The second Lang novel I’ve read explores themes of motherhood, sisterhood and family (both blood and chosen) in an intriguing enough way, but this just lacks the magic that Lang’s debut did.

An ambitious narrative of mothers and daughters and the ties that bind them together. Ruth Emmie Lang weaves several time periods into one story surrounding the mysterious, fantastical disappearance of Nora and its effect on her daughters Zadie and Finn.

Magical and mysterious, this story takes readers on a journey through the complicated ties between mothers and daughters, sisters, and those we find with people we never expected to meet. It’s a story about disconnection, abandonment, and what it takes to find our way home.

The Wilderwomen is a contemporary fantasy novel written by author Ruth Emmie Lang. The novel follows two sisters - Zadie, who's in her early 20s, secretly pregnant and just leaving the place she used to stay with her ex; and Finn, who is just about to leave her foster family for college for the first time - as they go on a ride to try and figure out why their mom left them five years ago. But Zadie and Finn aren't quite normal - they both have extrasensory powers, with Zadie able to gain glimpes of the future and Finn able to experience the memories of others tied to a place, and their mother might've had such powers as well. And so the story follows the two as Finn desperately tries to search for her mom and Zadie follows along regretfully, trying not to lose the last relationship she values.

The result is in large part an effective novel of two sisters who love each other but are different both in age and temperament, with Finn hopeful of finding answers and coming from a decent situation and Zadie cynical due to what she once observed and the rough life she's had since her mom left. And the road trip story here is pretty effective, as the two sisters encounter people and places that change their understanding of what happened and who they are. At the same time, the book seems to be leading up to some interesting ideas or answers and instead peters out, with its ending just being abrupt and kind of unsatisfying in how it answers its central idea...and in the process it manages to tie off every question in ways that didn't really work. The result is a mixed bag.

More explanation after the jump:


Plot Summary:
Zadie and Finn Wilder grew up loving sisters under the parentage of their mother Nora Wilder. Though they didn't share fathers (both of whom they never knew) they cared distinctly for each other, especially as they both grew and developed strange gifts: for Zadie, having sudden uncomfortable premonitions of the future; for Finn, being able to be immersed in memories or echoes left behind by others in the places she was. And then Nora Wilder left and disappeared. And so the sisters were torn apart, with Finn being sent to live with a Foster Family while Zadie, who was technically an adult, was left on her own. They've tried to keep in touch over the five years since then, but it has been tremendously hard.

Now, both of them are on the verge of new precipices in their lives - Zadie, now secretly pregnant, has just been kicked out of her place by her ex; and Finn is just about to graduate high school and head off to college. To celebrate Finn's achievement, the two have planned a road trip to the Beach...but when Finn feels an echo belonging to her mother that suggests a possible way to find her, Finn demands that Zadie go with her instead on a quest to find Nora Wilder and to reunite them if at all possible.

But what really happened to Nora Wilder all those years ago? Zadie remembers parts of it, which Finn doesn't, when Nora began having lapses and negligently abandoning them at times. And as Finn starts to get more and more caught up in her echoes, will Zadie have to see the same thing happen to her as did Nora, or will she find some way to prevent her sister, like her mom, from becoming lost?

The Wilderwomen is told generally from the perspectives of Finn and Zadie, with the story switching off between them from time to time (chapters aren't devoted to just one POV, the story switches more liberally). The story also occasionally flashes back, almost always (if not always) from Zadie's point of view, to the moments that lead up to Nora Wilder's disappearance. In this way the reader has aspects of what happened, and how it affected Zadie particularly, revealed to them slowly as the story goes forward.

The core of the story really is Zadie and Finn, their characters and their relationship as they go on this journey - Finn desperately, Zadie unwillingly - to try to find Nora. For Zadie, this journey is something she absolutely does not want because her mom was the one who abandoned her and left her to a life which has only treated her poorly: she didn't get a kind foster family like Finn did to help her when Nora left, her relationships have all ended up poorly - sometimes due to the guy's fault (like her most recent ex who is the father of her unborn child) and sometimes not completely - and she's basically found herself with no one to support her other than Finn. And even there, Finn's life with her foster family has kept Finn away more and more, such that their planned trip to the beach together is Zadie's last hope of keeping a connection going...so when it morphed into the quest for her mother, well, Zadie doesn't feel like she has a choice but to follow. Add in the fact that Zadie's foresight ability throws her for a loop when it happens and resulted in her worst moment of pain (as revealed eventually in the flashbacks) and it's easy to see why she would be so grumpy and unhappy going on this quest but also unable to say no.

