THE WILDERWOMEN by Ruth Emmie Lang

I don’t normally choose books in the fantasy category but, I do enjoy magical realism and these two genres tend to intermingle a lot. What drew me to request this ARC was the premise - two estranged half-sisters working together to find their missing mom.

I thought some of the “sixth sense” abilities the author gave the sisters and other characters were really unique and creative. Finn can see/re-live the memories of other people and Zadie can see into the future. One of the supporting characters had the ability to HEAR the stars as musical notes and some were able to communicate with trees - very cool!

I didn’t care for the slow pacing and meandering plot. The people the girls meet during their journey (very) conveniently help them figure out where their mom might be. That’s great and all, but not very realistic. Also, it seems the tagalong ex-boyfriend didn’t really serve a purpose to the girl’s journey.

Overall, this was enjoyable. There are themes of self-acceptance, appreciating one’s strengths and weaknesses, and learning/growing to love people. This would be well received by those who love YA novels.


**ARC courtesy of @NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️

This was a very fun book, and I loved it! The adventure, the sister's love, and the discovery made it an adventure that was well worth taking. Along with that, it is definitely a feel-good book, despite some of the heavier topics.

What a wonderful story of the Wilder sisters, Zaddie and Finn, who decide to use their own special powers to go find their mom who disappeared years ago.Whole searching for their mom the girls not only reconnect but discover a bit about themselves. Just like her previous story Ms Lang did a wonderful job with her character development, making me love them all.

Zadie and Finn are sisters with certain “abilities.” Zadie gets visions of the future and Finn can see echoes of peoples’ past memories. Even with these abilities, they did not expect their mom to walk out without so much as a word of explanation. Five years later, they decide to go looking. But what will they have to endure to find her?

This book was so incredible I’m not sure I have the words for it yet. It explores themes of family, love and loss, healing, and forgiveness. I slowed down while reading this to really draw it out and I still wanted more! The writing and voices were fantastic!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Five years ago, Finn and Zadie's mother left their house and never came back. The two sisters handled the trauma and view their mother in very different ways, and their lives have taken divergent paths. But the Wilder women are different from most women, each has special "abilities." Zadie has verbal premonitions that, unfortunately, are not always particularly clear in their meaning. Finn experiences "echoes," experiencing the actual memories of others as if she was that person, which naturally can be both terrifying and extraordinarily enlightening. When Finn realizes she may have clues and possible echoes of her mother, however, she convinces her sister to set off on a quest to find her, or find out what happened to her, and maybe find each other and themselves in the process.
I found this extremely original and enjoyable. The sister dynamic was well-drawn and believable, especially the differing views of their mother and how they've dealt with it over the years. The action is smoothly plotted and never drags, all the secondary characters are well-realized, and the special 'abilities" as presented appear perfectly plausible. Highly recommended.
My copy was a eARC given from NetGalley for an honest review.

Five years ago, Nora Wilder disappeared leaving behind her two daughters, Zadie and Finn. Even though she's a psychic, Zadie didn't foresee her mother's disappearance. When Finn seizes an echo of a memory of Nora, she believes their mother is still alive and convinces Zadie to accompany her on a journey into their mother's past. But as Finn starts losing herself in Nora's memories, Zadie must decide where to draw the line or risk losing them both.

Ruth Emmie Lang employs subtle magical realism in The Wilderwomen. Instead of X-Men-like powers, Zadie and Finn have slightly useless flashes of abilities. The plot focuses on the estranged sisters discovering their past, but I had difficulty staying engaged with the meandering story. Plus, the strange ending made the whole novel feel pointless to me.

I finished this book about a month ago, and the more time that's passed since I read it the more I like it! I struggled to connect with the characters while reading, and since the characters and their journey was very important to this book, I wasn't able to fully immerse myself in the story while I read. However, it's undeniably well-written and original, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy in a naturalistic setting. 3,5 stars for me, but potentially 5 stars for another reader.

This review has also been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph, and a TikTok review is located here: https://www.tiktok.com/@allyzinnia/video/7127343586798144814?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7101329330955257390

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy!

Haunting but more for the familial relationships than the plot. I enjoyed the supernatural abilities as well.

This was a heartfelt read that in many ways reminded me of Sarah Addison Allen's books. It follows two sisters with magical powers who are searching for their mom.

It's fast-paced, not too heavy, has some lighthearted fun moments, and will just make you happy once you've finished.

The mystery kept me intrigued, but there was something else about the way the novel was written that really captured my attention. The different gifts presented throughout were just lovely. 'Talking to trees' sounds kind of quirky, but even that was sweet and youthful, yet loving and wistful, all at the same time. This story felt unique and was a change of pace from my normal go-to reads. I was left wanting slightly more from the ending, but was overall satisfied with how things wrapped up.

Follow the Wilder women-Finn and Zadie as they go on a quest to find their mom. No maps or clues to help them, just the power of their "gifts". Here's the thing about this book-I have never read ANYTHING like it. Although it ended up not being my type of book, I have to give credit where it's due. It was easy enough to follow along and once I got about 55% in, I was finally invested enough to want to see how it would play out. If I had to create words to describe this book, I'd have to say it's a "slow burn mystery".

