Early Reader Review: Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin

Source: From Netgalley and Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin 
Publisher:  Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date:  August 2, 2022

 

Format: Ebook


Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

When eighteen-year-old witch Iris Gray accidentally enacts a curse that could have dire consequences, she must team up with a boy who hates witches to make sure her magic isn't unleashed on the world.

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.

Review: 

This cover is lovely... that and the fact that it was Rachel Griffin drew me in. I loved The Nature of Witches last year and was so excited for this new book, sadly it feel a little flat for me. 

What I loved about the first book was the beautiful magic/power structire that Griffin had built out and how the humans and witches lived together and worked with one another. I fully expected this book to have an extension of that world and power structure, and it didn't. I felt like this magic was a bit meh in comparison. The magic in this book is three types and they are briefly described a few times but there isn't a lot of explanation.

Iris is the type that can use their power with animals, to communicate a bit and heal them/ help them. She works in an animal sanctuary with her mother and a grad student named Pike. While the book it a bit about the magic, it is really a romance. It is an enemies to dating relationship between Iris and Pike. It was cute. Iris can be super stubborn, independent, and she is really in her own head a lot. Pike is kind of an ass, he is entitled and bossy and a know-it-all and although they make it work with a friendship and then being together, I never really liked Pike all that much. 

This was an ok read, it wasn't horrible, it wasn't wonderful it feel solidly in the middle. It was pretty quick paced and the plot was handled ok. There is a woman/woman relationship which is nice but that seemed very back-burner and only for the rep than the actual plot. Overall, this one was good... I am happy that I gave it a shot and it was a fast read for me.