The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang is one of my most anticipated reads. I absolutely loved Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance when I read it years ago.

The Wilderwomen is about sisters Zadie and Finn reconnecting as young adults on an adventure to find their mother. Mystery surrounds their mother's disappearance as they wonder if she left on purpose with the intent to never return, or if something made her leave.

Both Zadie and Finn have special abilities.. Zadie is psychic but no longer accesses her powers and Finn has the ability to read left behind memories. Finn, the mastermind behind the search for their missing mother, uses her memories to help follow the path their mom left behind. But as she continues to use her abilities she begins to lose her own sense of self.

This book fell short for me. The characters were written as young adult and their thoughts were very repetitive. I found it frustrating that Zadie had no character arc in regards to embracing her psychic abilities. Their search for their mom was long and lacked any kind of suspense. It started with little to no direction and then when it gained direction there was a distracting and somewhat random side "romance" if you can even call it that. Overall the book didn't hold my attention and I had to force myself to read until the end.

This book kind of reminded me of the plot of Frozen 2 to be honest. One sister is following the other sister around on a journey wondering if she'll take her powers too far.

At the end when some of the mystery is revealed, I thought the discovery came too late. There was a lot of potential for this book to be neat and suspenseful but unfortunately for me it was just ok.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

And honestly, 80-90% of the way through it, I really liked it. I liked the honest relationship between Zadie and Finn. I like the people they met along the way, especially Myron and his girls.

I get that this is magical realism, so I have to suspend my normal skepticism, but the ending irritated me. I don't want to spoil it, but the reasons behind some people's actions just didn't work. The ending felt forced, like she was done writing and just wanted it finished.

I wasn’t able to get into this story and did not finish - the synopsis seemed promising but ultimately it just wasn’t for me

Thank you to NetGalley, Goodreads, and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Are you obsessed with the quirky, artsy, free-spirit mom trope? Will you trade magical realism for a suspension of disbelief to feel any whiff of whimsical romanticism? Do you like books where nothing happens?

Pre-reading:
It irrationally irks me that the spine is white when the cover is blue.

Thick of it:
I do not buy that she does not know who Coco Chanel is.

Steve and Kathy are so nice.

So just like that sunflower book (Where Darkness Blooms), I don’t buy that you wouldn’t go looking for your mother. Like I just don’t. How could you not look for her? Looking for one day doesn’t count as looking.

Also, how could the police not suspect foul play if there’s jewelry left on the driveway? That’s very suspicious.

I am 153 pages into this book and nothing has happened. It’s all filler and unnecessary descriptions that add nothing. It’s not even characterization descriptions because it’s happening in the exact moment. It’s fucking boring filler. Cut it all out (You can’t there wouldn’t be a book otherwise.)

Yeah, that’s so mean to Kathy and Steve. They’ve been nothing but nice to you.

Astrology. They give more Cancer, Libra energy to me 👀

Blacklight for Scorpions? (No.)

Cults love volleyball just ask NXIVM.

This book’s action is so odd. Like you’re going to know their exact hand placement in every scene for no reason.

Replete? In this book? C’mon now.

Oh look, libra non-answer bull shit.

Literally Kathy and Steve are the absolute nicest. They would’ve helped find her mom. Like I don’t get keeping this from them.

Literally just put a toddler leash on Finn and problem solved.

What the fuck kinda explanation is this? Oh, mom has a birdbrain so it’s fine. What?!?

And you won’t get adopted by them? What do you mean it was her indomitable spirit that kept her alive? Like no, it was Steve and Kathy, who gave her food, and a roof over her head, and a fucking education.

Is..is that a washing machine masturbation joke? Because not the place.

And who paid for college? Oh wait, it was Kathy and Steve for the daughter they didn’t fucking adopt. Garbage.

Post-reading:
Have you ever wished you could unread a book? There is literally nothing in this book for me. I fundamentally don’t understand how you take the concept of two psychic sisters road-tripping to find their missing mom and make it boring. No one feels like an actual human in this book. Which maybe that’s intentional when your big explanation for why everything happened was-oh she’s just kind of bird-ish. I feel like the book shot for whimsical, and romantic, and quirky, and just failed miserably. All the characters are fundamentally unlikeable, save the adoptive parents who are barely more than a footnote. I think it dips into toxic messaging of blood family is always your real family, and if your family hurts and abandons you, it’s always for a good reason. That’s complete and utter shit. The language is clunky. There are no healthy relationships in this book. There’s no concept of real-world consequences or integration of law enforcement or money. Um, don’t read this.

