2.5 ⭐️
I don’t know if I wasn’t in the mood for this read, if I read it too soon after reading the first book, or if it’s just the book itself, but I had a hard time getting into this read and ultimately, it wasn’t for me.

While this story held the same warmth of finding true home as the first book, and while I loved delving into the earlier days of the Wildwood, this soecifybook felt much to repetitive to me. I’d felt like much if the book kept coming back to the same descriptive passages of the same apple pies and such and it made it hard to stay immersed. This read could have certainly benefited from a stronger conflict rather than the slight conflict it held throughout with the all too much climax and resolution at the very end.

If your looking for a lower conflict snippet of Appalachian life, this book might be for you. Personally, I was just looking for something more fast paced.

Thank NetGalley for the ARC of this read.

I hate that I DNF'd this book, so much so, that I hope to pick it up again in the future and give it another go. I loved Reece's first book in the series, Wildwood Whispers, but for some reason I had trouble getting through Wildwood Magic. I loved being transported back to the magical Appalachian mountains of this story, but the pace of this book was a lot slower. It could be that it is more of prequel and I had trouble connecting it back to the original story.
I kept 3 stars on this review because Reece's prose is still beautiful, if not as captivating as in Wildwood Whispers. The characters are still magical and special. I just didn't have the oompf to make it to the end this time. Faster readers may not have the same issue or may be more invested in the story than I was. As a slow reader, I kept getting into lulls with this book.
I would certainly pick up new stories from Reece in the future, despite this DNF.

The writer keeps you entranced in the story of a young girl and the struggles she faces into adulthood. It is a story of women's strength, a little folk magic, and a love story rolled into one. The writer makes you want to go find this place so you too can experience the wildwood magic.

Author Willa Reece returns to Morgan’s Gap in this second "Wildwood Whispers" book. This is more of a history of the town, and can be read as a standalone, though there are references to people from the first book. Willa Reece shows us the evolution of the town and its magical atmosphere using two main characters: Rachel Smith in 1965-1969, and Siobhán Wright in 1885.

Rachel Smith is on the run from her charismatic, conservative and abusive preacher husband Ezekial Gray. She's pregnant, and desperate to not bring the child near Ezekial. She fakes her death, and escapes, finding herself eventually in Morgan's Gap. She finds a home with Mary May, a wisewoman, and is drawn to the apple orchard, finding peace and purpose tending the trees.

Rachel begins dreaming of Siobhán, who had emigrated to America from Ireland, and planted the seeds of what grew into the Morgan's Gap orchard from which Mary May, years later, makes her special cider. Siobhán was married to a wealthy, cruel man, and began an affair with a local man who tended bees. Things went very terribly wrong, of course.

Rachel also gets to know the inhabitants of the town, and becomes entwined in the town's activities and begins to fall for a local man, Mack, a quiet man who is extremely sensitive to the land and what it tells him about those around him. Mack is also a woodcarver, whose carvings of animals sometimes comes to life, much like the wood spoon with a snake carved on its handle transforms into a familiar for Rachel. These little details, as well as the way the bees seem to be unusually aware of danger to Morgan's Gap, are ways in which the supernatural is subtly woven into the town.

But Ezekial arrives in Morgan's Gap, looking for her, and finding followers eager to believe his words of hate and violence. Rachel is terrified that Ezekial will force her back, and more frighteningly, find out he has a daughter, Pearl, who was adopted by a local woman. (Pearl is a wonderful character, also, and much more aware and wise, and a little uncanny, than a typical four-year-old.) But, the wisewomen of Morgan's Gap prove more than a match for the cruelty he breeds.

Author Willa Reece again shows how the things in nature are important, and how interconnected life is. Using the perspectives of Rachel, Siobhán , Mary May, Mack and Pearl, we see how important community is, and how the magical parts of Morgan's Gap can work together to protect the town.

This is a lovely, quiet story of women finding peace, hope and connection through sharing of their work and of themselves. Rachel has much to unlearn and learn, and her bruised body and heart is embraced and healed by the local women. As well, Rachel discovers her own power through embroidery, which she uses to stitch together relationships in the town.

