the atmosphere was so fun and eerie! from the first page i could immediately feel spooked and on edge which i loved. however, it was slow. even the description of things was slow. crows were also referenced almost once per page which became a little much. overall, i wasn't a fan and i kind of struggled.

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May is one of my top reads of 2022!

This book was an witchy aesthetics dream. The world building invokes the glam and mystique of the early 1920's, along with the burgeoning threat of prohibition and persecution for anyone who stepped outside of society's "norm". I loved the magical descriptions of Emmeline Delacroix's parties, Nathan's garden, and Annie's father's secret library. The island, with it's crows and tall tales, was the perfect backdrop for this decadent story.

I found almost all of the characters enchanting with their interwoven lives and the secrets each kept, Annie was perfectly cast as a meek woman with untapped power and Emmeline was phenomenal as her opposite; a woman who's magic threatened to overtake her life. The relationships waxed and waned as naturally as the moon and sea that gave witness to the progression of the love and hate playing out in the gothic beach house.

I would recommend this book to ANY and EVERY reader who enjoys fantasy, magic, romance, mystery, thrillers, enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies, found family, historical romance, or the mystical. Five stars across the board. I would give six if possible.

Review for wild and wicked things
3 stars

This story is set during the time of prohibition but it's not only alcohol that is illegal but also magic. It has multiple perspectives but mostly follows Annie who arrives on an island to settle her father's affairs after he passes. This Island is shrouded in rumors and mystery that have Annie on edge but even more so when she feels the instant pull to her neighbor and rumored magic peddler next door, but she can’t seem to stay away and gets pulled into a dangerous game.
It was a very atmospheric story set more on the gloomy dark side. I liked the setting of the time period and this tucked-away obscured island. It was a little bit hard to get onto and a little slow at times, I think when I hit around 100 pages, I was more invested into the story. I don’t like the insta love feel from the main characters especially when there was no deeper explanation and pull with the magic between them. I also wanted more of a deep dive into the magic in this story. I got the main idea, but I thought some pieces were missing. Finally, I did not have a real connection to the characters. I did not like or develop any type of attachment to any of them at all throughout the book. I wanted more from the characters and the side characters were kind of just there when we needed them. While I liked the setting and storyline with magic and mystery of the island, there were just a few too many pieces missing for me to absolutely love the story.
Trigger warnings: cutting, substance use, violence, murder
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022. The premise of this book really drew me in, Great Gatsby but with Sapphic Witches and crows.

I enjoyed the atmospheric writing style, it lent itself well to the setting of the book.

That said, I didn’t love this book. While it was enjoyable, there was something about it that didn’t pull me in. I thought the characters were interesting and had such potential, but they were one-dimensional and fell short. I found myself not caring about the majority of them and, lacking the connection to the characters, that made me care less about the story as a whole.

I think this book is worth the read, especially for those who are a fan of Historical Fantasy and retellings.

And while this isn’t a new favorite, I am excited to read more from Francesca May in the future.

Thank you, Redhook Books, Francesca May and NetGalley for the change to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't believe this story was for me. Although the tagline of it being similar to The Great Gatsby but with witchy vibes drew me in, I found it lacking in my opinion. The writing is dark, lush, descriptive and engaging - however, it was slow paced, confusing at times and did not progress much until the second half of the story. I also struggled with the world building, magical hierarchy and relationships between the characters. But, I did like the sapphic representation and the morally grey characters. The setting was also pretty cool.

The story includes adult themes, so I would say it's more NA than YA.

-unreliable narrator
-multiple POV
-sapphic representation
-mental health issue representation
-pining

Wild and Wicked things follows the story of Annie and Emmeline. Annie is a young woman who has come to Crow Island to settle her estranged father's estate after his passing. Emmeline is a young witch who is struggling to repay a blood debt due to circumstances out of her control. Annie and Emmeline have a mutual friend, Bea, whom Emmeline is trying to get back in contact with. Emmeline asks Annie to attend a dinner at her house and bring Bea, and that is when everything starts to unravel. Emmeline and Annie begin to notice a connection, tying them to each other in addition to a mutual attraction. As Emmeline and Annie try to navigate this connection they feel, unfortunate events continue to happen and their budding friendship is tested.

I really enjoyed the historical and magical aspects of this book. Learning the history of Crow Island and Cross House was intriguing and I wish there had been more of it! The concept of this little island being a place where the prohibition of magic is overlooked and magical parties are thrown gave me LGBTQ+ Great Gatsby vibes (Green light vs. Purple light!).

