The Nature of Witches

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

This book felt much sweeter and personal than I expected going in. The description had me expecting a lot of 'you must figure out your magic to save the world or else' energy, and while there is a bit of that, the bulk of the focus is on Clara's growth and understanding of herself and her relationships. And it really works for the story, because in order to figure out her magic, she needs to figure herself out first. I really enjoy good characters and growth arcs, so alongside the fun nature magic, this storytelling really worked for me.

I love seeing how authors approach magic systems, and I thought the seasonal magic was a pretty fun concept. Each witch has a season in which their magic is strongest, and then it wanes the rest of the year, except for Clara who is a very rare Everwitch, so she has full-powered magic all year. This causes her to feel both pressure and isolation. (Good crucibles for our character development!)

And to top it off, we also have a love interest who is just a genuinely good, wonderful person, and he just gives the story some extra sweetness as we get to watch things blossom.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley, this is an honest review.