I didn't really like the narrator. Her voice reminds me when someone is trying to let you down easy about something and I despise that.

But listening past her I did enjoy the story.

The world woke up one night and knew the Fae were real.

They've seen angels

Now Cass is 28 and her grandmother warned her that her life would change forever during her 28th year.

Cassie Strega was kind, caring and felt so much around her. She loved her job of delivering babies and living in her quiet, little town. So when her ex walked back into her life, everything changed. I loved learning about Cassie’s powers right along with her. I will be reading a lot more books by Katie McGarry. I love her writing. A Wicked and Beautiful Garden will keep readers hooked from beginning to end! I’m so happy that the ending was the perfect stopping spot!

It had been a few years since I read my latest book from Katie. Long Way Home was already seven years ago. Yikes! Needless to say: I was happy to receive the arc for A Wicked and Beautiful Garden.

The big difference with the other books I’ve read so far from Katie, is that this one is a fantasy, whereas the rest is YA. Fortunately, Katie can create the same gut wrenching, tear-your-heart-out tension between her main characters, regardless the story.

So, same as her earlier books, Katie left me confused, heartbroken and full of questions: how will this end for Cassie and Orion? What will happen to the baby? Will Cassie learn to use her witch powers?

I can’t wait to find out in the next part of the series! Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I will start by stating that this is my first time reading any of Katie McGarry's work. I was excited to read it as I have heard a bit about the author and her work.

This book is not bad. Not great but absolutely not bad. My main issue I had is that the characters are. .not aged well. I was very happy to not only read a book by her but also one that the main characters were mostly in their LATE 20s! The characters, however, do not READ like they are that old .They read like YA teenage characters. This author is well known for YA work and while this was absolutely geared towards adults, I feel like it still very much had YA characteristics and feel to it.

That being said, I did enjoy the book. I like Cassie especially. She was one of the more developed and well written characters though again, there was still a little bit more immaturity in her than I would think to see in someone in their late 20s.

Will I still recommend this book to others? Yes. But I think I will follow it up with a warning that it is much more of a merger between the two genres than solidly adult.

I loved this book. It is a mixture of found family, enemies to lovers, reluctant friends, and just straight up bad ass women. The main character has her world flipped around not once, not twice but more than 3 times in the start of this book. A world where fae's fight demons and nobody knows witches are real, until they do. Trying to fight for her life and save others with her newly found powers the main character must decide if she truly wants her past to be brought up or not. If you like books about witches, fae, and demons this is for you. The end is not what you would believe.

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a captivating read! I couldn’t stop reading! I loved the characters and the story! Highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and the author for the chance to read A wicked and beautiful garden by Katie McGarry. Unfortunately this advanced copy was lost in the shuffle last year and it's too bad because once I settled down this past week to read it I couldn't put it down! I love reading books about the Fae and witches and this has a different take on the Fae. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters Cassie and Orion, and while some may find the plot a bit confusing I loved it. The book ends on a cliffhanger but I was happy to see that the 2nd book of this 2 book series (I think) is already published so I was quick to grab it so I can continue the story! While this is my first Katie McGarry story; I understand she usually writes YA. This is her first adult fantasy series. Hopefully it won't be her last! I totally recommend it!!!

This is my first book by this author, and it was a solid read.

I honestly don't know if I will be continuing reading the series, if the second book has more world building and a bit more romance that would push more towards a yes. Cassie and Orion have a past and I want to know more, also the world building wasn't fully there. It's a very fine line of not enough, too much, and just right when it comes to world building, but if this is a series more is needed.

'A Wicked and Beautiful Garden' is the first book from the Witches of the Island series by Katie McGarry. It's a messy adult fantasy that follows the journey of Cassie Strega, a 28 year old who delivers babies in her small town. Cassie wants a quiet life in a small town, but all that's shattered when she discovers that she comes from a family of powerful witches. As Cassie struggles to accept the truth of her lineage, Orion, turns up at her doorstep looking for a baby who'll be the future fae queen. Orion is a fae warrior who broke her heart nine years ago and working with him is the last thing Cassie wants to do. But, with the dark forces at play Cassie needs to find and save the baby.

