An interesting tale that weaves science and magic together, the Naturalist Society makes interesting commentary on sexism and racism in the early 19th century. The characters were well written and Miss Vaughn showed attention to detail in building the historical and scientific concepts of this book.

Cute. It’s a historical fantasy with romance. And a three way…. But for those who prefer to avoid straight out erotica in your books it’s a fade to black and not too explicit
And for those who don’t know too much history what her family does is very accurate, perhaps even a bit gentle but that could be because her family has money. It’ll be interesting to see how the relationship gets explained in later books. That time period may have expected a few “confirmed bachelors” to be quietly sneered at if they were sufficiently lucky to avoid arrest but they’d definitely not have coped with poly.
All in all I enjoyed it and will definitely read book two.

The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn is a very well written story.
This is a fantastic story of courage and friendship and love and magic set in the natural world.

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

DNF. It's fine??? It's fine. A good, solid three stars. I'm just not enchanted, the way I hoped I would be. The prose is very bestseller-y, meaning light on description but well-paced and super readable. I was hoping to see the characters experiencing wonder at the natural world, and they didn't - although in fairness I think that's deliberate, I think Vaughn's making a point about the white/Victorian mindset towards naturalism, ie that it's pretty gross and colonialist and greedy, actually!

And I think that was being done really well, but it's not the kind of thing I want to read.

Fans of magical realism and fantasy will enjoy this tale of arcane taxonomy. Know btw that arcane taxonomy is not a real thing (I was confused and spent some time looking for more information) but an invention of Vaughn. It underpins this novel about a woman-Beth- and two men -Brandon and Austin. Beth allowed her now deceased husband Harry to publish under her name because a woman's research would not be accepted. Now, Bran and Austin who have a secret of their own are leveraging her for their joint benefit. It's a zippy plot and the storytelling is good. THanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I really wanted to like this book. I thought I'd love it since I'm a big fan of author Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series, but, sadly, this book just wasn't my cup of tea.

The idea behind the Arcane Taxonomy was really interesting, as was all the naturalist stuff, but I didn't really care for any of the characters. And the romance took a turn that felt out of place for the time period.

I know I'm in the minority here, so be sure to check out other reviews to see if it might be for you.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

As a child, I read encyclopedias for fun (and I'm sure I'm not the only one), so while I don't read much non-fiction anymore, fiction about science and exploration is still a big hit with me. That said, I did have some trepidation that this book would tread a fairly stock standard path when it comes to exploring the experiences of female scientists during the Victorian era, since we've all been there and done that in some form of literature.

Thankfully, I needn't have worried. Vaughn does hit many of the familiar beats (there's of course the need for our MC to find a husband, and the hazy academic back rooms full of self-important men), but this book makes up for it by building deep relationships between each of our three main characters and treating them as equals, each facing different, sometimes intersectional challenges with inequality in the natural sciences. The Naturalist Society has as much to say about the theme of survival as it does about science - both surviving the elements, but also surviving society itself. There's also plenty of LGBT+ rep which doesn't seem to have been a feature of the marketing at all, but will be of interest to many.

I'll admit that Vaughn has never really been on my radar as an author before, but I may need to reconsider checking out her backlist - and I hope she writes more in the historical fantasy genre.

To know the name of a living thing is to be able to harness its magic in the world of Carrie Vaughn’s The Naturalist Society. Except, that’s too simple. To really be able to do feats of magic using Arcane Taxonomy, naturalists have to study every species very carefully to understand how a woodpecker can demolish a tree or a pigeon can always return to the same place from anywhere on earth. Beth Stanley is very good at watching the birds of New York City through her opera glasses and, if she had only been born male, she would have been one of the greatest naturalists of her time. But it’s 1880 and there are very few people willing to listen to her, let along read her manuscripts.

When Beth’s husband, Harry—who published Beth’s papers under his own name and gave lectures in her stead—dies, she believes that it’s the end of her charade of a career. She misses her husband, of course, and her mother barely allows her six months to mourn Harry before trying to get Beth to remarry. Thankfully, two men walk into her life and change absolutely everything. Brandon West and Anton Torrance return from an Arctic expedition, hoping to reconnect with Harry and see if he has any new arcane tricks up his sleeve for them to use on their next expedition. It doesn’t take them long to realize that they have the wrong end of the stick and that Beth has been the arcane and scientific genius the entire time.

