Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It took me less than a day to read this.

I love how the magic system is introduced and I absolutely love how it operates. I appreciated that I didn’t have to figure out how the magic worked through context clues. It’s placed in such a great place (the second chapter) which allows the reader to have a few questions and have them answered pretty quickly.

This is marked in the NetGalley system as Romance and SciFi/Fantasy. I understand the fantasy stuff, but the romance wasn’t my favorite part. In fact, I desperately wish this book could have been “enemies to friends with maybe lovers in the future after we learn to trust each other.” Why do I word it like this? She set a curse on him that she wasn’t going to activate but may be activated!!!

Cue my rant:

Iris got Pike on this mission for the owl under false pretenses. She doesn’t tell him anything about her magic and any time he does catch a whiff of it, she makes him think he’s imagining things. It got to the point where I was questioning why Pike was even there when she makes it seem like she knows more than him. Okay, sure you have magic, but he’s been studying owls for quite a long time. It’s much like the magic system: magic and science co-exist. This would have been the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that, but Iris consistently puts him down and there’s an inclination that she thinks she’s better than him because of it. I <i>really</i> hated that. And then it doesn’t help that the one thing she does have an advantage on is swept away. With how much she boasts she’s prepared for everything, the one thing she needs is gone because she wasn’t prepared. I just can’t.

When the story turns from enemies to lovers, it felt weird. Iris hides information from him that would probably stop him from going into that lovers territory. It’s a weird lack of consent that felt gross. I could be wrong in that reading though; please take that into account.

After the tree was on fire, I wanted this book to end. I’m trying to stay super vague since I didn’t catch at what percentage this was. The owl is disregarded for Iris and Pike to reveal stuff about themselves. I didn’t like that Iris’ intention (that she wasn’t going to activate) would hurt, or possibly kill Pike, but doesn’t ever seem to fully understand that she could have hurt/killed a lot more people than just him. And then right when she says she’s not going to do a certain thing, she turns around and finds a way around that will get her the same result without doing the certain thing. Girl, you almost killed people! Why do you think that’s a good idea?

How would have this been better? It didn’t need the romance. It could have easily been that whole “enemies to friends to eventual lovers” and I would have understood it so much more. Also, the ending didn’t feel earned, more like forced because that last chapter was just odd. It would have been better to put it as an epilogue and have a little more time pass in between.

The magic permeates throughout and I will admit that’s what really saved this book for me.

I'd have to call this one "good, not great." I enjoyed the verdant, woodsy setting and the magic system established for the witches. I enjoyed Iris's backstory, and especially her struggles with anxiety. The passages describing the burden of generalized and social anxiety were the strongest in the novel and the most impactful. I think Rachel Griffin explains these struggles in an accessible way that will help young readers feeling the same things that plague Iris. But the overall plot, characterization, and especially relationships in this one simply didn't grip me. I really had to push through while reading. I think that overall the witchy story would be better suited to a historical backdrop than a modern setting, but that's also a matter of preference.

I truly adored this book. Rachel Griffin has a way with words that catches you off guard in the best ways possible.
I'll be rereading this one soon!

I really enjoyed Griffin's debut, The Nature of Witches, when I read it on Netgalley, with no idea at the time how much success it would garner! So I was thrilled to be offered access to her second standalone, Wild is the Witch. Luckily I enjoyed it equally as much, if not more.

In this one, Iris has run from the consequences of illegal magic gone horribly wrong, and her and her mother own an animal sanctuary where they hide their witchhood. When their intern Pike, witch hater and arrogant dick, makes a particularly scathing comment, Iris channels her frustration into a curse that was meant to be burned away as catharsis, not put into action. But a wily owl intervenes, absorbs the curse and flies off, forcing Iris to hike through the mountains to find the curse before it causes devastating consequences - and of course, she has as company the very annoying boy the curse was meant for.

This is a simple story and yet it is beautiful to inhabit. Much like the first book, the atmosphere is languid, lyrical and introspective. I loved the nature based magic system and Iris's relationship to it - I'd love to read another book in this world, just because I enjoyed the magic system so much. It's a world you want to live in and experience the way the protagonist does.

I didn't really love Pike and his excuse for being a rude dick to Iris initially didn't sit well with me ("for her own good" come onnnnnn, no). I do also feel like Iris got off quite lightly for the magnitude of her actions. There were a couple of times things felt engineered to make a scene happen, even though they didn't make sense (why would she bring the owl *closer* to Pike to attempt to undo the curse, when she literally was just trying to get him *away* from it because it would be safer for him?? That was silly and needing to monitor him for infection was a weak excuse).