I also enjoyed the concept of friendship and family in this book. Emmeline, Isobel, and Nathan were siblings brought together by fate, not blood, and their steadfast dedication to each other was touching. As was Annie's dedication to her friendship with Bea, even though Bea's actions seemed very selfish most of the time. My frustration with some of the bad decisions the group as a whole made needed to be tamped down at times as I reconsidered that they were very young with little to no proper direction/good examples in how to utilize their magical talents. It did, however, seem very true to the way young adults would act without thoroughly thinking things through as they try to correct mistakes and end up making situations worse.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Overall, I was unsure how to feel about Wild and Wicked Things. I found the story line intriguing, but also thought it dragged out. There was one large overarching plot - Emmeline's blood debt and her struggle to repay it - but also a great many subplots. It was almost as if the book could have been broken into a series as opposed to one book. There was so much that could have been elaborated on had this been a series, but instead it was all crammed into one book.

For example, I would have loved to see Annie coming into her magic and discovering more about her father and his books in the attic. Also - his connection to the Council. Who was the man in the museum? Was he actually a friend or a foe?

Emmeline, Isobel, and Nathan's backstories could have been better explained. Until over halfway through the book I was very confused as to who Cilla was exactly. It sounded as if she could have been Emmeline's aunt, but then we learn Emmeline's aunt was named Rachel and did not have magic in her blood.

The many sublots made the book really drag out. There would be a slow build to a large, very dramatic event, the event would happen, but then there was a lot more left in the book and the process would continue. I guess it was a bit more drama than I normally care for, but that doesn't mean it is a bad thing. I would have loved to see each climax broken up into its own book with the characters being given more time to figure everything out and more of an explanation into their situations.

I would say that overall, I did enjoy the book, but was left wanting a bit more (Or less) for all the action that was packed into it

WILD AND WICKED THINGS is about self discovery, confronting buried hurts, and making bad decisions. Annie, the main character, leaves home for the very first time to settle her father's estate. This gives her the opportunity to explore beyond her comfort zone. She reflects on her childhood relationships and how those shaped who she is currently, who she no longer wants to be, and who she is deep down inside. Despite warnings to avoid her Crow Island neighbor, Emmeline, Annie strikes up a friendship of sorts with her. She feels an inexplicable, exhilirating draw towards Emmeline, which blurs the line between free will and witchcraft.

This story is also told from Emmeline's point of view. We see how traumatic past events shaped Emmeline into a headstrong and protective, yet distant, character. Though resolute in wanting to avoid the same mistake as her benefactress, empathy and love drive her to do just that. And thus WILD AND WICKED THINGS follows our two flawed main characters as they dig themselves into deeper holes with each decision they make. Annie, eager to show that she's not spineless, makes uninformed and spontaneous decisions which, questionably, hurt or help the situation. Emmeline, weary of letting her loved ones solve her debt, pushes everyone away, resulting in a cascade of unfortunate events.

And this is my biggest dislike about WILD AND WICKED THINGS: all of the events are due to the characters' mistakes. And they're big mistakes. One act of secrecy begets more secrecy which results in bad decisions. What I found infuriating is that none of the events in the book had to happen if one particular character had either fulfilled the debt or hadn't made the debt at all. But ok, this character made a bad decision and none of them seemed to learn from one bad decision after another. Each solution was more extreme than the last. This book made me realize that I don't like books where the characters don't/won't help themselves. I didn't like WUTHERING HEIGHTS, THE GOLDFINCH, or NORMAL PEOPLE, and unfortunately this book might join this list. I may understand what drove these characters to make their decisions, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Overall, I think the author characterizes Annie, Emmeline, and the secondary characters well. I found two of the secondary characters, Isobel and Nate, more lovable, but generally I didn't really connect with any of them. I think part of this is because of the pacing of the story. While I enjoyed the writing style, the first half of the book was slow and a little confusing in terms of setting. I wasn't quite sure at first where in time the story takes place. But several clues about dress style and allusions to THE GREAT GATSBY lifestyle point to the 1920s. The plot picks up at about the half way point after which there are spurts of action. But the time devoted to flashbacks to develop the characters' pasts take time away from the present. I think learning about past details through flashbacks, rather than present-day dialogue (because why be vulnerable?), contributed to the disconnect I felt with the characters. It was a lost opportunity for vulnerable dialogue between characters.

