Magical Realism is a genre i rarely have read, only a small handful of books, but unfortunately this read wasn’t for me, I didn’t enjoy it as much.

This is my first book from Ruth Emmie Lang and it definitely will not be my last. The adventures of the Wilder women kept me wanting more and more I could not wait to “solve the mystery”. I was equally interested in the storyline of every character large or small.

This ARC was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!

This was an extraordinary magical novel. I loved it!
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a lovely surprise! I haven't read anything by Ruth Emmie Lang before, but this was a very sweet, thoughtful read. As an older sister with a hotshot and very talented younger sister, I immediately identified with Zadie, but their relationship is fantastically developed and Finn herself is such a vibrant, appealing character.

I'd forgotten the synopsis before I started to read this book, which was a really refreshing experience; I went in totally unaware of what I would discover, which is a great state of mind to read about a road trip where two sisters are rebuilding their relationship and also driving through huge swathes of the United States. I want to go on a road trip now!

I appreciate the lack of a clear villain, if only because the focus then falls on the characters and their development -- it's a tough challenge, and one that would have fallen apart in a less confident author's hands. There's conflict, but given that everyone is a flawed, utterly human character, that's understandable. No one is truly evil, and as for the driving force behind the plot, that remains a mystery -- but not necessarily an evil one.

It's a sweet, well-written story, with a simple premise spun into something memorable and powerful by solid writing, and the strength of its characters.

First thank you to St. Martin's Press, Netgalley, and Ruth Emmie Lang for an Advanced Reader copy in exchange for my honest review

When Finn and Zadie's mom disappeared five years ago she left only an anklet behind. Finn who was 12 went into a foster home and was raised by two loving parents and now after her graudation she is heading on a week long vacation to the beach with her sister.

Zadie was 18 when Nora left and was left to figure out the rest of her life on her own. She's had a few boyfriends to lean on but has slowly watched as the last of her family, made a new life for herself. Now in hopes of reigniting their relationship, Zadie has planned a beach vacation with her sister.

Zadie and Finn, are different from everyone though. Finn can see echoes of peoples memories, and when she discovers a memory of their mother at her graduation party, all of their plans change.

The Wilderwomen was a wonderful story full of beautiful prose that sucked you into the scenery, whether it was the horrible sandy desert or the imposing trees of the Northwest. Watching as these two sisters build back a relationship as adults through the search for their missing mother was so heartwarming and wonderful to read. The blending of the magic with the world as they travel across the west in search of answers of where there mother is and why she disappeared was masterfully done and was a beautiful read.

All in all I would give this book a thumbs up

Thank you to NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for my ARC of this wonderful book.

Lang is an extraordinarily talented writer. From the very first page I knew I was going to enjoy this book simply because of her descriptive, almost ethereal style. It was the perfect way to tell the story of Zadie and Finn, two sisters who share a special secret with their estranged mother, Nora. They set out blindly on a challenging mission to learn more about their past in hopes it will help them to understand their future.

As a fan of magical realism, this book was right up my alley. It was like Practical Magic meets X-men, but with its own completely unique vibe. I felt very connected to Zadie and her journey, and my heart ached for Finn and Nora. The story requires a suspense of reality and acceptance of magic. If you can allow yourself to believe, you will enjoy this book. But it’s not about the magic. It’s about family and growth and becoming comfortable with who you are.

Bravo, Emmie Ruth Lang. I loved it.

Bechdel test: ✅

The attention to detail in this book was astounding. What a complete work it is, no gaps, everything wrapped up so neatly. The very beginning of the book, the bird analogies, were so confusing but I caught on quickly and the beauty of them was revealed. I loved the magical realism throughout. Loved that they met others like them too. The mystery was thick throught the storyline and I was invested in solving it! I absolutely loved the beautiful ending. While this story is most definitely an extremely unique tale, the themes of love, guilt, loneliness, passion, adventure and of course magic, are all too familiar and comforting. I had a womderful time roadtriping with The Wilder Women. ♡

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. . . ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒
I found the premise of this one to be very intriguing: It’s about two sisters with special abilities - one sister with psychic tendencies, and the other able to see others’ memories - who come together to track down their mum who mysteriously disappeared five years ago. Magical elements? Check. Sister bonding? Yup. Mysterious circumstances? Sign me up. All of these things are pluses in my book, but in the end, this was just an okay read for me.

It’s hard to say at what point this book loosened its hold on my interest, but I felt myself slip into passive instead of active reading relatively early on. It’s not that I didn’t like the main characters, it’s more that I just wasn’t engaged with them. I liked their dynamic, and that they were trying to return to work of being sisters again, but just as they weren’t totally open to each other, as the reader, I felt a bit distant from them as well.