This book was whimsy and fast-paced, with twists that I didn't see coming. The author has created a very unique world of witches, faes, demons and so much more. A Wicked and Beautiful Garden was definitely a book I enjoyed reading.

I have loved all of Katie McGarrys past books in the YA genre. I have been a fan of her writing for years, and I also happen to love Adult Fantasy. It is one of my favorite genres so as you can assume I was super excited for this book when I heard about it.

Cassie Strega is a midwife in a small town when she suddenly discovers that she comes from a lineage of witches and her life becomes considerably more dangerous. She is reunited with her first love, a fae warrior who broke her heart years before. They have a common goal that leads them on a dangerous path where they have to work together to find what they are seeking.

As I stated before, I have loved the authors writing in the past and I still absolutely do, but this story was a little bit confusing, as many fantasy reads can be. There was a lot of information to digest and it was a little confusing at times.

I still enjoyed the writing and the characters and it might just be that this is the first book so we are getting all the information and backdrop to continue on with the story in the future books.

While this first book was a little bit hard to read and fully understand I am looking forward to book two in the future.

*Arc received in exchange for an honest review. All my thoughts and opinions are my own.*

While I normally love Katie's books because she writes characters especially her heroines that are easily relatable. I did not love this one, I don't regret reading it because Katie never writes a bad book, but the paranormal aspect wasn't for me.

LOVE. But obviously, cause when do I not love something by Katie?

Anyway, Cassie is just living her life, someone how on like no sleep. She is a nurse practitioner and midwife. Since she is the closest thing to a medical professional that doesn't require a drive out of town, she kind of does it all.

Things are pretty much going alright for Cassie, just a lot of work and a basic normal life, at least as normal as it can be in a world where people can't stand the fae and then suddenly she is not only hit with the shock her ex showing up but also the town coming after her calling her a witch and coming to get her.....

Well normal has just gone out the window. Her ex is not dead, he's alive and somehow ended up back in her life and sorta kinda married almost. Oh and she is most definitely a witch.. That dream she has? That baby calling out for her is a future queen and not only are the Fae looking for this baby but so are demons.

If Cassie thought that was a lot, wait until she learns more about who she is and just how strong a witch she really is despite never knowing it.

I easily picked up and devoured this book. It's just the start to what I know is an amazing duology and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!!!!

STEAMY. Really good story, sometimes confusing but I really like the main character, she seems genuine. I really like the other witch in the story. She is real and herself and doesn't apologize for that. Some of the scenarios seem far fetched (even inside a novel). I am excited to see what happens in the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

I had high hopes for A Wicked and Beautiful Garden but honestly it just fell short. I had a lot of trouble connecting with Gabby and even rooting for her. I would have liked to see the book from Orion's POV personally. I'm interested enough to read the next book but I hope there is more of a story line to it.

3.5 stars

Cassie Strega is a nurse specialized in baby deliveries that live her quiet and calm life in her little town. Sure she has a little empath gift and can sometimes communicate telepathically, but besides that, she's the very definition of ordinary. Everything changes though when her fae ex-boyfriend walks back into her life with a very pregnant woman with him. Cassie believed that Orion died in the car crash that sent her to the hospital nine years ago and has been devastated since. When the world also suddenly wakes up "knowing" that witches exist and that Cassie is one of them (which would explain the gifts she has), everything goes to hell. Thankfully Orion is there to save her from burning at the stake, but he now needs her help to find a baby that is to become the next fae queen and Cassie finds herself in the middle of a war between fae and demons while trying to figure out how to use her newly discovered powers.

This book is a mix of humans, witches, faes, and demons, and I feel that we've just had a glimpse at the world that Katie McGarry built. The world-building is not bad, but I wish it was more elaborate and that we'd know more about the fae/demon war and their respective world/dimensions. The beginning pulls you right in and the pace is just fast enough to keep you hooked, but I have to say that the plot felt a little thin near the middle/end. There is action, the "quest" to find the baby progresses and the relationships between some characters develop, but I feel that overall the plot is quite simplistic (try to find baby, have a vision about baby, try to find baby some more, convince faes not to kill me, try to find baby again...). There was potential for more politics and scheming with the whole "ruthless faes that hate witches" aspect and even some dual loyalties with the demons claiming to want to free the humans from the faes.