Chris also mentioned in his review that the magic system is confusing and underdeveloped. Unfortunately, I agree with this assessment. Though magic is central to the plot, when not reading about pivotal moments it's just there with not much page time devoted to explaining more about it. WILD AND WICKED THINGS is also advertised as LGBTQ+ (or, more specifically, sapphic). And it is...but the connection, for me, fell a little flat and I was totally uninvested in it. The romance aspect is very nearly a background element. The ending was unexpected, but I surprisingly had very little reaction to it, which swings back around to the general disconnect I felt about the characters.

Ultimately, this book was not for me. I think the writing and overall tone is well done. And I acknowledge the complexity of emotions these characters experience. But I couldn't get past their inability to get out of their own way. If you gravitate towards plots driven by character flaws, however, then you'll probably enjoy WILD AND WICKED THINGS.

I really enjoyed this once I got into it. It started a bit slow but really picked up. The plot was everything I could have hoped for… a Gatsby retelling with sapphic witches? Oh yeah! It was great. Thank you to Francesca May and Redhook for sending me this eARC.

I was reading some reviews for this book after I had finished it to see what other readers and reviewers had thought of it, and I think one’s enjoyment of this book may be related to how much one enjoys the classic book, “The Great Gatsby”. “Wild and Wicked Things” may as well be a straight-up queer gothic fantasy remix of Gatsby, for the two books have so very much in common, right down to Francesca May’s evocative prose (and a purple light instead of green).

I’m actually a fan of “The Great Gatsby” and all its overall grey morality. “Wild and Wicked Things” is in much the same vein, with a narrator that can, at times, be unreliable and a cast of characters whose moral compasses possibly don’t care which way is north. Like Gatsby, it takes place on an island seemingly segregated by class (in this book the island is called “Crow Island”, while in Gatsby East Egg and West Egg were inspired by the Hamptons) and by prejudice. There’s plenty of alcohol, a sprinkling of illicit substances, and a whole lot of charisma to be found in the mysterious Emmeline (who stands in for Gatsby in this book), a queer witch with many secrets to be kept and mysteries to unravel.

Was this book the most excellent Gatsby-inspired book I’ve read? No. Was it the most entertaining? Yes. It was a page-turner that drew me in and kept me there. I expect that if you didn’t like Gatsby you may not like this book as much as I did, but I hope I’m wrong.

Thanks to NetGalley and Redhook Books for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.25 Stars. This was a tough one for me. I think the book was well written, but my enjoyment level wasn’t as high. I was quite excited about this one at first. I love retellings so a witchy sapphic retelling of Gatsby was right up my alley. The Gatsby feel, the whole setting and atmosphere was right on pointe in my opinion. The problem was I wasn’t enjoying myself as much as I expected to. I was reading another book at the same time, Truth and Measure, and while both sapphic, these two books could not be further apart. I decided to put T&M down, hoping if I only focused on this book it might click better. Unfortunately, that is when I realized that the main problem was deeper because I actually didn’t care for the characters.

This is historical fantasy, since it takes place after World War 1, and most things felt very true to the period except that magic and witches were prevalent enough that magic was recently banned. This is a longer book, and at times it was a little slow. I personally would have cut out a few chunks, but the author was very successful in building the past and how this little island steeped in magic felt (as if it had a life of its own). Even magic had different tastes and smells to it which was all wonderfully described. The book is very atmospheric and done well.

When it comes to the characters, there are three main characters and three important secondary characters. The problem I had is that I found I only cared a little about one character. I’m okay with flawed characters, but their flaws where so played up that I started not to like them. The characters refused to communicate, never wanted to except help, and just always made things worse. They would say nasty things to each other, meant to hurt, and either ‘I’m sorry’ didn’t happen or they did but seemed forced. Can I really root for these characters and even a slow burn sapphic romance when I don’t care for most of them?

TLDR: While this is a historic fantasy, and has a Gatsby feel, the witch story also reminded me of a more depressing Practical Magic (movie version). If you are a fan of either of those, this book might be for you. As a very character driven reader, I had trouble connecting to this story because of not liking the characters but this author definitely has talent and the book was well written.

thank you WednesdayBooks for the arc !!

3.25 stars rounded up.

I tried to get through this book and I think I'm not suited for the gloomy, kinda creepy atmosphere books in general? The book itself was advertised a lot like A Lesson in Vengeance to me but there wasn't much buildup in the first 100 pages I read.

However, the writing was really pretty, the characters weren't bad and I was hooked to the point that I would continue reading if not for the lack of buildup overall.

Oh my. I won an ARC of this in a Goodreads giveaway and then got approved from Netgalley a few days later. I told myself to take my time reading it to share my review closer to release day. That didn’t happen in the slightest, and I read through the entire book in a little over a day. Wild and Wicked Things is dark, moody, and secretive. There are parties, witchcraft, mental health rep, and some sullen (and forbidden due to the times) pining that makes me want to hold the book to my chest and never let go.