Meanwhile Finn loves Zadie back for sure but, due to being sheltered first by Zadie and then by good luck* in the Foster System with a good set of caring foster parents who want to formally adopt her. Finn however only has loving memories of Nora and is conflicted by feeling like accepting the adoption would betray Zadie and Nora, which is something she really doesn't want to do. And whereas Zadie's powers (from Zadie's perspective) have only resulted in pain and Finn's powers are sometimes incredibly awkward by giving her knowledge she has to act like she doesn't have, Finn doesn't associate those powers with trauma and thus has no worries about using them...even if she starts getting more and more lost in the memories her powers keep showing her.

Finn's foster family is unequivocally good and caring in this book, which is a wonder. That said, as portrayed in many other books, in real life the foster system can be a crap shoot and result in kids growing up in really poor environments, so this is probably more of an outlier outcome.

The result is a road trip story with two girls with conflicting attitudes but loving dispositions towards each other struggling as they look for any clue that might lead them to their mother. And it works thanks to their relationship and the interesting peoples they meet along the way, like the group of other people with sixth senses at a campground or a family who Nora once stayed with who share a specific power, to the bewilderment of their powerless or even the well meaning but incredibly forgetful and kind of hapless ex-boyfriend of Zadie's they encounter. This makes the story really easy to read pretty quickly and to get involved in.

At the same time, the story kind of has an abrupt ending that was pretty damn unsatisfying. The story works up to the characters having to find Nora and Nora having this big secret of her own sixth sense/power that led her to abandon them and it turns out to be a very literal thing that just feels like a big nothingburger...with it all being found out very abruptly in the end. Similarly, the idea that Finn is following Nora's footsteps in getting lost in her power also goes nowhere, except for how it shows Finn losing control until she finds the power of her sister and mother's love to bring her back. The book gives an impression that there is some big thing that Nora was fighting and it really is not, and it kind of soured me a lot on the ending. It isn't helped by the epilogue chapter having Zadie in what seems like a pretty happy and perfect ideal situation that just seems impossible from what we knew about her circumstances before hand...like the author wrote herself a little into a corner and just decided bam it had to end happily in this way.

The end result is a novel with promise and that I was able to read quickly, but not one that really says much or satisfies, so I can't really recommend it too deeply, even as I was enjoying for a good part of it.

I made it 30% into the book and DNF. I kept waiting for the story to get going. Try as I may, I just could not connect with Zadie and Finn.

I loved this book. There were so many memorable side characters. One in particular resonated with me. When I was a kid, I remember telling my mom that I could talk to trees and she told me trees didn’t talk. All these years later, a character just like that shows up in a story. I loved it. I would love to read more of both MCs and all the loveable side characters that they meant on their journey.

What can I say… Ruth Emmie Lang has made another wonderful book. The characters have a wonderful depth to them that helps you stay engaged. As always, the magical feeling and way of writing brings the story alive. Highly recommend.

THE WILDERWOMEN is the book I wanted to love in 2022. Though Lang's writing was wonderful and the idea of the book fascinated me, I just couldn't invest in the characters.

Nora Wilder has two daughters with special abilities. Zadie has the gift of premonition and Finn sees and feels echoes. Echoes of people and their memories. Nora disappears one day leaving her daughters behind. Zadie is seventeen and alone. Finn gets placed into Foster care and joins a really good family. Zadie and Finn plan an after graduation trip to the beach. But Finn has other ideas. She wants to use their gifts to find their mom. They have quite the journey. We get glimpses of before she disappeared. We don't know what Nora's special gift is but we understand it might be what made her leave.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the magical realism and it reminded me of Shark Heart and the Unmaking of June Farrow. It gets a little slow at the end. But truly redeems itself in the end.

This is the second book I've read from the author and I will continue to read anything she puts out. I love how she incorporates magical realism into the stories. This one was all about mothers and daughters and was a beautiful story. While I usually don't like books that have a quest (of sorts) I did end up liking that part of the story especially how the author would weave the past and present together to make a cohesive story. If you are not a fan of magical realism this book is not for you but I am glad I finally picked this up.

