Enjoyment: 3.5/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 3/5
This book is well written and it had me hooked in the beginning I found myself withdrawing from the story towards the middle and slightly pick up a bit but not as much as the start. I was slightly more interested in the world than the main characters.

World War I has just ended and Annie Mason has arrived on the mysterious Crow Island to handle her late father’s estate and reunite with her childhood best friend, Bea. As Annie spends more time on the island, she is drawn into the dark and magical world of her neighbor, Emmeline Delacroix. When Annie witnesses a confrontation between Emmeline and Bea, boundaries are tested and the cost of this magic just might be their death.

This book is described as a Great Gatsby retelling with a sapphic, witchy twist and I feel like that is a very accurate description. The writing was lush and beautiful and the atmosphere was on point. You could really feel what the characters were going through, but there was still a little bit of a disconnect between myself and the characters. I’m not quite sure what caused it though. It may be my dislike of The Great Gatsby influencing my opinion. The pacing also felt a little slow for the first two thirds, but did pick up for the ending.

I will still check out future works by May.

Both witchy and gay - what could be better? From the mysterious island, the Gatsby style parties and the murder mystery, this book is a thriller from start to finish.

A sapphic slow-paced fantasy romance giving some gatsby vibes, and who doesn’t want more Gatsby? When you find out let me know. The issue is that those vibes were inconsistent throughout the novel, and I think the author spent the first 2/3 of the book struggling to move the plot forward. It dragged. When things finally did speed up, I was already fatigued mentally from trudging through the first part, and it didn’t create a favorable reading experience for me.

Unfortunately I didn't feel intrigued enough by any element of this story to finish it, and therefore DNF'd at 27%. I'm not a fan of The Great Gatsby, but I hoped infusing it with a bit of witchy magic and sapphic romance would be an improvement to the original story. From the first page I could tell the prose would not be for me--it was flowery in a way that was trying too hard. The characters didn't grab my attention, and I didn't pick up on any vibes/atmosphere that would make this book worth my while.

This book seemed like it was made for me- dark, sapphic, witchy retelling of the Great Gatsby? Yes please!

Unfortunately, I ended up disappointed.

First, what I liked:
Our heroine’s character growth. It was nice to see Annie come into her own and finally stand up for what she wanted.
The general vibe. The 1920s dark witchy aesthetic is something I need more of in my life.
The complications of Annie and Bea’s friendship felt very real and developed over the course of the story.

Unfortunate I did not like:
The relationship between Annie and Emmeline felt very underdeveloped. They’re magically connected but I didn’t ever really feel the love between them beyond that.
The magic system. It wasn’t well enough explained and thus felt way too convenient at times. The fact that the magic involves lots of blood and gore doesn’t automatically make the price and weight of magic well defined. Characters talk over and over again about how bad and dangerous it is. Their reasons for continuing to use it didn’t feel equally fleshed out.
Emmeline also felt she was mostly defined by her trauma and magic and little else.

On the whole, it’s fine, just disappointing. I don’t think I could recommend it, but also wouldn’t warn folks to stay clear.

3.5 stars. A languorously unfolded plot and lush writing make this a beautiful, “Great Gatsby”-inspired novel of illicit magic and dark secrets.

It’s after the Great War, and Annie is on Crow Island, at her estranged father’s house to sort things out after his death. Next door are a trio of fashionable, attractive people, partying, and flouting the prohibition against the use of herbs, some of which can be used in magic, which is forbidden. Also in town is Bea, Annie’s longtime friend, now, strangely, married to a wealthy man.

Strains and violence appear soon in Bea’s marriage, while Annie becomes acquainted with her unusual neighbours, despite her father’s lawyer urging her away from them. What follows is Annie discovering more about magic and some of its dark practices than she ever anticipated, as well as beginning a wild and magical relationship with her neighbour Emmeline, a witch.

The story takes a long, languid time getting to the climax, with many secrets revealed amongst the characters, and Annie finding an adventurous, romantic, risk taker within herself. The prose is lovely, and if you don’t mind a slow-paced reveal of character and plot, this book will reward you with a darkly romantic story.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Redhook Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Found hard to get through the story because of its lack of developed characters. Liked the writing though which kept me going through the book.

4.5/5 Loved this book. Wish I saved it for the Fall time if I'm being honest. Thank you for an ARC, Net Galley! I can't wait to read what this author does next. Also, this would make a great TV show like the Magicians!

Thank you NetGalley, Redhook, and Francesca May for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is a really well-written book that's similar to The Great Gatsby, but instead with sapphic witches. The best part of this book is definitely the atmosphere and the vibes that it gives off while reading. It really transports you into the world and makes you feel like you're a part of everything that's going on. In my opinion it was a little slow-paced, but I can understand why and I still enjoyed it. I also felt distanced from some of the characters at times, but this could just be a personal issue. I would rate it myself at about 3 stars, but I'm going to give it 4 instead because I think some people would definitely enjoy it a lot more than me.

This is definitely not what I expected or what I usually read however it was a nice switch up for me and I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
(Spoiler-free)

Wild and Wicked Things was a fun but ultimately a little disappointing. I think being marketed at a romance really hurt it because the romance is pretty minimal, and almost feels like an afterthought. I was excited for a Great Gatsby retelling to have all the drama and queerness that the original missed out on, and it did, but it just didn't work for me. The writing built up certain scenes, but everything felt anti-climactic, just leading to the next scene.

All in all, it wasn't awful. It wasn't amazing, and I can see it being great for a select group of people but it doesn't commit enough to the retelling, nor to the queerness, to land for me.

I’m really not sure what it was about this book, but I just could not get into it. Very slow moving. No connection to the characters. Sadly, this one just didn’t do it for me.

I didn’t jive with this at all. Every time I think a fantasy is going to work for me, it really only does so in theory. The synopsis is intriguing as heck, and I always think I’ll vibe with witchy things, but it turns out what I’m looking for either doesn’t exist or I simply haven’t found it yet.

I simply wasn’t invested in the story or in the characters. Maybe the historical aspect of this threw me off too, but I think it really came down to wanting to feel more engaged in this than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the ARC!

It started with an interesting story, but keep repeating it self and slow moving. Was well written, but wish there was more happening. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

This book took me 2 long weeks to finish. It moved rather slowly for me, but I did enjoy the witchiness. The characters were all interesting and the plot kept me wondering how it would all pan out. The prose was quite beautiful and poetic. Nonetheless, something kept me from loving this book. Might have been that it was so long and drawn out.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for an advanced copy of this book.

I loved this book. It kept me scrolling page after page and kept me awake during a long 12 hour shift. I loved the descriptions and details of the witches and the story telling of the characters and their magic. I would love to read a sequel or a prequel pertaining to the counsel and their involvement/role in the lives of the residents of the house Before, during and after Emmeline.

Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!

I wan yes to like this book but I just didn’t. The story was slow to pick up and I thought left out some details that would have been helpful to understanding the story. I managed to finish but it was a bit of a slog.

I feel like I don't have much to say about this book. That's not because I didn't like it, I enjoyed it well enough, but something is missing for me. The first 30% felt really slow and was difficult for me to get through. After that it picked up and was fairly paced the rest of the book. It was a bit difficult for me to fully immerse myself in the story, I didn't really connect with any of the characters personally, not that they were terribly written, there was actually decent detail put into each of the characters. The setting(s) could have used some of that extra description, though. This book gave me Great Gatsby meets Practical Magic vibes and I didn't hate it, and would read more from the author, I'm just not sure this book was for me. That doesn't mean it won't be for you, though, and I guarantee there are people who will adore this book. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.