Of the two Anne of Green Gables retellings I read this month, I preferred this one by far. Fawcett fully captures the character of Anne with the character of Grace, the wild-eyed, talkative, imaginative wild child and made her magic. The infusion of magic, the major change in the story, makes this so heartwarming. I wish, though, that Fawcett had made the Witch character a little less evil and unlikeable and more like Marilla. With that as my only quibble, I definitely enjoyed my read and look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Grace of Wild Things is about a young orphan girl, Grace, who is searching for a witch to teach her how to use her magic - and for a home.

This is a fantasy AU of Anne of Green Gables. I expected it to have more differences between it and the source material - but in many ways, they are nearly identical in characterization and plot points, with magic added. This could have been Anne telling her story and just changing names/adding magic.

I think there was an opportunity here for the author to explore more the background of the witch and Grace and give more depth to why the witch was so irritated by Grace (what if it was that the witch herself used to be young and full of wonder and big words but the world's cruelty slowly stripped it away?) - to give her own spin on the characters and relationships and not just the world. I think a different POV or exploration of the relationship between characters would have made this stand out (I wanted more about Poppy ok)

I can see this being popular with young teens (especially if the like the Netflix show) and it was well written and enjoyable - but there was in the end not much unique about it. I enjoyed the little puzzles of magical ingredients that Grace had to figure out how to solve (like the piece of the moon or day with 25 hours) the most. The ending was a decent wrap up of loose ends, but definitely set up for a sequel.

All in all, it was good but too similar to the source material for it to feel like something I want to read again or to pick up any sequel that might come out.

My new favorite genre is cozy fantasy so when this Anne of Green Gables retelling popped up, I immediately requested the ARC. Anne of Green Gables? Magic? Fantasy? Witches? Sign me up! I was not disappointed in the least. This book manages to capture the delight of Anne without being a carbon copy. Rather than being adopted, Grace stumbles upon a witch's cottage and convinces the witch to let her stay. In exchange, Grace must figure out how to cast all of the (100.5) spells in the witch's grimoire. The secondary characters are just as delightful as Grace, and the bonds of friendship are woven throughout. If you loved the original Anne and have even a slight enjoyment of fantasy, pick this one up!

This was such a comforting read! A lovely, sensitive story and an authentic portrayal of childhood. This is for all the girls who got "talks to much" on their report cards and were always in trouble for muddy clothes!

So I never liked Anne of Green Gables as a kid but I decided I'd give this a shot. And that may have been a bad idea as I just couldn't get into it. Through no fault of the writing because it's easy to follow. There are just things about it that I didn't like. Honestly, most of it I didn't like and it wouldn't feel like I was giving this book a fare shake if I wrote about it on my blog when it was already based on something I didn't enjoy much. However, this is really long for a middle grade and feels like it should almost, almost be YA. Although upper middle grade is a thing. I'm not sure who would enjoy this that I know. But it gets 3 stars for competent enough writing.

The Grace of Wild Things is a magical and imaginative book inspired by Anne of Green Gables. The story follows Grace, an orphan, who knows that she is different from the other kids around her. Adults are wary around her and she has a crow friend that talks to her. Set on becoming a witch's apprentice, she runs away from the orphanage in search of the nearest witch. The Witch she finds, however, doesn't exactly welcome Grace with open arms. Grave strikes a bargain with the Witch, only to realize the task is near impossible for her to do alone and has grave consequences.

This story was full of heart, poetry, and charming characters. Grace is a whimsical main character, ever insistent on using flowery language and rambling on and on about anything and everything. The friends she makes along the way have distinct personalities and scenes featuring them were quite fun.

The Witch is also a delightful character. She's crabby and complains for most of the book, but despite her evil-doing and wicked ways, she has quite the soft spot for Grace. She never says it out loud but it's apparent in how she acts throughout the story.

This book made me laugh (and cry) numerous times. There were some things I wish had been mentioned or wrapped up a little better, but overall this book just brought me such joy. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a whimsical story- it reminded me very much of Spirited Away & Kiki's Delivery Service. And also Witch Hat Atelier. I believe that a fan of any of those would enjoy this book.

4.5 rounding up to 5 stars

An interesting adaptation of a classic story that I think many young readers would have fun with. It will definitely not be for every reader, but I believe younger readers will find it interesting.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray for the opportunity to review this e-arc.
What an absolutely delightful book, as delightful as a poem on a spring day. Can there possibly be anything better than a witchy Anne retelling? I think not. My whole heart gives this five stars! I ordered for my library before I even finished the book!

4⭐️

<b> Magic is not some tame creature that you can put into harness—magic is wild.</b>

Grace is an orphan and a witch in search of a mentor so that she can practice her magic and become a witch like in the stories. Grace finds a witch’s cottage in the forest, and with the support of her crow familiar, Windweaver, she gathers her courage to ask the witch if she can be her apprentice. The witch tries to fatten her up and bake her, like the witch in Hansel and Gretel, but when Grace turns the witch’s cow’s milk to ice cream, the witch begrudgingly makes a bargain with Grace. If Grace can complete each spell in the witch’s grimoire before the cherry tree blooms in the next year, she will take Grace on as an apprentice and teach her all she knows. Grace sets off with her new friends to finish the spells and become a real witch.

This book was very cute and has a lot of found family and fun witchy vibes. It was a lot of fun to read!

