I had high expectations for this book as I love Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances. And it did not disappoint! It is a magical story about a mother and her 2 daughters and how they are all trying to find their path. When Finn and Zadie’s mother disappears the sisters can’t seem to move forward with their lives until they know some answers. An adventure and a stripping down of their relationship ensues. With help from strangers and friends along the way, it takes them on a road trip that will change their lives.
Filled with beautiful nature and how some can connect with it, a story that reads like a song, unfolds.
An absolute must read by an amazing story teller, Ruth Emmie Lang.

The Wilderwomen is about Zadie and Finn, two young women who have a sixth sense - Zadie has premonitions about the future and Finn can see "echoes" of other people's memories. Their mother has gone missing five years previously, and the two sisters go on a journey to try to find her.

I loved the main characters, Zadie and Finn. They were both complex female characters who made mistakes and blamed themselves and others for all that happened. Add in the magical element of their psychic abilities, and I was sold. I really liked the complexity of their relationship with one another and with their mom, Nora. Nora was also an interesting character, although we spent much less time with her than with her daughters. Side characters such as Joel and Myron were also well developed and interesting, so I think all the characters in this book were realistic and fun to read about.

The plot was also captivating (for the most part). I love a good road trip story, as well as a good adventure, and this ticked off both of those boxes. I also liked the glimpses into the past we got, although I do think that the pacing could have been improved upon for those bits. The part of this book that fell a little flat for me was the ending. I feel like the whole story was so well-crafted and explained in such an easy way to understand, that the ending felt a little bit confusing, and it didn't feel like the payoff I had been waiting for.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book, especially the way it depicted the mother-daughter and sister relationships. The family dynamics were interesting enough on their own, but then with the added magical realism, it was a book that really drew me in. I just wish the pacing had been a little bit more consistent!

I’ve been waiting patiently for a new book from R.E.L. ever since LOVING Beasts Of Extraordinary Circumstance 4 years ago. It’s one of my all time faves so my expectations were high for The Wilderwomen. I’m happy to say it delivers! This book is about two sisters who embark on a journey to find their mom who walked away from them mysteriously 5 years ago. But Finn and Zadie are extraordinary in that each sister has a sixth sense which may help or hurt them along the way.

This book is an easy read, full of hurt, hope and heart. A mother/daughter trope sucks me in every time. Mix that with a bit of magical realism and I am here for it!

This is a book that will stay with me for quite some time. Beautifully told, this book will have me thinking and talking about it for years to come.

Realism meets fantasy. I loved Zadie and Finn’s relationship and was super intrigued by their “powers”
When you realize this is a mystery as their mother is missing you can’t help but to want to reach the end to see how it all turns out. What really happened to Nora?
A happy ending and already beginning to recommend.

The past few months I've been in a bit of a reading slump. Wilderwomen helped pull me out of that. I flew through this book. I found myself relating to both of the sisters, and I loved following along on their journey.
The only real issue I had with the book is that there are some inconsistencies. For example, in one chapter talks about Zadie wanting to watch TV before she did her homework. Two pages later, the books mentions that Zadie had finished all of her homework in school. Other than little things like that, it's a great book and I definitely recommend!

This is a beautiful read for lovers of family dynamics and magical realism! If you don't mind a meandering storyline, this is good choice. It's a unique and creative story. Despite the plethora of magical realism elements, this is ultimately a story about the bond and relationship between sisters.

The sisters' varying personalities shone throughout the story. They were so many colorful characters to enjoy too, but sometimes they felt a bit fleeting in their development or as if they were there for color not plot. The hunt for their mother is engaging, but I found the pacing frustrating. The book could have skipped or sped through a number of sections.


Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this e-ARC!

eclectic sisters with six senses go on an adventure across the country. This story had me invested until the very end. Being the middle child I really appreciated the sisterly bond Zadie and Finn have despite being separated for 5 years. You meet so many cool characters along the way which kept the story exciting. A great read overall

Overall, I liked this, Langs writing and settings were really well done. The story though dragged at times for me and it was challenging to pick it back up.

3.5/5

I am someone who is enthralled by all things magical and metaphysical. So, this book was totally up my alley and I loved the ideas about our world that were created within it’s pages.

