Ruth Emmie Lang explores family relationships with a solid dose of magical realism in her new book, The Wilderwomen. It’s a sweet and engaging exploration of sisterhood and the complications inherent in mother-daughter connections.

Lang’s primary voices are two sisters. Zadie is a twenty-something young woman on the cusp of many changes. She’s trying to finish college, manage a boyfriend, and stay connected to her younger sister, Finn. Since their mother, Nora, disappeared five years ago, Finn has been in foster care with a loving and well-off family. She’s a new high school graduate with a bright future ahead of her. So, the sisters plan a beach getaway to celebrate.

But they also can’t leave the mystery of what happened to their mother behind. It haunts them every day. And for Finn, that haunting is in the form of external memories she feels as if they were her own. Standing in a particular place, for example, Finn often feels the memories of other people who’ve also stood there. And now she has memories that feel like Nora’s.

Zadie resists her uncommon abilities, psychic predictions that aren’t always clear. Yet, she can’t ignore what’s happening to Finn. So the beach trip becomes a wide-ranging adventure in search of Nora.

My conclusions
Lang develops both Zadie and Finn with care and kindness. They’re two lost young women searching for their mother’s anchoring presence. She explores the psychological effects of abandonment with gentle subtlety.

Zadie’s response to Nora’s flight is to develop more walls and keep others out. Because she’s the younger sibling, Finn relies on Zadie. On the other hand, she experiences positive parenting because of her loving foster family. I wish more foster families were this kind in real life.

The explanation for Nora’s disappearance is unfurled slowly. Lang slowly exposes small pieces of the answer, effectively increasing the suspense.

As the sisters travel, the people they meet are unique and offer them new vistas. Again, Lang delves into creative magical realism here. She walks the edge between wild ideas and somewhat likely possibilities. And the effect is delicious.

This is my first venture into the world of Ruth Emmie Lang’s writing. It won’t be my last.

Acknowledgments
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review. The expected publication date for this book is November 15, 2022.

4.5⭐️ rounded up to 5!

I was approved for this eARC in May. I put it off time after time but finally picked it up today when I realized the release date is soon (lifelong procrastinator over here, please don't judge).

Well, I am so upset that I put it off as long as I did. I devoured it in a day! When I wasn't reading it, I was counting down the moments until I could pick it up again.

I was so enthralled by what was going on because it's a bit sci-fi/fantasy stuff that I don't read much of, but definitely will be in the future. There aren't witches, faeries, or anything along those lines. It's just a really unique plot that I absolutely loved! I found myself legitimately laughing at times because Zadie and Finn are so sarcastic. I could relate to both of them so well.

My only reason for taking off a half star was Zadie was annoying at times, but it was so minuscule to the big picture.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I think it's a beautiful love story about the relationships between sisters and the relationship between daughters and mothers.

Ruth Emmie Lang wrote a predictable tale of two young girls in search of meaning as they search for their lost mother who abandoned them. It had promise, but didn't always deliver or keep the reader wanting to finish the story.

This mystical, beautiful novel is for the lovers of family tales with beautiful emotional depth. It's a stunning tale of identity, of familial bonds, of spirituality and mysticism. If you want a beautiful, poignant story, "The Wilderwomen" is the book for you.

This book was a wonderfully character driven story with elements of fantasy and mystery. It kept me engaged, always trying to figure out what would happen next. This book kept me guessing until the very end! I loved that the story focused on in women that were uniquely independent but still connected and vulnerable. I would have liked a little more explanation regarding the “gifts” these women had, but overall I loved this story and the magical realism it embodies.

I loved Ruth Emmie Lang’s debut novel, Beasts Of Extraordinary Circumstance, so was thrilled when St Martin’s Press reached out with an ARC of her new book, The Wilderwomen. Lang stays true to what I loved about Beasts and upped her game.

The Wilderwomen is a genre bending story, combining elements of paranormal, mystery, and magical realism. This is a story of a family where women have a sixth sense, of a mother who was lost to her daughters and their search for her five years later.

