After hearing about The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin for months, I finally read this a few days ago to see if it was up to par with the high praise and good ratings readers were giving it. I was convinced by a fellow bookstagramer (love you in_emmas_library) after her review of it and safe to say it was a super easy read as I finished it in less than four hours.

My thoughts – I love the seasonal and natural aspects of this book. I love how important the seasons are, how important each season is, how significant the earth is and all the subtle commentary on humankind overworking and spoiling the earth. The emotive language Clara uses in each season not only ties in extremely well with that season but also fits perfectly within the traditional structure of storytelling and acts. It feels very authentic to her perspective and compliments the trajectory of the story.

The internal conflict Clara has with herself regarding her magic and her position among the witches is one I really appreciate with “the chosen one” tropes, especially when the amount of power given or the kind of destruction the power can create is intense. Grappling with her control and not wanting to repeat past mistakes which have resulted in a lot of trauma and grief while being faced with external conflicts and pressures the witches are under makes for this palpable tension that builds with each season and culminates in an interesting, all-stakes climax that had me holding my breath.

I think the characters are well developed, some certainly more than others, and I do think that Sang and Paige are great supporting characters in this book. I do wish there was a more antagonistic character (I know there is one such character but they felt lacking to me, like they needed to step if up a notch but didn’t). That and the fact that, while they are cute together, I wasn’t totally invested in the romantic thread between Clara and sang throughout the book, make it a solid 4/5 from me. I liked it a lot, but I wanted a little more and perhaps a deeper pull from some of the characters.

Am I happy I finally read this? Yes.

Do I have a greater appreciation for the seasons and their importance as individual seasons as well as a cycle of seasons? Absolutely.

Do I want to live in a cottage in the forest with a black cat? 100%

Nox – be lucky I can’t physically steal you.