Learning of Finn and Zadie’s gifts was interesting, but the most intriguing part was learning about the gifts of those they met along their journey. I think that anything is possible and that we all have a bit of magic within us, and this book encapsulated this belief of mine. One of the themes of the story is self acceptance- appreciating your flaws and talents while accepting those around you for what and who they are. And I loved that.

My issue with the book was the pacing and narration. At times I felt it drug on and I struggled to keep my attention on the story. Adding to this was the lack of clear definition when switching between points of view, especially during Finn’s “echoes” and I found this distracting.

Was the ending plausible? Maybe?! However, it worked within the magical scope of the story and at first I wasn’t sure how I felt. But I stewed on it for a few days and the verdict? I liked it. It was quirky and befitting the mystical reality of the Wilder’s. I especially loved the last chapter- it warmed my heart in so many ways!

The story of two sisters and the search for a lost mother, but throw in some special gifts and alot of twists and turns and you have The Wilderwomen. I really enjoyed the mystery and twists of this story.

In "The Wilderwomen", two estranged sisters go on a road trip searching for their long lost mother who just disappeared 5 years ago. Each of the sisters has a paranormal ability. Zadie has precognition about things that will happen and Finn, the younger sister, can relive other people's memories. So they go looking with only their gifts to guide them.
They end up at a camp that has a community of people who have paranormal gifts. One can hear the song of each star in the night sky. One can paint the future of others. This leads them on to other places with other uniquely gifted people. Will they find their mother? Why did she leave? Does she have a paranormal gift, too, and if so, what is it?
This book is well written, has a good story, and has interesting characters. I highly recommend this novel of magical realism by Ruth Emmie Lang, the same author who wrote "Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance".

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read an Advance Review Copy in exchange for my honest review of the book.

If you loved Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, you will really enjoy The Wilderwomen too - the magical realism aspects are so well-done. Really transports you.

It is a phenomenal reading that I did not expect. It is a combination of magic mystery with Womens fiction but in their unique way. It has a strong story of what it means to be family, forgiveness, and finding their way of themselves. This is a remarkable story and I would love to follow another reading from this author.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed Emmie Lang's debut so I was very excited to see she had a new book coming out. I loved getting to know The Wilder sisters but theyre dynamic did get a little drab. Luckily, the mystery of the missing mother was there to pull you along the way. I almost gave up several times though.

Phrase that represents me during the book: this is a masterpiece!!! So good!!! All I wanted was to read it but I couldn't because of the school...
The mystery around their mother was driving me crazy, all I could think was "where is she?? Why she had to go?? What happened to her??"
A detail I really liked was the mix of the past and present. Usually I don't like this but the author knew how to do it without getting confusing or boring. And this leads me to my next point: pieces of the past complements the present so well. I know it's a silly thing to notice but makes a difference for me
My journey with this book was very fluid. I loved the characters especially the ones Zaddie and Finn met. Every one of them had an history and in one way or another they helped the sisters
Speaking of the sisters, I loved how they reconnect with each other throughout the history
The only thing I didn't like that much is that I wanted more focus on Zaddie. Though she is one of the principals the focus was on Finn which is fine 'cause I also loved her but the history at some point focused on more on her than Zaddie
Anyway I loved the history, the plot, the characters. It was an honor to read this previously and I will certainly read more books of the author

The Wilderwomen is an interesting story about two sisters with supernatural powers and their search for their mother, who left them several years ago.

Zadie is psychic, but her premonitions aren't always all that helpful. She mostly tries to block them. She still blames herself for their mother leaving (or at least for the fact that she saw her leave and didn't try to stop her, although she didn't know she was leaving for good). The court system didn't allow her to keep her younger sister Finn, so Finn has spent the last five years with a foster family.

Finn experiences "echos" - memories that are associated with a place. She thinks they're cool, but hasn't shared what she experiences with her foster family or any of her friends. Only her family knows, and, for right now, that's just Zadie.

For Finn's high school graduation, they've planned a trip to the beach. But right before they go, Finn tells Zadie that she wants to go find their mother instead. The girls aren't sure if she's alive or dead, and before Finn can decide if she wants her foster family to adopt her and officially take their name, she needs to know if her mother is still alive. Zadie thinks it is a horrible idea; after all, their mother left them without a word. But she goes along with it because Finn is going to go whether she goes along or not. And Zadie is pregnant, and feels something pulling her towards this search.