This book was beautiful! The writing was stunning, the characters thoughtful and layered and complex, and the settings intriguing and aesthetic. I would say that I thought it could have been trimmed just a little bit—the pacing sometimes was too slow, things needed to start moving again—but overall I really enjoyed the story.

I adored Ruth Emmie Lang’s debut novel so I had high hopes for this sophomore release. Unfortunately, even though I sensed it was supposed to make me feel things, I was rather indifferent to it all. It was quirky like Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, but the emotional component did not hit right for me. I never found myself especially eager to get back to this, either.

I know authors must feel enormous pressure to meet the expectations of the fans they’ve gained and this weighed heavily on my mind as I read The Wilderwomen. Ruth Emmie Lang hasn’t been cranking out books. There is a large gap between this one and Beasts. I know that time, heart and imagination were put into this work and I am sad that I can’t hold it up with the same high praise. I will loyally try anything Lang puts out next, knowing the magic I found within her first book still lives wildly inside of her.

I am immensely grateful to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Gosh I love Lang’s knack for heartfelt magical realism with the perfect balance of lighthearted and tender. The Wilderwomen is adventurous with a touching exploration of love between mother and daughter(s).

A novel that chronicles lives caught in the mystic. It seems each Wilder woman has a gift or a curse depending on your definition. Nora, the mom disappears, and the echoes of her past compel her daughters to find her. It is an exercise in belief. We believe Finn can hear songs from her mothers past. Sadie has the gift of “sight”. Together they leave the known to face the unknown . It is a leap of faith in your ability to choose the true path your life should travel.

I was first introduced to Ruth Emmie Lang's writing in 2020 after reading her debut, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance and was quickly moved by her writing style. The Wilderwomen was no exception.

I started this book extremely excited due to having this book on my want to read list since it was announced. I just loved Beasts so much and I couldn't wait to dive in to this story. This book starts out with an introduction to Zadie and Finn, sisters who are dealing with the traumatic event of their mom disappearing one night five years ago. While Zadie is indecisive on how she feels about the matter, Finn is 18 and graduating, and is more optimistic about what has happened to their mother. After using their gifts to see memories and to predict the future, they both decide to go in search of her.

The book starts out less as magical realism and more as contemporary fiction. As the reader, we were along for the adventure of wherever Zadie and Finn took us. Up until about the halfway point, the story was slow and descriptive. We got a lot of insight into the two sisters and the scenery that surrounded them as they traveled west. But around halfway, new characters are introduced (i.e. Joel, Myron, Rowan, Hazel and Juniper) and this is where the story really picked up for me. I loved the interactions with these characters and it was nice to see Zadie and Finn relax and connect with Myron's three girls. The book really picked up on the magical realism in the second half and I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I had no clue how Lang was going to conclude the book, but the last chapter and the prologue were very heartwarming.

If you enjoy magical realism, love descriptive imagery about nature, have wanderlust and love a strong sisterly bond, this book is the perfect read.

4 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. I am posting my review to Goodreads immediately and plan to post on my personal Instagram and Facebook accounts closer to publication.

This book is a beautiful and near perfect example of what magical realism should be. The quiet style of Ruth Emmie Lang shines in this story about sisters, found family and discovering who you are, even when it might not be who you want to be. Zadie and Finn are lovable in their differences and they embody the tolerances we make for our siblings. The mystery of Nora pulls the plot forward, even as the simple moments of character development pull the reader into each scene. If you're looking for a road trip novel, a sister-connection novel, found family trope, or anything with a touch of mystery, read this book. Magical realism is quicky becoming my favorite fantasy sub-genre and books like this are the exact reason why. The sense of "anything can happen" is strong throughout, but with enough boundaries that things never get completely out of control. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my eARC to review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book in return for an honest review.

I loved this story so much! It was so well written and I could see everything played out in my mind. I hope there is another book to continue the story but if not, it ended well. It’s a beautiful story about finding family and comfort in choices made in the past. Some things cannot be forgotten but acceptance for the things that could not be controlled. I loved reading about this family and the adventure they took to find peace.

I find myself just a little bit disappointed with this one. I liked how the epilogue wrapped everything up nicely, but felt the overall story lacked a bit. The characters are likeable though so that made it easier for me to finish reading.

*Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review *

Five years ago, Nora Wilder vanished into thin air.

Her daughters, Zadie and Finn, have tried to go on with their lives in the hopes that someday, their free-spirited mother will return. But year after year, their hope has dwindled. That is, until Finn--whose extraordinary gift is sensing "echoes" of other people's memories--catches wind of an echo of Nora and believes, for the first time in a long time, that Nora is out there. Wherever "there" is.

Ruth Emmie Lang has done it again, readers. For those (like me) who read and adored "Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance," know that "The Wilderwomen" is a completely different story, but with all the magical realism, hilarious quirkiness, and heartstring-pulling emotion that Lang has come to be known by.

The journey that this story takes you on is endearing, emotionally-charged, and a powerful, powerful story of sisterhood and womanhood. Lang's writing is beautifully-descriptive; in just a few chapters, I found myself totally immersed in Zadie and Finn's cross-country journey to find Nora. The characters they stumble upon along the way are special, carefully-crafted, and memorable--each and every one of them.

An uplifting, hopeful story of what it means to have a place in this ever-strange world, "The Wilderwomen" will leave a mark on you in the most wonderful of ways. Hoping this one finds its way onto the big screen someday.