First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book. I am leaving this honest review of my own will.

Well written, beautiful cover, easy to get into. Would recommend.

Wild is the Witch is set in the magical Pacific Northwest, where a young witch, Iris, must go on an adventure with her work nemesis, Pike, to find an owl that holds an ill-fated curse.

Here's what to expect:
- a YA workplace romance set at Iris' mum's animal refuge.
- vivid atmospheric writing that transports you to the PNW wilderness alongside the characters.
- loathe to love
- an ill-fated curse and a meddling owl
- secret magic by a secret witch
- forced proximity and only one tent 👀
- asthma and anxiety rep

It's hard not to compare Wild is the Witch and The Nature of Witches and I thought the latter's plot was a lot more involved and exciting. However, Wild is the Witch brings lots of cosy and moody vibes, if that's what you're looking for. Griffin's writing is beautiful and effortlessly blends together magic and PNW's natural landscape.

Iris was also a likeable and strong protagonist who fought so hard to do the right thing. I enjoyed seeing her relationship with Pike develop as the pair grew closer on their little adventure. I also really liked the ending and it felt fitting.

Oh, and I'd highly recommend the audiobook too - the narrator was fantastic.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for providing an e-arc and ALC of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

Wow what a fantastic witchy YA romance. I absolutely fell in love with Rachel Griffin's writing in her debut novel, and I loved it just as much in this story. The way she describes nature and magic is stunning and makes her worlds feel real.

I loved the atmosphere in here. The PNW is already such a magical feeling environment, so it felt so natural for it to be witchy. And I loved how the magic was built and described. It's vague enough that I didn't feel like I was bogged down by rules, but grounded enough (pun intended) to feel real.

It's been awhile since I've loved a YA romance as much as this, but I couldn't help but love these characters. They both flawed and somewhat messy, while still feeling relatable. They both have beliefs that stem from traumas in their path that stand in the way of accepting each other.

And isolating them in the woods - with only one tent (!) - was the perfect backdrop to them working through their differences.

The audiobook was fantastic and completely captivated me for the entire story. I read the majority of this in a single sitting because once the story got moving, I was completely sucked in.

Rachel Griffin is definitely an author I plan to continue picking up books from! I can't wait to see what she writes next

This book was amaaaaazing! 😍

This book has witches and magic, but everything is pretty easy to follow even for those who don’t read the fantasy genre often. The growing friendship/relationship with Iris and Pike is so well written. Like I pictured this beautifully moody/Twilight-esque scenery with a fantastic musical score.

Now, I will be honest, the beginning was a little tough for me at first. I had a hard time grasping why Iris was doing what she was doing with the whole curse thing. I understood her thought process more as the book went on and we got to know her and this world better, but at first it seemed SO drastic, and we barely knew Pike and their working relationship yet.

Also, Pike? Loved him. The name is weird, but I loved his character. He was there for Iris through this entire journey, even though he knew she was keeping things from him. There was also some really relatable lines about anxiety, some descriptions the author wrote so well.

One other thing I will point out is the dialogue was a little stiff in certain areas, sometimes a little too formal.

Overall though, this was a really fantastic book. I read the entire thing in one day and I will probably purchase a physical copy for rereads. It’s just that good. Highly recommend this one!! ❤️📚

4.5⭐️

I can’t help it! I love RG. Her first novel hooked me and I couldn’t wait to read this one!

Iris and Pike’s quest, a wildlife rescue debacle threatening her magic, and enough descriptive language to pull you into the pages.

This is a must-read!

I hate that it took me so long to read this book! I finally read it in one perfect rainy day and I loved it so much. The writing was just as beautiful as her first book and I really loved the characters and story. Pike definitely had my heart. I highly recommend Wild is the Witch!

Sometimes a good, solid fantasy romance is just the ticket. That’s what “Wild is the Witch” delivers. It’s not completely original, it’s not revelatory, but it’s a dang good book that hits all my sweet spots when it comes to fantasy romance: witches, animals, nature, falling in love, personal tragedies, and facing the consequences of your actions. I found myself shedding a good amount of tears, too.

I knew this book was going to break my heart a little from the beginning, seeing as it starts in a wild animal refuge. I’m a sucker for animal refuges, no matter what form they come in. That feeling only grew as Pike and Iris journeyed to find Macguffin, the owl that flew away carrying something vital inside of him. These two people, both carrying so much pain inside of themselves from disparate tragedies in their lives, danced around each other as if they were on a rickety bridge over a racing current of water, skittish and unsure of one another until they reached the other bank and temporarily found solid ground.