Reece covers similar themes in this novel as in her first Wildwood book: the tie between religion and bigotry, and the importance of respecting and working with nature. It's a warm, hopeful story full of kindness and compassion, and I hope the author returns to Morgan's Gap for more stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Redhook Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Wildwood Magic by Willa Reece is a historical fantasy featuring strong women and folk magic.

We jump between multiple timelines here, mostly staying in 1969 Morgan's Gap, Virginia, but also jumping back to 1885 in dream sequences. There are also three different narrators for the audiobook, and each of them voice more than one character (but they're easy to tell apart).

I really enjoyed this read. It made me really want to pick up the author's other book, Wildwood Whispers which is vaguely related and set in the same area about 30 years later than this book.

The villain here is a bit over the top in both the past and present storylines, at least for my taste. I also thought it meandered a bit in the middle. But the ending was very strong!

If you're a fan of books like Practical Magic or Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, this may be the book for you.

CW: violence, assault, religious zealotry, child abuse, domestic violence, religious intolerance/trauma, racism, prejudice

The story extolle the power of connection, community.

Rachel grew up an orphan in a religious home for wayward girls - a place with no room for any joy., no matter how small. From there she was married off at a young age to Ezekiel, a pastor within the religion.

Her marriage was full of fear and when Rachel discovered she was pregnant, she knew she had to go.

So she ran. To a place that had called her once before.

And there she finds safety, connection, love, and magic.

But the danger isn’t gone yet…

Absolutely loved this book. For those lost seeking community, kinship, acceptance, love and growth this book is the epitome of those sentiments. A must read. Thanks #NetGalley.

WILDWOOD MAGIC is a bewitching tale of love, pain, and finding your path in life. Reece eloquently brings together the real-life struggles of a woman running away from her past and the magic found in a place she has always meant to be.

As with her previous novel, the author captivates with honest characters, true-to-life situations, and a hint of whimsy. Getting to know Rachel, Mack, Pearl, and the other Wildwood women was a gift. The diversity in the cast was only made better by unique personalities and inherent abilities. Those you meet in these pages have heart, show all the emotions, and don't shy away from who they are. Rachel may not be there in the beginning, but it's her journey to self-discovery that propels the narrative forward. The author showcases the strength of women and how powerful it can be to embrace all of who you are.

I have now loved the time spent within a world created by Willa Reece twice. While reading her books, I am charmed and entertained by a richly developed and beautifully crafted story. However, I am also struck by the importance of her message told through these wonderfully wise women.

It might seem on the nose but this book is magical. The characters are so well written that you can feel the sense of found family and community come to life. I'd like to visit Morgan's Gap for the county fair. The dual timeframe being explored through the dreams of our protagonist was really well done. We came to understand what was happening at the same time she was. The chapters that gave us different perspectives helped move the story forward. It added tension to the story at the right moments and allowed us a deeper understanding of the community around Rachel. I love the world that Willa created and the magic infused within the story, A perfect fall read.

This book is about "finding your voice and embracing your right to shine." Is it ever. I loved every minute of this beautiful book. It's a romance, a mystery, a fairy tale, a magically crafted text all rolled into one. It's about women finding their courage to be themselves - to accept and be proud of who they are. It's about community and finding your family with and without blood relation. "May the circle be unbroken."

I will be thinking about this book for quite some time in the coming weeks. The blend of the characters, especially the women, is a beautifully woven tapestry of love and life. The imagery this book conjures is so special. I can't wait to read Reece's other Wildwood book. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this one.

One Sentence Summary: It’s the 1960s and Rachel is desperate to escape her abusive, powerful husband and, when she does, she discovers a community full of wildwood magic, and a power all her own.

Wildwood Magic is more prequel to Wildwood Whispers than a sequel, and I was fascinated by the history of Morgan’s Gap this book had to offer. Set in the late 1960s, Morgan’s Gap felt both touched and not touched by the demands of society in that time period. There are a lot of things I hadn’t expected for the times, like openly apparent LGBTQ relationships, and a lot of things I did, like women expected to submit to their husbands. At times it was a little discombobulating, but, at others, it just felt like it slotted in perfectly to what Morgan’s Gap is. I found this story fascinating, but I also wasn’t a huge fan of how magical this one is.

