I got this eARC from NetGalley. Thank you to Source Fire Books and Rachel Griffin for allowing me to read and review WILD IS THE WITCH before its release.

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OVERVIEW
Magical Secrets
Enemies-to-lovers
Emotional Growth
Environmental Awareness
Cursing Boys
Secret Identity
TWILIGHT Reference
Lesbian Parents

There was nothing I wanted more than to read this book, and every part of me wanted to prolong the process as long as possible.

It is very easy to relate to Iris. I found so much sympathy for her family drama and the anxieties she has that cause her to keep her secrets. When she moved to the Pacific Northwest, there was no reason to share anything with anyone. She found Winter and the animal retreat, the only other thing she needs is for Pike to be done with his internship and out of her hair.

Her grandma obviously loved Iris for who she was, and even though it wasn’t shared, I know she must have taught her parts of her magic as well. You can see the family ties through her grandma, mom, and Sarah from giving it to the earth to homemade granola.

Although, when Iris gives some of her stress to the earth, it backfires because of the mischievous spotted owl. The owl forces Iris to make choices she never wanted to make and helps her become secure in who she is. (I think the owl is my favorite.)

Rachel gifted us with a story on how to love animals, difficult boys, and ourselves. WILD IS THE WITCH is a book I’m sure I’ll read over and over. If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy, do it now.


Goodreads - posted 2/17/22 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4259846267
Instagram - will be posted 2/22/22 https://www.instagram.com/lindseyschmitz_/

Iris is a witch. A lunar witch, to be precise, which means her magic has a special affinity with animals. This is rather helpful in her job at the wildlife refuge run by her mother in the Pacific Northwest. Iris lives in a world where witches are generally accepted, especially as their magic does not work the way it is portrayed in books or on TV/movies, and as magic cannot be used on another person without the person knowing about it. However, Iris has experienced what happens when people hate and fear witches. It was that experience that led her and her mother to move from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest, and why she hides the fact that she is a witch.

Iris's affinity with animals does not extend to humans, especially Pike Alder, the student intern at the wildlife refuge, who annoys and infuriates her. When Pike makes comments about hating witches, Iris becomes angry and afraid. In an attempt to calm herself down, Iris practices a ritual her grandmother taught her. She casts a spell that encapsulates her feelings and binds it to herbs, which she then burns -- like writing a letter never intended to be sent, but just writing down the feelings and thoughts provides an emotional release. In this case, the spell she casts is a curse on Pike, to turn him into a mage, the thing he would hate the most. However, when she goes to cast the spell into the herbs, a northern spotted owl flies between her and the stone circle with the herbs, and the curse gets attached to the owl instead. This owl has been hanging around Iris, and it almost seems like the owl interfered on purpose. Iris needs to capture the owl and remove the curse, because if the owl dies with the curse still on him, the curse will seek out Pike and likely kill him, because the sudden exposure to the magic around you is so overwhelming that you draw too much magic in and burn yourself up if not stopped. However, the owl flies away.

Iris's mother, Isobel, is also a lunar witch, and could help Iris, but Iris does not want to admit what she has done, hoping she can fix the problem. If an escaped curse is not bad enough, Iris soon realizes, looking through books on lunar magic, that the northern spotted owl is sacred to witches because it is a powerful amplifier of magic. So, if the owl dies, not only will the curse affect Pike, but it could affect anyone in the general area for miles around. Iris convinces her mother to let her search for the owl, on the premise that it is an endangered species, and it is injured (it was at the refuge due to an injured wing, although it had escaped its enclosure) and their responsibility, but on the condition that Pike accompanies her, as he is studying ornithology and as she cannot handle all the necessary gear on her own. Pike agrees to help, for a price. The next few days prove to be quite the adventure, as Pike and Iris get on each other's nerves; Iris has to hide her magical abilities, which proves difficult because of unforeseen events; Pike and Iris start opening up to each other and their relationship changes somewhat; and when things start to look promising and Iris thinks she just might succeed in capturing the owl (which they have named MacGuffin) and removing the curse, all hell breaks loose and Iris has to risk everything to save herself and Pike.

Iris and Pike are enjoyable characters, especially the way they antagonize each other and the contrasts in their personalities, but also their inner strengths. When they finally start opening up to each other, and Iris really listens to Pike, she discovers that Pike sees her in unexpected ways, and that his behavior at times is an effort to breakthrough her barriers. I also enjoyed the connection that Iris has with the animals, especially MacGuffin and Winter, a wolf at the refuge. The story has some very poignant moments, but also some rather humorous moments. "Wild is the Witch" is well worth reading.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I totally adored Wild Is the Witch! I read the author's debut novel, The Nature of Witches and loved it, but this book is even better. The characters were fleshed out and I felt connected to them. The plot was easy to follow. I enjoyed how the tension builds through the story. I found myself thoroughly engaged in this book and read it faster than most, because I was just that interested. I give it an easy 5 stars!!!