The magic system in this book is rather original and easy to explain, which is refreshing. Many fantasy novels just go too far into creating complex magic systems. This book does have an advantage in that it’s a book about witches, and therefore the magic system can simply be tied to the world around the characters, but some authors still fall into the trap of making their witchy magic systems too complicated when it can be adjusted to something far simpler and easier to explain and write. Even so, Griffin manages to make the magic interesting without making it too complex, which pays off in keeping the writing sharp and not bogged down with magical complexities.

I would praise original world building, but Griffin doesn’t get much praise for the originality of it, because she’s getting credit for only amplifying the savage beauty of the Pacific Northwest. The Olympic Peninsula is some of the most beautiful land in Washington: waterfalls, rivers, glaciers, and largely made up of the Olympic National Forest, it’s an untamed wilderness. I can’t give Griffin credit for world building when the world was already there for her. I can only say that she did a magical job of amplifying its magnificence.

I enjoyed the book a great deal. I may not have been absolutely blown away, but I felt like it was some great fantasy romance comfort food.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for granting me access to this title.

I started Wild is the Witch before bed. I probably would have read it in one sitting
if I didn't absolutely need to go to sleep. It is very much a love letter to the Pacific Northwest. And since I myself am a PNW dweller, it spoke to my very soul. I love the characters and the slow unfolding of their personalities and connections. The magic system is beautiful and respectful and I loved it.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

After a night of magic turned deadly, Iris Gray is determined to never let anyone knows she's a witch.
Even though the Witches' Council found her innocent and that her magic was seen as a marvel. Now in Washington she's determined to hide herself and her magic. Working at the wildlife refuge she runs with her mother, she hates the aspiring ornithologist who interns with them and who hates witches. After a hurtful comment from him, Iris decided to punish him with a curse, but suddenly a owl, a powerful amplifier, swoops down and steals it, flying away from the refuge and changing everything. If it dies, the curses will be unleashed on Pike and everyone on the region, so Iris has to solve this mess. Forced to work with Pike, they start a journey through the Pacific Northwest wilderness. Pike doesn't know the truth and Iris is determined to do anything to keep her secrets safe.

Wild is the witch is a immersive, thrilling and evocative fantasy, brilliantly written and with complex and extraordinary characters. Iris is a powerful witch, who decided to hide her magic after a deadly mess she was involved in. Now in order to prevent another mistake she's forced to ally herself with a witch hater in an evocative and thrilling journey in the wilderness.
I loved reading this book! It was so original and well written and the bond between characters is simply realistic, relatable and perfect. I loved having gotten the chance to know them better and Iris is one of my favourite characters, determined, stubborn, brave and a bit lost. The journey was immersive, wonderfully written and so important. Totally recommended.

I really enjoyed wild is the witch. It had a good mix of fantasy, magic and relationships. Some good representations of anxiety.

This is a wide-ranging story full of magic, nature, and enemies-to-lovers themes. The Pacific Northwest setting, full of rain, wind, gray skies, and isolation, is a perfect backdrop for the story.

At first, Iris felt a bit cliched to me with her self-hating manifesting in hating other people. Despite being found innocent at her trial, she still wields magic in ways that she shouldn't. Pike is a good foil for her, but I was disappointed that the catalyst of their relationship was her cursing him. Their subsequent journey had some really nice, small moments that pulled the story away from the trope precipice.

MacGuffin, the owl, is my favorite character. He is not what I expected, and that delighted me.

Rachel Griffin is definitely a YA author to follow. This is her sophomore book and while I thought The Nature of Witches was a bit stronger, I would definitely say Wild is the Witch is worth a read for those who enjoy stories of magic or enemies-to-lovers.

I want to start by sharing a disclaimer, and that is, I don’t think I’m the best audience for this book.

On paper I should be. Most of my favorite books involve magic, nature and often an enemies to love arc that leads to a great romance. So it’s a little baffling how much I struggled to stay engaged with WILD IS THE WILD, because its premise had all of that, and then some. So much so, that after several weeks of putting off continuing to read it, I gave up.

If I think hard about why I struggled so much to connect with this material, I’d guess it has to do with Rachel Griffin’s prose. She’s very descriptive, and that’s lovely, but things move so slowly as a result. I need more action and reasons for investment from the get-go. And I didn’t get that with WILD IS THE WITCH.

Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!