I also didn’t entirely “get” the ultimate reason that Nora, their mother, disappeared. I understood the inference in relation to nature, but how that tied into a magical ability and lapses / recovery of memories, just didn’t settle well with me. I’m trying hard not to spoil this one, because I think it was decent read, just not what I had hoped it would be for me.

I do love a good magical element, and / or magical realism base, and this certainly delivered on that front. I enjoyed the variety of abilities, and that they were very unique in quality - ones that I had not even imagined, but were so clever and engaging.

Ultimately, this was a balanced read for me, and if you like these sort of mystical familial mysteries, this could be the escapist read you’ve been looking for.

~👩🏻‍🦰

First, thanks to NetGallery for the early release. The fantasy story starts off engaging with sisters who have “gifts” they do not embrace in search of their mother. I thought the setup of the plot was engaging and then once on their journey to find their mother I lost interest. I just didn’t care about the mother from the characters perspective presented about 30% in and finally gave up. I think this book is definitely geared to a YA audience, or maybe teenagers. There is an audience for this book so give it a chance.

Absolutely beautiful!!! Magical realism meets mystery meets family drama. Loved this story line and what a great ending. Will be recommending this one for sure!

This is a really beautiful story about two sisters, Zadie and Finn, who go on a journey to find their mother 5 years after she disappeared. Both sisters have special gifts, Zadie with psychic abilities while Finn has echos of other peoples memories. One day Finn has an echo of their long disappeared mother that begins their search. This story has fantastical elements that I really enjoyed but my favorite part of this story was the exploration of relationships. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would be next for the sisters and if they would find their mother. I will definitely be reading more from Ruth Emmie Lang in the future!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for my thoughts!

I don't normally enjoy multiple timelines in a novel, but Ruth Emmie Lang masterfully and seemlessly weaves together the narratives of Nora Wilder's disappearance and her daughters' search for her five years later, carefully cultivating reader's awareness and compelling you to keep reading, keep searching, keep hoping. I eagerly await the day I can hold a physical copy of this text in my hands and let my mind soar again with Zadie and Finn on their journey.

Ruth Emmie Lang conjured up an amazing cast of characters, both with powers needed to help solve the mystery of what happened to their mother. So many twists and turns, I had a hard time putting it down. If you love a good mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat, this one is for you.

A little bit of magic, a little bit of Sci-Fi. Two sisters searching for their mother who had vanished without a trace 5 years earlier.
But Zadie and Finn are not your normal run of the mill sisters. Each of them have their own ability. Zadie, can look into the future while Finn can relive the memories of others. Five years ago, when their mother disappeared and the sisters went their own ways, but now, they are trying to reconnect in order to find their mother.

This seriously was a beautifully written book that was full of magic and wonder. I have to really thank #Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this book about the journey of sisters, Zadie and Finn, who go on a trip to find their mom who disappeared years ago. I loved the supernatural aspects of the book. It was just enough to make the book mystical, but not completely unrealistic. I found this book fast-paced and moving; and I was turning pages so fast just to find out what happens at the end. I would definitely read more books by Ruth Emmie Lang!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was quite an enjoyable and interesting read! The book is about two sisters with special gifts. Zadie is a psychic and the oldest sister. Her younger sister Finn can experience other people's memories. Both sisters go on a journey to find their missing mother. This leads to a lot of development in themselves and their relationship between each other. This book was such an interesting concept with all of the genres it touched base on. You will experience a mystery, fantasy, sci-fi and that makes it such a fun and compelling read!


What I did Enjoy:
- The mystery and pacing of the book
- The relationship between both sisters Zadie and Finn. I felt like it was an accurate account of sister relationships!
- The mystical mentions. I love anything that mentions astrology!
- Psychic elements were also a fun element of the book

This book was a quick paced and very original read! 4 stars out of 5.

This is the sorry of two sisters, Zadie and Finn, on a journey to find their missing mother. Each girl has a special power that can get them closer to finding her. But it’s mostly a story about relationships and the ties that bind families. I really enjoyed reading this!

I really wanted to love this book, but I thought it was just OK. By the time I hot 50%, I was just kind of bored and decided to jump to the last two chapters, which I almost never do. But the ending felt really unsatisfying. There's all this buildup and spinning of wheels, and then there's just...not really a reason for anything that happened. Meh.

The Wilderwomen is a science/fantasy/mystery novel about two sisters on a quest to their missing mother while finding themselves. This book is a fast read and includes elements of astrology, horoscopes and all things mystical. The entire time I was kept on the edge of my seat wondering where Nora went, why she left and is she still alive? I felt the ending was satisfactory and appreciated all the psychic elements in the novel. Lang painted a colorful picture of the Wilder's sisters journey across the states and I was with them every step of the way. Four solid stars from me!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It was such a delightful read!