Wild is the Witch, by Rachel Griffin, is a magical and atmospheric book about a somewhat short-tempered witch who ends up on a literal wild goose chase(well, owl chase) through the Pacific Northwest when a curse she casts goes incredibly awry.
I absolutely loved this book! Amazing story, amazing world building, enemies-to-lovers romance…this one has it all! The heroine, Iris, is relatable and very human, despite her witchiness, and I enjoyed the voice and emotional rawness of her character tremendously. The male lead, Pike, is a stubborn but dreamy Ornithologist who will have you forever shipping “Iris + Pike”.
I’d recommend this book to ANYONE who enjoys a wonderful story full of great writing and a killer ending.
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks very much to SourceBooks and NetGalley for the Advanced Reading Copy. All opinions are my own.

I adored Rachel Griffin’s first book and was overly excited to learn that she had a new book being released soon! I squealed and texted a few people about it.

Wild is the Witch is set in a similar or maybe the same setting as The Nature of Witches. It’s not easy to tell, since none of the characters are in both books. In essence, this is an urban fantasy book; it is set in our current world but there are magical elements in the story.

Wild is the Witch follows Iris, a young witch who suffers from pretty bad anxiety. I can tell that she has clinical anxiety because reading her thoughts reminded me too much of my own and nearly sent me into a book. She worries constantly over every decision.

What an amazingly atmospheric and feel-good novel. If you’re looking for cozy and comforting witchy books then don’t miss this book. It's a great choice for adult and YA readers who love cozy contemporary YA fantasy and enemies-to-lovers stories. Great story, great characters, and a simple yet lush and brilliant setting.

Thank you for the ARC!

This book is beautiful, with a tragic and hopeful romance and magic at its core. Rachel creates a world so like our own, amplified by a magical system that can easily exist in our world. After making me sob at the ending, I couldn't help but realise she topped her debut novel, The Nature of Witches, so perfectly and if every book gets better, she will be an auto-buy author forever!

"What would he say if I were to tell him I cursed him? If I were to look him directly in the eye and tell him I'm a witch?"

Told from the perspective of Iris Gray, a witch that connects with animals, who was taught by her grandmother to give her troubles to the earth by creating spells, she accidentally loses sight of her curse on Pike. The curse goes into an owl and if she doesn't get the spell bound from the owl, to the earth, and it releases there will be so much fallout and she might lose her magic...

"Hope is a powerful thing, impossible to turn away from, a lighthouse on the rocky coast of the Pacific, and everything within him is reaching toward it."

Rachel Griffin does in this book what she does best: nature writing, atmosphere, and teen romance. This book is as beautiful as her debut and I'm looking forward to more from her!

Thank you SourceBooksFire and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rachel Griffin has done it again. She has blown me away with how beautiful her writing is. Wild is the Witch follows Iris, a young witch who has struggled with trusting others with her identity since she was forced to uproot her life after a tragedy surrounding her magic. Enter Pike, her colleague who takes absolutely nothing seriously and detests witches. After putting up with him for several months, Iris decides to take out her frustration the only way she knows how: through her magic. When a venting exercise goes wrong, Iris and Pike must work together to stop yet another magical tragedy from happening.

Set in the Pacific Northwest, Wild is the Witch is atmospheric to its very core. We see Iris' deep connection to her natural surroundings (her best friend is a wolf) and her empathetic soul through her magical abilities. She is complex, flawed, and yet, lovable, relatable. Pike is her opposite; unwilling to let things he can't control rob him of his agency. Together, they make an unlikely team... and couple. The romance in this book was quiet, subtle, and real in ways most YA books fail to grasp. Griffin crafts a story where no one is acting out of character, nothing in the plot happens out of left field; it leaves you feeling satisfied, yet yearning for more. This was an excellent sophomore release for Griffin and I'm so ecstatic to read more of her work.

Wild is the Witch is availble on August 2!

I loved Rachel Griffin's first book, so I came into Wild Is the Witch hopeful. I'm glad to report I wasn't disappointed. I loved these characters, the chemistry and how they grew. While this story used the familiar premise of love interests keeping a secret from the other one, it felt completely believable and complicated. It was so easy to root for these characters, and as a Pacific Northwest native, I love having the book take place there. And I love the way magic fits into this world. It doesn't solve every problem, and there are plenty of consequences for using it (good and bad.) Lots to love in this sophomore novel from Rachel Griffin! It was a joy to read.

