I received a digital advance copy of Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin via NetGalley. Wild is the Witch is scheduled for release on August 2, 2022.

Wild is the Witch starts with Iris on trial. She is a witch, who was present as her witch friend unintentionally caused the death of another person. The council recognizes that Iris was not involved, and could not have prevented the disaster, and send her off. The community is not so forgiving. Finding it difficult to exist in that community, Iris and her mother move far away and open a wildlife refuge, hiding their witch nature. Here, Iris and her mother are joined by Pike, a young intern who is vocal about his hatred of wishes. Iris is so irritated by Pike’s thoughts that she crafts a curse to turn him into a witch, intending to burn it to dust rather than cast it on Pike. When an owl swoops through and steals the curse, Iris is forced to track the owl down and destroy the curse before it is released to affect Pike and many other people. Needing an extra set of hands, Iris is forced to take Pike with her to hunt down the owl and save Pike and others without revealing her secret.

This novel is very focused on Iris and her natural relationship with the owl she is tracking and her somewhat tortured developing relationship with Pike. We get some small pieces of Iris in her life before the refuge, but I would have liked more of this. There is almost a feel that Iris’s life starts when she moves her with her mother. This may have been intentional, as Iris sees her life starting over with this move. A little more background would have helped the ending of the novel feel more solid, as someone from Iris’s path becomes a key player late in the book. We only see Pike through the lens of Iris, learning things about him in the same moment Iris does as they grow closer on their journey. I found myself wanting to know more about him, which made sense for the story, as that is what Iris is feeling as well.

A huge strength of this novel is the setting. The bulk of the book takes places in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. Griffin does a great job of catching the feel of the woods Iris and Pike are traveling through, soaking them with atrocious weather, and attacking them with unexpected wildlife.

There were some spots in the story where things didn’t quite fit together in a logical way. Pieces of equipment, for example, disappeared and reappeared as needed. I also felt that characters made choices for the sake of plot in a couple of places. Again, a little more building of who Iris is may have helped this.

Overall, Wild is the Witch is an atmospheric journey of a young woman rediscovering the strength to truly be herself despite the opinions of others.

Another slam dunk from Rachel Griffin!

First off, Rachel has a way of writing about witches that makes it feel so life-like. Mixing the fantastical elements of witches with present-day "magic" like science and medicine is a terrific marriage, and I can't get enough of it. I feel like I'm stepping into a modern-day fairy tale whenever I pick up one of her books.

When I started reading Wild Is the Witch, I had no idea that I would not only be getting the whimsical, cozy story I now expect when reading a Rachel Griffin novel but also a delightful enemies to lovers romance.

The originality of this story blew me away! An accidental curse, forced proximity romance, all while chasing an adorably frustrating owl. The conflicts in this book are top-tier and pulled at my heartstrings more times than I expected. I stayed up WAY too late reading this one!

Rachel continues to impress me with her creativity and writing. I cannot wait to dive into more of her stories!

The Quick Cut: A young witch has to venture into the woods with her witch-hating coworker after an owl takes off with a curse she wrote.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing the ARC for an honest review.

We all have people that we don't get along with, whether they are coworkers, family members, or classmates. Sometimes, the pressure of butting heads with these can create a pressure or internal strain that has to be vented. For Iris, the consequences of her venting ritual could be devastating when an Owl flies away with a curse she wrote, before she could dispell it.

Iris is a witch. However, after an unfortunate incident a couple years ago, she's promised to never tell anyone her status. She lets out her frustrations by writing curses and then dispelling them to the ground, like her grandmother taught her. However, when a male coworker named Pile makes a painful comment about witches, Iris decides to write a curse making him a warlock. The problem? An owl from the wildlife refuge she works at just grabbed it before she could dispell it. Can she rescue the owl and eliminate the curse in time?

I will confess to being an absolute Rachel Griffin stan. Ever since reading the ARC for her first novel, I've been engrossed by the way she seamlessly weaves magic into reality. With this second novel, she's struck reading gold again with this enemies to lovers tale.

Iris has her damage, especially from what happened in the past. While she loves being a witch, she promises to never tell another person her status again. Life has a way of shaking up the status quo though and that owl grabbing her curse certainly does that. Not only is she forced to deal with some unresolved feelings from the past, but she's also required to do it while working with her least favorite coworker, Pike.