I really enjoyed reading this book. First off, the cover is beautiful! I love the picture, colors, and the font. Very appealing and is what intrigued me from the beginning. I enjoyed the book, although I typically have a little bit of difficulty following stories that have multiple POVs and timelines. Overall, a good read,

I received this Arc from Netgalley. Thank you for the chance to read this book early. My review is honest and 100% my own thoughts about the book.

I really enjoyed the immersive nature within the book. I love the journey that the two sisters have to find their long lost biological mother. The sisters have psychic abilities. Sadie is able to see things to come. While the younger sister can see other peoples memories. Both sisters have to work together to find their mother.

I love how the magic within this world is really realistic. The story definitely sucks you within and immerse you within the magic. Secrets begin to unfold as the sisters work together as well as the reasoning of why their mother left in the first place. And it also tells what is pulling at the sisters as well.

This one was super entertaining. I feel that the characters were easy to relate to.
I really enjoyed this one

Engaging, immersive, and very entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where genre bent tales are popular.

Despite the small sample size, I've always enjoyed Ruth Emmie Lang's writing. She's quickly become an author I always pick up.

Zadie and Finn are two sisters with seemingly impossible gifts, who set out to look for their missing mother. Zadie seems to have premonitions about things to come, while her younger sister Finn has echos of places she visits. Together the two set out for a summer road trip to try and understand what happened to their mother while trying to come to gripes with how their lives have changed, are going to change and what it means for them as sisters.

I wonderful read. I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of contemporary magic realism.

The Wilderwomen cover and synopsis really drew me in! Who doesn’t love some magic and mystery this time of year? I also love family fiction and found myself really invested in Zadie and Finn. Both sisters are flawed, which is my favorite attribute in a character. It makes them real and relatable. The sisters have drifted apart since their mom has gone missing and I think so many people can relate to that.

I really enjoyed Lang’s writing. It was very engaging and made me feel like I was right alongside Zadie and Finn on their adventure to find their mom. There were things I didn’t see coming or expected which I also loved. I struggled a bit with the ending but it didn't ruin it for me.

3.75 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the early copy!

Five years ago, Nora Wilder made a heart-wrenching decision to part ways with her daughters. Zadie, her elder daughter, sensed that something was amiss with her mother but couldn't extract any answers. Despite Zadie's psychic talents, she remained in the dark regarding Nora's whereabouts and the circumstances that led her to leave.

On the other hand, Finn, the younger sister, experiences 'echoes' of memories from others when she visits certain locations. During her high school graduation celebration, she has an intense echo, awakening in the aviary of a zoo. It dawns on her that this memory belongs to her missing mother, and she interprets it as a subtle sign that Nora wishes to be located. Despite her foster parents' scepticism, Finn is resolute in her determination to find her mother.

Reluctantly, Zadie consents to accompany her sister on this quest, leading them to various places where Nora may have ventured. As Finn's echoes intensify, Zadie is confronted with the challenging task of rescuing her sister and making a pivotal decision regarding their mother's true intentions.

This poignant tale is imbued with elements of magical realism, offering readers a captivating blend of emotions and wonder. The narrative paints a vivid and evocative backdrop in each locale they visit, immersing readers in beautifully crafted settings. The plot is highly engaging, maintaining a gripping sense of suspense from start to finish.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang is magical and deals with mother/daughter , sister/sister relationships which are all of my favorite themes. I love this author and she will now be one of my auto buy authors. This was a novel that kept me reading way into the night.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did want to like this book but it took too long to get into the plot. I did not finish this book but do not put it against the author. There are times when I think a book will be perfect for me, but it turns out not to be the case. That said, I always give authors another chance, so I'll look forward to her next work.

This was a super interesting story. Throughout the whole book, it keeps you wondering and gives information to start a theory, but not enough to fully develop it.

I do think this was a bit slow for me. I felt myself losing interest a few times when it was slowly building the story. The plotline is what kept me going, because it was so interesting and made me curious.

This was really well written. I like the style of writing that the author has, so that was a bonus for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. It was emotional, dramatic, mysterious and magical. I just felt that it lost me a few too many times to give it a higher rating than a 3.5.