The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

|Synopsis|

For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.

In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It’s wild and volatile, and the price of her magic―losing the ones she loves―is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.

In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she’s the only one who can make a difference.

In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she’s terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.

In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves… before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos.

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|Review|

The Nature of Witches is a love letter to the Earth. It didn’t knock me off my feet but instead slowly crept into my heart. It had a deep message while also being somewhat of a light read because it truly wasn’t about saving the world, but instead just acknowledging that we have the power to change not only it but ourselves. We see, we know, we’re trying.

I’ve read quite a few books that have attempted the fast-paced timeline like Griffin. The books is divided by seasons and kinda just skims to the larger events that take place. Typically this writing style doesn’t work for me. I never feel like I get to know my characters well or feel a connection with them. While I was reading it I was unsure if I truly knew Clara and it wasn’t until the final few pages that I realized I did. It was well done and that final little secret at the end really pulled the entire book together for me, turning it not just into a book I liked but one I loved.

Clara herself was complicated. Her life of loss and isolation was tragic. She didn’t love her magic and therefore didn’t love herself. I was just sitting there thinking “how could she hate something that is an integral part of herself?” But don’t we do that all the time to ourselves? It was an amazing parallel. Her journey is a hard one full of fleeting and ever-changing feelings thanks to her everwitch magic. How could she ever feel like herself when she changes with the seasons?

Enter Sang. We love a cute botonist nerd with calming magic. He fit perfectly with Clara from the first moment they met. The missing piece to puzzle that was her life. The romance was sweet, pure and most definitely a slow burn. My one complaint was that it was a fade-to-black kind of book and I wish we could have been given a bit more but I understand why we weren’t.

While promoted as a book about climate change and how witches are forced to save the world from humans, it focused mainly on Clara and her journey. It’s about love, loss, change and that we all have the power writhing ourselves to fight for what we truly want. A fantasy about nature fighting back against the destruction it’s endured, yet also something that could come to fruition if we keep sitting back and doing nothing.