This was a creative and intriguing story, and I liked the main characters. That being said, it was hard for me to stay invested. Maybe it moved a little slow, or the magical realism part got in the way, but it simply didn't draw me in.

Thank you to @stmartinspress for an eARC of this book! This is the first book that this author has published since Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance in 2017. This feels in line with the types of stories that I would expect from her based on that novel while also being a completely new story. I think I like Beasts slightly more, though this was still really good. In a way, this novel actually feels more intimate because in Beasts, we view our primary character through the perspectives of others for most of the book and that is not the case here.

Our story here is told from the perspectives mostly of Zadie and Finn. These two are sisters who were left by their mother when they were younger. Zadie was 18 when their mom left, so she had to figure out adult life on her own. Finn was put into foster care with a good family who becomes eventually interested in adopting her. At the start of our book, Finn is now 18 and Zadie is 23. They decide to go on a trip to find their mom.

There is some magical realism in the story, as both sisters have psychic powers. Zadie gets vague premonitions and Finn can experience “echos” of memories of other people. I think the way that they struggle with these powers is woven into the story well. I usually prefer more realistic stories, but this felt mostly grounded in the reality and the relationships, with some twists to reality.

I’m not sure I fully loved how the ending resolved and wanted a little more there, but otherwise, I thought this was a good read about sisterhood, family, and love. If you’ve read this, let me know what you thought!

This book was not for me. I thought it was going to be one thing and it turned out to be something else. Doesn't mean it's not for everyone, I just couldn't get into it.

The WIlderwomen is a hard book to describe. It's a combination of women's fiction, magical realism, and family drama all rolled into one truly memorable story. The story follows sisters Zadie and Finn as they embark on a journey to find their mother who disappeared 5 years earlier. Finn uses her psychic ability of echoes, in which is able to see other people's memories, in hopes to find where her mother has been and where she may have ended up.

I loved all of the characters they end up meeting along the way and who helps them along their journey. It was a beautifully written story with a fabulous ending. Definitely recommend.

4/5 stars.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the #gifted eARC!

I love anything where the characters have a sixth sense, This story kept me hooked because I was invested with them on their search for their mother. Definitely a book I’d recommend and and author I’d read again.

I really enjoyed this book! The story is of two young girls, both with different special psychic gifts, who go on a search for their mother who walked out of their lives 5 years previously and was never seen or heard from again. I don't want to give too many spoilers so I will leave it at that for the plotline. The characters they met along the way were all interesting and helped build on the mystery solving, and odyssey kind of story. I felt like each one of them, or the little groups they encountered could have their own book or novella with more stories to tell. I will definitely be seeking out more books from this author.

"It occurred to Finn that their mom’s gift— if that’s what it was— was a lot like sleepwalking. Where did she go in those in -between moments? Did she go backward as Finn did or forward like Zadie? Or did she lose time because she was somewhere in her own head, somewhere no one could follow?"

We follow two sisters, Zadie and her estranged younger sister Finn as they try to find their missing mother Nora. The women all share a gift, I here they can sense the memories of other people as echoes. Finn is overcome by what she believes to be an echo from her mother, and is convinced that they can use this to hunt her down.

Although there's obviously a magical realism element the story is grounded and stays focused on their dysfunctional family.

My one big criticism is that it's a bit too YA for my taste.

Overall 3.5 stars. Thank you St Martin's Press and netgalley for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You know that feeling when you finish a book, but the characters are still taking up space in your head for days afterwards? The Wilderwomen is one of those books. This book is a coming of age story with a dash of mystery and dollop of magical realism.
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It’s been five years since Nora Wilder disappeared. She abandoned her two daughters, but they always sensed there was more to the story. Zadie, her oldest, gets psychic premonitions, while Finn has visions (echoes) of the past. When eighteen-year-old Finn has a powerful echo of their mother, the two sisters decide to embark on a road trip to find her with Finn’s echoes as their guide. But the visions take a toll on Finn. Will the sisters find their mother before it’s too late?
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This is a tender story about sisterhood and magic related to a larger shared consciousness with the world around us. There are so many beautiful lines I highlighted, moments that snuck up on me and made me suddenly choke up. Perfect fall cozy family mystery 🧡.
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Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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The Wilderwomen - Ruth Emmie Lang
4.5/5⭐️

I went in blind with The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang. I think I enjoyed it even more so that if I knew what I was getting into! I'm not too into magical realism so I probably would have skipped over this one. But I DO judge a book by it's cover and the cover really drew me in. In The Wilderwomen, Nora disappears, and her daughters, Zadie and Finn take on the incredible journey of trying to figure out why she left and where she went. There are many twists and turns in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

An atmospheric book filled with magical realism. It’s a unique story about two sisters, Finn and Zadie, who take a road trip looking for their mother, Nora. Nora disappeared five years ago and the two sisters both have a “sixth sense.” Zadie is psychic and Finn can feel other people’s memories. Finn uses her mother’s memories to guide them on their journey.