Who should read this:
No one?
Bird fanatics
People obsessed with the quirky, artsy, free-spirit mom trope

Do I want to reread this:
No. I would like to unread this.

Similar books:
* Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah-missing mothers, kids with psychic powers
* Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt-family drama, supernatural
* The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, quirky art mom
* Middlegame by Seanan McGuire-kids with abilities
* The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow-whimsical, romantic

Listed as a YA Magical Realism story, this book is a bit hard to describe and was somewhat odd for me.

Zadie and Finn are sisters with paranormal abilities…Zadie is a psychic and Finn can see past memories. Their mother, Nora, leaves them for no apparent reason when Zadie is 18, and Finn is put into the foster care system. Five years later, with Zadie pregnant from a defunct relationship and Finn graduating high school, Finn pushes Zadie to set off cross country to find Nora (she’s seeing memories from her mom’s past). Thus begins an adventure of discoveries as they search for the truth of why and where their mother disappeared.

This is told from varying perspectives (all 3 women) and because of that was a bit convoluted at times for me. There are some twists and turns, some dangerous moments as well as some heartbreaking ones. I’m not sure how I felt about the denouement/ending, but overall I saw it as a good story about families…their strengths and their weaknesses. There’s some symbolism (and some I probably didn’t catch) as well as instances of how much we’re willing to sacrifice for others. Forgiveness and understanding are big as well.

All in all, not a bad read, just unusual/unique.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the free early arc of The Wilderwomen for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

3.5 stars!

This book moved a bit too slow for me. I felt like the middle dragged. I’m glad I finished it but it wasn’t anything life changing.

Nora Wilder left her daughters behind 5 years ago. Zadie would rather forget but younger daughter Finn drags her on a cross country trip to find her. Will they find their mother or will they only find tragedy

3.5/5 Two sisters go on a road trip to reminisce and look for clues about where their missing mom could be. There are bits of magical realism thrown in which keep things interesting. Overall, a whimsical read, but I struggled now and then with staying interested and connected with the characters.

I was so excited to jump into this book after her last novel. Her writing moves along with the characters, which is a phenomenal skill. I love the way she navigates loss and love and centering ourselves within the everyday (and not-so-everyday) extraordinary. I would absolutely recommend this for someone who loves stories of mending things that are broken and self-discovery.

Within the pages of this book is a poignant journey of two gifted sisters, each trying to heal as they try to solve the reason behind the disappearance of their mother. I absolutely loved that this story had so much emotion and was written in such a way that I almost felt like I was Finn, having an echo of what they experienced during their search for answers about Nora and her disappearance.

This was truly a beautifully woven story with details so intricate it was like a movie was playing out in my mind. This is a book I will recommend endlessly!

I enjoyed the Wilderwomen but for me the magic realism didn’t really appeal to me. I loved the storyline of the estranged sisters coming together for the truth. It held my attention and was a page turner. While I connected with both Zadie and Finn and liked the story telling something still was missing for me

3.5

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

Three years ago in late October I read Ruth Emmie Lang’s Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance , I was mesmerized by that beautifully written story, so when I saw that she had a new one coming out, I knew I wanted to read it. Lang excels in creating a wonderful sense of atmosphere in both stories, she has a gift of making the extraordinary come alive without it seeming unbelievable, as well as crafting a story that is both heartwarming and unforgettably beautiful.

As this story begins, Nora Wilder has been gone from her two daughters’ lives for five years. Zadie is trying to gather all of her belongings, her clothes, towels and the collection of cassettes her mother had left behind when she walked away from her life and her children. Her soon-to-officially-be-ex-boyfriend will be leaving work soon, and she wants to be gone before he returns. Zadie’s psychic abilities typically allow her to predict what’s about to happen, but - as with many things - her ability to foretell things isn’t something she ‘summons’ as much as it is something that just appears, which sometimes leaves her wondering.

Zadie’s younger sister, Finn, now lives with a foster family who has no idea of Zadie’s psychic abilities, or Finn’s for that matter. Finn doesn’t share Zadie’s ability to predict events, she can’t predict anything, but she not only retains her own memories, but the ’echo’ of the memories of others. On the day of her graduation party that her foster parents have happily invited many of their friends and family to, one of these ’echoes’ catches her off guard, and she runs away from the party. She ends up passed out in the zoological gardens’ aviary, and when she comes to, she remembers a song, a bird, and her mom reaching out to her.

