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.

This was extremely cute! This seems like an easy hand-sell for the high school set and young college group. I loved the Pacific Northwest setting, it felt very cozy and perfect for fall. Enemies to lovers romances have been very popular for us (Book Lovers, Beach Read, The Hating Game, etc.) and this is a nice stretch for romance readers.

If it’s got magic I can almost guarantee I’ll like. Maybe it was growing up on Harry Potter and Ella Enchanted but my soul craves all.the.magic. And let me tell you, Wild is the Witch did not disappoint.

Iris is a girl with past hurts and a kind of fear of the outside world. She struggles to open up and let her guard down. Something Pike finds furiously irritating and a little bit intriguing.

Pike is a seemingly carefree guy with habit of shirking his responsibilities, driving Iris continually mad. When Pike confesses his hatred of witches, unaware that Iris is one, it causes Iris to make a series of unfortunate decisions.

I loved how the story played out and was so neatly wrapped up in the end. It seemed to have a slower pace which normally bores me but Griffin has a way of making that part of its charm. The story held me captive, the characters were lovable and relatable, and magic was perfection.


Content Warning: explicit language, heavy kissing

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.

After really enjoying THE NATURE OF WITCHES, I was excited for another witchy YA from Griffin. I will say that WILD IS THE WITCH took me awhile to get interested in it. I'm glad I stuck with it but at the start I didn't like Iris, Pike, or the whole dynamic. But once they went into the woods looking for the owl I felt like the plot found its groove and I enjoyed the rest of the novel.

The Pacific Northwest vibes are strong and I loved that. I also really liked the different focuses of witchcraft, the magic rules Griffin establishes, and how witches fit into society. The enemies-to-lover tropes are all there and they are great. And as much as I was annoyed about the bad decisions that got Iris into the mess she was in, they did make for a good plot to unfold.

I'll definitely be looking forward to Griffin's next novel and hope it's another witchy nature book!

This book was such a fun and easy quick read! I flew through it. I love the banter and relationship between Iris and Pike! I was invested from start to finish!

I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a fun time full of magic! If you like fully accessible fantasy stories about witches, i would choose this one. The author makes very interesting characters.

This is one of, if not the best, books I've read this year. Seriously. I loved it.

Wild Is The Witch had very good world building and magic system. It's been a while since I read a book where the magic system was complete and made perfect sense. It has fantasy, witches, animals, friendship, romance, and good banter.

I loved the Mom's character and her romantic relationship. It was really sweet. The main character has anxiety, as do I, so I could really relate to her.

The last 30 pages or so had me crying the whole time. And the little surprise on the last few pages. I may never recover! I have immediately pre-ordered a copy. I can't recommend this books enough. It really spoke to me. I wouldn't change anything it.

Iris loves her life. She loves her home in the Pacific Northwest, she loves working at the animal refuge with her mom, and she loves being a witch. Almost as much as she hates the refuge’s intern, Pike. And almost as much as Pike hates witches. But when an endangered owl runs off (with one of Iris’ spells) these two will have to work together to save the owl and the town.

If you love cozy atmospheric magical realism and a story that will make you feel like all the main characters are your friends? This should be your next read.

This was my first Rachel Griffin book I read and I really loved it. The banter, the relationship with nature, working to overcome anxiety and trauma, and the overall atmosphere was incredible.

This story is written beautifully and really immerses you in the nature aspect. I love how whimsical it felt and how much was explained about the witches’ abilities to work alongside nature. The witches were crafted so naturally in this story and really fit in with the modern world. It was nice to see witches and humans working alongside each other. The amount of detail that is included was breathtaking. I felt like I was on the journey with Iris and Pike the whole time and the connection Iris has to the earth and animals is beautiful.

Alongside the stunning atmosphere, I really fell in love with the characters. Iris is a young witch who loves who she is and loves what she can do with animals and nature. It’s her whole life and I would honestly be the same way too if I were a witch. She truly cares for her environment and the animals in the wildlife refuge. She sassy and filled with anxiety but has the biggest heart. Pike on the other hand is infuriatingly charming, and I just love their relationship. The banter is top notch and I love their journey they take together. Iris’ mom and her fiancé Sarah were absolutely adorable. I even loved McGuffin (you’ll have to read it to find out who that is 😉)

This book had all the tropes for fans of:
- Loathe to love
- Forced proximity
- One bed/one tent
- Secret identity

It also had great representation of lgbtq rep, anxiety rep, asthma rep, and the handling and repairing of past traumas.

While the writing for this book was rather lovely, I really can’t say I enjoyed this at all.

It has everything to do with this so-called “romance”.

The synopsis calls this “enemies to lovers” but it didn’t feel like that to me. I can’t get behind this trope of if a boy is mean to you, makes fun of you and endlessly teases and makes you feel genuinely scared, it means he likes you. That’s just so messed up.

What’s even more messed up is the main character Iris has let it be known to her mother how uncomfortable the boy makes her. How scared she feels around him at times. The mother just shrugs it off and tells her daughter to “relax”. Just no. HARD no.

The mother then makes the daughter take said boy on a trip into the woods to find a lost owl. You read that right. This girl who has said she doesn’t like this boy and is uncomfortable around him has to trek into the woods with him ALONE. Can we just collectively say NO again.

I truly hate that this is a narrative that is still being pushed. It has big “boys will be boys” energy and it’s beyond unnecessary.

Rachel’s books feel very contemporary and she has a gift of making magic and witches seem so natural that it’s almost unbelievable that they’re not part of our reality. As a person who grew up surrounded by nature and has an irrational love for animals, this book is the epitome of comfort to my soul. Her writing is beautiful and with her words she created a vivid and rich atmosphere that makes for a very immersive reading experience.
•
My absolute favorite thing about this book was the connection of the MC with all the different animals. I also enjoyed the banter between Iris and Pike, and loved the evolution of their relationship. It’s just an absolute cozy read that I highly recommend! I’m a mood reader, and the mood not only relates to the genre but also with the time of year I read the books 😅 so if you’re like me I actually recommend you to read it in the autumn, because that’s definitely the vibe I got from the setting 😂
•
Wild is the Witch comes out next Tuesday, August 2nd, but I urge you to pre-order the book now, so you can contribute to the pre-order campaign from which part of the funds will go towards the care of Sequoia, a northern spotted owl (swipe to see how beautiful she is!).
•
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.