Overall, I liked this, Langs writing and settings were really well done. The story though dragged at times for me and it was challenging to pick it back up.

Thank you for letting me read an advanced copy. This is my first ever magic realism type book. Emmie Ruth Lang is the author. She created a cool atmosphere. The daughters go on a quest to find their missing mom, they each have a “gift”. It was a little slow for me at times, but it does pick up. I enjoyed this book and would recommend. I give it a solid 4.

3.5/5

I am someone who is enthralled by all things magical and metaphysical. So, this book was totally up my alley and I loved the ideas about our world that were created within it’s pages.

Learning of Finn and Zadie’s gifts was interesting, but the most intriguing part was learning about the gifts of those they met along their journey. I think that anything is possible and that we all have a bit of magic within us, and this book encapsulated this belief of mine. One of the themes of the story is self acceptance- appreciating your flaws and talents while accepting those around you for what and who they are. And I loved that.

My issue with the book was the pacing and narration. At times I felt it drug on and I struggled to keep my attention on the story. Adding to this was the lack of clear definition when switching between points of view, especially during Finn’s “echoes” and I found this distracting.

Was the ending plausible? Maybe?! However, it worked within the magical scope of the story and at first I wasn’t sure how I felt. But I stewed on it for a few days and the verdict? I liked it. It was quirky and befitting the mystical reality of the Wilder’s. I especially loved the last chapter- it warmed my heart in so many ways!

The story of two sisters and the search for a lost mother, but throw in some special gifts and alot of twists and turns and you have The Wilderwomen. I really enjoyed the mystery and twists of this story.

In "The Wilderwomen", two estranged sisters go on a road trip searching for their long lost mother who just disappeared 5 years ago. Each of the sisters has a paranormal ability. Zadie has precognition about things that will happen and Finn, the younger sister, can relive other people's memories. So they go looking with only their gifts to guide them.
They end up at a camp that has a community of people who have paranormal gifts. One can hear the song of each star in the night sky. One can paint the future of others. This leads them on to other places with other uniquely gifted people. Will they find their mother? Why did she leave? Does she have a paranormal gift, too, and if so, what is it?
This book is well written, has a good story, and has interesting characters. I highly recommend this novel of magical realism by Ruth Emmie Lang, the same author who wrote "Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance".

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read an Advance Review Copy in exchange for my honest review of the book.

If you loved Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, you will really enjoy The Wilderwomen too - the magical realism aspects are so well-done. Really transports you.

It is a phenomenal reading that I did not expect. It is a combination of magic mystery with Womens fiction but in their unique way. It has a strong story of what it means to be family, forgiveness, and finding their way of themselves. This is a remarkable story and I would love to follow another reading from this author.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed Emmie Lang's debut so I was very excited to see she had a new book coming out. I loved getting to know The Wilder sisters but theyre dynamic did get a little drab. Luckily, the mystery of the missing mother was there to pull you along the way. I almost gave up several times though.

Phrase that represents me during the book: this is a masterpiece!!! So good!!! All I wanted was to read it but I couldn't because of the school...
The mystery around their mother was driving me crazy, all I could think was "where is she?? Why she had to go?? What happened to her??"
A detail I really liked was the mix of the past and present. Usually I don't like this but the author knew how to do it without getting confusing or boring. And this leads me to my next point: pieces of the past complements the present so well. I know it's a silly thing to notice but makes a difference for me
My journey with this book was very fluid. I loved the characters especially the ones Zaddie and Finn met. Every one of them had an history and in one way or another they helped the sisters
Speaking of the sisters, I loved how they reconnect with each other throughout the history
The only thing I didn't like that much is that I wanted more focus on Zaddie. Though she is one of the principals the focus was on Finn which is fine 'cause I also loved her but the history at some point focused on more on her than Zaddie
Anyway I loved the history, the plot, the characters. It was an honor to read this previously and I will certainly read more books of the author

The Wilderwomen is an interesting story about two sisters with supernatural powers and their search for their mother, who left them several years ago.

Zadie is psychic, but her premonitions aren't always all that helpful. She mostly tries to block them. She still blames herself for their mother leaving (or at least for the fact that she saw her leave and didn't try to stop her, although she didn't know she was leaving for good). The court system didn't allow her to keep her younger sister Finn, so Finn has spent the last five years with a foster family.