Pike is a human male who's been burned by magic before and let's anyone know his dislike for witches. He's a natural enemy to Iris, even if he doesn't realize it. So seeing the way he bickers with Iris makes you smile as a reader. At first, you want to see Iris get the upper hand. However, the more these two open up, the more you realize they are far more alike than they can see. It creates a genuine connection that will make your heart melt.

A nature based story with all the magic you want.

My rating: 5 out of 5

Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin is a contemporary fantasy set in the Pacific North West. Iris may only be eighteen but she has been through a lot, her best friend was stripped of her magical powers because she caused the death of her boyfriend while trying to turn him into a mage, and Iris saw but could do nothing to stop it. Even though the powerful Witches Council declared she was not complicit Iris still feels an enormous amount of guilt which is compounded by the break up of her parent's marriage because of magic. Iris and her mother moved to Washington where they now work at an animal sanctuary and where no one knows they are witches. This is a good thing because Pike, the intern who works with them is very vocal about his hatred of witches and magic in general. Pike and Iris just seem to continually rub each other the wrong way, and one day after a particularly nasty argument Iris decides to vent her frustration by writing a curse , one that she will burn rather than cast. Unfortunately her plan goes awry and instead of burning to smoke the curse is picked up by an injured owl . As an amplifier the owl will magnify the effect of the curse if it is released, the only way that Iris can keep Pike and countless others safe is to track down the owl and remove the curse , but this will be no easy task, especially when her mother sends Pike along with her , making it increasingly difficult to keep her secrets.
I really enjoyed this book, the way the magic was incorporated into the story was really well done and I loved the idea of animals acting as amplifiers for a magic that works with the natural order. Both Iris and Pike were likeable characters and I enjoyed seeing their relationship change and grow over the course of the book. There is so much emotion in the book, grief, fear, anger, forgiveness , it really does take the reader on a roller coaster ride. I was captivated by the story and read it in a single day, and I hope that the author will revisit these characters again at a later stage.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Wild is the Witch is my first time reading Rachel Griffin. While the synopsis sounded fantastic , I wasn't expecting to completely fall in love with the writing, the characters, and story. This is a wonderful paranormal YA fantasy with witches, nature, magic, and an innocent slow burn romance.

I enjoyed every moment of this book. The story line is steady, with enough exciting moments and relationship growth between the MCs along the way to keep in engaging and well-balanced. I loved the magic system and the way it was an extension of the energy that exists in the world. I loved Iris and her close relationship with her mother and her bond with animals. Pike was annoying at first, but when we find out the reasons behind his behavior it made me wish we had some chapters for his POV. He turns out to be really sweet and caring under all his jokes. At the start they barely tolerate each other but the forced proximity of traversing the wilderness together brings them closer together. I loved watching them let down their walls and respect each other. I was also here for every single lingering glance and brush of fingers that built the chemistry between them wonderfully.

Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin is an incredible YA fantasy filled with magic, nature, animals, curses, s'mores, just one tent, KIND bars and a satisfying happily ever after.

I mean, I love every single word Griffin writes. I read The Nature of Witches last fall and fell head over heels for her work. It was one of my favorites of 2021, so to get an ARC of this one was beyond exciting.

Griffin’s writing is just absolutely breathtaking. Her take on witches and their connection to the wild is so unique and inspiring. I immediately fell in love with Iris and Pike. Their story was equal parts fun and heartbreaking.

Preorder this one now and I promise you won’t regret it!

Beautiful prose and message truly enjoyed reading this books. Only wish that there had been a stronger plot pushing the story forward

I ended up really enjoying Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin although the book and I got off to a rocky start.. I was confused for the first 10% or so because for some reason I thought it was a sequel to her previous book, The Nature of Witches, and I was totally lost, trying to figure out how it connected. Spoiler: it doesn’t. It’s a standalone. Lol. Oops.

