Thank you to the publisher, St Martin's Press, for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

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📚 - Adult Fantasy / Magical Realism / Contemporary / Mystery
📖 - 338 pages

This book was a little out of my normal High Fantasy genre, but still had enough elements of the supernatural, that I felt compelled to keep reading. It was a an easy read that flips between the POVs of the missing mother, leading up to the time of her disappearance and the two daughters who search for her. It's a winding tale that actually ends up in my neck of the woods, which was an added bonus. While at times, the book dealt with pretty heavy emotions and feelings, it had an overall whimsy or lightheartedness? This isn't a gritty or presing mystery, to be sure. The main characters are on an adventure to find their mother 5 years after her disappearance. I did love that the ending was a happy one and that both Finn and Nora seem to be back to their old selves.

I really did adore this book. It's one of those reads that you can like picture as a movie in your head. I thought the whole "we're a mystery" explanation was a cop out but it also added to the magic.

A beautiful story with a little bit of everything, general fiction, mystery, and sci-fi. The entire story is so well written and has stayed with me since I began this book. The way that the author wrote the characters and the bond between women was phenomenal. I was a little nervous about this one since it's not my typically genre, but I'm so glad that I stepped outside of my comfort zone and experienced the magic of this book.

The Wilderwomen deserves a higher rating for the writing and the plot, but I couldn't give it a higher rating because I lost steam at about the halfway mark. The mystery surrounding Nora Wilder's disappearance and the elements of magical realism kept the story moving forward. I especially enjoyed the alternating chapters between events leading to Nora's disappearance and the present. It helped build suspense around what might have happened and why one sister was more reluctant than the other to find their mother. While I drawn to the story of sisters with special abilities searching for their mother, it soon turned into "Let's chase after Finn." With one sister often looking for the other, it was difficult to reestablish the bond Finn and Zadie might have once had. This was one aspect of the story I was hoping for but found lacking. Readers who enjoy books that focus on family and fans of mysteries that have elements of magical realism may enjoy the novel.

A story of sisterhood, family, missing mothers and how it shapes us as women, The Wilderwomen told a beautiful, albeit sometimes haunting, tale about these things.

I really enjoyed this book as a whole. From the settings to the overall plot of the story I was really sucked in. Zadie and Finn were interesting but their powers being kind of intertwined sometimes made it hard to focus on who was POV we were reading. I liked how each kind of asked what does a family make and how they aren't alone when they think they are the loneliest.

The ending left me needed a bit more explanation as to what Noras powers were because I still didn't understand. But that being said I did still really love the ending too. I'd recommend this to a lot of people.

This book tore me apart on so many levels. It was harsh but tender, sarcastic but sweet, full of love and loss. Equal parts diametrically opposed. A mother goes missing, sisters are torn apart, Zadie, the older was of majority when Nora disappeared and has had to navigate so many difficult situations, not the least of which is losing her sister Finn to a foster home. She is not a warm and fuzzy character, not immediately likable. Despite Finn being in a loving environment all she can think about is Nora. And Nora, well we are not sure what has become of her. Each of the three women have a special gift even if at times it seems to be an unbearable burden. Each of the women love the other and each other beyond measure and that is why it is inexplicable and so fundamentally wrong when Nora walks down the driveway and out of her daughters’ lives. We are left to wonder why and finding that answer becomes everything.

I can’t even imagine the fear of realizing that you are losing yourself, trying to hold on to the minute knowing there is something so important that you must not forget, hold on, hold on and then succumbing to the fog and mist swirling in your brain. Zadie and Finn each have specific, special powers which may be able to help them locate Nora. A very interesting road trip is going to lead them in conflicting directions physically, mentally and spiritually. Zadie is not sure she ever wants to see and be hurt by her mother again. All Finn can think about is finding her mother. All Zadie wants is to help and be with her sister. We are not given the opportunity of seeing or understanding what Nora wants or is thinking. As the sisters travel, looking for their mother, they are forced to revisit flawed misconceptions and face some long hidden damaging truths.

The story is described as magical realism - Zadie’s suppression of her psychic abilities in large part due to her guilt about the day Nora left and Finn’s embracing her “echoes” of the memories of strangers which may lead her back to her mother leaves the door open for the possibility that having a sixth sense might not be magical just very special.

I am so glad I was gifted a copy of this well written and thought provoking book. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy.

Title: The Wilderwomen
Author: Ruth Emmie Lang
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5

Five years ago, Nora Wilder disappeared. The older of her two daughters, Zadie, should have seen it coming, because she can literally see things coming. But not even her psychic abilities were able to prevent their mother from vanishing one morning.