Finn experiences "echos" - memories that are associated with a place. She thinks they're cool, but hasn't shared what she experiences with her foster family or any of her friends. Only her family knows, and, for right now, that's just Zadie.

For Finn's high school graduation, they've planned a trip to the beach. But right before they go, Finn tells Zadie that she wants to go find their mother instead. The girls aren't sure if she's alive or dead, and before Finn can decide if she wants her foster family to adopt her and officially take their name, she needs to know if her mother is still alive. Zadie thinks it is a horrible idea; after all, their mother left them without a word. But she goes along with it because Finn is going to go whether she goes along or not. And Zadie is pregnant, and feels something pulling her towards this search.

The girls begin following echos of their mom that Finn finds, like a bread crumb trail across the country. Zadie's premonitions also have a part in their journey, as well as people they meet along the way.

Even for magical realism, where you often have to suspend disbelief and lean into the magic, this book has some parts that are hard to accept as plausible. But the story is still very enjoyable, and I found it hard to put this book down toward the end. I just had to know if they would find their mother and explanations to the mysteries that they uncovered.

Thanks to Netgalley for this advance copy of a great book!

Emmie Ruth Lang's first novel, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, was like a slow-release heart bomb, leaving my reader soul to explode bit by bit over the course of its chapters. So when NetGalley offered an advanced copy of her newest, I couldn't sign up fast enough. Lang pushes more forcefully into the world of magic realism with this title as she introduces the idea of 'sixes' or those who are born with a sixth sense. Finn and Zadie are sisters with such abilities, who can respectively relive others' memories and foretell future happenings. Together, they embark on a quest to find their mom, Nora, who presumably had a gift of her own and led her to mysteriously disappear without a trace or known cause years ago.

At some point in the book, one of the sisters made a comparison between themselves and the X-men cast, which is just what I thought while reading. I was moved by all the friends and found family who rallied around these girls as they went on this unlikely search for their missing mother, whose full story is revealed only bit by bit until it finally unravels at the very end. Magic realism is a tricky genre for me because the plot can sometimes become unhinged by too much magic (where anything can happen, and before long, nothing seems real) but Emmie Ruth Lang kept a tight grip on her plot, especially through Zadie, a reluctant sixer who avoids using her psychic powers and frowns upon anything that seems too out there.

I loved the way Zadie and Finn's relationship authentically grew more tightly knitted as the story unfurled. Personally, I also appreciated that there weren't any true villains; growing up without a mom felt like enough of a burden that these girls didn't need anyone else to actively tamper with their lives. I'm not sure if the publisher will move ahead with the proposed cover art, but I hope they will, because it's simply stunning. Many thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title.

The Wilderwomen
Ruth Emmie Lang

“What was the point of knowing a future she had no power to change?”

⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫


The Wilderwomen follows half-sisters, Zadie and Finn Wilder, as they search for their mother who and rekindle their relationship that has become strained since their mother’s disappearance five years ago.

Both Zadie and Finn have a “sixth sense”. Zadie has psychic abilities that she views as more of a curse and Finn can sense memories from the past, an ability the Wilder’s refer to as an “echo”.

Following Finn’s echoes, the sisters embark on a road trip in an effort to discover why their mom left and where she went.

--
This was my first time reading a novel by Ruth Emmie Lang and I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was not disappointed. Although I found the story itself lacking in some places, the read for me was definitely saved by Lang’s scene building and writing style, her clear descriptions of the setting allowed me to imagine Zadie’s and Finn’s journey from Texas to Washington State.

I did find the dialogue a little flat and I felt that in comparison to the setting the descriptions of the characters were missing and even though I liked many of the pop culture references they did not enhance the story.

For me, the ending of the story felt rushed, especially in relation to the rest of the journey with plot lines being tied up quickly without a truly satisfying resolution.

Overall, The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang was an entertaining read. 3.5/5 stars.

Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for the honest review. The Wilderwomen will be published on November 15, 2022.

This was such a beautiful surprise! This was my first dive into a Ruth Emmie Lang book, and it was an anticipated read that went far beyond my expectations. Lang created such a magical story that captured the strength of femininity and the bond of family within an alluring world of mysticism and magic. The story telling was phenomenal and left me satisfied when I finally finished! Between the ever-turning plots, the authentic relationships between compelling characters, and the realistic world of magic - this was a lyrical gift that was difficult to put down.