If I have any criticism from the book, it would be that I don’t always understand Annie. Meek and mild Annie, suffering from crippling anxiety, is often anything but, and we spent so much time reiterating how scared of everything she is that the concept pretty much goes out the window. That’s good in theory but virtually impossible (out here in the real world) in practice.

From the characters to the storyline, this is a totally immersive read. This is such a lovely book. It’s flowy and fun, with several veins of mystery running through it. Thank you, Redhook Books, for sending this along!

I loved the concept and the idea and was interested in the characters, but overall it felt too slow and dragged a bit for me. Although it wasn't my personal cup of tea I still think the Magical queer story will work for other readers.

Anyway! Onto the real important part of this post- my review of Wild and Wicked Things! Thank you so much to Redhook Books/Orbit for letting me read an eARC of this book! Wild and Wicked Things came out on March 29, so make sure you go grab it today if you’re interested!

Wild and Wicked Things 3/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

In the aftermath of World War I, a naive woman is swept into a glittering world filled with dark magic, romance, and murder in this lush and decadent debut.

On Crow Island, people whisper, real magic lurks just below the surface.

Neither real magic nor faux magic interests Annie Mason. Not after it stole her future. She’s only on the island to settle her late father’s estate and, hopefully, reconnect with her long-absent best friend, Beatrice, who fled their dreary lives for a more glamorous one.

Yet Crow Island is brimming with temptation, and the biggest one may be her enigmatic new neighbor.

Mysterious and alluring, Emmeline Delacroix is a figure shadowed by rumors of witchcraft. And when Annie witnesses a confrontation between Bea and Emmeline at one of the island’s extravagant parties, she is drawn into a glittering, haunted world. A world where the boundaries of wickedness are tested, and the cost of illicit magic might be death.

There was so much promise in this book and I was the most excited to read it- the whole idea of dark magic, romance, and murder sound so great, but I had the HARDEST time really getting into the book and half the time, there was too much going on, so I wasn’t really understanding what was happening. And character wise, I didn’t like Annie or Bea at all, so Emmeline, Isobel, and Nathan carried the whole book for me. Annie seemed so childlike and self-centered and Bea, oh man, Bea could not think about a single other person if her life depended on it. She trapped Arthur in that marriage with her even though he already had a family! And she didn’t care about Emmeline’s life at all! Ridiculous. Pacing wise, I thought everything was really slow. My favorite part of this book was the magic system- it was really cool and I loved the ways we learned about it! Overall, I’m sure there are a lot of people who would love this book, so I definitely think you should give it a try if you think it sounds interesting, but it was not my favorite.

Ultimately, this book was not for me, personally. I wanted to love it, but it fell a little flat.

Who I will be recommending it to: people looking for Great Gatsby inspired fiction, crossover readers (teens looking for adult titles or adults who like YA)

What didn't work for me: I never really believed the romance between the two main characters. The "thread" that connected the two of them never felt believable. It felt like lazy storytelling - instead of a compelling reason for the characters to be drawn to each other, it was hand waving. Also, though there was technically a happy ever after, the angst throughout felt too much like a "sad queer" story, and I was hoping for more queer happiness. The writing felt much more YA than adult to me. The side characters were underdeveloped, even though they had some interesting stuff going on.

I can see where this would have an audience, but I wasn't it.

I tried really hard to get into Wild and Wicked Things. The premise of a gender flipped Great Gatsby and witches sounded so amazing. It was atmospheric, but so so slow. I tried night after night, but I was not able to get into the characters and the story. I decided that I had to DNF or it would cause a reading slump.
I am not sure if it was just me, the timing or maybe it would have been better if I had listened to the book instead of reading. I am not ready to be completely done with it yet and will try again one day.

Magic is real, and on Crow Island, it’s more prevalent that in other places. Not that it’s less illegal here, it’s just that people tend to look the other way when small acts of magic can help their problems. Annie Mason wants nothing to do with it. She’s only on the island to settle her father’s estate and hopefully reconnect with her old friend, Beatrice. When she gets wrapped up in Bea’s problems and becomes enchanted with her neighbor, who dresses like a man and is rumored to be a real witch, things get complicated. Soon Annie’s caught up in a murder and will go to desperate lengths to undo the harm she’s done.

I was fully invested in this book. I couldn’t put it down. 432 pages, and I tore through them in about five days. I enjoyed Annie’s transformation to innocent to novice optimist to the realization that taking charge is important, even when there’s no good outcome. Bea grew on me throughout the book, even though I never loved her, I saw where she was coming from.