Told between present day and flashbacks, sisters Zadie and Finn go on a journey to find out what really became of their mother, Nora. Ruth Emmie Lang is really in her element as Zadie and Finn travel from Texas through the Arizona desert. Each location is so unique, and it’s own character. The tension between the sisters is palpable, as is the desire to trust and rebuild a close relationship. I loved Zadie’s arc from carrying the burden of past knowledge, feeling helpless to help Finn, anger at Nora, that comes to a very satisfying resolution (spoiler free!). The blending of generational family mystery with a touch of paranormal/sixth sense was done seamlessly. This was a perfect fit for my reading year that has been stacked full of great women’s stories!

I recommend The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang for lovers of of her previous book, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances, those that enjoy magical realism with a mystery, perfect for readers of Sarah Addison Allen’s Other Birds.

I have been waiting so long for a Ruth Emmie Lang book. When I told my husband that the author of Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances had a book coming out, he said, “Have you ordered it yet?” Yes, I have. The Wilderwomen, or Wilder family, are pretty special. Nora, the mother, thinks she may be a bird. She is close to her two girls, Zadie and Finn in a way that single parents often are-there is a special relationship when you only have each other. And then, when Zadie was 18, Nora just walked out of the house and never returned.

Six years later and Zadie is packing her things, too. She is leaving her boyfriend because she cannot find a place she feels sad and comfortable. She is still trying to overcome the loss of her mother. And she is pregnant. And she is psychic. When her mother left, she lost everything. Her sister went into foster care and she floated along trying to find her way. She is angry and lost.

Finn is much more well-adjusted. At least on the surface. She doesn’t see her older sister much, but she has a loving foster family. Her grades are good. She is popular, She is athletic. She also has special abilities. Finn is not doing as well as everyone thinks, though.

When she graduates high school she and Zadie plan a week at the beach before Finn is off to college. Finn has other plans. Finn wants to use their gifts to find their mom. The two set off on a wandering adventure to follow Nora’s long ago footsteps. Along the way, they meet the kind of beautiful characters you would want to meet on such an adventure. Kind people and special people.

The Wilderwomen is a touching story about family and the ties that bind regardless of time or distance. I absolutely loved this story and these people. I feel pretty honored to have been part of their lives..

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang follows two sisters, Zadie and Finn, as they go on a quest to find their mother who disappeared years ago.

I enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters. To be honest, I think I was more invested in the relationship between the sisters than their quest to find their mother (and whether or not they actually would).

I thought that many of the plot points came about in a relatively convenient way, which kind of annoyed me. Zadie can see the future and Finn has these flashbacks of other people's memories, so between the two of them they were able to find clues as to where their mother went in every location they arrived at. Conveniently, the diner they ate at triggered a memory which helped them on their quest or Zadie can see the future so she was able to figure out some problem. It took a lot of tension out of situations that should have provided the book with tension.

The book was very well-written and had some beautiful passages, which I appreciated.

Overall, I thought this was an entertaining book that blended genres to provide a family drama and mystery with a sci-fi twist. I'd say a solid 3.5/5.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre : witchy family drama
I can’t believe I forgot I had this one on NetGalley!
Sisters. One a psychic. One who sees echoes of memories. Both searching for their mom who seemingly left them behind. Both hiding secrets of their own. A road trip to reconnect and find the woman who broke their hearts has some unexpected turns and challenges along the way.
I really enjoyed this one. I’m a sucker for witchy books, I just wish the witchy was embraced more in this one. All in all I enjoyed it, though!
Thanks so much, NetGalley!
Have you read this one yet? What did you think?

The following review was posted on my blog tomorrow, Sunday, November 13, 2 days before publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram between today and the day of publication, and has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.






“The birds are singing… I’m here to stay.”

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Spicy Meter: N/A, it’s clean
Content Warning: It revolves around parental abandonment, but also includes car accident, pregnancy, and injury details.

“The Wilderwomen” follows, well, the Wilder women—Nora, and her daughters, Zadie and Finn. Well, it mostly follow Zadie and Finn, as Nora has been missing for the last 5 years. But Zadie and Finn aren’t your normal 23- and 17-year-olds, respectively—they’re somewhat magical. Zadie can see the future (of sorts), while Finn can relive other people’s memories, something they call “echoes”. So when, after being missing for so long, Finn can sense an echo from their mom, she convinces Zadie to go on a roadtrip, as she’s sure Nora wants to be found.