Rachel Griffin’s writhing is home. The word flow and completely captivating world building is so special. As soon as I heard she had a second book coming out I knew I needed it in my life. Iris is exasperating, not in a frustrating way but in a weird self reflection pov. Her anxiety gave me anxiety and I saw so much of my daily overthinking struggle in her. It was really refreshing to have a mc and an author that so authentically captured the daily ordeal that someone with extreme anxiety goes though. Pike was so refreshing and his inner turmoil and how he navigated his own trauma was heartwarming and really inspiring. As a PNW native I found the world building absolutely beautiful and sentimental. The magic system was perfect. I love the way that it was made to work in tandem with the natural world making it almost tangible and possible. Everything about this story was special. Pike and Iris will forever live in my head and heart. And this story will forever live on my shelf waiting for me to come back to its pages.

I was really interested after reading the premise of this book but it fell a little short for me. It was an entertaining read, but not really as fast paced or fantastical as I usually like in fantasy books. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire for sending me an arc of this one it came out august 2nd!
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Summary; After a night of magic turns deadly, Iris Gray vows to never let another person learn she's a witch. It doesn't matter that the Witches' Council found her innocent or that her magic was once viewed as a marvel―that night on the lake changed everything. Now settled in Washington, Iris hides who she really is and vents her frustrations by writing curses she never intends to cast. And while she loves working at the wildlife refuge she runs with her mother, she loathes Pike Alder, the witch-hating aspiring ornithologist who interns with them.

When Pike makes a particularly hurtful comment, Iris concocts a cruel curse for him. But just as she's about to dispel it, an owl swoops down and steals the curse before flying far away from the refuge. The owl is a powerful amplifier, and if it dies, Iris's dark spell will be unleashed not only on Pike but on everyone in the region.

Forced to work together, Iris and Pike trek through the wilderness in search of the bird that could cost Pike his life. But Pike doesn't know the truth, and as more dangers arise in the woods, Iris must decide how far she's willing to go to keep her secrets safe.
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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My thoughts; I really enjoyed this YA book. It was very fast paced and I think it was totally unique. I can totally see this book receiving a sequel and I would probably pick it up! I enjoyed the main character and the plot to save the owl as well! My only critique is that I totally saw the ending coming it wasn’t very surprising how the whole problem would resolve.

As someone dipping her toes into the world of YA writing, I was ridiculously excited to get my hands Rachel Griffin’s newest novel “Wild is the Witch”. Y’all .. I loved it! L O V E D it! Fantasy novels are starting to carve a little spot in my heart to call it’s own!
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There’s magic and witches mixed with redemption and understanding with a dash of romance perfect for young readers. It’s a fast paced binge worthy read that is perfect for those of us who enjoy paranormal stories.
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What I loved the most was how accurately Griffin describes anxiety: “But that’s the thing about anxiety, it doesn’t care if something is rational or not. It takes hold of your mind and squeezes, tighter and tighter until it can’t be ignored, demanding your undivided attention. It turns from insignificant to all-consuming in the span of a breath, a fog so thick it’s impossible to see through, and no amount of breathing or counting or visualizations undoes it.”
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“Wild is the Witch” would make a perfect Fall read. Griffin has one other witchy read which I downloaded this morning! I am obsessed! And you should be, too!

I loved this book! I was swept away by the setting and moody forest vibes. I haven’t enjoyed the setting of a book this much in a long time. The story is engaging and well-paced. Rachel Griffin is 2 for 2 when it comes to 5 star reviews from me!

A beautifully told examination of self-acceptance, discovery, recovery, and learning to trust again.

Iris is a witch. Pike hates witches. It's a basic idea, a well-traveled trope, and one Rachel Griffin breathes new life into with the aid of one meddling owl intent of bringing Iris and Pike together. Set among the lush forests of Washington, Griffin uses her terrain to great effect as iris and Pike face emotional and actual pitfalls, forcing them to rely on each others strength.

This is a stand-out YA entry; equal parts coming-of-age story and romantic adventure; rich in prose and character. Griffin allows her characters competency and skill while setting them up against their own hubris. Each victory is earned, each defeat is painful, but the reward is well-worth the journey.

Iris observes firsthand the dire consequences that befall a witch who misuses their magic. Despite that, she creates a spell to harm Pike, an annoying coworker. She doesn’t intend for the spell to be cast, but life doesn’t go as planned and she finds herself trying to stop the curse before it can take effect.

This book has a great set up and the potential to really pull the reader in. Unfortunately, the execution doesn’t quite meet the possibilities. While I personally was not swept away into the adventure and suspense, I know a couple of patrons who will be so I will be purchasing this book for my library.

I read an ARC of this book.

What a great witch story…made me want to go out west and see if I could feel the kind of energy this book has…great characters, and a great story!!!