I did just overall love the vibe of this book though, the setting, the world building and the magic, and I will continue to follow this author's work with excitement.

Rachel Griffin is one of my new favorite authors! Wild is the Witch is a beautiful story, eloquently written with characters you care about doing amazing things. Iris is wise beyond her years, but she has a secret. She's a witch who deals with her emotions by crafting curses she never intends to activate. When an owl with the potential to amplify curses, steals the most dangerous curse Iris has created, she must find the owl to save the curse's intended victim. Add to that a simmering romance with the curse's intended, and the result is a tremendous page turner bursting with emotional turmoil. This book is fabulous, and I recommend it to nature lovers and those who want a bit of magic in their lives.

Iris Gray and her mother run a wildlife refuge in Washington. It’s not where she is from but that place no longer wanted witches nor did her father who stayed behind.

But she loves her days at the refuge and when she gets frazzled, she does what her Grandmother taught her to do. She creates a spell, puts it in some herbs, and burns it. Much like writing a letter but not sending it. No one gets hurt and she feels a little better.

Her life would be fine if it weren’t for the annoying intern, Pike Alder. It’s a mutual hate feeling. And he has made it clear he despises witches.

So she takes her frustrations out in the same way, only this time before she can push the magic into the herbs, an owl dives in front and takes the curse. These birds are amplifiers of magic and unleashing the curse could harm not just Pike, but much further.

The Witch’s Council has already given her a pass once and she knows if she doesn’t get the curse back, she will lose her magic for good. And Pike will probably die turning into a mage.

Pike doesn’t know the real reason she is so bent on finding the owl, but he volunteers to go with her.

Along the way, they both will learn a lot about each other, magic, and themselves.

This is a YA book and I can see why it’s popular.

NetGalley/August 2nd, 2022 by Sourcebooks Fire

What a great read! Enemies to lovers- check, Pacific Northwest-check, a curse-oh! Well written with characters that you can’t help but fall in love with Rachel’s latest book will leave you wanting more.

In Wild is the Witch - an equally witchy follow-up to The Nature of Witches - Rachel Griffin mystifies and enthralls readers again. Wild is the Witch is NOT a sequel to The Nature of Witches, but seems to occur in the same universe, where magic and the existence of witches is widely-known, but often misunderstood. Wild is the Witch will appeal to any teen or adult reader regardless of whether they read The Nature of Witches. Put this book in the hands of readers looking for enemies-to-lovers or paranormal romance, nature and animal lovers, and fans of witches.

Iris and her mother are witches with the ability to communicate with animals. No, the animals don't make funny quips - the magic is more grounded than that. It's the magic to sense the wants and fears of animals and help influence them to safety - yours or theirs. Their magic makes them perfectly suited to run an animal refuge. Despite Iris's love of her work and the nature around her, she's filled with the anxiety of being found out, of making a mistake and being punished and stripped of her magic like her former best friend. She fear having to leave everything she loves behind.

Her fear is amplified by Pike, a future ornithologist and intern at the refuge. Pike gives off a lot of vibes - geeky, but subtly sexy hipster, accidental ladies' man, & witch-hater. After a particularly charged, heated interaction, Iris writes a curse against Pike. She never intends to cast it, but before she can destroy it, an owl takes it from her. Iris must hide herself and her true motivations as her and Pike trek into the Washington wilderness to find the owl. As they search for the owl, what else will they discover in the forest? Dangerous animals? Themselves? Each other?

I loved this book very much! Thanks so much for the digital copy! This book made me laugh out loud and also have tears in my eyes. Beautiful.

This was really good! I just love Rachel Griffin’s writing. This book could have had twice the pages and I would have read it with as much enthusiasm. My favorite part were the characters, they felt so real and genuine, and I loved reading from Iris’ POV. She was amazing. I also loved how the magic was incorporated in the real world and how it all relates to nature. Overall, this was a really quick and beautiful book. I will definitely be re-reading it.

Rachel Griffin has a knack for writing sympathetic characters, and in Wild Is the Witch, nature is one of them. Iris Gray is a witch with a special connection to animals, but after a tragic experience with her best friend forces her and her mom to move, she isn't telling anyone about her magical gift. Enter Pike Alder, a boy who, in addition to being cute and irritating and a giant know-it-all, hates witches. Sparks (of both the angry and romantic sort) fly.