I really like the fact that Cassie didn't instantly go back into Orion's arms just because he reappeared in her life and told her that he was still madly in love with her. He hurt her big time, even though he had "good reasons" to do it, and I would have been really disappointed if she'd just forgotten all about it because of his sexy body and intense love promises. Cassie tried her best to keep Orion away from her poor heart, but the sexual tension is quite obvious and the more they worked together to locate the baby, the more intense their interactions became.

I wasn’t sure if I liked Orion MacAleese or not at first. He is a strong and proud warrior Fae tasked with finding the faes' queen-to-be. He is also fiercely in love with Cassie and proved that he would do just about anything for her. While Orion has a sweet (and intense) side, he also kept a lot of secrets from Cassie, and this whole "I made the decision for the both of us because it was in your best interest and I only wanted to save you" comes from a good place, but REALLY annoys me. At 19 years old, Cassie was old enough to have a say in her life, even though we also saw that she was head over heels in love with Orion... Still, I find that it's a jerk move and I'm glad that Cassie didn't forgive him as soon as he walked back into her life.

Also, while the two main characters are developed enough and interesting, the secondary characters are really secondary to the story. We know nothing about them besides what they look like and their very basic backstory with Cassie so it was hard to get attached to them and it really felt like they were there just to add to the cast and because Cassie and Orion needed to talk to other people from time to time so the author created characters for them to interact with. They have potential though and I hope they will be more fleshed out in the next book.

The ending is not a cliffhanger and while some questions are answered, there are still many unanswered questions that will hopefully be addressed in the next book which I plan on reading when it comes out.

An adult audience fantasy book is new territory for author Katie McGarry. I love her YA books; however, this felt rushed and disjointed. Most novels in this genre have solid worldbuilding and rules for a world filled with magic and other beings. This feels shortsighted. The plot has potential and as a reader, I will give book 2 a try but overall I was disappointed.

Unfortunately, I couldn't read this book, because it was archived before I could download it. However, I plan to read this book in the future, so I'll update this review once I'll finish it.

☆☆☆☆,25 /5
(english review below)

Cette lecture fut vraiment intense et je regrette presque de l’avoir lu aussi vite !
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Cassie Strega, 28 ans, ne peut échapper au destin.
Tout ce qu'elle veut, c'est mener une vie normale et tranquille en accouchant des bébés dans sa petite ville. Mais lorsqu'elle découvre qu'elle vient d'une lignée de sorcières, sa vie devient extraordinaire, d'une manière gravement dangereuse.
Puis, elle retrouve son premier amour.
Orion, le guerrier Fae qui lui a brisé le cœur des années auparavant, est à la recherche d'un bébé. Pas n'importe quel bébé, mais la reine des Fae qui les mènera un jour dans leur bataille finale contre les démons déterminés à régner sur le monde. Le même bébé qui a appelé Cassie pour l'aider dans ses rêves.
Combattant l'intense attraction de leur ancienne relation, Cassie et Orion travaillent ensemble pour retrouver l'enfant. Mais lorsque le chagrin qui a failli détruire Cassie neuf ans auparavant se profile à nouveau, elle devra décider si s'impliquer dans cette guerre surnaturelle vaut la peine de tout perdre, y compris sa vie.
¤
Depuis que j’avais eu vent du résumé, je trépignais, impatiente de pouvoir découvrir ce roman. Et quelle histoire !
Cassie est un personnage auquel je me suis beaucoup attachée. C’est une protagoniste avec un passé difficile et une volonté de vivre sa vie sans tracas. Mais volonté de vivre ou déni ? J’ai particulièrement apprécié la psychologie de la jeune femme et la manière dont l’autrice l’a traitée. Entre mauvais souvenirs, mélancolie et déni, Cassie essaye en fait de se reconstruire et de se tourner vers l’avenir. Cela dit, les retrouvailles avec Orion risquent de la faire plonger dans ses vieux doutes. Comment peut-elle faire confiance à la personne qui l’a déjà abandonné ? Et comment peut-elle faire équipe avec pour gagner la terrible guerre qui s’annonce ?
J’ai beaucoup aimé le personnage de Cassie, mais j’ai surtout aimé la tension présente lors des interactions entre Cassie et Orion ! On n’oublie pas un tel amour si facilement et j’ai aimé ces retrouvailles difficiles. Tant de temps ont passé et les deux personnages réapprennent à se connaître. Et en même temps, ils doivent d’abord se concentrer sur leur mission.
Si j’ai parfois trouvé le rythme un peu déséquilibré et qu’il manquait de transition entre les événements, j’ai tout de même été entraînée par le récit et les événements auxquels les personnages vont faire face. L’univers était aussi intéressant à découvrir et peut-être aurais-je voulu plus de détails… Mais tout cela ne m’a pas empêché de profiter de ma lecture !