Iris and her mother, both witches and lovers of nature and animals, relocate to the Pacific Northwest after a accident involving magic makes it necessary for them to leave their previous town. They work at a wildlife rescue, alongside Pike, the sarcastic ornithologist intern who makes no secret of his dislike of witches. Scared of how Pike would react if he learned their secret, Iris writes out a curse, like her grandmother taught her, prepared to burn it and give it back to the earth—kind of like writing a letter you’d burn instead of actually sending. But an owl, sacred to the witches and also endangered, swoops down and catches the curse, tying it to itself. The curse? She cursed Pike to become a mage, the very thing he hates. The process is dangerous and has a high likelihood of ending in Pike’s death if the curse is unleashed. Trying to fix things, Iris sets off to find the owl and remove the curse, only she needs Pike’s help to do it and she can’t tell him why without revealing what she is and what she’s done. As they trek through the forest in pursuit of the owl, their antipathy changes into friendship and maybe something more…but can the fragile feelings they’ve forged survive when Iris’s secret is revealed?

I love Rachel Griffin’s writing so much. Her love of the natural world is evident in her descriptions of the forest and the magic it holds. I live in western Washington, near where the story is set, and it’s always so wonderful to read about the area I call home. After I got over my initial confusion, the story sucked me in and I was lost to the magic of the adventure.

Thank you so much to both Wednesday Books and Netgalley for my advance e-copy and RB Media for my advance listening copy.

I missed out on reading the first Rachel Griffin book and when I saw this magical cover I jumped at the chance to do so
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Wild is the Witch, is a book full of whimisical and cozy vibes, the pages are full of sensations of being in the middle of nature feeling the wind on my face, the sound of animals and every feeling that passes through Iris Gray
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Iris lives with her mother in a nature reserve, taking care of injured animals to return them to their natural habitat. Every day in that place is magical and healing for her after having gone through a bad experience that left her many wounds
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Everything would be perfect for her if it weren't for the presence of obnoxious Pike Adler, the intern who works on the reservation and thinks he has all the answers. They can barely tolerate each other, but when a ritual goes wrong and to fix it Iris have to lower her defenses and ask for his help a beautiful journey start in wich they have to lean and support each other
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It's a beautiful book about grief, and the strength we find in vulnerability with favorite tropes like enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine in a forced priximity with the suspense of time against them and the unexpected adventure within the forest
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What I liked the most, besides the adventure, and the relationship between both characters, was how Iris showed the world around her, a world with magic and the energy that flows through every living being. It is a book that I will surely reread and highly recommend
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Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and Rachel Griffin for give me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

Iris has a secret: she's a witch. It wouldn't have to be a secret if her best friend hadn't committed a crime that positioned Iris as an outsider. But she's had a chance to start over in a new state, running an animal sanctuary with her mother, and she's happy. Until Pike, the obnoxious summer intern, is a little too vehement in his hatred of witches. Iris has a tradition of creating spells and burning them away to help her through her troubles, and she decides that this will be a good way to get Pike out of her mind: create a curse that would turn him into a mage, burn it away so the curse will never see the light of day, and continue working beside him. But just as she's about to burn the curse away, an owl-- a magical amplifier-- swoops down and absorbs the curse. Suddenly, this ritual has turned into a big, and potentially deadly, problem.
Iris heads off into the wilderness to track the owl, joined by Pike-- she couldn't refuse her mother's insistence that he join her, not without confessing what she did. While looking for the owl, Iris discovers there's more to Pike than meets the eye.

Wild is the Witch is a quiet book about the vastness of magic, grief, and fear. It's beautiful, and sweeping, and one of my favorite books I've read in a while.

Wild is the Witch was another magical story by Rachel Griffin. Immediately I was pulled into this story. Iris is a witch who helps her mom with an animal refugee camp. Iris has a special connection to the animals. A lot of the story feels connected to the nature of witches but it’s not. I loved this story and all the magic it created

I received an ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I loved The Nature of Witches and was so excited to see that the author had written another book. This is not a sequel, the magic system is different and there is no character overlap between this book and the previous book. You can read them both independently, however if you have read and enjoyed The Nature of Witches, I think you will very much enjoy this one as well.

The book is set in current times where witches are a part of society and not hidden away. They have a governing body that dictates the rules and laws regarding the use of magic. People are still hesitant to welcome witches into their lives because they have seen what some of the rule breakers have done. Our main character Iris was present when her best friend cast a spell that broke tons of rules and it did not end well. Iris was unable to stop her friend from performing that spell and it changed her life forever. Now Iris and her mom run an animal sanctuary, and life is good. No one knows that they are witches and Iris gets to do what she loves. The only hiccup in her daily routine is Pike, an annoying intern working at the sanctuary. As a way to vent her frustrations, Iris performs a ritual where she casts spells and curses giving them to the earth never to be unleased. Well as you can imagine Pike finally gets on her nerves and she casts a curse for him, but it gets cast onto an owl instead of dispelled into the earth. The owl is a sacred bird that can amplify magic, and Iris will be in a whole world of trouble if her curse in unleashed on Pike.

