I devoured this novel in one sitting and have already recommended it to my book club!
In The Nature of Witches, the humans and the witches work together to combat the effects of global warming but global warming has gotten out of hand. Clara is in school for witches where each witches power is tied to the seasons. Clara dislikes her power as she is unable to control it and it turn has hurt those she loves. Across the seasons, Clara learns to control her power and accept herself/love herself.
I really found the take on global warming and witches and humans working together to be a super unique concept. The aspect of humans taking and taking and taking with nothing to give back to Mother Earth couldn’t be more true. I cannot wait to read novels by Rachel Griffin!

Tha k you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was quick read and pretty enjoyable. However I'm a bit on the fence with this one. I enjoyed the plot/story quite a bit, but never felt as connected to the characters as I would have hoped.

I love a fantasy/sci-fi book that leans into ecological/ botanical themes and this one didn't disappoint. Magical school vibes with a unique twist on elemental magic. A sweet romance and a protagonist who needed to learn to trust herself and let people close again after trauma. I might've enjoyed this more without the chosen one trope, but overall this was a worthwhile read.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF at about 40%. The book was OK, but I felt like it was lacking so much backstory, character development and richness. I constantly felt like I was missing something and couldn’t get past that. Felt more like an initial idea as opposed to finished product. Likely a me problem and not a book problem.

The Nature of Witches is perfect for fans of Shea Ernshaw and Adrienne Young. Rachel Griffin created an utterly magical world that I couldn't get enough of!

I have been wanting to read The Nature of Witches since I received the arc for it way back when. But for some reason I never got to it. When it came time to request Wild is the Witch I knew I had to have it because the covers were stunning which had to mean the books were amazing. And I’m here to say that neither book disappointed.

Getting approved for Wild is the Witch was the motivation I needed to read The Nature of Witches and I really enjoyed it. It was a solid 4 stars for me. So I was excited to read the next book, even if it was different characters.

I absolutely loved Wild is the Witch. Iris was such a fun character to follow and here and Pike together was my fave. The way magic works in this world was really interesting and I liked how different it was to other books with magic and witches. This read like a really good YA contemporary with magic to make it even better.

If you like witches, magic, and enemies-to-lovers you need to read both these books. I gave Wild is the Witch ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I am just now seeing this review function on Netgalley! This book, back when I read it, changed how I view YA literature. Its perception of witches and teen girls and magic and the climate is so fresh and yet comforting. I love how Griffin has found a niche for herself as a writer and really delved into it, finding such a dedicated readership who finds comfort and connection in her stories of magic. I loved her second book and am looking forward to her third! Thank you for this e-ARC, way back in the day!

Witches have helped humans with the seasons for centuries where witches are connected to a singular season, but not Clara, she is an Everwitch. However, Clara has not been able to control the power within her, which has resulted in the deaths of people she loves. The solution: isolation. But when visiting witch, Sang, comes to train her, she can't help but to fall for his Spring patience and gentle understanding. But her fear of hurting him will cause her to push him away.

Ok so there's definitely an audience for this book, but it's not me.

It's a cool concept and gives druid-vibes AND I especially appreciate the theme of climate change awareness. HOWEVER, Clara as a MC was annoying, self-centered (I fell asleep counting how many "I"s and "Me"s were on each page), and totally insecure (even in the end when she's so "confident"). Sang as a vaguely "Asian" character reads as tokenism (it's literally mentioned once...okay maybe twice after he mentions his mom immigrating from Korea) and had literally no part in his character identity - it feels like the author threw this in to have some "diversity" pat on the back.

The cover is gorgeous though...

I appreciated the message regarding climate change, but I felt like the importance of that got caught up in too many tropes. It was not one of my favorites this year. I actually read the author's newest book first and enjoyed that much more, so I will keep trying her works.

I appreciate NetGalley for allowing me an arc of this book for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Hmm... so I'm on the fence about this book because the writing was lovely and some of the characters were very endearing, but the plot didn't quite captivate me like I wish it had.