This was my first novel by Rachel Griffin it has quickly made me a fan. This book delivers on everything a reader desires as you open the pages. Forced proximity, enemies to lovers, a bit of magic, emotional trauma, character development, and so much more.
Griffin types into creation a world of magic that is different but very comprehensible. This fast paced novel will leave you feeling every emotion and ready to purchase anything Griffin produces.

I ready The Nature of Witches las year, and it is easily in my top 5 books that I have ever read. Rachel Griffin reminded me that feelings can be a source of power and magic not to be ignored. So when Wild Is the Witch was announced, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I am so taken specifically with how magic cannot be created or destroyed, rather it is something that pulls in what already exists. I think this is so entirely relatable to our human experience as humans. To have an opportunity every day to find the magic in what is already here and where we already are. That is such a hopeful feeling. It is not often as readers that we get to read something that so deeply touches what's most dear to us (whether we admit it or not): our own hearts.

I was given this ARC by the publisher in return for an honest review, so thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this!!!

The sophomore novel by Rachel Griffin, we follow Iris, a witch, who accidentally placed a curse on her coworker/enemy after he made hurtful remarks about witches. Iris’ grandmother taught her to make spells and curses as ways to deal with her feelings, and then give them back to the Earth. But when Pike makes comments that were hurtful about witches, she does her same ritual, dealing with her feelings by making a curse. A curse to turn him into a witch, but something goes wrong and she was unable to cast it into the Earth, instead she must hunt down the owl that stole it and keep it from unleashing it into Pike. Little does she know, Pike will be joining her on her quest in the Pacific Northwest to find the owl, and she ends up seeing a whole different side of him.

I really enjoyed this book! The magic system was one of my favorite parts of it. I think it’s so cool having magic systems that deal with different aspects of the earth, like people, animals, and the earth itself. I wish there was a little more detail into the magic system so I could more understand it. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Iris and Pike, and I really enjoyed the ending of this book. Was this a groundbreaking read for me? No, but I definitely enjoyed it a lot and will continue to read more from this author. I rated it 3.25 stars.

I have a favorite YA author and it is Rachel Griffin. Her debut novel last year (Nature of Witches) was one of my favorite books of 2021. I recommended it to pretty much everyone I know. So when I saw that her newest novel was coming out this summer, I immediately preordered it and knew I needed it in my hands.

And this did not disappoint!

When Iris is forced to leave her hometown, her mom and Iris settle into the beautiful PNW! (Always love books based here!) They run a wildlife refuge where they use their magic to help connect and heal animals. Pike, the intern at the refuge, hates witches. Iris gets upset and accidentally almost curses him. She then proceeds to do everything in her power to stop the curse. It’s an enemies-to-lovers, only one tent, witchy romance and I loved every minute of it.

Griffin’s writing is just absolutely beautiful. It even makes me want to get outside and hike in the rain. And I hate hiking and the rain. (I know, I’m a bad PNWer…).

Read this if you like:
•atmospheric writing
•the PNW
•witches
•owls
•being one with natures, animals & hiking
•enemies to lovers

This book was incredible. I liked the authors debut Novel, The Natures of Witches, so I was excited when the publisher granted my wish on NetGalley! I love nature, owls, enemies to lovers, magic and animals so this book was perfect for me. Iris’ anxiety was portrayed in a good way. Both Pike and Iris were incredibly mature and logical, even when emotions were running high and secrets were coming to light. This book was so so easy to read. The writing was just as beautiful as the story. Don’t mind me, just over here waiting for Rachel Griffin to write another book. Be on the lookout for this one hitting shelves Aug 2. Thank you NetGalley & Sourcebooks fire for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher Sourcebooks Fire and netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

really liked this one. The idea of witches pulling their magic from the universe around them is interesting and I liked the characters and their development through the story. Set in the PNW, it’s moody and rich with descriptions that make you feel like you’re there.

Wild is the Witch captivated me from the first page. I loved the Pacific Northwest setting, the characters and the magic system. The descriptive writing pulls you right into the moment and you feel the wind against your skin and can smell the trees. The interaction with the animals was something else I loved about this story. I have always had a special place in my heart for owls and this book too, is going to hold a special place for me.

ARC Copy...Hmmm I like the world building and magic system of the witches which directly tied with nature (nature mood and feel was a big part of the narrative, I liked) plus it was nice to see at least with the protagonist's family, they use their powers to help their community.

I was so excited to be invited to read this through netgalley, because I loved The Nature of Witches. This book absolutely did not disappoint. Magic, nature, animals, and some enemies to lovers romance on top of it really made this a good time.