In an attempt to undo her mistake, Iris and Pike set out to collect the owl from the forest. During their time together they have to learn to work together and put some of their differences aside. With nothing to do other than to get to know each other, they quickly realize that there is more to the other person than they thought.

This was a fun YA romance with witches. It is also fairly clean with no sex and only a bit of kissing. I thought the character development was good. Iris was constantly worrying and in her head, and Pike was constantly trying to get her out of it. It touches on what it is like to live with anxiety and fear of losing everything. Pike was constantly trying to be Mr-Know-It-All, when Iris had to correct him without letting it slip that she was a witch. Their dynamic while frustrating at times was fun to watch develop. I enjoyed their banter. The worldbuilding was great, I really enjoyed the time spent in the forest, as I also enjoy that setting myself and felt like I was there with them. The magic system isn't overly complex and I thought the author did a good job explaining how it works.

I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more from the author!

Magic and witches are a normal part of the world, and they live in harmony with nature and humans. Yet Iris Gray tends to hide her magical abilities more then others. A traumatic moment in her past has made her more cautious in sharing her other half with others around her. Yet while working at the nature reserve Iris encounters Pike whose hatred for magic cause her to cast a curse to rid herself of the fear of him finding her out. The curse itself was supposed to be simple. It would take all her emotions and cause Pike to turn into the thing he hates most a witch himself. Then Iris would have been able to release it and her fear into the world without enacting the curse upon Pike. However, a magical amplifier, an owl, takes on the curse and flies off with it causing Iris to go on a journey with Pike himself to try and dispel the curse before it causes mass chaos on Pike and the town. Can Iris and Pike find the owl before something happens to him and the curse is released into the world? Will they be able to find away to work together without Iris revealing she is a witch and that she has cursed him?
This is a classic tale of two people who misunderstand each other to the point that it seems like they both hate each other but in fact they might like each other more then they let on. I love stories where characters are allowed to speak their truths and because they speak their truths, they can allow the characters around them to view them in a different light. There are so many one-sided opinions in the world, it really is lovely to see that opinions can be changed if only people take the time to truly sit down and talk through some of the issues. I also loved the bond that Iris is able to form with Pike and that her concern not only for the owl but his well being takes on such a life of its own. Overall, I like this book. Speaking one’s truth is powerful and finding someone you trust enough to share that part of yourself with comes over time. I think that readers will really connect with this concept.
Thank you so much to SOURCEBOOKS Fire and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this text.

Rachel has done it again, let me tell you! This women weaves magic like it’s her heartbeat. I loved her first book and this one definitely didn’t disappoint.

Iris Gray accidentally sets loose a curse that causes a lot of trouble for her. Having forced to leave her last town, due to witches not being welcomed, she leaves behind all including her father. Starting over isn’t always easy, especially with the witches council watching over everything she does. She heads to Washington where she’s amongst nature and the wildlife for her refuge and inspiration. There she meets Pike, a witch hating Ornithologist, who ultimately she teams up with to stop the curse from spreading.

I really love a enemies to lovers and Rachel gives us this… and of course witches and magic. And the serene setting of nature. The writing, plot, and characters are amazing. The story captivates you from the very first page. This book has all the feels and makes me remember why I have always loved YA contemporary fantasies.

Rachel just keeps hitting it out of the park with her stories and I really can’t wait for her next magical book. She’s an auto-buy author for me.

I loved The Nature of Witches, so I was ecstatic when I heard that Rachel Griffin was writing another books set in the mountains of Washington.

Washington has always felt like the place I belong. After moving, I haven’t had the chance to visit again. This gave me a little of Washington I get to carry with me. My only criticism is that there were some moments when things were being described that I was like, "No, that’s not how that would be described," and I wish there was more mention of the Olympic Mountains; they are truly under appreciated. It is enough that the story takes place there though.

Just like with The Nature of Witches, Wild is the Witch is a very cozy read even with all of the angst and excitement. Griffin has a way with words that just makes me want to curl up in her books and live there.