I feel like I could’ve enjoyed this book more at another point in my life. For instance, a year ago, I loved reading some nonsensical magical realism (I’ll blame it on me rewatching Jane The Virgin), but right now it just didn’t resonate with me.

Don’t get me wrong, “The Wilderwomen” is exceptionally well-written, and will keep you hooked, I just felt like I wasn’t fulfilled after reading this book.

Zadie and Finn are very likable characters, but I couldn’t care less about Nora, so I was just annoyed half the time. I liked the Sixes, the people who have a sixth sense, that they met in their roadtrip. I loved loved loved the writing. I just didn’t love the story as a whole.

I would recommend this book to readers looking for an escape, a magical read that’ll make you question if you’re the sane one or if magic is really real. If you’ve enjoyed other magical realism reads like “The House in the Cerulean Sea” by T.J. Klune or “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig (which also has a character named Nora, lol), then you’ll love “The Wilderwomen”.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: November 15, 2022

Well this did not go as planned. After reading this authors first book and loving it. I thought this would be a good read. However no that is not the case.

This book was lacking in spark for me. I needed something to keep me invested. I needed something more. Instead I felt so confused and misguided during this read. The flashbacks and glimpses along the story line was fitting for the story sure but as a reader I needed something to guide me. I get the characters were lost and struggling to find their way but I didn’t need to be as a reader. Give me some stability to carry to the next page.

I know there is going to be readers out there was adore this and the artful way it was written. But for this reader it just didn’t fulfill what I needed. I am taking nothing away.

This story is about 2 sisters lost in the world not only struggling to find themselves but also needing to fill a hole their mother left in them when she abandoned them. This is sort of a coming of age book. A moment for discovery.

More magic realism for more fictional reader and less for fantasy reader.

In short:
Did I like it ? No.
Would I recommend it? I don’t think so.
Would I read more by this author? I will be wary if I do.

I have nothing but positive things to say about the writer's previous book, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, and I was crossing my fingers that The Wilderwomen would be just as whimsical and charming. This one was enjoyable too, even though it didn't give me that same spark.

In this book, Nora Wilder walks out of her house and disappears from the lives of her daughters, Zadie and Finn. For five years, the girls lived separate lives - Zadie, post-break up and newly pregnant, and Finn, a high school graduate living with foster parents. The siblings venture on a road trip to use their "sixth senses" (one's a psychic and one hears echoes of people's memories) with the hope of locating their mother.

I loved the premise of the book and found the daughters' powers an inventive tool to move the story along. The book felt a little YA to me (not a bad thing, just unexpected), and the ending felt slightly rushed and not totally satisfying. But still, I liked tagging along on their journey, and the side characters were a highlight.

I often go into books blind, but in this case, I went into The Wilderwomen knowing that it was going to involve magical realism. That's often a tricky genre for me, because if too much suspension of disbelief is required of me, I sometimes struggle with the book. And I have to admit that I have no idea if this is being classified as a YA book, but it definitely read like YA, which is not one of my favorite genres, either. That is not the fault of the book, that is my fault for not researching better, as I hadn't seen the genre specifically noted anywhere before I read it and simply assumed it was just magical realism

So that being said, I found The Wilderwomen to be really engaging, an easy read, and one that I tore through pretty quickly. It definitely kept my interest and had my mind trying to come up with different explanations of what happened to Nora. However, it really did require a lot of suspension of disbelief, and not just with the magical realism parts, which is why I think I didn't love the book. Things happened a little too conveniently at times, and I understand that to a certain degree that's necessary to move the story along, but it did have me rolling my eyes at times. As for the magical realism, I was mostly able to accept it as part of the story without it causing my interest to wane.

And this is not a spoiler, but I will say that I found the big "reveal" to be a bit of a disappointment. It tied everything together and I suppose it explained the events that led up to that point, but I found it to be pretty anti-climactic and a bit of a letdown. I can't say what ending would've felt better to me, I just didn't feel like the payoff was really there in this case. It also felt that parts of the story that could have really packed an emotional punch were lacking that. When I read the synopsis, I expected it to move me in a way other books with slightly similar storylines did, but that was not the case with this one.

