The Nature of Witches

“𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜; 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨.”—Rachel Griffin

Clara is an Everwitch whose magic is tied to all seasons. But this magic comes at a price. She’s killed people she loves. And an unreasonable amount of pressure rests on her shoulders. She’s the only witch capable of stoping the catastrophic weather events decimating the globe, but to do so, she’ll have to confront the darkness of her magic and learn to control it. But the weather isn’t the only challenge she’ll face. When she begins falling in love with a spring witch, she’ll be forced to chose between him and her magic, unless she discovers a way to have both.

This is first and foremost a story about the pain of loss, guilt, and finding your place in the world. It’s emotional and raw. There were so many beautiful moments. The pages are filled with excellent quotes about the seasons and weather. I felt like I highlighted half the book.

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥?”—Rachel Griffin

Clara’s struggles were splattered across the page in a dynamic arc that took her from fearful and hesitant to powerful and sure. She starts the book wanting to get rid of her power, intent on stripping her magic away so that she’ll never hurt anyone again. But as she learns to control it, she discovers how beautiful it is. The decision to strip herself isn’t as easy as it once was. Through it all, the steady presence of Sang, the spring witch hired to train her, becomes an anchoring point. I loved the relationship that developed between them, built on trust and understanding. Sang never allowed Clara to apologize for what she was. He never blamed her for any of the deaths she’d caused.

“𝐁𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞.”—Rachel Griffin

The world building was interesting. This is set in a contemporary magic school setting in Pensilvania where witches in our world are a normal thing. Their purpose is to control the weather and keep the earth safe from catastrophic events. Unfortunately the “shaders,” those of non-magic, are destroying the atmosphere. Freak weather events are becoming so common, the witches can’t handle it. They’re dying from burnout. But Clara is supposed to change that. She’s the first Everwitch in almost a century. The only problem is, there’s no other Everwitches to help her master her magic. She’s got to do that all on her own. So we get to see her develop control and learn how her magic works.

I wasn’t sure how I’d like this going in, but I fell in love with the story. It was fulfilling to watch Clara start at a low point and claw her way out. This is mostly a character driven story, so the plot is pretty chill. There wasn’t tons of action other than a few major weather events. But it was still so good! I truly believe a character transformation can be just as enjoyable as an edge-of-your-seat action plot. 𝐌𝐘 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝟒.𝟓/𝟓⭐️

This was such a wild ride! Clara is such a relatable character and you really get to walk in her shoes as she learns to control her magic. The author's words really painted each scene beauitfully. I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to get into the Fall mood.

Honestly, I just didn't care for this book. I'm bummed about that, because I felt like everyone got the hype once it was published.

I loved this one!! The author had such beautiful world building and an engaging story. I loved the character development. I can’t wait to read more from her!

Sooo I loved this book so much that I NEEDED my own copy... so because of this and my lack of impulse control that is exactly what I did. I think Rachel Griffin is an amazing author. I think that she created a brilliant world that gave me a little bit of the practical magic vibes I know and love, but with it's own twist. Not going to lie sometimes I wanted to shake Clara because she frustrated me, but I also think that made her character development that much better. Also the botanist was probably my favorite character.. I adored him. I just think that this book was honestly perfection. I am a sucker for witches so I am pretty picky, but this book just was perfect in my eyes. I also thought the cover was beautiful and I cannot wait for more from Rachel Griffin. I am obsessed.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC that I only just recently managed to get to, but I’m glad I did.

I really, really enjoyed this book. The concept of witches who are influenced by nature was so interesting to me right off the bat. I just thought the whole concept was great.

The main character Clara was well written and very relatable. Her backstory was interesting and her progression throughout the story was satisfying and heart warming. I think my favorite character in this story was Sang. The chemistry between Sang and Clara was very fun and really propelled the story and brought it to another level for me. Once things started to kick off with them I was totally and fully hooked.


I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more work from the author.

This was an interesting book for me. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did I was entirely sold.
The Nature of Witches takes a very old concept, witches with nature magic, and turns it into something fresh and new. In this world, Witches are not just strengthened by the nature around them, but they control it, for the benefit of the whole planet. But capitalism has gone too far, and now the nature of the world is fighting back, with storms and weather that the witches can no longer control.
Clara, an everwitch who is not bound to a single season, ends up in the middle of this battle, with the hope of the world resting on her shoulders. But Clara is fighting her own battle, a fight with grief, with love, and with the knowledge that with the upcoming eclipse, she could give up her power and finally breathe.
This was a beautiful novel, mixing messages of climate change with love, and what we would do to save the ones we care about. But it's also about self-love, and about taking care of yourself.
I adored this book, and I can't wait to pick up Griffin's next book!

