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.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

Wild is the Witch is just as enchanting and atmospheric as The Nature of Witches. Rachel Griffin is immensely gifted at writing.

Another book by one of my favourite auto-buy authors. I had requested this ARC from the publisher and I was overjoyed when I got the eARC! My first one and wow.. loved this book as my first ARC! Thank you Sourcebooksfire and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early! 💜
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As with her last book, Rachel Griffin’s writing is poetically beautiful. She gives you the sense to be surrounded by nature. Even when you’re sitting in the comfort of your home you’ll be surrounded by trees, fog, mountains, the fresh forest smell after rain and hearing the birds whistle their tunes. It is an atmospheric book with strong and raw emotions described through the world of the main character, Iris. I would’ve loved a chapter from Pike’s perspective as well though.
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The beginning felt a little bit flat. Or well, I was searching for more meaning towards the enemies trope. This became clear later on in the story. It didn’t quite feel as a true enemies-to-lovers. Yes, the main characters didn’t like each other at first, but it’s more as if she didn’t like him purely out of fear of what Pike could say, do or think of her once he finds out she’s a witch. I loved their dynamics. I really felt as if they were both in pain from their past trauma’s and once those were shared and explored, they could truly find themselves and each other. It's a beautiful way to show how anxiety and trauma work and how much of a block in life they can be. This book had me go through so many feelings that at one point I just started crying…. 
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This story was much more than a witch, a curse, a love.. It’s about dealing with anxiety, daring to be yourself, trusting someone after trauma, letting go of past regrets and grudges, accepting and moving forward, how an animal (owl in this case) brought together two people who seemingly didn’t like each other.
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Wild is the Witch comes out August 2nd! 
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Favourite quote:
“I’m as wild as the magic in my veins and the dust of the stars, and so I run” 

♪ Soundtrack:
Sia - Bird Set Free

Rachel Griffin does it again—I can already tell that when she comes out with a book I will ALWAYS read it. I adore her descriptive language, and her main character’s internal struggle.

 In The Nature of Witches her witches were connected to seasons, but in Wild is the Witch her witches are connected to nature. It cannot fully act, but it can support and help tether people to nature. I absolutely loved it. No surprise there.

THIS.BOOK.IS.AMAZING.
I loved the feel of this book, the atmosphere and witchy, nature vibes were perfect. I loved that the Iris, the main character, has asthma, which isn't something I've seen much, especially for an adventurous, nature loving character who spends her days out in the wilds and caring for animals. I loved the unique magic system here, and the bond Iris has with animals. 

The family relationships are beautiful, and I love the way the romance in the story builds. The ending was immensely satisfying, and the writing style was both gorgeous and gripping. This was an immediate new favorite for me and I've already pre-ordered a hardcover.

This book is written so well, I was hooked from the very beginning. I felt very comforted by this book, which made it the perfect read for a rainy day.
the book has a subtle enemies to lovers trope which I found myself loving.
This book is full of amazing quotes - I just wanted to highlight ever single word.
The way Rachel Griffin writes is so captivating, I couldn't but the book down.
I love the way she wove witches and magic into everyday life. A must read for YA lovers.

I received a free arc through NetGalley 

This is a unique concept for a magic based book, magic is everywhere, flowing through the air. There are different types of witches that are more attuned to animals, people, etc. The normal people can be turned into witches/mages by witches. 

Iris and her mother moved to the PNW to start over after a terrible tragedy shakes their lives. Enter disgruntled boy and a conundrum and Iris and Pike go on an adventure together. Enemies to lovers, shared “bed” tent scenario, and suddenly love blooms. The first half or so of the book felt slow to me, but once I reached the later portion the story moved much faster.

I really liked this!! I’ve read Rachel Griffin before and really enjoy the writing. 
The storyline is fun to follow and the magic system is easy to understand. I loved the characters. LGBTQ+ representation. Iris’s mom cracked me up with her addition to the hiking backpack 😜😆

Pike and Iris!! I am totally here for the banter and tension! 

The relationship between witch and earth was described so beautifully. So many good phrases that really touched my heart and made me think. I felt like a developed a connection with several characters and I felt for them throughout the whole book. 
Iris is so strong considering everything she has gone through. I often find myself thinking about the worst case scenario just like her. I really liked her. 

Mom friendly (I would recommend this to my mom- no explicit spice). 

Always check content warnings. 

Special thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire Publishing for this digital ARC.

Thank you SourceBooks Fire and NetGalley for this eArc. 

Rachel Griffin is slowly, but steadily becoming one of my favorite authors. After loving Nature of Witches I wasn’t certain another witch book is what I would enjoy, I worked it would be too similar.

Well, let me start by saying i was wrong. I loved it. This book is simply soothing, like a balm, like a salve, for your soul. Griffin has managed to write characters with such wonderful emotional intelligence, amazing level of maturity, openness, vulnerability and pure of human flaws yet very self-aware. While the story does go in a typical enemies to lover style, there isnt a right and wrong side between the two main characters and this story gives them both time to reflect and grow, And nature, my favorite character in this book. While at times i wanted a bit more from the actual plot line, i wont hold it against this book. It’s a character driven story 1;1 and I’m here for it, so should you, let it hit you in the feels, because it will!

Seriously couldn’t recommend this more, add it to curriculum for everyone to read, we can all learn a thing or two from Iris and Pike!

Wow, wow, wow! I loved this book. I typically don't like YA books because it's not my age bracket but I loved this novel! It was great from start to finish. Immaculate character and world development! Great read... only complaint, no steam but it's a YA book so that's Ok!