Soon after, Zadie and Finn head out on what is supposed to be a short vacation for the two sisters. A chance to bond again after living away from each other for so long. As their journey continues it morphs into something more than either one of them anticipate as they end up chasing and following clues on where their mother went after she left, and to see if they can find out what happened to her with Finn’s echoes charting their path. Along the way they stop at places they are drawn to in the hopes of finding someone who might know where she is.

There’s such a beautiful sense of atmosphere in each place they are led to, and such lovely settings, as well, shared with a dash of magical realism. As their journey continues, as they search to complete this puzzle with a full picture of what happened to their mother, they meet several people along the way who add more to this story. Is it an easy journey? No. It is occasionally fraught with pitfalls, but it is also filled with the kindness of strangers, as well.

It’s rare that I read a story where both the prose and the story kept me completely engaged from the first page to the last, but I loved joining Zadie and Finn, as well as the other characters, in their search.



Pub Date: 15 Nov 2022

Many thanks, once again, to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC

I enjoyed this book from the first pages, and it kept pulling me along relentlessly, right to the end. I loved the dynamic between the sisters, who were well portrayed and very different in personality. The magic realism was well done and intriguing, and I loved seeing the world through the sisters’ eyes. Their modern-day quest to find their mother was a journey of love and trust in each other, as they dove into the unknown. This is a unique story and I found it delightful to read a book where I couldn’t guess what would happen next.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc. I will be submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion on Goodreads immediately, and on Amazon and my Instagram account after publication.

This book was good. It kept me engaged for the most of it, but it definitely didn't fully go the way I expected it to go. This book is worth the read if you enjoy fantasy reads!

Zadie and Finn are sisters who couldn't be more different. One of the only things they have in common are their "gifts", -- Zadie is psychic, and Finn hears echoes of people's memories. Since their mother's disappearance 5 years ago, the girls have been separated --Zadie on her own, and Finn in a foster home. After Finn's graduation from high school, the girls are taking a vacation to the beach. When Finn proposes using the trip to find their mother, Zadie reluctantly agrees.

I enjoyed this book. I found all the magical/mystical storylines interesting, and thought it was an easy read.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I thought this book was just okay. I didn't hate but I also didn't love it. A lot of the themes were really interesting and I thought the concept was unique but it just fell a bit flat for me.

This is a solid 3 for me. The plot and prose are going to captivate a wide audience but it just fell flat for me. I found both Zadie & Finn insufferable and the longer their “just one week” trip dragged on the less I cared about what happened to their mom, Nora, when she disappeared 5ish years in the past.

Objectively, this was well written and had an interesting interweave of magic & modernity. I just couldn’t get wrapped up in it like I expected.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for letting me enjoy this early in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! From the very beginning, I was invested in the storyline and the main characters were incredibly lovable and so was their dynamic. I love a good story of sisterhood and family and this one delivered. The magical/supernatural aspects of everything made it even more interesting to me and I had a great time reading this. I did think the ending felt a little jumbled but overall, I got the story and it made enough sense to suspend disbelief. Great book!

I really enjoyed this novel! I may even say I enjoyed it more than the author’s previous popular novel, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance. Ruth Emmie Lang is a magical realism expert. I found this one fast paced, entertaining and lovely! I always enjoy her nature themes sprinkled with magic. Would recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an electronic ARC in return for my honest review.

The cover totally sucked me in so after reading the blurb/synopsis I knew I wanted to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I stepped out of my comfort zone in reading outside of my preferred genres and was thoroughly impressed. I liked the characters. Zadie and Finn felt realistic to me especially the back and forth arguing. I wasn't expecting the ending, but I really enjoyed how it was tied up.

The writing style was a little different than what I usually read. It felt all over the place at some parts. I'm not sure how to describe it.

Overall, I liked the book and will definitely read more from this author!

*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me access to this ARC!

I went in with an idea of what this story was but it turned into much more. I was hooked at a few parts and could have done without a couple parts.

The story was enjoyable. I guess it snuck in some fantasy genre that I do not tend to read. I'll look into other works by the author in the future.