I loved this. The transition that Clara goes through to learn about and love herself is beautiful. I can’t even imagine how hard her live was after losing everything she cared about. I was touch by her story and hooked from the beginning.

Witches set in the modern world is one of my favourite trope in books. I just loved the magic here, how were witches tied to a specific season of the year and that they were using their magic to the help with the climate change.
I really liked Clara's character, she wasn't perfect and had to deal with her PTSD, self esteem and with her magic. The training was great, when Clara had to actually work on her skills. But Sang, oh boy, Sang was a keeper. I was so happy that this relationship was slow burn and that they had to learn how to trust to each other.
Even though I found a few parts in the book, when I couldn't imagine how possibly could something work, I enjoyed The Nature of Witches very much. It's a great book with a story about accepting to love yourself, with a climate change trope and I can't be happier that I read it.

Thank you to NetGalley ad Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry for the delayed review, I had it all ready but then lost the note book I had it all written it down on. So here we go!

The Nature of Witches is a chaos of a mess, just like the weather. The story didn’t go the way you expect it to and when you think things are finally chilled out, you’re hit with a new surprise. You are swept into a storm of emotions. I cried, I laughed, I was angry, I was depressed, I mourned! I went through so many emotions in one siting along side the event and the characters. And you don’t have much time to sit with the feelings either because your flung into something else so quick you get whip lash. I was battered after this book, I was hurt and I needed time pull myself together after everything that happened in this book.

I really enjoyed the pace and the characters, I enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped up in all these seasons, specially Autumn! Im really for summer to be over! This book was great! Highly recommend!

I loved the change up of the typical elemental magic in this book. This was a great debut that kept you wanting to read.

This was an excellent YA Fantasy novel, with a unique premise! I would definitely recommend trying it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This book lived up to everything I thought it would be, with the protagonist Clara having the unique ability to use her powers in every season, as an Everywitch, this book takes you on a journey with Clara as she also changes with the seasons. The themes about acceptance, climate change, and relationships are woven so seamlessly throughout this book with a gripping conflict that has you questioning whether Clara will give up her powers to be with Sang or leave him to save all of the witches.

As practical magic is an all-time favorite movie, the influence of the movie was obvious but in a fun way, making it more enjoyable to fans of the 1998 film and never distracting.

This was beautiful, atmospheric, moving, and powerful! Clara's story is one of acceptance, love, and forgiveness for herself which moved my heart. Her relationships were hard, but worth the love and and risk.

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin was definitely a stunning read. I will be looking out for more by this author.

This was such a breathe of fresh air!
I am always in love with witch involved, nature driven magic and let me tell you Rachel didn't disappoint. I loved these characters so so much like the fact I don't get to have my own sang is just unfair. truly unfair. I hope that one day Rachel returns to this world even though this journey was so wrapped up perfectly.

I couldn't finish the book. The writing was good but the story was slow and uneventful. I felt like I couldn’t understand fully what was going on and the main character wasn’t as developed as I’d like.

Captivating, and exquisitely wrought, with a beautiful cover. I loved it.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Love the writing of the story and the unique characters. The author's development of magic in her world-building is unique and a refreshing take in fantasy.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher and then got my own copy of the finished book from a book box. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Nature of Witches

Author: Rachel Griffin

Book Series: Standalone

Diversity: Bisexual MC, Asian love interest

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, magic, witches, LGBTQIA+

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication Date: June 1, 2021

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Pages: 363

Recommended Age: 14+ (Death, Slight sexual content, Romance, Slight Language)

Explanation of CWs: Death is apart of Clara's story and comes up frequently. There is an occasional swear word and I did see the f bomb get dropped once. Fade to black is used for the slight sexual content.

Synopsis: For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.

In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It's wild and volatile, and the price of her magic―losing the ones she loves―is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.

In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she's the only one who can make a difference.

In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she's terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.

In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves... before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos.

Review: Is it possible to fall in love with a book so hard that you change your Instagram bio to reflect an aspect of the book so that, in hopes, it'll remain with you forever? I think so, because it happened with this book. I fell hard for this book and how easily it became a part of my life. I loved every aspect of it. The word building was wonderful and I loved the not so subtle messaging of climate change in this book. The characters were well developed and I absolutely loved that there's a Paige in this book who's a central figure to the plot. I adored the use of the chosen one and the magical school tropes and how the author flipped the script on usual chosen one tropes. The book did well with the plot too and the writing was just so well done.

If I had to name one issue with the book it's that the book is slightly predictable. Although I was wrong with my prediction (yes it happens lol) I still saw some of the ending coming. However, this did not deter me from enjoying the book.

Verdict: Highly recommend.