The book is filled with family drama, magic and a little bit of fantasy and sci-fi. It was such a different and interesting read that I couldn’t put the book down. The characters were enchanting and the plot was filled with all the emotions – hope, suspense, sadness and happiness. It was a beautiful story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝗭𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘇𝗲, 𝘀𝗼 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

When their mother Nora Wilder disappeared, Zadie and Finn were left reeling and soon split apart. Without a father, or anyone else to step in, decisions were forced upon them. Zadie, at 18, was too old for protective services to care about her and was left flailing and alone to figure her life out. Without a stable home to offer Finn, she wasn’t allowed to raise her, instead Finn went into foster care and for a while they visited each other as much as possible. Five years later they have drifted apart, and Zadie isn’t much closer to being able to offer her a place to live. They will soon reconnect on a trip celebrating Finn’s high school graduation, time together they need desperately to salvage the love between them. The sisters are troubled and keeping secrets from each other. What was meant to be a trip to Galveston and relaxing on the beach becomes a journey to search for their mother. Could she really have just left them, without a word? Years have tumbled by, and nothing points to Nora’s whereabouts. Zadie is ashamed, bearing in mind her unwanted psychic ability she has nothing much to go on. Finn is gifted too, able to sense echoes of the past, but when these ‘gifts’ come upon her, it can seem like a seizure. In truth, she steps into a person’s mind, reliving their memories but it is fragmented, leaving only a puzzle. Both girls have always been different, Zadie wants none of it, has hid it, allowed her psychic abilities to rust, but can’t stop what comes naturally. Finn is hungry to use the echoes to chase her mother and troubled by the fact that her foster parents want to adopt her. She fears embracing adoption, her new family, would only hurt Zadie. Finn also isn’t ready to give up on reuniting with her mother, who must still be alive. Accepting her foster parents offer feels like closing a door on the past, usurping her mother’s rights. Zadie’s relationship has crashed and burned, and she is with pregnant, terrifying facts that she isn’t sharing with Finn. It’s been lonely, a constant struggle building a life for herself, she has had no one to protect and care about her. Despite their longing to heal the wounds in their bond, all the things they are hiding is pushing them further apart.

Hope is dangerous, Zadie figures her mother may as well be a ghost, just as unreachable. She resents everything that has befallen them since Nora vanished. None of it makes sense, there is a lot of anger aimed toward Nora, and herself. There may have been one moment when she could have prevented it all, something Finn isn’t aware of, Finn convinces Zadie to search, but she is still conflicted. A strange premonition is haunting her, the phrase “The sky is full of birds.” Useless, she thinks, despite it ‘sticking to her brain like a burr’. Finn is tapping into their mother’s memories, and it is far more powerful than any other echoes she has experienced, they just have to find places Nora has been, and this leads them on a bizarre journey, like the Constellation camp sleeping under stars that speak (via horoscopes). They also meet people on the way that have their own strange abilities. Will their meandering truly give them the answers to the biggest mystery in their young lives? The echoes Finn experiences are starting to take over, how much of herself must she sacrifice, is it worth it? Will Zadie lose the only family she has left, if nothing comes of their search? Just where did Nora go? Are they ready for the truth?

It’s a decent magical realism story and the ending is as odd as the cast of characters. At heart it’s about family and identity. I only wish we had more of the past to feed on, I think it would have pulled me in more.

Publication Date: November 15, 2022 Available Now

St. Martin’s Press

This book is not my usual read, but I had heard fantastic reviews and so I applied for the arc!

Really well done! The characters were well written, the story kept me turning pages. Plot twists kept me guessing.

I did find the storyline a bit difficult to follow at times, and that is my one and only complaint.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thanks to @netgalley for the arc of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this unique story of Zadie and Finn and their search for their mother. All of the characters were so interesting and I especially enjoyed Zadie's growth throughout the book. I loved the magical elements, all the different gifts were so fun to read about. I couldn't put this one down!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced review copy.

My review has been shared to goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

The Wilderwomen is a book thats a bit difficult to describe - its magical realism, coming of age meets mystery with womens fiction thrown in as well.

Synopsis: When their mother disappeared, life changed for sisters, Zadie and Finn. Zadie should have seen it coming, because she can literally see things coming. But not even her psychic abilities were able to prevent their mother from vanishing one morning. And while Finn can't see the future, she has her own magical ability. Finn can see the echoes of memories other people have left behind.

Always wanting to know what happened, Finn convinces Zadie to hit the road in a search for their mom with the hope they can uncover the answer to the question that has been haunting them for years: Why did she leave?

My thoughts: Sisters, Zadie and Finn, are both about to make major life decisions, but before they do that, they need to understand their past. I love a good roadtrip story and Lang brings us on a journey, not just for figuring out life, but for experiencing the US along the way. The blurb alludes this is a story of magical moments (and it is), but its also steeped in real life. - for aren't we all a bit changed by the friends we meet and our experiences?