The girls begin following echos of their mom that Finn finds, like a bread crumb trail across the country. Zadie's premonitions also have a part in their journey, as well as people they meet along the way.

Even for magical realism, where you often have to suspend disbelief and lean into the magic, this book has some parts that are hard to accept as plausible. But the story is still very enjoyable, and I found it hard to put this book down toward the end. I just had to know if they would find their mother and explanations to the mysteries that they uncovered.

Thanks to Netgalley for this advance copy of a great book!

The Wilderwomen
Ruth Emmie Lang

“What was the point of knowing a future she had no power to change?”

⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫


The Wilderwomen follows half-sisters, Zadie and Finn Wilder, as they search for their mother who and rekindle their relationship that has become strained since their mother’s disappearance five years ago.

Both Zadie and Finn have a “sixth sense”. Zadie has psychic abilities that she views as more of a curse and Finn can sense memories from the past, an ability the Wilder’s refer to as an “echo”.

Following Finn’s echoes, the sisters embark on a road trip in an effort to discover why their mom left and where she went.

--
This was my first time reading a novel by Ruth Emmie Lang and I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was not disappointed. Although I found the story itself lacking in some places, the read for me was definitely saved by Lang’s scene building and writing style, her clear descriptions of the setting allowed me to imagine Zadie’s and Finn’s journey from Texas to Washington State.

I did find the dialogue a little flat and I felt that in comparison to the setting the descriptions of the characters were missing and even though I liked many of the pop culture references they did not enhance the story.

For me, the ending of the story felt rushed, especially in relation to the rest of the journey with plot lines being tied up quickly without a truly satisfying resolution.

Overall, The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang was an entertaining read. 3.5/5 stars.

Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for the honest review. The Wilderwomen will be published on November 15, 2022.

A magical story filled with sisterly love and adventure. Well written characters you can’t help fall in love with. A family so different but trying to come together in search of their mom. The abilities of each sister was unique but the overall story was one of love and laughter while navigating the world around them.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

Ruth Emmie Lang has written an amazing fiction/fantasy which probes our connections with nature and each other. Get ready to meet Nora Wilder’s daughter, Zadie who has the uncomfortable ability to see the future, and Finn, Zadie’s younger sister, whose ability is to live and breathe in someone else’s memory. When they began to mature, they started to understand how to use their gifts.

Both girls experience trauma when their mother, Nora, walks away from home and leaves them behind; Finn was 12, and Zadie was 17. Zadie has been angry with her mother for five years, but Finn just has an insatiable urge to find her mother. So, Finn, who has just graduated, agrees with Zadie’s suggestion that they take a week’s vacation at the beach. But both Zadie and Finn felt their mother’s presence and decided to use the week to follow her memory trail and hoped to find her. Their first stop was the Constellation Campground; Zadie has a secret she wants to share with her mother before telling the rest of the world. So, why is the word Ladybug so important to Zadie at this time?

My favorite part of The Wilderwomen is the absolute authenticity of Nora, Zadie, and Finn. It’s part of the feeling that I must finish this page and turn to the next. Every thought, conversation, and emotion made this family feel real. I thought I was there seeing what Finn was seeing, feeling what Zadie felt, and wanting them to claim their incomparable, exotic mother, Nora, back into their lives.

The conversational style of the narrative is mesmerizing; ideas flow from the pen of Ruth Emmie Lang and turn into fantasy and joy. Music is at the heart of The Wilderwomen. On arrival at Constellation Campground, Zadie and Finn find other psychics, like Ursula, who shares her music with them; it is ethereal, intangible, and sublime - wildly beating hearts slow down at the sound, and tranquility visits the listener.

The Wilderwomen brings a renewed appreciation of nature and the outdoors. I felt as though I was part of Zadie and Finn’s journey, seeing what they saw and feeling what they felt. They felt marvelous about understanding more of what happened to Nora, but there are also high-stress moments of danger and threat.

I rate The Wilderwomen 5 out of 5 stars based on its authenticity, imagining made real, and splendid creativity. I found nothing to dislike and want to read more from Ruth Emmie Lang.

I recommend The Wilderwomen to a broad audience of fantasy/mystery lovers, Y/A's and readers who like family stories, redemption stories, and an end that is as well-thought out as the rest.