This book was so lovely. Anne of Green Gables has always been a comfort read, so to see it reimagined in a fantasy world was lots of fun. However, if you aren’t a fan of Anne of Green Gables and aren’t in the middle grade age category, you probably won’t enjoy this. It was interesting to see how Fawcett rewrote some of the original plot, while also keeping it different enough for it to be intriguing. The writing was beautiful, the text is full of wonderful prose and looks at the world through a magical lens. I think this will be a lovely book for the age it’s geared towards.
I received an eARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I'm a fan of the author's other works and this was no exception. Grace is an energetic, precocious, sometimes can't-stop-talking character. I loved her. She's got definite Anne of Green Gables if she were a witch vibes. I laughed a few times over her first encounters with the the grumpy witch (who I liked immediately, despite trying to EAT Grace lol). If you're looking for a cute, magical, and fun middlegrade this will hit that spot for you. I'll be getting copies for my younger sister and cousin cause I know they'll enjoy it!

This was a stunning Middle Grade read that I highly recommend to readers of all ages! I grew up reading the Anne of Green Gables books and have a soft spot for them, and the way the author incorporated the original stories into this one was excellently done. Grace very much thinks and speaks like Anne, and the way that her flowery prose was incorporated into her magic was perfect. There were many other subtle nods to the story, and the author found creative ways to incorporate the original work while still making it something brand new (the cherry cordial scene was excellently done).

The magic was also a strong aspect of this work. It was so fun to see some of the different spells and how absurd and creative the ingredients were. I think this aspect of the work will be especially fun for younger readers. The friendships in this work were beautiful, and the character growth was done well. Each chapter also began with a short excerpt from a poem, which added not only to that specific chapter but also to Grace’s character. I do wish the ending had been a little less abrupt, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the read as a whole.

This book would be lovely for Middle Grade readers and older and could be especially fun for parents to read with their kids.

Oh my goodness, I LOVED THIS STORY!! It was like stepping into a blooming rose of nostalgia from start to finish. You can tell the author sought inspiration from so many of our childhood favorites including Anne of Green Gables, Hansel & Gretel, and even Matilda. This story follows young Grace, an orphan seeking the security of home. She's heard tales of a witch that bakes children in the woods and believing that she herself is a witch, heads to the little cottage to see if the witch would be interested in teaching her. Their relationship is extremely "grumpy/sunshine" and while the witch was pretty terrible, it was fun to watch her warm up to Grace throughout the story. The friendships, the magic, the RICH setting, the themes of courage and what "home" really means — it all worked. I wanted to live in Grace's world a bit longer, but I'm so grateful I got the time I did. 5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! Although I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own.

This book is not what I was expecting and I'm glad. Full disclosure, I've never read Anne of Green Gables, so I don't have that to compare it to. This is said to be a reimaging of Anne, but I couldn't even tell you if it was close lol. Grace is an orphan, but she doesn't think she ever has a chance at being adopted. Not with her magic ability. So, she runs away from the orphanage to find the witch to see if she can live there, learn to be a witch from her. The reluctant witch makes a deal with Grace, learn all 100 and 1/2 spells in her grimoire, and she will train her.

This turns out to be much more than just learning and performing spells for Grace though. I loved watching her make friends in the nearby town, figure out how to use her magic, basically without the help of the witch (or anyone else for that matter) and figure out how she's going to get through this grimoire.

I loved the way this story ended. Not at all what I expected, but perfect for this tale. Overall, this book gets a solid four stars for me. There were parts that felt a little bit long, but in the end, it did tie in quite well. The only concern I would have with younger children reading this is, if they have an overactive imagination (like I did) they may have bad dreams because of some of the magic and interactions between the witch and Grace. There wasn't anything terrible, but it does lead my active mind down its own little road.

A fun, whimsical tale of magic and friendship and kindness. This was, for me, a super quick read (partly because I spent 5 hours on an airplane) and it left me with the warm and fuzzy feelings that a good book does. Grace was likeable and sweet character- a poor orphan who simply wants a place to call home and a person to love her. After she convinces the witch to give her a chance, she sets to work through her spell book and, in the process, learns more about who she is and also the importance of relatationshios, both with friends and family.

The storyline is loosely based on Anne of Green Gables (with the addition of magic), which I absolutely loved as a child.

Absolutely delightful story about finding home and your place in the world. Grace is mesmerizing and her magic is beautiful. You’ll find yourself giggling and crying and grateful for every moment.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

-fawcett is MY queen of middle grade fantasy, she is doing it like no one else
-i read this one in a day, which i haven’t done in ages
-i’m not familiar with anne of green gables, but it didn’t detract from my reading experience at all
-the ending was so lovely and bittersweet, which i normally hate but it leaned enough toward sweet that i was okay
-grace was such a lovable character, and her whole friend group (including the witch!) were such a great addition to the story and really made this such a great read
-fawcett has such beautiful, lyrical writing, ive listened to a few of her novels on audiobook and i have no doubt this one would be a great experience reading it that way as well!
-i need my nephew’s to stay babies forever but also to grow up so i can read these books with them!!

Anne of Green Gables with magic?! Absolutely!! This story is every bit as magically enchanting and perfect as it sounds!

Thank you for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

I can honestly say that all I’ve read so far, this book is doing major justice to its inspiration of Anne. I feel all the nostalgic feelings towards it and it’s such a just wonderful story in all.

To be honest I really wanted to like this book. I'm a long-time Anne of Green Gables fan and I'm also a fan of magic worlds used in fiction but this book just didn't do it for me. It felt forced and repetitive. I feel like there was a great spark of an idea that wasn't fleshed out and edited well.