Witch of Wild Things
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Average rating2.4
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.
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I'm finally done with this and the only positive thing I can say is that the cover is very pretty. Everything else is just a mess of immaturity, entitlement, lies, misunderstandings, poor language and rude behavior.
The plot is everywhere and nowhere at once: death of family members, child abandonment, cheating, violence in a relationship, men are pigs, let's bring down the patriarchy, capitalism is bad, avoidant behavior and ghosts.
The magic was nice but unfortunately, useless to the overall story. The characters would either not know how to control their gifts or not use them, but if they did, a significant part of the story wouldn't have been possible.
This was poorly written, in what it appears to be an attempt to appeal to different generations, not truly relating with any.
This goes straight to the list of worst books I read.
Two friends warned me: “this is fluff.” They then spoke glowingly of it, recommended it, and they were right on all counts. This is fun, rewarding fluff. I was surprised while reading it at how much I enjoyed it, and remain surprised in retrospect. I guess YA isn’t bad once in a while?
The magical elements are original and nicely done. The personal drama is over the top — the entire book is over the top — but engaging even so. The first-person narrator is so conflicted, so hurt, and so damn sweet that I couldn’t help being absorbed into her story. Vasquez Gilliland conveys both emotion and setting effectively; I felt and saw and sensed.
Definitely YA. The main character is nominally 29 but the content is clearly intended for someone sixteen -- and in good ways. Copious unobtrusive PSAs on communication, consent, boundaries, safe sex, expressing needs; basically, gently modeling responsible adult relationships and social responsibility without hitting you over the head. (All right, a little bopping. Love taps.) Annoyingly lookist, but there’s a lot of that going around. And the ending... well, it goes from over-the-top to full-gonzo oh-come-ON but even so, and I don’t understand how, it worked. As in, any other writer and I would’ve thrown the book down in contempt, but not this book not this time. Vasquez Gilliland’s kindness won me over all the way.
