the season they are born in, but Clara's magic is available to her year round, but with a caveat- the power, and her sense of self, changes with the seasons. And sometimes that power comes with a terrible price,  one she no longer wants to pay. Unfortunately, Clara's magic is of interest to the rest of the community of Witches, and in fact, the entire world-her magic may hold the key to fixing the dramatically shifting climate.

I really enjoyed Rachel Griffin's debut novel, and cannot recommend it enough. It blends personal and global climate concerns in a way I have never seen before, and I was riveted from start to finish.  A must read for fans of the chosen one trope, flowing sun dresses, and weather soaked kisses.

I'm still trying to find the words to describe this book.

This is an enthralling read about believing in yourself. There's a quote I read yesterday that said something like "the difference between success and failure is perseverance" (I read it in French). And it describes Clara perfectly. She hated her magic because it was a wild thing that she couldn't control. The perseverance paid off, she learns how to play with it, and she blooms with this new strength she has over her magic. It's honestly such a beautiful thing to see (read), that when I finished the book I was left with a peaceful feeling. I wanted to cry, to laugh, to hug Clara so much! I really loved her. I love to see her grow confident. It's one of my top 10 reads this year without a doubt.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved Clara even though I found her too stubborn and I hated her never-ending self pity! The Nature of Witches is an unconventional fantasy with witches who have their unique abilities based on each season’s strengths and weaknesses. An Ever Witch who holds the power to control all seasons but needs to learn how to control her magic without hurting her loved ones. But she holds back because she is afraid to make the same mistakes again! She’s still suffering with guilty feelings, and the pain of losing loved ones. She’s afraid of channeling her real power even though she is forced by her instructors, she keeps holding herself back!
But as an ecological disaster starts to raise and the witches’ population at risk of extinction, she’s the last one who can solve the problem and bring the balance nature needs for healing! Great premise. Thought the idea of Witches tied to magic that can only be used seasonally new and cool. Solid 3.6 star rating.

Okay, this one is a fun fantasy read that casts environmental issues into a fresh light -- I devoured it and was entertained from start to finish!

In this modern fantasy, witches are a normal part of society and have the power to control certain elements of weather and nature based on the season they were born in. Since the beginning of time, witches have helped to keep nature and the climate in balance with their powers, but in modern times humans have polluted and messed up the environment so much, witches can no longer handle it. Enter Clara, an Everwitch who has the power of ALL seasons and is supposed to help bring things back into balance (like any good "chosen one" fantasy). The only problem is, Clara's magic hurts the people she cares about and she wants nothing to do with it, and she's getting a little too close to her trainer, Sang.

Things I liked:

1. I found the magic system to be very unique in this story, and it was interesting to see how witches used their magic throughout the different seasons.

2. The wild swing in weather and out-of-season climate disasters took center stage, which I think is important to cover in these times.

3. The love story between Clara and Sang was so cute and made a lot of sense to me -- I loved their progression throughout the story .

4. The writing! Rachel Griffin is obviously a very talented writer and many parts of this book were very beautiful to read.

Criticism:

1. I thought Clara's character could have been a little more fleshed out. Her conflicts and motivations were a little thin.

2. The ending is based on assumptions one character makes that are not explained at all -- why did he think the thing he suggested (being vague to keep from spoiling) would work? Clara just does it with little to no info on the theory behind the hunch.

3. Witches apparently lose their powers during eclipses (not really a spoiler) because they are being blocked from the sun, but the earth itself blocks the sun every night. So this mechanic did not really make much sense to me.

Overall, though, my criticisms are pretty surface-level nit picks, and this book was an enjoyable little fantasy that made me tear up a little at the end. If you love witch stories (like me), I would definitely recommend it!

This is now my new favorite book about witches. The story talks about witches working with the weather in four groups: spring, summer, fall, and winter. They make sure their seasonal climate is controlled. Then there is Clara who has the rare ability to work with all the seasons. I really enjoyed the characters. This was a new idea about witches to me. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

This was a really great book and I’m absolutely kicking myself that I didn’t get to it sooner. I think that it came out around the same time as some other over publicised books and this one disappointingly seemed to drop into the background for me. I loved the femininity and the pace of the book especially

This was super enjoyable and I especially enjoyed the author's take on elemental magic. I could have used a little more fleshed out world building, but if there's a second book I would definitely pick it up.