Clara is an Everwitch and belongs to a band of witches in Pennsylvania who keep nature from being destroyed by wildfires and erratic weather. Mr. Hart is her teacher and wants to help her master her abilities and conquer her fear of harming another after she hurt and killed her best friend Nikki and her parents. Clara changes her personality with the seasons and in summer she enjoys being in relationships but in autumn she loses all feelings for the other person. After Mr. Hart is killed by her magic, Clara wants to give up and resign herself to a life of solitude so she can’t harm anyone else. When Sang arrives to help train her, she starts to believe in herself and hopes she will be able to finally control her magic.

Likes/dislikes:
I love the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, sometimes they’re inspiring and sometimes they’re eye-opening. I like the internal struggles of the main character. I also like how the community eventually works together.
Mature content:
PG-13 for kissing and allusion to sex with no details. Bisexual main character.
Violence: PG for death from uncontrollable magic in a flash of light.
Language: R for 19 swears and one f-bomb.
Ethnicity: White, Asian.

Well paced and engaging read. I look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"In a world where witches control the climate and are losing control, only one witch can save earth from destruction. But as her power grows, it hurts those closest to her, and when she falls in love with her training partner she's forced to choose between her power, her love, and saving the earth.

For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, but now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic; the storms, more destructive. All hope lies with Clara, a once-in-a-generation Everwitch whose magic is tied to every season.

In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It's wild and volatile, and the price of her magic—losing the ones she loves—is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.

In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she's the only one who can make a difference.

In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she's terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.

In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves...before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos."

What beautiful writing. And a clever way to address climate change, magic. The main character wasn't my favorite, her overwhelming self doubt got a bit annoying to be honest. The writing completely made up for it.

It took me a while to get to this read. I won't say I was disappointed but I can see her growth from this novel to her 2nd and third. This one was just ok in terms of story line and what was happening.

I've read other Rachel Griffin books and this one really held up in comparison. The story was well paced, the characters well thought out, the story made sense. I really enjoyed it and will be looking for more books from the author in the future.

A journey of discovery filled with positive messages of self-worth and identity. Fighting for what you believe in. I loved the way magic was represented by the seasons in this story.
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Engaging and interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author.
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I received a copy as a gift and received a complimentary digital copy from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

3.5 stars, rounded up (and I’ll get to why that is in a moment).

I’ve been meaning to read this one since it came out, and I’m glad I finally got to it this month. While the book and I got off to a slower start than I would like, I do think that it makes sense with the tone of the story overall. I also really liked the seasonal magic right off the bat (and am now contemplating what type of witch I would be in this world), as well as the environmental and climate change commentary.

What wound up cementing my positive feelings towards THE NATURE OF WITCHES, however, is how strongly I personally resonated with Clara (despite my initial concerns for the beginning of the story where I worried I wouldn’t be able to connect at all). I liked her coming-of-age, how she has to navigate complicated feelings about herself and change and choice. There were some key moments where I teared up because I could relate to how she felt or what she thought, and that alone really meant something to me.

While not a new all-time favorite, I’m so glad I finally picked this one up.

I love Witch themed books. I especially love them when they have a very different take on being a witch than the normal storyline.

The Nature of Witches is exactly that. The story is based on witches having powers based on the Season. So they all wax and wane based on where their power comes from. And every season offers different powers. I love that concept.

What happens when one witch comes along that has powers from all four seasons? This witch specifically doesn't want her power as it has proven to kill her loved ones in the past. She doesn't want to master her powers and yet she can't walk away from them unless she takes the ultimate step to remove her powers. But the world needs her to keep them.

It's a great setup for an enjoyable, adventurous read.

I had really high hopes for this story, and maybe my expectations were too high. I did like the actual story. I just wanted more from it. I did love how it was a quick read, but it just left me wanting more.