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!!!

I really enjoyed reading Wild is the Witch. I loved Pike, I think he was my favorite in the entire book. It was a simpler fantasy, which I often appreciate! It was a great read.

I love a witchy read and these ones are good with animals and they have a nonprofit animal refuge in the Pacific Northwest. How fun does that sound?

Definitely got sucked in after Iris gets upset with her anti witch coworker/intern. She writes a spell to release her frustration and it ends up going wrong now she has to trek through the wilderness to search for something but she has to take him with her.

The thoughtfulness in Pikes packing of food and survival gear shows that he has been paying attention to her. But she wasn't seeing any of that.

I love how they both had a tragic background that made them fearful of eachother at different points. But also loving someone and having them see your rough edges is scary. Being vulnerable and showing all of yourself to someone can be very scary because of the fear they will reject what they don't understand.

Love this cover too!

This book makes me want to go to the Pacific North West. The setting and imagery was so beautiful. I enjoyed the development of the relationship as well. It was tumultuous and kept me wondering how it would all work out.

I gave Wild is the Witch 4 Stars. I love Rachel Griffin and the worlds she creates. I especially loved the setting of this book as it felt like a character itself. I’m not one for camping, but the Pacific Northwest forest in this book made me want to go try it out.

The book follows Iris Gray, a witch, who after accidentally curses an intern at the wildlife refuge she works at. Pike Alder is the most frustrating person Iris has ever met, and he hates witches. An event in her past has made Iris promise herself she’d never tell anyone else she’s a witch. However, now that she’s unleashed a curse aimed at Pike, she may have no choice.

The curse gets into an owl that then leaves the refuge. Iris and Pike end up going together to bring the owl back. Iris has to use her powers to find the owl, all while keeping the fact that she’s a witch a secret from Pike.

This book is a perfect enemies to lovers story. The characters are well written and so real. I loved seeing these two interact. I also loved MacGuffin, the owl.

My only problem with the book was that I felt the pacing was kind of off. At times it just felt slow going. I also felt like the stakes were not enough, I guess you could say. I just wanted to have more of that impending doom type feeling to keep the characters motivated.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and would gladly recommend it to fans of enemies to lovers and YA witchy books.

Wild is the Witch, by author Rachel Griffin, apparently has no ties whatsoever to the authors The Nature of Witches. The story begins two years ago when Iris Gray's best friend Amy Meadows was stripped of her ability to have access to magic because of actions that caused her boyfriends death. Even though Iris was there when it happened, she was found not guilty of having anything to do with Amy's actions. You would think that Iris would have learned her lesson from what happened to her best friend, right?

Two years later, Iris and her mother have moved to the Pacific Northwest leaving her father behind. They now work at a Wildlife Refuge called Foggy Mountain Wildlife Refuge where they where they rehabilitate wildlife. Iris and her mother Isobel have special connection with animals like wolves, cougars, bears, and even Northern spotted owls which are sacred to witches, because they are witches. Iris's problem is that her co-worker has gotten too far under her skin. Pike Adler, her mothers intern, is like that annoying brother who gets under your skin for laughs.

Instead of working out her issues with Pike, she blows a gasket when he makes a comment about hating witches, especially Amy. Iris real issue is that nobody actually believed her innocence when it came to what happened to Amy and her boyfriend. She lost friends, as well as her father who had had enough of being around witches. Remember when I said you would have thought that Iris would have learned from Amy's mistakes and her own participation in what happened? Yeah, no or this would be a relatively short novel.

So, in typical teenaged angst fashion, Iris decides to create a curse on Pike. Iris was trained by her own grandmother to always bury the spell before it could cause problems. But before she can bury the spell, a Northern spotted owl who just happens to be a magical amplifier, flies down and grabs the spell and flies away. If the curse gets out, not only will Pike die, but hundreds of others may as well. Iris and Pike must head into the deep forest to retrieve the owl, but Iris can't share with him how important it is that they bring the owl back.

There is much adventure on the trip and they figure out that they are better together than at each other's throats. Iris learns that Pike knows her better than she knows herself. Iris believes the whole world is her enemy, she is quick to distrust people, and slow to trust, she's doesn't give anyone the benefit of the ought, and is too preoccupied with what might go wrong, instead of enjoying the moment she's living in among the animals that she really loves.

One of the funniest things about this story is that Iris and Pike agree to call the owl MacGuffin. I seriously had no clue what the name meant until I found this. "MacGuffin is an object or device in a movie or a book that serves merely as a trigger for the plot." One could say that the owl itself is not only the trigger, but the reason why Iris and Pike end up growing closer by trial and error, and for Iris to start leaving the past in the past, and look forward to the future, and for Pike to understand there's more to life than his hatred of something that happened in the past.

The best part about the book was the justification of the existence of magic. Iris is a Lunar which means her magic works most on animals. There are two other types, namely, Stellars whose magic work strongest on humans and Solars whose magic gravitates towards plants. Magic here isn’t all powerful. It needs to work in combination with science to actually make things work. So a stellar might reduce the physical pain of humans by using magic, but cannot heal them unless they’re working together with a doctor.

The issue I have about this story is that we really don't get any background before the author is dumping a whole lot of information on us quickly. We have no clue what really happened between Amy and her boyfriend and what, if any, part Iris played since it appears as though she is more powerful than readers are lead to believe.

This is the first Rachel Griffin book I have read and I absolutely loved it. Iris and Pike are great characters and the magic in the story is very interesting.

I loved the world building in this novel, and if there are ever further books set in this witch universe, I will be ready! What drew me in most was the depth of character and well-developed sense of internal conflict as Iris wrestled with the temptation to hide her secrets or come clean. This book was surprisingly tender and funny and full of piney, witchy atmosphere and I couldn’t put it down.

With thanks to Sourcebooks & Netgalley for the ARC!

What a wonderful book about witches! This is the third book I’ve recently read about witches and I love the way Iris is portrayed. She is thoughtful, caring and careful. She moves with intention and for her age is very mature. I really enjoyed Griffin’s writing and will look for more by her!

What an incredible story! This book portrays witches in the best possible way. I loved Iris and her connection to the animals and the land around her. I LOVE Rachel Griffin’s writing and storytelling! Wild is the Witch was such a cute story that’s definitely perfect for fall!