I do think that people who love YA and magical realism will probably adore this book. For me, I am giving it three stars, which means "I liked it".

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

📚 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰- The Wilder Women (Publishes November 15th)⁣
𝘉𝘺 𝘙𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘌𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘨⁣
⭐⭐⭐⭐️ (4/5)⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐆𝐢𝐬𝐭": Zadie is psychic and Finn gets "echoes" (snippets of other people's memories). Five years ago, their mother left and never came home. Now, for the first time ever, Finn has picked up on one of her mother's "echoes" and is convinced that not only does her mother WANT to be found, it's up to her and Zadie to find her and bring her home. ⁣
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𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 💭: This one starts as a nice, slow burn. It 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 take a while to build up to the action. The dialogue is on the cheesy side at the beginning, but it's probably pretty accurate for sisters like Zadie and Finn who have lost touch in recent years.⁣
⁣
By the 45% mark, the story picks up and falls into a really nice groove. Though it took me a while to connect to the sisters, by the halfway point, I was right there on their journey with them, rooting them on and biting my nails when things got dicey. ⁣
⁣
I ended up really enjoying this one!⁣
⁣
Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review!⁣
⁣
You can get this on November 15th or grab it as a Book of The Month choice for November! ⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝗪𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐞 👍:⁣⁣⁣⁣
- Chapter names! Why do we never see chapter names anymore? I love them!⁣
- Joel was a really fun character who added some much-needed comic relief. I really enjoyed the banter between the three of them and thought the contrast of how Zadie treated Joel vs how Finn treated Joel was really well done.⁣
⁣⁣⁣- The eclectic characters they meet along the way. ⁣
⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 👎:⁣⁣⁣⁣
- I do wish the beginning would have had a better pace and hooked me a bit sooner!⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 📖: You like books involving magical realism; you love birds and karaoke ❤️⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: PG-13 (for mild language)⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐧 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐟 📖: ⁣⁣⁣⁣
Will keep in my library and recommend to those I think will enjoy it. 😊

Five years ago, Zadie and Finn's mom, Nora walked out of their lives without a trace. Now that Finn has graduated high school and her foster parents are offering adoption, she's decided that she has to find out what happened to her mom before she can move on. Zadie, still harboring a lot of anger and resentment about her mother's disappearance but also worried about losing her sister as well, grudgingly agrees to Finn's plan. Both girls have supernatural powers - Finn can see the past and Zadie the future - but as Finn uses her gift more and more frequently in the search for their mother, Zadie can see Finn is starting to lose herself in a way eerily reminiscent of their mother before she disappeared.

The magic of this world is varied and mysterious, encompassing everything from talking to trees, hearing the music of the stars, and cryptic flashes of the future. While Zadie and Finn are fairly well developed characters, they are somewhat upstaged by the secondary characters they meet along the way who have fascinating magics of their own that beg for more exploration. The storytelling structure, with flashbacks into the time leading up to Nora's disappearance and Finn's ability to read memory echoes, provides a lot of depth to the sister's experience while also building towards the resolution and explanation for why Nora left them. However, I found the core story less engaging than the smaller stories of the people Zadie and Finn met along the way and I would like to read more about the magic in the world Lang created.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Wilderwomen early in exchange for an honest review.

Five years ago, Zadie and Finn's lives changed forever when their mother disappeared. One thing they (Zadie more than Finn) try to keep hidden are their abilities. They both have a special gift...Finn can feel and see other peoples' memories, or echoes, and Zadie can look into the future. As time wears on, Finn and Zadie end up estranged, but Zadie is still invited to celebrate Finn's graduation. Then, at said party, Finn is taken by an echo that's stronger than anything she's ever experienced. And suddenly she realizes it is her mothers' memory. Convinced she's out in the world somewhere, wanting to be found, Finn decides to go find her. Zadie, against all her instincts, goes along for the ride. All they have to go on is Finn's gift, what's the worst that could happen?

