Rachel Griffin has outdone herself again with another beautifully written nature story. I absolutely loved Wild Is the Witch. I loved Iris and that her best friend was a wolf named Winter. I loved the Pacific Northwest setting and how descriptive everything to do with nature was. I truly felt the magic seeping out of the book and could picture everything the author was describing. I liked the storyline with the curse and the Northern Spotted Owl and thought it was really cool what a big part of the book the owl was. He was a character in and of himself and I enjoyed that the author made him an amplifier of magic since they are such sacred owls. This book was definitely more of a slower pace than I enjoy but the author makes it work through her magical storytelling and earthly elements. Anyone who loved The Nature of Witches won't be disappointed by Wild Is the Witch!

Another incredible witchy story by Rachel Griffin!!! I absolutely adored this book with every fiber of my being. Set in the Pacific Northwest at a wild animal refuge, Iris and her mom are starting their lives over after a tragic magical incident gone wrong back in their old town. We follow Iris and her annoying but funny adversary, Pike, as they learn to be vulnerable and let people close to them when they never thought they would ever be able to again. A camping trip to rescue an owl who is injured and escaped forces them to face their fears and overcome. Iris and Pike are incredibly relatable characters with a complexity that will help all readers relate in some way. The atmosphere is exactly what you would expect for being set in the Pacific Northwest, but intertwined with the best witchy touches. It’s a more realistic magical read, with a strong plot and perfect atmosphere to escape into. I devoured this book in two days, and now have no clue what to do with my life. Rachel I need more books!!!

The world of Wild is the Witch is a world where everyone knows witches exist. There are laws governing what witches are and aren't allowed to do with their magic, but for the most part, witches coexist peacefully with humans. I thought this was a really unique concept, since most YA books dealing with witches or other supernatural beings make it clear that absolutely no one can know about them. So this was a fun deviation from the plot of most YA books.
I really liked Iris as a character; I appreciated her devotion to and love of animals, and I liked how determined she was. Her banter with Pike was absolutely hilarious, and once they got to the woods and Pike opened up more, I liked him a lot too.

A truly compelling narrative. After I read, and loved, the author’s debut “The Nature of Witches” I was excited to receive an e-ARC of her latest novel. Iris and Pike are dynamic and rounded characters, whose personalities draw the reader in, forcing you to root for both of them.

The plot’s premise is intriguing, and this is a novel that is very hard to put down. A fantastic read that I am excited to discuss with students, and to use as a First Chapter Friday once it is released to hopefully get some of our students hooked too.

I have strong mixed feelings about this book. I found the development of Iris’s background and the context of how witches are known in their world to be well done and interesting. I thought the transition from enemies to romantic interest was charming and that Iris’s anxiety was portrayed well. I was enthralled for the first 90% of the book. But I did not appreciate as a reader that Pike was cursed and that she was teaching him how to become a mage. I had hoped the curse would be lifted. I was angry to see him forced to become what he feared and resented and then see her being the one to teach him and then being together. I think that is very toxic. It was a very upsetting conclusion to an otherwise enjoyable book.

After a devastating accident two years ago, Iris Grey is determined to keep her identity a secret from anyone that could possibly threaten her and her mother’s happiness in their new home. Trouble is, she’s a witch. And loves being a witch. And when Pike the intern makes snide comments and angry words concerning witches, she does something about it. In a ritual to “give to the earth” she writes a curse - turn Pike into a witch - but before she can finish it an owl swoops in and carries the curse away into the woods. Iris and Pike must then go after this bird and bring him back to the refuge before he unleashes the curse he carries!

This was so good. Iris’s anxiety plays a huge part on this story and honestly it was nice to read about a main character that struggles with the same issues that I do. I loved this so much and so many amazing quotes!

What a perfect Sunday afternoon story full of nature, wildlife, magic and love. It is a family film waiting to happen. The enemies to lovers trope was set out so well, that you finally didn't hate Pike. Nature magic at its purest, animals at the forefront of the story and a full circle by the end of the book turned a sad occasion happy.