I really loved the multiple perspectives, as it kept the story fresh throughout the entire book and allowed me to become invested in the growth and development of the sisters. Lang did an exceptional job with creating women who were complex, had substance, and also had the opportunity to grow with the reader. The interplay between family, mystery and fantasy was such a smart combination.

Thank you to Lang, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with the ARC of this book. I have already pre-ordered a hardcopy for my home library, and am so looking forward to encouraging my circle to read this one!

A magical story filled with sisterly love and adventure. Well written characters you can’t help fall in love with. A family so different but trying to come together in search of their mom. The abilities of each sister was unique but the overall story was one of love and laughter while navigating the world around them.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

Ruth Emmie Lang has written an amazing fiction/fantasy which probes our connections with nature and each other. Get ready to meet Nora Wilder’s daughter, Zadie who has the uncomfortable ability to see the future, and Finn, Zadie’s younger sister, whose ability is to live and breathe in someone else’s memory. When they began to mature, they started to understand how to use their gifts.

Both girls experience trauma when their mother, Nora, walks away from home and leaves them behind; Finn was 12, and Zadie was 17. Zadie has been angry with her mother for five years, but Finn just has an insatiable urge to find her mother. So, Finn, who has just graduated, agrees with Zadie’s suggestion that they take a week’s vacation at the beach. But both Zadie and Finn felt their mother’s presence and decided to use the week to follow her memory trail and hoped to find her. Their first stop was the Constellation Campground; Zadie has a secret she wants to share with her mother before telling the rest of the world. So, why is the word Ladybug so important to Zadie at this time?

My favorite part of The Wilderwomen is the absolute authenticity of Nora, Zadie, and Finn. It’s part of the feeling that I must finish this page and turn to the next. Every thought, conversation, and emotion made this family feel real. I thought I was there seeing what Finn was seeing, feeling what Zadie felt, and wanting them to claim their incomparable, exotic mother, Nora, back into their lives.

The conversational style of the narrative is mesmerizing; ideas flow from the pen of Ruth Emmie Lang and turn into fantasy and joy. Music is at the heart of The Wilderwomen. On arrival at Constellation Campground, Zadie and Finn find other psychics, like Ursula, who shares her music with them; it is ethereal, intangible, and sublime - wildly beating hearts slow down at the sound, and tranquility visits the listener.

The Wilderwomen brings a renewed appreciation of nature and the outdoors. I felt as though I was part of Zadie and Finn’s journey, seeing what they saw and feeling what they felt. They felt marvelous about understanding more of what happened to Nora, but there are also high-stress moments of danger and threat.

I rate The Wilderwomen 5 out of 5 stars based on its authenticity, imagining made real, and splendid creativity. I found nothing to dislike and want to read more from Ruth Emmie Lang.

I recommend The Wilderwomen to a broad audience of fantasy/mystery lovers, Y/A's and readers who like family stories, redemption stories, and an end that is as well-thought out as the rest.

This is poetic in its writing style, examines the crazy everyday thoughts and troubles of being a women.

--Published on Instagram @firefly.lane
--Review published Thursday April 14 will post mini review again closer to pub date

💭 ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ:
I loved this book! It was everything I wanted it to be. It’s full of magic, wonder, mystery and a hell of a lot of heart. I loved the banter between the two sisters, it had me chuckling to myself. It was one of those books that I couldn’t stop reading but wished it would never end. This one is going to stay with me for quite some time!

I was so excited to receive a review copy and it did not disappoint. This one doesn’t come out until November 15 but this author has another book already out called Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances and I absolutely plan on reading it.

Wilder Women was absolutely captivating! Lang created a story line that was full of magic and creativity. This story follows two sisters who have been estranged for some time but come together to find their mother who is missing. You do not want to pass this book up.
Zadie and Finn captured my heart as they slowly rebuilt their relationship, this story had twist and turns I never seen coming. This story shows you that love can be preserved through time and distance and what the strength of family can do.
This novel was beautifully written and is a must read for those who love women’s fiction mixed with a little bit of magic.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It wasn’t my usual genre, but I fell in love with the characters and the storyline, and found it hard to put down!

Such a good book, I think people are gonna really love this one. Keep me wanting more the whole way through. Thank you!