A review by kalventure
The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

 
You can read an excerpt from The Nature of Witches here!

I adored this debut fantasy with all of my heart and am currently kicking myself for not reading my eARC of it sooner to provide more time for me to scream about it. There's still time to pre-order and have one tree planted - plus lots of other goodies! Have you SEEN the special naked cover that Sourcebooks is doing for the first print run? 😍

Beautiful and engaging right from the beginning, The Nature of Witches drew me into the narrative with its prose and tone. You know how some books are just so beautiful that you want to have a copy to hold and look at lovingly? I knew this book was going to I placed a pre-order of the book after finishing the first chapter.

“Winter is the truest of the seasons. It’s what remains after everything else is stripped away. The leaves fall. The colors fade. The branches get brittle. And if you can love the earth, understand it when all the beauty is gone and see it for what it is, that’s magic.”

This book is truly a love letter to nature in all its forms, and each season has a section of the narrative. I loved the fast-paced and descriptive narrative, I not only could envision the scenes but also feel them. Told in the first person perspective of 17 year old Clara, it feels deeply personal – almost like reading a diary. She’s got the weight of the world and the power to help, if only they could figure out how to control her magic and not hurt the people she loves. For the last year she’s lived alone in a small cabin in the woods and kept to herself.

“Realizing you love someone is like noticing you have a sunburn — you don’t know exactly when it happened, just that you were too exposed for too long. So I minimize my exposure. To Everyone.”

One thing that I’ll never grow tired of is the isolated character letting their guard down slowly over time and catching feelings. Bonus points when the character also learns to love themself in the process. Friends, Clara’s journey is such a beautiful one and we watch her blossom. It’s never fun to be alone with one’s thoughts, so sometimes Clara’s anxious worrying about things feels a little repetitive, but not in a way that ruined my reading experience.

“There’s nothing more powerful than being understood.”

Soft and supportive boys are the best and Sang is such a kind character. We all deserve people like him in our lives. I really enjoyed watching his and Clara’s relationship evolve over the seasons that they train together. His calm and genuine care helps Clara learn to trust — others, as well as herself. This botanist will capture the hearts of readers. Did I mention there’s yearning? Because there’s lots of yearning.

“You are the most magnificently disruptive thing that’s ever entered my life.”

I loved the worldbuilding, especially the way it builds upon our world. It is such a fun take on elemental magic that ties into the seasons, and personality traits often associated with the elements. The Nature of Witches is very much a contemporary book with magic and beyond the magic system things are largely left unexplained, which makes this an excellent read for those who struggle with high fantasy and heavy worldbuilding. I do wish the origin of witches was explained more because that’s the kind of reader that I am, but given this is Clara’s story and experiences it makes sense that it’s focused on school and her training.

Overall, I absolutely adored The Nature of Witches with its beautiful prose and characters. It’s got an important message about climate change and needing to take action, but it’s done in a way that it doesn’t take over the story, and honestly it makes me want to go frolic in a meadow. I also have the urge to learn the meaning of all flowers. I read the book in one sitting and the ending brought tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart, I wholeheartedly recommend that you add this one to your TBRs.