Of course, I’m always here for queer romance, so I was rooting for Emmaline and Annie, even when Emmaline’s tragic nature threatened to tear them apart. There were some really hard moments to read, where my heart broke for the characters, but that endeared me to them even more and enriched the story. All in all, I can’t recommend this one enough if you’re down for another queer witch story, because lez be honest, we can’t ever have too many.

Wild and Wicked Things is a darkly atmospheric historical fantasy set on a fictional island off the coast of post-WWI England, in an alternate history where magic has recently been banned after its less than savory aspects were put on display during the war. Our protagonist Annie finds herself on Crow Island for the summer after the death of her estranged father, ostensibly to settle his estate, but finds herself embroiled in the island's undercurrents of illegal magic. She reunites with a childhood friend who mysteriously left home for Crow Island a year earlier, and also meets her intriguing next-door neighbor, Emmeline, whose reputation of hosting wild, witchcraft-infused parties precedes her. 

I've recently gotten a lot more interested in historical fantasy, and Wild and Wicked Things was a great example of how to infuse fantastical elements in ways that emphasize the actual tones of an era, like underscoring the horrors of World War I and compounding the excesses of wild 1920s parties. Wild and Wicked Things shines in its foreboding tone and depictions of magic, personified by Emmeline and her siblings Nathan and Isobel; their characters were well-crafted yet made the reader want to see more of them every time they left the page. I found protagonist Annie's character to be less compelling, although she does serve as a naive window into a new world for the reader. I thought that the book's mysterious undercurrents and flashbacks were well done, but it did feel overly long and dragged at times that could have been more concise. 

I received an eARC of Wild and Wicked Things from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This is a story of Annie who lives a boring life in England with her two best friends, one who decides to go off to fight in the war, and the other who is a fucking selfish slag who ruins every life she touches.

Magic is banned because it was used in the war to turn soldiers into magic-fueled zombie killers, and now you can't even grow an herb garden without the po on your ass.

Annie's dad left her mom and fled to Crow Island, where magic lives. The crow bit was underwhelming. It was mostly pointless. I love crows. Give me all the crows. The crow bit here was underwhelming and almost nonexistent. Anyhoodle, he dies and leaves her everything, and she must go and clean up his stuff and sell it. Her mother doesn't want her to go, but she wants to go desperately. The selfish slag BFF left over a year ago and is living on Crow Island, and Annie wants to see her, to have an adventure, and to learn a bit about her dad and sell his shit and get some cash because bitches be poor as fuck.

The island isn't like the mainland, it's its own little world. There are men here, men who have avoided war. People are happy, and magic isn't so scary/forbidden. There are lots of little shops offering "faux magic." It's picturesque and serene, and a little bit exciting and frightening at the same time.

Next door to the cottage she rents is a big fancy mansion that throws big fancy parties. Lots of jazz and booze and 20s excess. This could have been a bit more present throughout the book. There is a bit of a burst of it at the beginning, but after that it sort of fades into the background. We learn about the people who live in the house, their sordid histories/mysteries.

This book is mostly mystery/suspense. There isn't a lot of the cool fantasy magic and lavish 20s setting that I was hoping for. It was more like the magic was a sidekick for the rest of it. The 20s stuff was stated and then the author kind of figured that was enough and the reader should just remember and assume. I wanted more description. I wanted a pervasive setting not a fleeting setting. All the stuff I really liked kind of petered off after the first bit, and then it was just too many pages of Bea being a selfish piece of shit and Annie being a wet napkin. I got bored pretty fast. The romantic chemistry was lacking. I didn't really care so much what happened. A lot of it was really obvious. The ending was highly anticlimactic, and in short I wish this book would have lived up to its cover.

TLDR: The writing was decent, but the plot meandered, the setting wavered, and the magic was a side character to the terribly insufferable main characters.

I absolutely adore this book! This was an eloquently written Great Gatsby retelling, but with a gender flipped lgbtq twist and it was executed perfectly. If you’re a fan of The Great Gatsby, then you will love picking up on the Gatsby Easter eggs, otherwise this book is entirely it’s own. Set on charming and mystical Crow Island, Annie sets out to settle the affairs of her estranged father. What she doesn’t intend is to get tangled up in the lives of the witches of Cross House, her intriguing neighbors who host over the top late nights parties.

The characters were very well written and dynamic, the plot flow was easy and the writing was absolutely stunning! The addition of magic and witchcraft to the story felt effortless and forbidden, which kept me hooked.