Scan barcode
jenniferrobinson11's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really enjoyable read, and a page-turner. A lot of first-person introspective thoughts in the narrative for my taste, but the story was still really good and fast-paced.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
joisaddler's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
audeira's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death
Minor: Death of parent
baknata's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really enjoyed this book. It was like a love letter to nature and the science of the seasons. The way that the magic system was set up was unique and highly enjoyable. It wasn't hard at all to understand the magic system, as it was highly tied to weather and seasons. The main character, Cara, is complicated. By that I mean she isn't terrible, but she wasn't entirely likable either. She tended to backslide a lot with her character development, which was a little frustrating. It was difficult to dislike her though because her behavior could be explained by the trauma she faced in her childhood. The side characters in this book are really what makes it for me. Her love interest, Sang, was a phenomenal character. He was a full character who wasn't just there to dote on our main character. While he was completely enamored with Cara, he didn't pull punches with her. When she did self-destructive or stupid things, he didn't just let it slide or get overly upset. I also really liked Paige, her ex. I loved the way that the relationship between her and Cara healed over the course of the book and how we got to learn more about Paige as the story went on. She ended up being a great character. The plot of this story is pretty predictable, so it isn't for everybody. It's easy to see where the story is going, but it is still a nice, comforting story. This book made me want to be out in nature and really shows the beauty of each season. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who loves nature and is looking for a comforting story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
This book mentions quite a few natural disasters, resulting in death and injury.beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
karelidz's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I expected to like it more than I did, since I couldn't wait to get myself a copy and start reading it.
I thought it would be more fantasy than romance, but it was actually the opposite. I think that in a way, the magic aspect sometimes takes the backseat, but it didn't necessarily make it bad, it just wasn't what I was expecting when I started it.
Rating it as a romance, it was very cute and sweet and I think I'd reread it whenever I want something comforting.
Over all I really enjoyed it and got through it fairly quickly.
I thought it would be more fantasy than romance, but it was actually the opposite. I think that in a way, the magic aspect sometimes takes the backseat, but it didn't necessarily make it bad, it just wasn't what I was expecting when I started it.
Rating it as a romance, it was very cute and sweet and I think I'd reread it whenever I want something comforting.
Over all I really enjoyed it and got through it fairly quickly.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
hardbackednooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
All in all, this was a decent book with a unique premise that fails to live up to expectations. It’s a very solid debut and I may check out other books by Rachel Griffin if she decides to write more in the future, but I would not recommend The Nature of Witches to most readers. The main character Clara is unlikeable, annoying, and immature and the rest of the cast of characters aren't explored outside of how they relate to Clara.
For my full review, click here: https://hardbackednooks.home.blog/2021/12/07/the-nature-of-witches-by-rachel-griffin/
For my full review, click here: https://hardbackednooks.home.blog/2021/12/07/the-nature-of-witches-by-rachel-griffin/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
tkatt20's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have not stopped thinking about this book since I finished reading it. The writing style is beautiful and so well done and the world is well developed and the magic system is beautifully written, I loved the characters and genuinely could not put this book down! I was having a hard time finishing books or sticking with a series and when I had picked this up I had figured it would have the same fate, but as I started reading, it quickly became apparent that that would not be the case. This book is set in the modern day United States, with the magical element woven in through witches that have power that corresponds to the seasons. The main character, Clara, is an exceptionally powerful witch that has power that changes with the seasons, unlike her peers. She is extremely insecure about herself and terrified of her powers based off past tragedy and current events, and you get to go along with her as she learns about herself and how to gain back control in her life. Sometimes I find that deeply insecure characters can be extremely bothersome and difficult to read about but every insecurity is well written and justified and I wasn’t feeling annoyed by the story or wishing the characters would take a different approch to situations at all. This book does an amazing job making the readers feel each emotion as severally as the main character, but not too overwhelmed even with so much going on in the book. This book handles themes about tragedy and loss as well as some mental health and ptsd elements very elegantly and realistically. Even though it was a rather simple read, the addition of these heavy topics, paired with a writing style that makes each page feel like an art piece, made this book exceed my expectations
One of the most impressive parts of this book is how clearly you can tell the author did tons of research for this story. You get a little extra information about weather systems and botany which fits in perfect with the natural and seasonal themes of this book. Sometimes I feel like in order to sound more sophisticated, some authors will add an excessive amount of knowledge on a topic without explanation, but with the characters lives relying so much on the seasons, it is very realistic to have the characters know this information since they are just students, still learning about their powers. My only complaint is that I wish there was a little more insight on the motivation of the “villain” in the book. While they aren’t the main focus of the book or the direct problem, there isn’t really an answer to why they treat Clara so harsh and unfair. While this does bother me a bit, all the things this book does right wildly outshines this problem and I feel like once you get to the end of the book it makes sense why this bit wasn’t really needed to make this an amazing story.
If you like books about magic and nature with well written main characters and a great message, you will love this book. I can see this easily becoming one of my favorites. I will definitely be rereading it in the future and I look forward to future books from this author.
One of the most impressive parts of this book is how clearly you can tell the author did tons of research for this story. You get a little extra information about weather systems and botany which fits in perfect with the natural and seasonal themes of this book. Sometimes I feel like in order to sound more sophisticated, some authors will add an excessive amount of knowledge on a topic without explanation, but with the characters lives relying so much on the seasons, it is very realistic to have the characters know this information since they are just students, still learning about their powers. My only complaint is that I wish there was a little more insight on the motivation of the “villain” in the book. While they aren’t the main focus of the book or the direct problem, there isn’t really an answer to why they treat Clara so harsh and unfair. While this does bother me a bit, all the things this book does right wildly outshines this problem and I feel like once you get to the end of the book it makes sense why this bit wasn’t really needed to make this an amazing story.
If you like books about magic and nature with well written main characters and a great message, you will love this book. I can see this easily becoming one of my favorites. I will definitely be rereading it in the future and I look forward to future books from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
lonelyghostsclub's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
lit_with_lauren's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent