I was so excited for this book and I think it has a lot going for it! A wlw Great Gatsby retelling. A post-WWI magical prohibition. A mysterious enchanting island of full of crows. This all GRABBED me immediately. Unfortunately, I think the book needed a bit more work.

The world-building is lacking. The story jumps back and forth in time but we still don't get to know almost anything about the island itself, the witches that are drawn there, or how the magic system even works in this book. Like, one of the witch MCs actually states she has no idea how any magic works which feels like a copout? I think the story does feel Gatsby-esque in the way that it's tight and claustrophobic with only a party or a murder anywhere in sight. The themes and the magic and smothering social cues were all done fairly well. I just think it needed more breadth to it.

The character development also leaves something to be desired. I was beyond interested in ALL of the characters. I wanted to know more about Nathan and Isabel and Emmeline's backstories instead of the tiny bits and pieces we get. Even Mr. Sanderson interested me and it seemed like something was going to come out about him that never did (so I must have read it wrong). I LIKED the characters. I wanted more from them! I think they would have been enthralling with just a bit more depth to them.

The pace is slow and though the sensory imagery is lush and dark, it gets repetitive very quickly. The story felt disjointed, drawn together only by "the taste of blood and grave dirt." Tell me what grave dirt tastes like, please... I would have to backtrack fairly often to feel like I was understanding where I was in the story, who was talking, what was going on.

I think the audio was amazing. The voice actors were perfect, though it was confusing that one man voiced all the different men in the book. The tone is really set through the music they use throughout and I think it's gorgeous to listen to.

I'm excited for more from this author! I would recommend to anyone who's looking for Great Gatsby retellings, lush magical stories, or wlw witches!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ALC!

DNF @ 48%

I really wanted to love this one but at halfway through on audio, I wasn’t able to get into it. I put this down for over a week and when I picked it back up I turned it off after about 15 minutes because I didn’t care.

The book started EXTREMELY strong, and I really liked learning about the mysteries in the inherited house. But then it seemed like that became a background thread and I cared less about the scenes with all three MCs.

The characters all felt very similar and it was often difficult to tell who was speaking apart. I’m not sure if this was due to the narrator or the writing.

I also couldn’t bring myself to care about the main conflict. I didn’t really understand the magic system and because of that couldn’t understand the stakes.

I need to learn to stay away when the book is compared to Gatsby.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted ALC.

This was everything I wanted and so much more! In all honesty I was only mildly interested in this book but I am beyond glad I gave this book a chance. I read this whole book in one sitting because I just couldn't get enough of these characters and this world.
The back and forth story line gave this book an element of a mystery as well as the major plot of the book. I devoured this book desperate for answers and it was literally everything I could have ever wanted and so so much more.
The best way to sum this book up (to me) is Sapphic Great Gatsby with magic! Enough said.

I’ve heard this is a Great Gatsby re-telling. I wouldn’t know since I never read that.

BUT this definitely gives off, Practical Magic vibes, just add a historical era, gothic atmosphere and Sapphic witches.

I really wanted to love this, but I was a bit disappointed. TBF, I listened to it as an audiobook, which hasn’t been my favorite (It’s not the audio, it’s me. I do not judge anyone that likes audiobooks.), but I am trying to branch out.

Annie is a young woman, visiting a supposedly magic-filled island to settle her father’s estate. Where she runs into her childhood friend Bea. Things take a turn when Annie is drawn into her intriguing neighbors’ lives. Especially Emmeline, a witch, if the town gossip is to be believed.

This was told mostly through Annie and Emmaline’s POV’s, there are a few snippets of others.
I enjoyed hearing backstory from the other characters.
I really liked the main couple together.
The magic set up was interesting.
The writing was beautiful.
The world-building and gothic/foreboding atmosphere were fantastic! I would love to see this as a film, it would be gorgeous.

Even with all of those things, I just could not get into this.

The pacing was lethargic until about 40% in and the story felt too long in general.
I wanted more magic and romance.
I absolutely did NOT care for Bea’s character. I would have liked to see more of Isobel and Nathan. Annie was a bit irritating at times, but she gets a pass, due to her entire world being flipped on its head.

Overall, it was good, but I just wanted more oomph! This could very well be an It’s not me, it’s you situation. So I do recommend that you read this for yourself!

Check it out, when it hits shelves, 3/29/22!
A big thanks to the Publisher & NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The audiobook quality from the NetGalley app is still pretty bad. Sometimes there is an echo and it can be really frustrating to get through the book when the quality is poor. But! That does not change how much I enjoyed this book! Two words: GAY. WITCHES. It's what had me interested in the first place. The story was full of twists and turns and was so fun to figure out that Em, Nate, and Isabel were the kids from the side stories.

But, I did also hate the music that showed up randomly for certain chapters. I don't really like music in audiobooks. I tolerate it in the beginning and the end, but having it throughout was annoying. I understand it's a fantasy book thing and helps set the ~mood~ but still.

Four witchy stars!

This was an enticing story. As someone else pointed out its like a gay Gatsby with witches. I unfortunately was never really a fan of Gatsby, so this story was a little long for me, but the author did a great job of creating atmosphere.

First of all, a big thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio and Redhook for giving me the chance to review Wild and Wicked Things. I love a good audiobook and this one was excellently executed, with great narrators!

Overall I really enjoy Wild and Wicked Things. But it does start off annoyingly slow. I wasn’t hooked until after the first 25%. I wish the magical world would have been explained earlier in the book as it was quite confusing in the beginning. The author kept mentioning the magic as some big and ominous thing but since I as a reader had no clue in the first 25% what that was about, it was just a bit odd.

Once I got past the ‘boring part’, I did in fact love the characters and the story. Wild and Wicked Things is gloomy and dark, sapphic witch story that takes place on a spooky island. Right up my alley! It is also described as a The Great Gatsby retelling but, except for the fancy parties, I found that the comparison stops there. And I was glad about that as I am not a Great Gatsby fan.

Don’t forget to look up the trigger warnings before reading!

I was so impressed by the music intro and the three narrators of this dark atmospheric Great Gatsby inspired book. This book was truly atmospheric, I felt slightly creeped out with the setting and could clearly picture the fogs covered island with all its secrets. Unfortunately, the story fell a bit flat for me in the end as I could not connect or feel engaged with any of the characters. Also Bea was annoying. I felt there was a lack of world building beyond the island and the constant flashback jumping deterred from the main plot...which was a bit slow.

Beautiful lyrical writing though with dark magic and a Sapphic relationship. Don't know if it was just my copy but the audio had a bit of static throughout which also reduced my enjoyment.
Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for an early version of this audiobook.

DNF @54%

Wild and Wicked things is a gender flipped retelling of The Great Gatsby set in post-WWI England, except with witchy magic and sapphic love interests. Which sounds intriguing, but ultimately this book ended up being more atmospheric vibes than anything else. It moved at a glacially slow pace with characters I had a hard time caring about (whether to like or dislike them). At over 400 pages retelling a quite short novel, I think this book is far too long. I ended up deciding to stop reading a little more than halfway through because I am just uninterested in what's happening or in what might happen in the second half of the book.

I think the idea is cool, but at the halfway point the sapphic elements are pretty vague- we have a female character who dresses in menswear (sounds great), mentions of characters having had feelings for women, and a character perspective who can't quite figure out that what she's experiencing is attraction. But that's about it and given the pitch I was expecting something a bit more torrid. Hopefully other readers will do better. The audio narration is decent, very British. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This book is a sapphic retelling of The Great Gatsby but with witches who meddle in some dark magic. Based on that tagline, I was prepared to fall head over heels for this book. For me, the writing is what really stole the show, it was beautiful, evocative, and felt very lush to me. I was sucked into the aesthetic of Crow Island, of Emmeline and her mysterious past, and Annie’s fathers’ mysteries as well. I am a sucker for beautiful writing and this book delivered on that front.

I also really enjoyed both Annie and Emmeline’s perspective and if they had been the only focus of this story, I think I would’ve enjoyed it more. Beatrice was someone who I never felt anything for other than ambivalence and irritation, which hindered my enjoyment because her issues take up a huge portion of the novel. Beatrice is Annie’s old friend who escaped their quiet town for a more exciting life. Annie and Bea reconnect when Annie arrives on Crow Island to handle her father’s estate. Annie witnesses an eerie confrontation at one of Emmeline’s extravagant parties, things get rolling from there.

I also was lucky enough to receive an audiobook of this, and it really enhanced the reading experience for me. It has a full cast, and some musical inserts that I really enjoyed. I think the narration style and the narrators themselves made a stellar performance, so I would really recommend the audiobook if it’s available to you.

TLDR: Came for the sapphic witches and stayed for the beautiful prose. I will definitely be picking up what May writes next, because I truly loved the writing style of this story. Beatrice’s story ended up taking the forefront, which I was not expecting so it ended up hindering my enjoyment a bit.
I’d rate this one a 3.5/5!

Thank you so much to Redhook for sending me a copy, I’m so grateful for the opportunity to read and review!

Wild and Wicked Things is an engrossing story that will delight fans of The Great Gatsby.

Annie was summoned to Crow Island after her father’s unexpected death and she was wary to go to a place where magic and money ran wild. While sorting through her father’s things, she made plans to find her best friend who had run away from home without saying goodbye. After reconnecting with her friend Bea, Annie found herself at the center of glittering magic and murder.

Wild and Wicked Things was an unputdownable, character-driven story that weaved together magic, war, and women trying to find a better life for themselves. The characters resembled those from The Great Gatsby, but Francesca May gave each of her characters a moving backstory that kept them from feeling like caricatures. The mysterious Crow Island was alluring and I was intrigued by the political hierarchy that controlled magic and witches. Wild and Wicked Things’ strongest feature was its characters and while there was an underlying romance, it was not the focal point of the book. Despite that, it was heartwarming to see Annie recognize her attraction to women and acknowledge what she wanted in life.

The audiobook for Wild and Wicked Things was a beautiful production that captivated me from the first chapter. With Marisa Calin, Gemma Dawson, and Ralph Lister making up this full cast, the audiobook greatly enhanced my reading experience.