Iris and Pike are lovable and complicated in equal measure, and their back-and-forth gives the novel its momentum. By the end, I was all in, but I'll admit that at first their disdain for one another seemed too intense to overcome. Iris initially hates Pike enough to curse him, and not in the "I hate the way I love you way." Her transformation from number one enemy to number one fan didn't always feel believable to me, though ultimately their parallels stories and struggles make for a sweet romance. I was impressed by the way Griffin addressed the cascading impact of trauma on a person's mental health—her characters are indelibly shaped by what has happened to them, and they must work through vestiges of grief and fear in order to find their way to one another.

Griffin's knowledge of and love for the natural world animates every page of Wild Is the Witch, and the flora and fauna of the Pacific Northwest comes to life through her description. Young people who care about animals and are looking for an enemies to lovers-style romance will undoubtedly fall for Wild Is the Witch!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was cosy, witchy loveliness. I enjoyed reading this so much. Rachel Griffin uses such gorgeous imagery and I just love her writing style.

Iris is a young witch who loves her magic, however she’s had to move across country due to some nasty business with her best friend who accidentally set her boyfriend on fire (putting it mildly) so she chooses to conceal who she is. After an owl steals a powerful curse that was never meant to see the light of day and flies off, Iris has to work together with Pike, a boy who hates magic to bring the owl back before anyone finds out what she’s done and the devastating curse is released. Did I mention that Pike is the boy the curse was intended for…. major whoopsie. This is an enemies to lovers, along with “holy crap we’ve only got one tent” and “pesky meddling owl” trope.

This is well worth a read for anyone who loves a witch based fantasy. The magic system is cool and unique and the story is really engaging. I think some might not enjoy the way it ended for Pike (I did I should add), for reasons I won’t go into since I would be giving massive spoiler vibes and for that I gave a slightly lower rating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advanced copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

I loved Rachel Griffin's first book and was so excited to receive this ARC. It was so fun and magical- cannot wait to recommend it!

4/5 stars

It has been a long time since I've enjoyed a YA Fantasy book like this one! It was so good!! The author gets you immersed in this new world and little by little you get into this world. Love the story.
Definitely worth reading it if you are looking for some romance and fantasy.

Rachel Griffin., to me, is one of the most under-hyped YA authors of recent times. This, her second novel, is another witchy filled adventure is sure to be another smash hit.

Thank you so much for gifting me this book for reviewing Nature of Witches! This was another absolutely STUNNING novel. Rachel has yet again solidified her place on my auto-buy list. Such a unique story, I feel like she could write a hundred books about witches and none of them would ever risk the case of being similar, her imagination is just that vast. You made me a believer in magic Rachel!

Hummm…I don’t know. Seriously I don’t know how I feel about this book. I was super excited when I got the invite to read it because I absolutely LOVED The Nature of Witches. This is supposed to be enemies-to-lovers, but in the end it felt like an ending that was forced instead of earned. And all the buildup for these big revelations just…sort of fell flat?

A letdown, but I will continue reading this author’s books.

Rachel has done it again. She writes witchy books that feel so real and needed in our world. The magical worlds she creates pull you in and make you feel that magic is everywhere. I love this story, it was as beautiful as it was captivating. I loved the characters so much, they made me laugh out loud at times. This is the perfect YA! I do hope there is a second book in this.. I think the follow up would be incredible! Highly recommend as well as the nature of witches!

Thank you netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin in exchange for an honest review. This book was so beautiful! I loved the different take to witches than the last book, which was also fabulous. I immediately fell in love with Iris and how much she lives in her head, how much she cares and can stress over doing the right thing. It took me longer to get Like, which I think was the point. How easy it is to judge someone when you know nothing about them, but there might be an amazing person if you just try. I loved their adventure together and everything that happened. This book is one I highly recommend.

I was so excited to find out that Rachel Griffin had a new book coming out. I fell in love with her writing after reading her first book.

Wild is the Witch is spectacular. I love the different magic systems in this book, and the magic that connects the witches to animals is one that I would love to have. The characters are all great. I love Iris - she is very relatable. She feels like she has to hide herself because of who she is, which causes anxiety and panic attacks. However, that doesn’t stop her from being strong and doing the right thing. Pike seems like a major jerk at first, but there’s a reason for everything, and he definitely redeems himself. The secondary characters are all great too, especially the owl. I love owls, and it sounds super cute. There are definitely scenes that are hard to read involving it, but that’s nature for you.

I absolutely love Rachel Griffin’s books, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.