What a beautiful, surprising, haunting and wholesome book this was. This one, and the charming characters, didn't take long to cast me under it's spell. I loved it from the beginning and Ms. Lang's writing really sold every aspect of the story. The storytelling was fluid and moving, the language was poetic and all the characters were perfectly quirky. The journey was such a lovely one to experience as it unfolded that I, a lot of the time, didn't want it to end. What a wonderful story about relationships, family dynamics and sisterhood it was. I cannot say enough good things about this one. If you like anything that has to do with a curious mystery, family dynamics and drama and a pretty big dash of magical realism - this is a must read!

Wow! This was one of my favorite reads of the year - and that says a lot, because I read a lot and its November! Loved the characters, loved the story. Complex characters and a sense of wanderlust and adventure, tied with the realism of the complexity of families kept me reading, and when I couldn't read, thinking of the characters. Love, love, love! What a beautiful story.

The Wilderwomen by Emmie Lang
Rating: 4 stars
Pub Date: 11/15

The Wilderwomen is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. Its magical realism meets women’s fiction mixed with coming of age and a dash of mystery. I really enjoyed getting to follow along with Zadie and Finn on their adventure and I’m excited to have found a new auto-buy author in Ruth Emmie Lang.

The Wilder sisters have grown apart since their mother Nora’s disappearance five years ago. Finn had to go into foster care because she was only 13 when it happened and Zadie had only just turned 18 and was too young to care for anyone else. The girls have abilities that they keep hidden from the world (Zadie is psychic and Finn can feel people’s memories) but on the day of Finn’s high school graduation party, she feels a memory of her mother singing a song about birds and makes the decision to go and look for her. The girls head out on a road trip that will teach them as much about themselves as it does about why their mother disappeared.

This story hit me right in the feels. I loved the dynamic between the girls and their mother which made it difficult to watch their relationship unravel. The multiple POVs and flashbacks to the past show us that Nora had a big secret that she wasn't sharing, and whatever it was was the real reason she left. It’s clear that she truly loved her daughters which made her leaving that much more mysterious.

Because Finn grew up in a foster situation with loving parents and Zadie was forced to grow up very quickly on her own, there’s a lot of distance between the sisters and it was heartwarming to watch them come back to each other on their journey to find Nora.

Road trips are always a good time and I loved that feeling of adventure as the girls combed through their memories and followed the clues that Finn sniffed out. There are a lot of twists that I didn’t see coming and the story ebbs and flows with really exciting moments and quieter moments of introspection.

The idea that there is a group of people out there with a sixth sense, called Sixes, is an interesting and unique magic system that Lang created. The magic wasn’t overwhelming and while it was a big part of the story it wasn’t distracting at all. It was a means to help the girls find their mother, and I’d be interested to read more books with characters like this in the future.

Overall, just a really well-done, heartwarming, magical read full of complex characters and family drama. Read if you like coming-of-age stories, sisterly bonds, astrology, and effortless, lyrical writing. I haven’t read this author’s debut novel, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, yet but I definitely will now!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy. The Wilderwomen is out on 11/15.

Sisters Zadie and Finn are searching for their mother who disappeared five years ago. They have certain abilities that aid them in their search. They meet some interesting people in their search. The sisters discover things about their mom and themselves. This book is a clever take on a mother/daughter relationship. The past and present-day passages show that communication is key.

The writing is descriptive and engaging. You're almost there with the characters in certain passages. I am so glad I read this book. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of " The Wilder Women."

Read this book if you like: Sister bonds, a bit of magic, a journey to find someone

Five years ago, Nora Wilder suddenly disappeared. The older of her two daughters, Zadie, should have seen it coming, because she is literally psychic.

Years later Zadie’s estranged younger sister, Finn is with a foster family. She can’t see into the future. 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.

Finn wakes up alone in an aviary with no idea of how she got there, she realizes who the memory belongs to: Nora. With a bit of convincing from Finn, Zadie agrees to set out and look for their mom. They go on journey meeting people along the way.

I really enjoyed this book. I did find it to be slow at times. Regardless I could not put it down. The characters were beautifully written. I enjoyed most of the characters minus finding the foster parents to be unlikeable. The scenery had a slightly dark gothic feel to me. The bit of magic is perfect. Their special abilities are unlike anything I have read. The people they met along the way were just as fascinating. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-book! ❤️