This book absolutely blew me away! The magic system is refreshing and unique, and the tie in with current weather issues due to global warming was appropriately done. Clara is such a relatable and easy to like main character, who shows immense growth throughout the entire book. There such sweet, tender moments that just clenched my heart, and then moments that had my blood boiling. To say this book spoke to my soul would be an understatement. Beautiful writing, well written plot, and fantastic witchy read. Highly recommend!!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley. Did not influence my review.

I fell in love with this book via instagram. The naked hardcover was beautiful and then I read the synopsis and I hoped it would be a book I enjoyed. I love witch stories and this one did not disappoint. It relies heavily on elemental seasonal magic. I loved that Clara as an Autumn witch in the beginning. Autumn is my favorite season. There was a love story, but this book is so much more than a romance. It's a coming of age story, but also a great book on climate and climate change.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of ‘The Nature of Witches’ by Rachel Griffin. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

There were some really cool elements to this story with elemental witches dealing with climate change that the normal people refuse to take seriously. I liked the seasonal magic aspect a lot and how most of the witches and their magic were tied to a season. I also liked how the language of flowers played into the story. That was a very pretty visual.

But throughout the story I found Clara very frustrating. As an ever witch, she has all this power to help but she just wants to get rid of her magic. I get that she was traumatized by not understanding why her magic went after and hurt the people she loved, but the world needed her help. And maybe that’s the point that the burden of fixing things shouldn’t be on just one person but I still found Clara a little frustrating in that respect.

Overall I would recommend this story and I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

4/5 stars

First, this is one of the most physically beautiful books I’ve ever read - the cover art is stunning and the hardback art is also.
I will preface this by saying I love anything witchy, so I went into this knowing I would love the idea of this if nothing else. I loved the authors world of seasonal magic: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter witches each with the ability to affect weather patterns and nature special to their season. Our MC Clara is an Everwitch though, meaning she has the ability to use every season with her magic.
Clara has trouble controlling her power though, she’s always done everything she can to tamp it down. Because when she loses control she doesn’t just hurt people, she kills them. She’s lost both her parents and best friend to her magic. She figures the best thing she can do is isolate herself and hopefully have her magic stripped from her on the day of the solar eclipse. But, the weather patterns are getting unpredictable and unseasonal weather is more and more infrequent causing the witches who try to tame these types of weather to be depleted.
Clara is the first Everwitch in over 100 years, and her teachers think she is the one to save them. They bring in a special teacher from the West coast, along with a tutor for her named Sang. Clara has to try to learn to control her magic without letting anyone get hurt. At 17 years old she is both moody and stubborn. I know some people have said they didn’t like her because of this. But I know I wasn’t the only one who was completely emotional and self-involved at 17. Though the pacing was very fast, I still found myself connected to her on this level.
I loved watching her grow and seeing her relationships with her peers, particularly Sang, develop.
I really hope there’ll be a sequel to come!

While I enjoyed the aspects of elemental magic and thought that the idea of witches controlling climate change was an interesting one, climate change in and of itself doesn't make for a very plot-driven story. The Nature of Witches is character driven, and unfortunately, I found the main character Clara a bit bratty. I really need to like and want to root for the main character in a chosen-one trope, and I couldn't connect here.

The set up for romance was pretty obvious, and I don't normally mind that, but I felt like I was being shown these two characters forming a romantic attachment because it worked for the plot. I never felt any real chemistry between them. Overall, I liked the idea of seasonal witches, but the execution of the story was a miss.

I've read a lot of supernatural stories before and this book really stood out for its originality. Although the story is about magic, it touches on real-life environmental issues. Very thought provoking. Never read author before and can't wait to read more of her work.

Absolutely amazing novel. I was hooked from the first chapter until it was entirely taken aback that it was over. I’m officially a follower of this author, and will preorder anything that they release. The writing style is so refined and the world building is so unique and oftentimes complex, I find myself telling all of my friends to pick up this book, and keep an eye on upcoming works.

Clara is an Everwitch, whose power is rare, dangerous, and vital to controlling the planet’s increasingly erratic climate. While most witches have power that ebbs and flows with their dominant season, Clara’s power remains strong and evolves throughout the year. This book follows Clara as she learns to trust her magic and use it to help her fellow witches save the world from destruction.

I really enjoyed this book’s take on magic and witches. Rather than potions and spells, the witches in The Nature of Witches have strengths that align with a particular season. There’s a huge focus on weather and the seasonal cycle, with celebrations on the equinoxes.

I’ve always been fascinated with the seasons and have wanted to be more in tune to them, eat what’s in season, etc. I would love to read more about this kind of magic!

I loved that Clara was open to loving anyone and didn’t focus on anything other than who the person was and how they made her feel. Let’s see more of this in books!