Wild is the Witch – Review

Hi everyone! Today I’m sharing my review for Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin, who was the author of The Nature of Witches that I read and adored last year! I’m really a fan of how this author combines magic with nature, and this book was no different!

Wild is the Witch
by Rachel Griffin
Series: Standalone
Release date: August 2nd 2022

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆

Iris Gray knows witches aren’t welcome in most towns. When she was forced to leave her last home, she left behind a father who was no longer willing to start over. And while the Witches’ Council was lenient in their punishment, Iris knows they’re keeping tabs on her. Now settled in Washington, Iris never lets anyone see who she really is; instead, she vents her frustrations by writing curses she never intends to cast. Otherwise, she spends her days at the wildlife refuge which would be the perfect job if not for Pike Alder, the witch-hating aspiring ornithologist who interns with them.

Iris concocts the perfect curse for Pike: one that will turn him into a witch. But just as she’s about to dispel it, a bird swoops down and steals the curse before flying away. If the bird dies, the curse will be unleashed―and the bird is a powerful amplifier, and unleashing the curse would turn not just Pike, but everyone in the region, into a witch.

New witches have no idea how to control their magic and the consequences would be dire. And the Witches’ Council does not look kindly on multiple offenses; if they found out, Iris could be stripped of her magic for good. Iris begs Pike to help her track the bird, and they set out on a trek through the Pacific Northwest looking for a single bird that could destroy everything.

I really enjoyed Rachel Griffin’s other book, The Nature of Witches, so when the synopsis of this particular book was revealed I was VERY excited!

This book follows Iris, who was forced to move with her mom after an accident that led to her best friend getting her magic taken away. After seeing how her magic made others treat her and those around her, Iris now hides the fact that she’s a witch from everyone around her. She turns to her grandmother’s ritual of writing spells and curses and dispelling them into the earth to sort through her feelings and calm herself. She works at her mother’s wildlife refuge with Pike, who is interning at the refuge. After he reveals that he hates witches, Iris creates a curse meant to turn Pike into a witch. Before she can dispel the curse, an owl swoops down and steals the curse. Iris must set out to track down the owl and dispel the curse before it gets loose and turns not just Pike into a witch, but everyone in the region.

Like The Nature of Witches, the writing in this book is gorgeous! There are tons of quotes that I highlighted, and while the writing was beautiful, it was still easy to read! The pacing was good, and I especially liked the scenes where Iris and Pike were camping on the mountain. The vibes of this book were perfect, and made me wish that I had read this while I was camping because that would’ve been the perfect setting to read this one!

I did like the bickering and banter between Iris and Pike, although I don’t think that the chemistry was really there between the two. They even say that when they’re at the refuge they are rivals, but once they leave the refuge it’s a different story. Even separately, I didn’t really like Iris or Pike as much as I wanted to, and of course that ended up impacting my enjoyment of the book. Iris was too nervous and worried about everything, and I never really felt like I got a good sense of who Pike was other than just kind of mean to Iris.

This is still a great book though, it’s just the romance between the two characters just didn’t work for me in this one. Definitely worth the read, and I’m looking forward to Rachel Griffin’s cozy witch book!

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Wild is the Witch comes out tomorrow, August 2nd so make sure you get your hands on a copy!