The Wilderwomen is a story about family, love, forgiveness, acceptance, and finding happiness amongst the obstacles in life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing Langs poetic story about the bond between women and discovering your roots.

This is the story of Zadie and Finn, two sisters on the search to uncover the truth of what happened to their mother who abandoned them five years previously. Where did she go, and more importantly…why did she leave?

I really enjoyed this book! The mix of magical realism and mystery worked for me in a way that was delightfully unexpected. These two sisters, each gifted with their own unique sixth-sense, had very distinct personalities and voices, and it was really interesting to get to know each of them, and to understand their own motivations for undertaking this journey. I also liked that we got to see them explore their sisterly relationship within the context of their very different memories of their mother. But what tied it all together for me, and really made it work was how much the author relied on the magical aspects of their psychic gifts to guide this story. Using Zadie’s ability to see the future, and Finn’s ability to see other people’s pasts as the means to unravel the mystery was so clever and, at least in my opinion, really successful!

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys character driven stories, mysteries, and/or books with heavy doses of magical realism.

*Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital review copy in exchanged for my honest review.

Such complexity and dynamic character building!

This is my first foray into the writing of Ruth Emmie Lang and it will not be my last. This was such a personal and incredible journey for these characters and the magical realism just added in an extra layer of emotions and questions.

This is not your average coming of age tale. It’s the story of two sisters torn apart when their mother leaves them, but why did she leave? And is she still out there?

As a teenager, there seem to be simpler things to be dealing with: homework, getting your drivers license, graduation, extra curricular activities, looking at universities and so on, but what if you had a secret ability that just made things more difficult? Zadie, the elder sister, can tell the future while her younger sister, Finn, can relive memories that people left behind. At what cost would you use these abilities?

This story was so descriptive that I felt like I was there. It really takes you to another world both in landscape and through the eyes and minds of the people in the story. It makes you wonder to what lengths you would go for the ones you love while also remaining true to yourself.

Thank you so much to the author, Ruth Emmie Lang, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC of The Wilderwomen.

I was drawn to this book because of the concept of two sisters with supernatural powers looking for their mother who went missing five years ago. I liked the magical realism concept of the book, but I felt like the plot was not fleshed out. There were plot holes and opportunities to add more context to the story. Some of the elements, such as the bird concept, were lightly touched upon and felt disjointed. It kept my attention, but could have been executed better.

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e arc of The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang.
This is a fantasy or magical realism novel. 3.5*
Synopsis: "Five years ago, Nora Wilder disappeared. The older of her two daughters, Zadie, should have seen it coming, because she can literally see things coming. But not even her psychic abilities were able to prevent their mother from vanishing one morning.... Two sisters who slowly drift apart after their mother’s abandonment, decide to take a trip together for rebounding which turns into a search for their missing mother’s whereabouts and dig out more about secrets of their past. ...But the more time Finn spends in their mother’s past, the harder it is for her to return to the present, to return to herself. As Zadie feels her sister start to slip away, she will have to decide what lengths she is willing to go to to find their mother, knowing that if she chooses wrong, she could lose them both for good."

3 things I liked:
1. The start - stong start
2. Nature, astrology, or gifts
3. MCs: Zadie and Finn

3 things I disliked:
1. Too much confusion until the end - middle very slow for me
2. Oddness
3. Magical realism too far with the bird analogies maybe

I was glad to get an arc for this one.

Zadie Wilder can see the future, but never saw that her mother would disappear five years ago. Her sister Finn can sense memories imprinted on objects, giving her the appearance of being easily distracted. At Finn's graduation party, she catches the echo of a woman singing, and knows it's her mother. Finn convinces Zadie to come with her to find their mother, but the more she slips into the memories to find her, the more she loses grip on herself. Zadie feels her sister slipping away, and must decide if finding their mother is worth losing her sister.

It's sad that Zadie was essentially shunted aside because she was already eighteen when Nora left, separating her from Finn. Of course, the girls would grow apart in five years, and it's a consequence of the foster care system. Following echoes of memory fragments left behind brings them together, but both still have their secrets they don't discuss: Zadie is pregnant and had watched her mother walk away the day she disappeared, and Finn’s foster parents offered to adopt her. Along the way they find people their mother met, including those with psychic abilities of different kinds.

This is a story about sisters rekindling a relationship as much as they're searching for their mother. Memories of the past that grew painful for Zadie are brought to light, especially when they offer clues to what their mother once felt was important. Throughout the novel we also see glimpses of Nora with the girls, and the gradual slips in her memory getting more intense. It's a fascinating story, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

This gem involves a mystery disappearance of a mother, two sisters reconnecting on a journey to find answers, and whimsical gifts. I adored both girls who both have strong voices. The prose is just as magical and lyrical. This review ended up being so short just because I am at a loss for words. I enjoyed it so much.