The Naturalist Society is a cozy read. There are dangers that threaten the growing relationship between Beth, Brandon, and Anton, including a particularly odious naturalist who believes he can bully his way to magic and fame, to keep things interesting. Brandon and Anton encourage Beth to take risks she never dared to before. For the first time, she publishes under her own name (albeit in a women’s magazine with no scientific rigor whatsoever). For the first time, she steps foot inside the male-only Naturalist Society building for a reading of “Harry’s” last article. For the first time, Beth even travels alone. Widow’s mourning gets her a lot of leeway in society, but gumption works a lot better.

What really shines about this book is watching Beth come into her own as a naturalist and Arcane Taxonomist and the love that she finds after thinking that her life was over. I loved the scenes in which Beth can leave the city and the pressures of her family and society and watch birds. When Beth watches birds, she loses herself in their calls and chirps, in the way they flit from branch to branch, in the colors of their feathers. She loathes it when people kill birds to study them, instead of simply watching. Beth’s wonderment at the world makes me want to get outside and see if I can figure out what species are flying around my house.

I really like Vaughn's work - I went through all of Kitty Norville earlier this year. That said, she has a few ticks that turn up in a lot of her books. One that most bugs me is the way she imports 21st C sexism into situations where it's annachronistic. For example in KN it actually makes no sense for female werewolves to be at a disadvantage physically. Here, in 1880s you would expect some sexism but despite this, women were atrending universities, earning degrees, practicing medicine, writing books, rejecting the actual patriarchy (there was one back then!). Or at least they were in Britain and Ireland. (I realise the US has always been more conservative and therefore somewhat behind the UK on a lot of issues). But still, even as a non Americal I can think of a dozen US women off the top of my head who were just as liberated. So this mousey MC who goes from academic to trading on her sexuality just doesn't land fir me. Women can be both or just not define themselves based on how desirable they are? Anyway, I liked the premise of this but I was more up for something like Marie Brennan's A Natural History of Dragons so this fell a bit flat.

This is a creative fantasy adventure. Full review to come. Thanks to the publisher for Read Now access.

The Naturalist Society, by Carrie Vaughn, is one of the best books I've read in a while. The characters are interesting and the there is just enough magic to make the story feel believable without going overboard. If you're looking for a novel with a strong female lead, great supportive male characters, and nature imbued with magical elements, read this book!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC; all opinions are my own.

This story was unique and interesting. The concept of imbuing oneself with the qualities of different animals was thought-provoking. I really felt for the female protagonist, Beth, as she struggled with the loss of her spouse and her career. (Makes you wonder how many discoveries humankind has missed out on by excluding women from intellectual pursuits!)

The plight of Bran and Anton was poignant as well. Two smart men, one of whom is automatically looked at differently because of his skin color, also have to deal with hiding their affection for one another. Again, just think of what we’re missing out on when we don’t allow people to be their authentic selves!

The ending was very satisfying…this book was a delightful, distinctive read!

Nature has power, naming something has power. But a woman in the 1880s? No power.

As an Arcane Taxonomist, Beth can draw power from the natural world through studying the subject and knowing the proper Latin name. When Beth meets Henry Stanley she not only finds a husband, but someone who can be the face of her research while she plays the part of the proper lady. But, when only three years later Henry dies her whole plan goes up in smoke. She meets an Arcane Taxonomist, Brandon West, and an explorer, Anton Torrance who are working on funding a North Pole Expedition. After looking to get ahold of the late Henry Stanley's work, an unexpected relationship between the three forms.

As an environmental scientist, Carry Vaughn created a world I have regularly thought about. How could we as scientists draw power from nature? And as a woman, how could I be a scientist in a time where women were expected to care for little outside their family? I connected deeply with Beth and felt her emotional trauma.

I wish that the backstory of Arcane Taxonomy was a little more thorough. I did enjoy the mid-chapter descriptions of explorers who had used Arcane Taxonomy, but how is it something that is so new? Briefly, at the beginning, the use of Arcane Taxonomy by Innuits is talked about, but there must be other forms throughout the world or things that have been passed down. I was also not totally clear until the end how Arcane Taxonomy could be taught from one person to another.

Generally, I will warn future readers that if you are not interested in slow-paced Academia heavy books, this is NOT the book for you.

If you are a fan of Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries you will likely also enjoy The Naturalist Society.

Semi-spoiler tropes featured listed below:
Why choose, pansexual main character

Will update when tiktok/Instagram reviews have been posted.

oh my goodness !! I loved this book so much ! I knew I would love it when we first met Beth. The method of the arcanism was exciting, and that the author tied her love of birds into Beth's love was delightful. The idea of the taxonomical nomenclature giving you the power of the animal was interesting, I really liked the idea and versatility of it. It was disappointing that Beth couldn't put her own name on her work, but the work-around of using Harry's name was great, until he passed away.
When we met Brandon and Anton, we learned about their travels and how well they worked together on their expeditions. Wnen the two gentlemen meet Beth, I had great hopes for their continued acquaintance.
There are some twists and turns, a lot of frustration on my part regarding the lack of free will for women of that age, and some rollicking good times, as well.