Wildwood Magic follows Rachel, a woman who has escaped from her Sect husband and found refuge on the outskirts of Morgan’s Gap with an elderly woman with a magical past. There, she finds healing and a place of sorts, but it takes the elderly woman mysteriously vanishing and leaving everything to Rachel for her to begin to step out of the boundaries of the orchard. Unfortunately, this occurs at the same time the Sect have come to town and set up their tent, their leader, none other than the husband Rachel ran from, intent on setting up a permanent settlement in the area, prompting Rachel to do everything she can to protect a secret she can’t have her husband ever knowing. At the same time, she begins to dream of a woman called Siobhan. Through this woman who lived in the late 1800s, she learns of Morgan’s Gap’s origins and a torrid love affair that would have resounding consequences. And it’s up to Rachel to spin everything she learns and everyone she’s drawn to her to protect those she loves and the town she’s come to call home.

There’s a lot of magic in this book. Unlike the first one where it felt like the characters were drawing from the natural powers of nature, this one felt more other. Each wisewoman’s abilities was pulled into certain things, like knitting, bee keeping, metal work, and stitchery, and the things they know and can do with it felt more magical than natural. There’s also talk of the fey and fey children, and the part about the old woman Rachel has taken refuge with just made things feel too magical for me to swallow as it didn’t jive as perfectly with Wildwood Whispers as I would have wished. I felt like this verged more on fantasy than magical realism, and I just wasn’t a huge fan. I loved how the first book made me want to revere nature more, and this one just made me feel like I had one foot in fantasy and the other in fiction and the middle part of me was just a little confused.

The characters were fantastic, though, even if I am now thoroughly confused about the Ross family and their lineage. I had a great time with Rachel as she got to know everyone. The wisewomen she was led to were wonderful and open, but also appropriately cautious. I liked that they took time to come together and, when they did, they were a force to be reckoned with, and the town really did have to reckon with them. They held their own, even as the Sect upturned things in Morgan’s Gap. The women were powerful, even if they were married, and I loved that they had that power and the safe community available to them. I also loved seeing Granny Ross again, even if I’m no longer certain if the two Granny Rosses are the same woman, or if the name is more honorific than name. I just had a great time getting to know them all, and loved how they came together for each other and for their town.

Rachel’s growth was absolutely fantastic. It did bother me a bit that, in the few years she’d spent basically in hiding she didn’t really change. She felt like a static character, so I was glad when she was given a push. It really made her come out of her shell, out of her hiding, and made her face things she didn’t want to. She really came into her own, finding a place with the wisewomen, in the town, and with a new romantic partner. I do wish the romance had been woven in a little better as sometimes it felt like it took over the story and the story took over the romance and it wasn’t all quite even, but I thought it was sweet. I liked that Rachel’s steps were slow and things never felt just a little too easy for her. They felt natural, and her blooming felt natural as well. She was lovely to get to know, and I really enjoyed seeing her come into her own, overcoming all her demons, internal and external.

Morgan’s Gap was interesting to get to know. After having gotten to know it in present day, Wildwood Magic thrusts the reader back into the past, and then further back to its founding. The earliest history is told to Rachel through her dreams of a woman named Siobhan, a woman many others from Morgan’s Gap have dreamed of. Her story was one of resilience and love and pain. I adored her, and wish there had been more of her story. Then there’s the focus on Morgan’s Gap in the 1960s. It was sometimes infuriating to read, and I had to remind myself of the time period several times. I did like how it was woven in and how parts of the story relied on it, and I loved that there’s still an accepting part of society that manages to respect the wisewomen as being the people they need to survive.

Wildwood Magic also tells the story of how the Sect came to be, basically, neighbors to Morgan’s Gap. I despised them just as much as I did in the first book. But this one tells how they managed to get a foothold, even as their leader became increasingly unhinged. There’s a battle brewing in Morgan’s Gap between those who would follow the Sect’s preachings and those who would follow the wisewomen. The climax of this was incredible, and it was wonderful to see exactly where the town’s roots really were. There’s still unrest, but there’s great power in the people, and that was brilliantly shown.