Zadie’s estranged younger sister, Finn, can’t see into the future, but she has an uncannily good memory, so good that she remembers not only her own memories, but the echoes of memories other people have left behind. On the afternoon of her graduation party, Finn is seized by an “echo” more powerful than anything she’s experienced before: a woman singing a song she recognizes, a song about a bird…

When Finn wakes up alone in an aviary with no idea of how she got there, she realizes who the memory belongs to: Nora.

Now, it’s up to Finn to convince her sister that not only is their mom still out there, but that she wants to be found. Against Zadie’s better judgement, she and Finn hit the highway, using Finn’s echoes to retrace Nora’s footsteps and uncover the answer to the question that has been haunting them for years: Why did she leave?

But the more time Finn spends in their mother’s past, the harder it is for her to return to the present, to return to herself. As Zadie feels her sister start to slip away, she will have to decide what lengths she is willing to go to to find their mother, knowing that if she chooses wrong, she could lose them both for good.

At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to like Zadie too much. She tended towards being self-absorbed and oblivious to how she hurt other people’s feelings. She grew on me a bit as she started to become—slightly—more self-aware. Finn seemed so young to me: doing everything on a whim and a prayer and not bothering to think a single thing through before leaping into thin air. I really enjoyed the sisters’ relationship, and became invested in their search for their mother and finding out what happened to her.

Ruth Emmie Lang was born in Scotland but now lives in Ohio. The Wilderwomen is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Enjoyable story of two sisters searching for their mom. Both sisters have extra abilities and suspect that their missing mother may have her own too. Nora walked out and drove away five years ago, abandoning her girls, Planning a visit with younger sister, Finn, changes from a beach graduation trip into a track down mom adventure. Hunting down Finn’s gifted echoes for clues. Their abilities enhance their journey and they meet many interesting people, learning more about themselves as they go.

What an imaginative and unusual story! Two grown daughters who were abandoned by their mother five years earlier, decide to go in search of her to find answers about the reason she left them.

Each daughter has an unusual psychic gift. Finn can remember the memories of other people and Zadie has premonitions that she has struggled to keep under control. Once the girls set off in search of their mother, the girls find that their gifts are useful on their journey.

What I liked about the book was the use of nature and imagery in the story. What I didn’t like was the slow pace and the seemingly redundant information interspersed throughout. A few questions were still left unanswered at the end, but overall I enjoyed the story and the characters were decent and interesting people.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. Im happy to give my honest review.

Five years ago, Zadie Wilder watched her mother Nora walk away one night out of hers and her sister, Finn’s, lives. Nora had been increasingly having trance-like states where she wandered off and stared up at the birds in the sky, losing all time and memory of these events. When she walked away that night, it was as if something unseen was leading her away.

Nora isn’t the only Wilder with strange abilities, though. Her two daughters have them as well. Zadie is psychic, though she resents the ability and suppresses it. Finn can sense other people’s memories during her own trance-like states called “echoes”.

It’s these abilities that Finn is banking on to help answer: What was happening with Nora and where did she go? Under the guise of going on a post-graduation beach vacation with Zadie, Finn tells her foster parents she’ll be back in a couple weeks. What follows is a cross-country fantastical adventure to track down their missing mother relying mainly on Finn’s echoes, which she seems to be getting more and more lost in by the day.

What I liked:

The writing. Ruth Emmie Lang does magical realism so well, which I love! She knows how to engage the reader in that sense of adventure and mystery which is just the fun escapism I need sometimes. It was like a vicarious vacation with Finn and Zadie to some great places!

The characters. The sisters are very different, but their love for each other showed and it was a nice balance of personalities. Along the way, they met so many fascinating and likeable characters, many of whom had special abilities of their own like hearing the music of the stars in the sky, communicating with trees, or being able to paint someone’s future. They added nice flavor to the story!

What I struggled a little with:

The plot. I didn’t dislike it, but I wasn’t crazy about it. The premise of a mom leaving her children for ANY reason is challenging. It set the stage for a decent road trip, but I don’t know how invested I felt in the girls finding Nora. It might have helped if we’d gotten to know her more.

The ending. After spending so much time on the journey with Finn and Zadie and enjoying so many of the characters they met along the way, the ending felt a bit anticlimactic and a little mundane by comparison. It also didn’t go far enough to explain why Nora left.

I loved Lang’s Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance which sits on my Favorites shelf. While I enjoyed this overall, I wasn’t drawn into this story quite as much. Nonetheless, I will always want to read everything she writes, and few authors can take me on the adventures she does!


★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)

This was a creative and intriguing story, and I liked the main characters. That being said, it was hard for me to stay invested. Maybe it moved a little slow, or the magical realism part got in the way, but it simply didn't draw me in.

Thank you to @stmartinspress for an eARC of this book! This is the first book that this author has published since Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance in 2017. This feels in line with the types of stories that I would expect from her based on that novel while also being a completely new story. I think I like Beasts slightly more, though this was still really good. In a way, this novel actually feels more intimate because in Beasts, we view our primary character through the perspectives of others for most of the book and that is not the case here.