She also shows a lot of self-awareness in her writing even calling out her own plot devices. I really appreciated that and found great humor in it.

All in all, this story really embodies the love and appreciation I — and a lot of locals — have for the PNW, and I can feel at home reading this book even if I can’t be there myself.

This was just okay to me. Very simplistic. I wish the storyline concentrated a little more on the magic vs the budding romance but I think the younger readers will definitely enjoy this one.

Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin is the story of Iris, a witch living in a world where witches and nonwitches coexist and get along. However, there are some, like Pike, the intern working at her mom’s animal refuge, who still don’t like witches. I normally don’t gravitate to this kind of book (YA fantasy) but the blurb made this book sound so good! The plot would have been great if there was more world-building and explanation into the magical system of the witches. The characters felt underdeveloped and honestly, I did not like Pike at all. I realize this was an enemies to lovers trope but I feel like it was very overdone at the beginning with the things he did to Iris and how he talked to her that for me there was just no coming back from. I also feel like 75 pages of this book could have been put to better use either developing the actual plot or characters. Overall this book was okay and I really loved the idea of this story but I feel like it just wasn’t developed enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely novel deeply set in nature, in fact, this is a love letter to wilderness, but it's also about people relations, about magic, and about not assuming anything about people, but being careful about your judgments.
Like the previous novel by R Griffin, I really enjoyed this story and its gentleness. I love that there is no physical antagonist, no people of real ill-will, just characters that are lost and sad, and anxious and human. People that might make the wrong decision, and not always do the right things, but not out of meanness. In fact there is often a great sense of tragedy and misunderstanding. And thee isn't enough stories today like that.
The pace is perfect and you kept wanting to know how bad things are going to get before they get better (the age-old covering your eyes, but continuing to peek through). I hated every decision Iris took, immediately seeing how things would go, but I still wanted to be there and take this journey with her and Pike. And that's great craft when you know what is happening, you know where things are going, but you still want to see how it's all going to unravel.
This is a very comforting book, full of positive feelings and messages, and yet it tackles some interesting and darker topics.
I'm definitely not missing the next book by the author and looking forward to seeing what new magic she weaves in the future.

i think i can officially declare rachel griffin an auto-buy author.

man, there is something so beautiful and magical about her writing, and oddly enough, it comes through most in her depictions of nature rather than actual magic use — which this does have, of course. but it's probably my favorite thing about her novels so far, and this one has a heavy heaping of it. i love iris's connection to the world around her and to animals in particular. all of her moments with her faithful wolf, although brief, absolutely shined. iris and pike were so easy to fall in love with, even when i wanted to shake their communication skills a couple of times, and the end of this book especially, with everything that goes down between them, REALLY hooked me, so much so that it almost tipped it to a five star.

i also have to give a shoutout to iris's mom, because i'm pretty sure this is the first time i've ever read a book where a parent has separated from their spouse and gotten into a relationship with someone of the same gender. i don't know, something about seeing a bi/pan adult like this was just really, really special.

fun, heartfelt, and easy to fly through. i'm ready for the next one, rachel!

5 Stars

ONE OF MY TOP 10 BOOKS OF THE YEAR

Okay, this book is incredible. Once again, Rachel has taken her world of witches, mixed in a bit of activism through magic (this time we are taking on endangered species and habitats and animals vs full on climate change, like we did in her first book) and a heavy dose of romance. It’s a perfect mix for a book and you can’t help but love the story.

Remember when Lara Jean wrote cute love letters she never sent and then her sister mailed them and a cute kerfuffle of love happened? Wellllll take that, but instead of love letters, make it hate curses that aren’t ever meant to get to their intended, but then an owl (not a little sister) sends it out into the world AND CHAOS WILL HAPPEN IF THE CURSE ISNT DIFFUSED. That’s this book. And ITS AN INCREDIBLE AND HIGH STAKES JOURNEY.

Set on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, the whole book is moody and atmospheric and truly magical. We have an enemies to friend to lovers trope, a camping together trope, a just one tent trope, a cursed lover trope, and honestly ITS ALL PERFECTION.

Rachel is absolutely one of my favorite authors now and her books seep into the cracks of your soul and become something you cannot forget. I highly recommend this one and CANNOT wait to see what magic she conjures next.