Wild Is the Witch
by Rachel Griffin
Summary
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.
My Review
This story ended up feeling pretty mediocre, which was disappointing given its potential. The plot had opportunities to get truly engaging, but it just didn’t get there, often falling flat. It started off slow but picked up a bit when Iris and Pike set off on their search for the cursed owl. Even then, though, not much really happened, and I found myself bored for most of it—I even considered DNF’ing around the halfway mark. I pushed through, and while it redeemed itself a little by the end, I was mostly just ready for it to be over.
The two main characters felt immature and underdeveloped; I didn’t feel invested in them and was mostly reading just to see how it all turned out. The slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance also didn’t work for me—the chemistry between Iris and Pike felt forced and fell flat.
On the plus side, the Pacific Northwest setting was beautifully atmospheric, and the writing itself was immersive. There was a nice touch of magic, though I would have loved more action scenes to keep things moving. Ultimately, it had all the ingredients for a great story, but the execution just didn’t live up to its promise, leading to a predictable, formulaic ending.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this book. If the premise intrigues you, it might still be worth a try—you could enjoy it more than I did. But if you’re after a witchy read that leans into the magic, there are better options out there. I’ll continue exploring this author’s books to see if they grow on me, and she is someone I want to continue reading, but for now, this one was just okay.