If you like Carrie Vaughn's writing, if you like birds, if you like magic, if you like strong, independent women, you will LOVE this book !

Exquisite. Beautifully researched and filled with adventure and heart. I loved the fantastical and period elements in equal measure and admire the author’s dedication to bringing historical figures to life as much as she does the flora and fauna of each expedition.

Carrie Vaughn is the real deal: a writer who brings a sparkling and authentic voice to every tale, with deep and satisfying worldbuilding, and characters we would die to protect. “The Naturalist’s Society” is her best work yet, an astonishing blend of passion, personality, and Arctic exploration, underpinned with a deep foundation of convincing science, magic, and bird lore. Already one of my favorite books of the year.

The Naturalist Society has a great storyline and wonderful characters - loved the first half. However, the characters went odd during the remaining chapters. Beth Stanley is a naturalist and works with her husband to research birds. Her husband passes early in the book and as a widow, meets expedition colleagues of her former husband - partners Brandon West and Anton Torrance. Their shared love of natural world research is great and the characters are all distinct but lovely. Without giving spoilers, there are significant events that happen to the three and then a significant event that happens to Beth. After that, the storyline loses focus and goes from delightful to weird. Beth makes decisions from left field and there are story threads that drop completely. The book concludes with a 'tidy' ending that really doesn't ring true.

The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn is a magical story about nature and human nature featuring a love triangle, birds, arctic exploration, and what it means to honour your own nature in a 19th century world.

The story revolves around a magical practice called Arcane Taxonomy, in which some people known as Arcanist's can harness the powers of animals and plants as long as long as the natural specimen has been named and classified. Saying the Latin taxonomical name is how one can imbue themselves with the power of the animal or plant. For example, classifying a specific bird species can allow an Arcanist to be able to tap into the unique ability of that bird. This concept was original and fascinating and the interludes throughout the story about famous people from the past who may have been Arcanists, was the perfect way to add a touch of realism to this book. The whole time reading this story I couldn't help but wonder if there was or is such as thing as Arcane Taxonomy? I learned a lot about the science of naturalism and the 1880s setting was the perfect backdrop to explore this subject as the world was on the cusp of technological breakthroughs with nature and the environment paying the price.

The story revolves around three characters, Beth, Bran, and Anton, and the difficulties they encounter managing their abilities in a world that does not fully understand or accept them. Beth is a widow with an incredible gift in ornithology yet does not have the equal rights to be taken seriously in her field, needing to hide her interest and talents due to its societal impropriety. Bran is an artic explorer and Arcanist trying to get to the South Pole with his companion Anton in order to harness the earth's magnetic fields, which would empower an Arcanist in ways never seen before. His late friend and Beth's deceased husband was also a gifted Arcanist, who left behind a treasure trove of knowledge in the field, but meeting his widow Beth changes his entire perspective on Arcane Taxonomy... and love. Beth, Bran, and Anton are caught up in a love triangle, keeping their romance hidden all the while experimenting with their Arcane powers in a world that has rejected them in different ways.

I really enjoyed this story for being an original fantasy about naturalism. The subject was fascinating and the idea of harnessing power from nature offered an interesting perspective on what it means to master and exploit it. I liked how the author explored the natural vs unnatural themes within the context of 19th century America. I loved getting immersed in this story and looking at nature through the eyes of an Arcanist whose passion for understanding flora and fauna brought the story to life.

The Naturalist Society was a high concept historical fantasy that will make you love and appreciate the natural world and its powerful magical ability to survive, live, and thrive in a world full of humans seeking to harness it, for better and for worse.

I'm not normally a historical fiction reader but the plot of this one was intriguing. I enjoyed Beth's character and the journey through the book was pretty captivating. I felt this was well written and nicely paced with a concept that is very unique, at least to me.

What a fun read! Each character was very fleshed out and felt like they lived off the page, even side characters. Their relationships to each other also felt very believable and real. The pacing was also very well done, I read a large portion of the book in one sitting and felt like no time had passed. The brief breaks from the main storyline to discuss the history and major figures within this magical version of reality was a highlight and did not feel excessive or superfluous, as excerpts like those can often fall victim to. One point that I think could be stronger was the magic system. While the idea had immense potential and the imagery of the magic was very strong, I think the book would have benefitted from more mechanics of how, exactly, the knowledge of taxonomy produces magic. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light, fun historical fantasy.