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ENGLISH REVIEW:

This reading was really intense and I almost regret reading it so quickly!
¤
Twenty-eight year-old Cassie Strega can’t escape fate.
All she wants is to live a normal, quiet life delivering the babies in her small town. But when she discovers she comes from a lineage of witches, her life becomes extraordinary—in the gravely dangerous type of way.
Then, she’s reunited with her first love.
Orion, the sultry Fae warrior who broke her heart years before, is searching for a baby. Not just any baby, but the queen of the Fae who will one day lead them in their final battle against the demons determined to rule the world. The same baby who has been calling to Cassie for help in her dreams.
Fighting the intense attraction of their former blood bond, Cassie and Orion work together to find the child. But when the heartbreak that nearly destroyed Cassie nine years before looms once more, she’ll have to decide whether getting involved in the supernatural war is worth losing everything, including her life.
¤
Ever since I had heard of the blurb, I had been stamping my feet, impatient to be able to discover this story. And what a story!
Cassie is a character that I have become very fond of. She’s a protagonist with a difficult past and a desire to live her life without worries. But desire or denial? I particularly liked the young woman's psychology and the way the author treated her. Between bad memories, melancholy and denial, Cassie is actually trying to rebuild herself and look to the future. That said, the reunion with Orion risks plunging her into her old doubts. How can she trust the person who has already given up on her? And how can she team up with him to win the terrible war ahead?
I really liked the character of Cassie, but most of all I liked the tension that comes with Cassie and Orion's interactions! Such love isn’t forgotten so easily and I loved this difficult reunion. So much time has passed and the two characters are getting to know each other again. And at the same time, they must first focus on their mission.
While at times I found the pace a bit off balance and lacked a transition between the events, I was still drawn to the narrative and the events the characters will face. The universe was also interesting to discover and maybe I would have liked more details ... But all that did not prevent me from enjoying my reading!

Cassie is a young midwife and also an empath in a world where the fae live amongst the humans; she can sense them. Her grandmother has been warning her for a time when Cassie would need to save a certain baby, the Queen and at the start of the book that time is near. Her ex-boyfriend, Orion, who she thought had died in a crash that kept her in the hospital for months, suddenly arrives in town and soon all hell breaks loose.

I really really wanted to like this book. It started out rather well, but I soon was a bit lost with all the information and the pacing of the story.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book had everything that I look for in a book when I’m reading it. The general description and the idea behind this book had me hooked immediately. As a first time reader of this author, I was going in with really no expectations. The MC was a great character with a complex past and a lot of growth as the story continued. While there was great build up and a lot of complexities in the past, sometimes the book fell a bit flat to me. At some points, I feel like it was due to the descriptions of things and keeping me immersed in the story, but I also felt as if sometimes the pacing was just a bit off, leaving me wishing things would slow down and/or wishing that it would speed up to push the story along.

Parts of the story were great, and I really appreciate the story and everything about it - I can see the vision and the drive that the author had and the connection with this story. However, some points, it just failed to hook me. Said that, I still think that it was a very great read, one that I would most likely recommend to my friends who were looking to read something supernatural/fantasy driven!

I would definitely read more from this author, and if there are more books to come after this, I would give them a read.