Wildwood Magic was much more magical than I expected, but it also had a lot of heart. There’s a lot of love, as well as hate, to be found on the pages, but I really enjoyed and appreciated Rachel’s journey. She felt real to me, and her struggles were real. As jarring as it was to go back in time with this book, I appreciated what it offered, and I’m hoping there will be a third book. The characters were a lot of fun, and I enjoyed getting to know Morgan’s Gap all over again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I can't say enough good things about this book. I picked up Wildwood Whispers on a whim and I loved it, so I knew I needed to read this one too. I loved meeting more wise women of Morgan's Gap and how they are all interconnected. It's magical and so well written. I want to stay in the magic of the wildwood forever! The relationships between the women and the understanding of one another that they have is so uplifting.

It was instantly forgettable and I forgot it instantly. I will still recommend it as an Appalachian cozy and buy it for the Appalachian Libby list, however. It is way too late to nominate it for LibraryReads.

Loved the setting and time! Felt more grounded than other magical books I’ve read the past few years. Will be perfect for spooky season!

Wildwood Magic by Willa Reece (Wildwood Whispers), a story about the healing magic of community and the very human evils that make healing magic necessary, immerses readers in the rhythms of a small Appalachian town and the ecstasy of breaking free from abuse and oppression.

Raised by the Sect, a cult that demands submission and silence from its female members, Rachel now finds herself pregnant by her husband, Ezekiel Gray, the Sect preacher who constantly beat her and took pleasure in her pain. She makes her way to an apple orchard on the edge of Morgan's Gap in the Appalachian Mountains, where she is taken in by Mary May, places her daughter in the care of a trusted friend of Mary's, and hides in Mary's cottage for a few years. When Mary disappears and leaves instructions for Rachel to take care of the orchard, Rachel connects with other wisewomen and woodsmen, learning about the magic of the wildwood and the energy infusing the women's craftwork--while also learning about herself and who she wants to be. But then a summer-long Sect revival brings Ezekiel and his hateful rhetoric to Morgan's Gap, and danger threatens Rachel, her daughter, her new circle of friends, and the whole town.

Rachel's voice shines in this first-person narrative interspersed with sections from other characters' perspectives, including that of Ezekiel. Filled with all-too-real hatred and prejudice, Reece's second Wildwood novel also brims with love, hope, and the magical power of womanhood and community.

Wildwood Magic was one of my most anticipated reads for this year, and it definitely held up to my expectations. It was just as magical as Wildwood Whispers, and I loved getting a look at the previous generation in Morgan's Gap. As a person who grew up in Southwest VA, I can also say that Willa Reece does an excellent job of capturing small town life and Appalachian culture. As always, I'm hoping there will be more to come.
*I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley

A woman escapes her abusive husband and finds shelter in an enchanted orchard in this spellbinding novel of magic, resilience, and self-discovery from the author of Wildwood Whispers.

Wildwood Magic
by Willa Reece
Pub Date: 25 Jul 2023

Here be witches and wayward girls…

In a town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, Rachel Smith has found a new life tending a lush apple orchard. She’s safe within its grove. If her dreams are haunted by memories of her violent husband, that pain is soothed by fresh mountain air and apples that taste as sweet as honey.

But Rachel wasn’t meant to live in the shadows. The orchard drew her to Morgan’s Gap to fulfill a purpose, and a tight-knit community of wisewomen who honor the old mountain traditions are ready to teach her. A world of magic awaits Rachel, one filled with new friendships and new love.

Yet Rachel’s past is creeping in. A preacher with a familiar face has stormed into town, and his dangerous sermons may damn Rachel—and the people she’s come to love—to the flames.

For more from Willa Reece, check out Wildwood Whispers.

A very interesting book. Definitely makes you think about the mistreatment of women and women of color through varying periods. Would recommend for lovers of books about wayward women!

Wildwood Magic by Willa Reece was a great read.
I enjoyed every aspect of it from the writing style and character development, to the world building and unique story line.
The setting of the Appalachian Mountains was wonderfully told.
The author's writing is full of lush descriptions and it shows throughout each and every page.
Magic, fantasy and a lot of heart bring this beautiful story together.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Redhook for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was another magical book. It’s a book full of strong women and traditions. After reading the previous book I was excited to have the opportunity to read the next one.
It’s just as good as the first one. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy