Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Publication Date: September 12th 2023 by Berkley
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher
Rating: ★★★★
My
Thoughts:
The Flores sisters have magical gifts. Sage is gifted with a
connection to plants: she can talk to them, identify, and make them grow. Her
sister Teal can affect the weather, and her youngest sister Sky gifted with a connection
to animals.
Sage is back home, at her Aunt Nadia’s, after being laid off
from her job. Things are tense with her younger sister, Teal, as she blames her
for the death of their youngest sister, Sky. To add to the drama, Sky’s ghost appears
to Sage, talking to her.
Sage lands a job with her old employer, Cranberry Rose
Company, the local nursery and is teamed up with her teenage crush, Tennessee
Reyes, the man who broke her heart, unbeknownst to him. They’re paired together
to find rare plants with a history and a story, to cultivate for sale. I love
plants and gardening, so I thought Sage’s gift and her job was so neat!
I got a Practical Magic vibe here (the movie, not the book)
picturing the beautiful old house as Nadia’s. Loved the descriptions of the
setting and surrounding area!
The romance was lovely, even though I wasn’t a fan of Sage
not coming clean with her prior AOL interactions with Tennessee, the blowback
from it wasn’t long and overdrawn. I feel like Sage’s relationship with her
sisters and Aunt Nadia were equally important to the story. They had past hurts
that needed to be mended. Didn’t care for the way Teal or Aunt Nadia treated Sage.
Teal was awful to her sister with no cause. It came from guilt and grief, but
definite groveling was needed from both her sister and aunt. There’s some
mystery around Sky’s death and I was thrilled over how that was all resolved!
Witch of Wild Things was a beautifully written, magical
delight! Some romance, some family reconciliation, and cool magical gifts!
4 Stars
Book Description:
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.