Wild and Wicked Things is a book for my character-driven friends; I highly recommend that you pick up the audiobook!

I think that magical prohibition in the 20’s is one of my favorite tropes. May takes a beautifully dark twist on this idea and executes it to perfection.

Annie finds herself on Crow Island after the death of her estranged father. She meets two women after arriving. One is her former best friend, Bea, who ran away without a word the year before. The other is Emiline, a witch in a tailored suit who Annie immediately feels a connection too. But Bea and Emiline have a dark history and before Annie can realize what’s happening, she’s wrapped up in the consequences of it.

Wild and Wicked Things is a haunting tale of old friendships, broken bonds, and a fight against death. Each character has their own trauma they are fighting to ignore and none have truly found a way to heal from their experiences. Annie is a fantastic main character cause she has absolutely no clue what is going on but she has an undying sense of loyalty. Emiline and her beautiful undefined enby vibes are immaculate. Her character is a great juxtaposition to Annie because while Annie is loyal and trusting, Emiline would rather do everything herself and doesn’t trust anyone.

The narrators for this audiobook did a great job overall. Annie’s narrator quickly became a favorite of mine. She acted her role perfectly. The male voice actor who did the intermissions and Arthur’s bit did a spectacular job. However I had a very hard time listening to Emiline’s narrator. She talked unbelievably slow and with a very pretentious drawl.

Wild and Wicked Things is an absolute must read. May included all the best things; witches, darkness, and queer girls!

Stopped 30% into the story because I kept losing focus. Because I'm on deadline I will leave the book for now but may return later. May be a pacing not story issue. Will adjust review, if/when I return to the book.

NetGalley review 3.5 stars

When I Requested this from Netgalley i didn't realize It was a F/F Romance.... First one i ever read.... Im not Familiar with this genre...

I can see strokes Of Gatsby... But more than that i thought of Practical Magic.... An interesting read... Not my usual Tastes so wasn't epic for me But i Loved the Narration and World Building of Crow Island....

🎃 Loved the way it was written going Back and Forth Between Timelines.

🎃 Secrets uncovered and Lies Unwound.

🎃 Amazing Yorkshire Narration!

🎃 Annie Mason 😐😐😐!!!!! The Name!

🎃 Sapphic Retelling of Gatsby (And practical magic) Mixed together in A Blender

I Liked the Setting and the Back story as well as the writing and the way it was written..... I wasn't keen on the characters the decisions they made and the Way they all treated each other...

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc.

This was a great book, with sapphic representation and a wonderful witchy world, I adored it. I have a few beautiful copies coming and I can’t wait to post about it all over social media!

A beautiful book inside and out (with the perfect dash of mystery)

Wild and Wicked things really had me with the depiction of magic and the channels through which it was practiced. May also incorporated another facet of the rich being able to enjoy certain prohibited practices with little to no consequences, while those less fortuned were more likely to be punished.

I loked the bond between Emmeline, Nathan, Isabella, it felt true to hiw siblings cared for and disagreed with each other. The use of magic through herbs and blood was also very intriguing and I enjoyed learning just how they created their mixtures and applied their craft.

Where the book did not satisfy me was with the characters themselves, especially Annie and Bea and their relationship with Emmeline. For Annie, the insta-love, insta-loyalty really grated and both her and Emmeline's inability to impress upon Bea her selfishness was frustrating. At times I found them whiny and their overall understanding of just what price magic would extract for the larger spells cast, was lacking and yet they continued. If this was just a story that didn't need these three I would have enjoyed it more.

A glamorous, Sapphic, and Gatsby-eque, tale wrapped up in magic and prohibition would best describe Wild and Wicked Things but its slow burn plot can make it a little difficult to really connect with the plot on the outset. The audiobook is well produced with its narrators chosen with care and intention, and yet despite this I had a little trouble connecting with the story as after ten chapters I still felt like I was waiting for the plot to start "getting to the point." Despite this once the story did pick up it turned into tale of female kinship, romance, power, and the weight of societies labels. It is hard to miss the very overt metaphor of illegal magic and queerness and it is a fine meditation on both.

Wild and Wicked Things blends witchcraft and 1920s Gatsbyesque glamour in a dark and enchanting story. The writing in this was really beautiful and descriptive and really transported you to this place full of dark magic and glamorous parties. The characters were charming and there was a great inclusion of sapphic leads which I really enjoyed. The pace was quite slow and I felt it could have been edited down a bit in my opinion but overall I enjoyed it. It was very magical and dark with a story that took many twists.

I especially recommend listening to the audiobook along with it. The voice actors are very talented and manage to add a special charm to the characters that reading it alone you might miss. They also do a good job of emphasizing the emotion in the scenes. The audiobook had multiple voice actors as well as atmospheric music that furthered the immersion and transported right into the story.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

In the aftermath of World War I, Annie Mason has traveled to Crow Island to settle her father’s estate and to try to reconnect with her old friend, Bea. The island swirls with both magic and malice in this sapphic historical romance. While the love story between two women doesn’t bother me in the least, I think it should be noted in the book’s description as it’s a vital part of the story.