Witch of Wild Things
by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: September 12, 2023
Reviewed by PJ
Legend goes that long ago a Flores woman offended the old gods, and their family was cursed as a result. Now, every woman born to the family has a touch of magic.
Sage Flores has been running from her family—and their “gifts”—ever since her younger sister Sky died. Eight years later, Sage reluctantly returns to her hometown. Like slipping into an old, comforting sweater, Sage takes back her job at Cranberry Rose Company and uses her ability to communicate with plants to discover unusual heritage specimens in the surrounding lands.
What should be a simple task is complicated by her partner in botany sleuthing: Tennessee Reyes. He broke her heart in high school, and she never fully recovered. Working together is reminding her of all their past tender, genuine moments—and new feelings for this mature sexy man are starting to take root in her heart.
With rare plants to find, a dead sister who keeps bringing her coffee, and another sister whose anger fills the sky with lightning, Sage doesn’t have time for romance. But being with Tenn is like standing in the middle of a field on the cusp of a summer thunderstorm—supercharged and inevitable.
PJ's Thoughts:
This is an interesting story about coming home, dysfunctional family, forgiveness, sisters, romance, and finding one's self. And if that isn't enough, there's a bit of a mystery as well as some very intriguing magical realism.
The characters are well developed, drawing me into the story almost immediately and eliciting a variety of emotions. There are a lot of layers to sift through for more than one of them, especially within Sage's family. It's never easy coming home and the circumstances of Sage's departure and return make it less so. A boring reunion, this is not!
I enjoyed the AOL instant messenger flashbacks between Tenn and Sage. It was a clever and effective way to dig into some of those layers (of both characters) and give readers a more complete understanding of their personalities, motivation, and feelings both past and present.
Overall, the story moves at a steady pace and maintained my interest with a good balance of humor, character evolution, conflict, and emotional depth. Parts of the magical realism are easy to buy into while others require significant suspension of disbelief (I have many questions). It has me wondering if Gilliland is planning more books for this family.
If you enjoy coming of age novels with magical realism, family dysfunction, and a touch of romance, give this one a try. It's an intriguing read.
Do you enjoy books with magical realism?
Sage's gift is the ability to communicate with plants. What magical gift would you choose for yourself?
One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, September 16 will receive a print copy of Witch of Wild Things.
*U.S. Only
*Must be 18
