Review: Witch of Wild Things

Witch of Wild Things, by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland (Berkley 2023)

First line: “My great-aunt Nadia says it’s a bad idea to reject a gift from a ghost.”

Sage Flores is returning home to Cranberry, and she’s not thrilled about it. She’s not thrilled she’s been fired from her job due to “budget cuts”, not thrilled to be moving back in with her great aunt and a sister who hates her, and not thrilled about the ghost who keeps leaving her presents. Especially not thrilled about her only job prospect being one that forces her to work with the guy who broker her heart in high school. But circumstances force her hand, and because of her special “gift” that allows her to communicate with and encourage plants to grow, she is somewhat compelled to take on this new job of searching the surrounding area for unique native plants with the person she never wanted to see again. Even if he is even more gorgeous than he was all those years ago.

This book is chock full of delight. Though it’s set in the summer, I found it to be a perfect cozy fall read, full of great sister/friend banter, AIM/early aughts nostalgia, gorgeous descriptions of the natural world, a perfect dose of witchiness and ghostyness, and some serious sexy times. This rom is not all com, though, and there are some very real issues discussed, like mental health, grief, guilt, and environmentalism. And truly, more than a romance, it’s a story about sisters, and I found that storyline to be much more compelling than the love story anyway.

As I said, I found this to be a delight, and I think any readers who loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches last year will find a lot to love with this one too.