Wild is the Witch is another beautiful YA contemporary fantasy by Rachel Griffin. I loved how Griffin creates a compelling magical world and uses it to tell a quiet, yet complex and riveting story between Iris and Pike. The way their relationship grows as they race through the woods in search of the owl offers a delicate unspooling of enemies to lovers and you can't help but root for them to find their way to each other. The writing is atmospheric and magical, as is Griffin's world, and the anxiety and grief rep felt real and palpable. I will be recommending this book to everyone!

I devoured Rachel’s first book and I was so excited when I was allowed to read an arc of Wild Is The Witch. (Thank you NetGalley and FireReads). I was not disappointed and finished this one just as quickly. I love how witches are worked into regular life and how nature is revered. . The story broke my heart a little but I read the last page with a smile on my face.

ARC from NetGalley - I really enjoyed this one! Griffin has a great balance of nature and human connection here, as her descriptions made me feel like I was there with Iris and Pike. I will definitely recommend !

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙:
Pacific Northwest/mountain setting
One bed (ahem…tent) trope
Enemies to lovers
Witches with a deep connection to nature

𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
I read this book in one sitting on a Sunday afternoon and just loved it. The PNW is seriously my favorite place to hike every summer, and this book transported me back to the gorgeous mountains of Washington. The descriptions are so vivid and I really felt the connection to nature throughout the book.

The enemies to lovers romance (by way of the one tent trope) is always one of my favorite stories. I love how Iris begins to see pieces of Pike that don’t line up with her previous opinion of him, and the realization that he is a good person happens slowly over time. Iris feels everything around her so deeply, and her character journey felt very genuine.

Overall, the majority of the book takes place throughout about a week or less. I almost wish that timeline had been a little more spread out to allow deeper feelings to develop in their relationship. Other than that, I absolutely enjoyed this read and am still such a huge Rachel Griffin fan!

I have loved Rachel's debut novel too, but this book has absolutely amazed me. Rachel managed to craft such an amazing magic system that made me become speechless. The witches can't create or do magic without the magic that is already around us, and I am so in love with this sstem.

About the romantic part of the book, Pike is such an amazing book boyfriend, he is kind and caring, he would do anything for the people he loves, and wow, my heart. I started sobbing starting at the 25th chapter, and haven't stopped until the last sentence. This book got me completely destroyed. So please please if you are looking for an emotional rollercoaster book that will leave you in pieces then definitely pick this book up.

So if you like magic, witches, emotional rollercoaster, only one tent, camping in the forest, following an owl, cute love stories do not hesitate and order this book.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and the world it was set in. The magical world created felt very natural and possible which is always a good thing! The characters were strong and I cared about their journey. Would recommend.

Where do I even begin to review this book? Just everything about this was my cup of tea. I loved the tie between the magic and nature, the characters were complex and had that witty banter that everyone seem to swoon over. This wasn't just a shallow contemporary romance like so many other books out there, this had depth and real issues. It dealt with grief and anxiety in ways that seem raw and real. And the writing style alone deserves a 5 star rating. The way Rachel Griffin strings words together form the most beautiful sentences and I cannot get enough.

thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

I wish I could give this more than five stars

this book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it exceeded my expectations; it was so, so good. the nature of witches set a high standard, but wild is the witch met (maybe even surpassed) that. rachel griffin’s writing is absolutely amazing. her ability to create and describe the setting in her stories is astounding and her writing is so atmospheric, it’s like you’re actually inside of the book! I have a hard time picturing the setting in books while I’m reading, but it’s easy to when it’s rachel griffin’s writing.

wild is the witch follows iris, a witch, as she goes on a hunt with pike alder, the intern at her mother’s animal refuge, to find an owl that stole a curse that was never meant to get away from her to begin with. iris must find the owl and catch the curse, or else pike - and everyone in the surrounding area - will be in dire danger.

