Wild is the Witch is a lovely, magical book that made me want to run away and live in the woods. Iris is a witch, although she doesn't tell people anymore after an incident with her best friend. Iris and her mom run Foggy Mountain Wildlife Refuge and Pike is an intern there. He hates witches, which makes Iris afraid of his reaction if he discovers she's a witch. As a way to release her fears, Iris creates spells/curses and burns them, burning her fears away. But when she creates a curse to turn Pike into a witch, it accidentally attaches to an owl before Iris can dispel it. Now Iris and Pike have to track down the owl before it dies, releasing the curse and affecting not only Pike but everyone in the region.
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Rachel Griffin writes the loveliest descriptions of nature, fully pulling you into the book and making you feel like you're in the story. Especially the woods in Wild is the Witch. They feel old and powerful, and I want to get lost in them.
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The book is a slow burn, but in the best way. Parts of it are very much a character exploration, as Iris comes to terms with the curse she cast and its consequences, not just for others but what it could mean for her. Plus, there's Only One Tent, which is an amazing upgrade from Only One Bed. I also really loved Pike, who was sarcastic and soft and supportive. I'd definitely love more in this world, and more of how the magic works, but the hopeful ending was sweet and perfect.

I’m so grateful that I got to read this text. I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to making some videos for my TIkTok and other social media channels to recommend it to my friends and followers. It was an excellent read! 5/5 stars. I’m going to write a longer and more detailed review on my Goodreads and TikTok and I will link back once I’ve posted.

Witch, Iris, accidentally sets loose a dangerous curse after becoming fed up with witch-hating co-worker, Pike. Ironically it is Pike who is tasked with helping her stop the curse before its consequences effect not only him, but the wider population in general as well.

How adorable this little two-hander is. Two young people with differing ideations on magic getting stuck together to search for an old owl is the novel I never knew I needed in my life. So many amazing tropes all at once: rivals-to-lovers, only one bed (tent), forced proximity. Amazing banter between the leads and finally seeing Iris begin to warm up to Pike after learning his reasons for hating her kind is beautiful. There is also amazing tension that comes from Iris trying to keep her witchy nature a secret from Pike and just knowing the secret is going to come out sooner or later, and it's probably not going to go down well.

I found the fact the entire conflict was completely avoidable quite frustrating, but then I remembered all the times I'd done something very stupid (on purpose or by accident) and thought 'why did I DO that?' for weeks after.

Laura Knight Keating does a wonderful job with the audiobook.

Thank you RB Media and Netgalley!

This was a cute witchy YA read. The mood and aesthetics of the book is perfection. Fast paced and angsty. Magical

I was really interested after reading the premise of this book but it fell a little short for me. It was an entertaining read, but not really as fast paced or fantastical as I usually like in fantasy books. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this one a ton. I love the Pacific Northwest as a setting and the background on how magic works in this world. I like the interactions and dialog between the characters and the overall story was compelling. This was definitely a fun read.

I loved this book! I was swept away by the setting and moody forest vibes. I haven’t enjoyed the setting of a book this much in a long time. The story is engaging and well-paced. Rachel Griffin is 2 for 2 when it comes to 5 star reviews from me!

Also, the narrator was pleasant to listen to, and very fitting with the vibe of the book.

I fell in love with this book and the pace of it. I want more of Iris and Pike! Their relationship was perfect in my eyes and I loved how much she hated him because his hate for witches, it made for a great story. Now I would love to learn more about the world and everything in between

Review: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the audiobook! I was lucky enough to finish this yesterday. It's a YA witchy book based in nature and magical realism. Iris is a witch who has had a great deal of stress in her young life, and she creates curses then destroys them to release her anxious mind. When a particularly disastrous curse accidentally ends up in an ancient amplifier, she must trek through the wilderness with her annoying colleague to set things right. This has all the best tropes: enemies-to-lovers; fun banter; one bed… I mean, TENT! This is a YA book so there are some decisions made that definitely scream YA (I question the age of the MC). This was a fun read and keeps you wondering how it will end!

Iris Gray watched her best friend lose her powers after being involved with the death of a friend. She knows the cost of being careless with her magic. She and her mother moved to the north west to escape the targeted attacks against her by non-witches. She and her mother open an animal refuge and hire summer intern Pike- who hates witches with a passion. While venting after a particularly heated argument with Pike, she accidentally loses the curse and puts everyone in the region in danger of becoming a witch. During which the surge of magic could kill a person.
I really enjoyed Iris as a character, she wasn't perfect, she made big mistakes. She doesn't learn from her mistakes right away. She has self-centered but self-preserving tendencies born from what she went through before the book begins. As a result she's a character that not everyone will relate to, but she's realistic. Her interactions with her mother were too few, her interactions with Pike were top tier rivals to lovers goodness. I loved following her journey through the forest as she came to terms with what she has to do, and what is best for everyone- even when they mean possible bad outcomes for herself.
I also loved how it all focused on following an owl. I loved the setting of a rehabilitation sanctuary, and wish more of the story took place there. I loved the world building of magic and the way Griffin established the social norms around witches and how they worked within society was so well done and easy to understand.
Overall an excellent, fun read with strong emotions and a lot of heart.

This was another amazing story from Griffin. She has such a beautiful way with words, and her descriptive writing brings the story to life! I loved the magical system and the characters!

This was so good. I loved the realistic and unique magic, the way it’s done felt so real and possible. The author truly captures the magic of nature.

I liked both Iris and Pike and enjoyed their journey of getting to know each other.

4/5 ✨

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read this authors previous work but I know her first books had some positive reviews. So I was very much intrigued to read this stand alone as the premise sounded Interesting.

The narrator was good and I liked their performance throughout the novel. However, I did realize I could not speed it up past 1.7 due to a weird audio echo. It is noticeable at 1.7 speed but nothing that bothered me too much. I would be interested to know if that is fixed in the official released copy. Other then that the audio was ok.

The story was very cute. And I found the ending to be super cute and sweet. I enjoyed the last half of the book quite a bit. I liked the way our MC spoke with the animals and the conflict she had with pike. I also liked how the conflict at the end wasn’t avoided or glossed over and I was happy with how it came to conclusion. Again there were so many cute moments especially towards the end. I enjoyed the mysterious owl and it seeming omnipotent in what it was actually doing to a point.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a romance with just the right about of supernatural elements. It is a great stand-alone and would make a great fall romance read!

I really enjoyed this one. The characters were really well done and I loved the chemistry between Iris and Pike. The magic system was really well set up and I loved that it meant the witches had to work within certain boundaries. The narrator was fantastic and I loved listening to the audiobook.

A witch curses a boy she thinks doesn’t like her, an owl steals the curse, and now she and this boy she cursed are on the hunt for this owl. And that is the story. This is what the book is about.

Give me all the damn stars for not DNF’ing this book. It only picked up around 60% of the book, where in the beginning we get to hear Iris tell us HOW AMAZING, and AWE-INSPIRING magic is. Every 5 minutes. You can’t forget how great magic is even if you tried. Then we get to experience how she childishly curses this poor guy, and drags him up a mountain to find this owl that swooped down and stole her curse. McGuffin, cool name for an owl.

Look if you are looking for a plot driven book, this isn’t really it. Wouldn’t really call this character development either, but its a stepping stone into a witch learning to trust and a boy who hates magic to find some acceptance in it.
All the damn stars for Pike. If this happened to me, I don’t think I’d be so nice.

As much as I’ve only been ranting, this book wasn’t horrible. I just expected so much more. The ending was satisfying and cute, but the things she got away with is crazy. Just wasn’t the book for me.

The narrator was good, made it as YA as can be. No complaints from my side when it came to her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

Can chasing an owl through the Pacific Northwest wilderness allow a person to find themselves, and finally open up to others?

This YA fantasy transport the listener to the Pacific NW through Griffin's imagery and story telling. The enemies to lovers romance is a slow burn, but this made it more believable. The overall coming of age, and coming to terms with the past make this audio book great for anyone who needs a feel good listen. I enjoyed this audio book more than I expected.

The narrator, Laura Knight Keating, makes the age of the main character believable, and makes it feel like an 18-year-old is reading the book. She brings the teenage emotions to the surface and hooks the listener.

I want to thank Netgalley, and RB Media, Recorded Books for an advanced listening copy of this book.

This is a story about wilderness.

I really enjoyed this one. It’s definitely YA (not a criticism!) so if you’re looking for a steamy romance, this is not the book for you- but the plush landscape and exploration of prejudice were well done. I’m also interested in reading more books where the world is as it is, but with the addition of magic as something everyone is aware of. Also the naked hardcover is beautiful!

Thank you so much @netgalley @sourcebooksfire & @rbmed_ for the e & audio copies.

This audio book was just perfect. It's an enemies to friends to enemies to lovers trope and it had me sobbing.
The basis of the book is an interesting one, with witches being "out" but not accepted by everyone. The two main characters, one being a witch and the other a witch hating human, have to go on a journey together (with one tent) to rescue a Curse to save humanity.
I enjoyed the readers voice, it was pleasant to listen to which made the experience worth while.

I don’t typically read YA but this book sounded interesting so I figured why not? And I was reminded of why I don’t like YA books or enemies to lovers books. Right from the start Pike is incredibly annoying but like annoying in an elementary school boy might annoy a girl so rather childish and always picking at Iris for no reason. I knew it would be a struggle to get through it or really even care about them getting closer through forced proximity. As for Iris who the story is technically about we start with her on trial after a tragic event happened with her friend. And though she is cleared of any involvement her life is upended she loses her home and security and father in the aftermath due to witch hate. And it seems rather obvious that she’s taken on the role of mothering her own mother who is incredibly annoying. Iris worries about everything and her mother worries about nothing. Seems like she needed some therapy after everything happened but nope her mother didn’t seem to worry about anything ever. Her daughter’s concerns about Pike’s feelings towards witches? No... she just brushed it off like it was nothing but what if it had been something?

Anywho to deal with life Iris writes spells and burns them so quite predictably when she writes one for Pike after he annoys her again and unnerves her with his hate for witches it gets stolen by a bird that’s been hanging around. So she has to try to find the it before the spell can be released and cause more damage than to just Pike. And naturally since Pike is studying to become an ornithologist he’s the perfect person to help her. So off into the forest they go.

I remember why I don’t read YA the characters were all irritating and I guess I just really don’t like the enemies to lovers troupe. To be fair it’s not really bad it’s just not for me. The narration was really good, Pike’s annoyingness really came through in the narrator’s performance.

Rachel Griffin - yes!! She will be an automatic read for me. This is the second novel of hers that I’ve read & it didn’t disappoint. With witches, romance, and a curse that gets out of hand, this novel will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I will say that at 2x speed the narrator sounds a little like auto tune, but it was still a very enjoyable listen.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & RB Media for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!