Our story here is told from the perspectives mostly of Zadie and Finn. These two are sisters who were left by their mother when they were younger. Zadie was 18 when their mom left, so she had to figure out adult life on her own. Finn was put into foster care with a good family who becomes eventually interested in adopting her. At the start of our book, Finn is now 18 and Zadie is 23. They decide to go on a trip to find their mom.

There is some magical realism in the story, as both sisters have psychic powers. Zadie gets vague premonitions and Finn can experience “echos” of memories of other people. I think the way that they struggle with these powers is woven into the story well. I usually prefer more realistic stories, but this felt mostly grounded in the reality and the relationships, with some twists to reality.

I’m not sure I fully loved how the ending resolved and wanted a little more there, but otherwise, I thought this was a good read about sisterhood, family, and love. If you’ve read this, let me know what you thought!

This book was not for me. I thought it was going to be one thing and it turned out to be something else. Doesn't mean it's not for everyone, I just couldn't get into it.

The WIlderwomen is a hard book to describe. It's a combination of women's fiction, magical realism, and family drama all rolled into one truly memorable story. The story follows sisters Zadie and Finn as they embark on a journey to find their mother who disappeared 5 years earlier. Finn uses her psychic ability of echoes, in which is able to see other people's memories, in hopes to find where her mother has been and where she may have ended up.

I loved all of the characters they end up meeting along the way and who helps them along their journey. It was a beautifully written story with a fabulous ending. Definitely recommend.

4/5 stars.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the #gifted eARC!

I love anything where the characters have a sixth sense, This story kept me hooked because I was invested with them on their search for their mother. Definitely a book I’d recommend and and author I’d read again.

I really enjoyed this book! The story is of two young girls, both with different special psychic gifts, who go on a search for their mother who walked out of their lives 5 years previously and was never seen or heard from again. I don't want to give too many spoilers so I will leave it at that for the plotline. The characters they met along the way were all interesting and helped build on the mystery solving, and odyssey kind of story. I felt like each one of them, or the little groups they encountered could have their own book or novella with more stories to tell. I will definitely be seeking out more books from this author.

"It occurred to Finn that their mom’s gift— if that’s what it was— was a lot like sleepwalking. Where did she go in those in -between moments? Did she go backward as Finn did or forward like Zadie? Or did she lose time because she was somewhere in her own head, somewhere no one could follow?"

We follow two sisters, Zadie and her estranged younger sister Finn as they try to find their missing mother Nora. The women all share a gift, I here they can sense the memories of other people as echoes. Finn is overcome by what she believes to be an echo from her mother, and is convinced that they can use this to hunt her down.

Although there's obviously a magical realism element the story is grounded and stays focused on their dysfunctional family.

My one big criticism is that it's a bit too YA for my taste.

Overall 3.5 stars. Thank you St Martin's Press and netgalley for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You know that feeling when you finish a book, but the characters are still taking up space in your head for days afterwards? The Wilderwomen is one of those books. This book is a coming of age story with a dash of mystery and dollop of magical realism.
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It’s been five years since Nora Wilder disappeared. She abandoned her two daughters, but they always sensed there was more to the story. Zadie, her oldest, gets psychic premonitions, while Finn has visions (echoes) of the past. When eighteen-year-old Finn has a powerful echo of their mother, the two sisters decide to embark on a road trip to find her with Finn’s echoes as their guide. But the visions take a toll on Finn. Will the sisters find their mother before it’s too late?
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This is a tender story about sisterhood and magic related to a larger shared consciousness with the world around us. There are so many beautiful lines I highlighted, moments that snuck up on me and made me suddenly choke up. Perfect fall cozy family mystery 🧡.
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Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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The Wilderwomen - Ruth Emmie Lang
4.5/5⭐️

I went in blind with The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang. I think I enjoyed it even more so that if I knew what I was getting into! I'm not too into magical realism so I probably would have skipped over this one. But I DO judge a book by it's cover and the cover really drew me in. In The Wilderwomen, Nora disappears, and her daughters, Zadie and Finn take on the incredible journey of trying to figure out why she left and where she went. There are many twists and turns in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

An atmospheric book filled with magical realism. It’s a unique story about two sisters, Finn and Zadie, who take a road trip looking for their mother, Nora. Nora disappeared five years ago and the two sisters both have a “sixth sense.” Zadie is psychic and Finn can feel other people’s memories. Finn uses her mother’s memories to guide them on their journey.

The book is filled with family drama, magic and a little bit of fantasy and sci-fi. It was such a different and interesting read that I couldn’t put the book down. The characters were enchanting and the plot was filled with all the emotions – hope, suspense, sadness and happiness. It was a beautiful story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.