I loved everything about this book. the setting, the characters, the banter, the plotline, the magic system, everything. The setting was described extremely well; it was easy to picture and feel, and it was perfect. the main characters, iris and pike, were great. the relationship between iris and pike was very well-written, and I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow. the plotline never got slow, and the book was very fast-paced. it was very entertaining, and something was always happening! on top of that, the magic system was really unique, and I really loved it. the enemies to lovers trope in this book was executed perfectly, and I would definitely recommend this book :)

I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to get an E-ARC of this book, and I was certainly not disappointed by it. Let me start off with saying that the vibes were absolutely immaculate. Within the first couple of pages I was completely drawn into the atmosphere of this book, and I wanted to cozy up and dive into the pages until I finished it.
You know how everyone has a weird thing they were obsessed with in middle school? Mine was owls, so 12 year old Sara was living for that aspect of this story. I fell so wholeheartedly into this book because I was so captivated by the magic Iris has to communicate with animals. She’s a much cooler version of Dr. Dolittle.
Oh and don’t get me started on the hate to love relationship with her and Pike. The way their chemistry built throughout the book was swoon worthy. I also enjoyed the little snippets we got or Iris’ mother and Sarah’s relationship.
I cannot wait for this book to officially come out to see what everyone else thinks of it.

I loved the vibes of the pacific northwest, combined with witchy-ness. The enemies to lovers storyline sucked me in. I stayed up all night and couldn't stop reading.

Having had to flee her family home after a deadly accident that almost lost her her magic, Iris Gray vows to keep her magic a secret. Instead, she writes fake curses and binds them to herbs, meant to burn away, taking her anger with them. But when a curse against an annoying coworker goes wrong, stolen by an owl before it can be bound to the herbs, the clock starts to countdown. If the owl dies, the curse will be unleashed, setting forth a series of untold tragedies.

I never expected to be gifted this book to review, and I was super excited to see it on my NetGalley shelf. I loved Rachel Griffin’s debut novel and had the highest of hopes for this one.

The world building and magic system in this book are well written. You can almost picture yourself in the PNW, full of its rainy days and mysterious forests. The magic system, like Griffin’s last novel, is clearly explained and fairly unique to more witch books I’ve read.

I found the characters quite boring and their relationship just felt expected. Iris felt like a duplicate of the MC in Griffin’s debut. I wanted to see more originality with the characters. I also was disappointed by the ending of the book. There was so much build up and I felt entirely let down by it.

Overall, the book had great potential but was just okay.

Wild Is the Witch is one my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint!! I can’t wait to have a physical copy of this gem.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!! and thank you Rachel Griffin for another beautiful story. I loved this book so much I don’t have words, the magic system is so unique and beautiful, there is stunning nature imagery, great character development, some lgbtq+ rep, swoon worthy romance and there is ONE tent. Preorder this book, you won’t regret it !!
ugh *chefs kiss

I recieved this eARC from NetGalley. Huge thank you to Source Fire Books and Rachel Griffin for allowing me to read and review the ARC of Wild Is The Witch!
I found this book to be extremely comforting. The writing is absolutely stunning and the atmosphere is so rich and vivid. The whole experience is very immersive. Being immersed with nature and animals made for such an enjoyable and comforting reading time.
I was also blown away by how natural Witches fit into this world. This reads a lot like a contemporary and it feels like these kinds of witches are a normal thing in our lives. It just into place so well and i think thats a very hard thing to do. Especially when its set in our own world. But Rachel Griffin did it and she did it well!
However, because this did feel more like a contemporary, i was left feeling a little bummed. Thats not to say this isnt a good book. I just didnt get what i wanted to get out of it. I was hoping for way more witchy vibes/ fantasy scenes. (Which there are, it just was done in a more contemporary way.) I guess i was expecting this to be way more fantasy and plot filled and it wasnt. This is actually very much character based.
I will say, if youre a contemporary reader and are afraid of fantasy, this would probably be a great place for you to start. I would also recommend this to anyone who likes green witches and contemporary novels!
This may have been a 3 star for me but its an objective 4 star. So im settling on a 3.5! :)