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Published Jun 2021
384 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History
Publication Information
From a stunning new voice in YA comes the fierce, romantic story about a world on the brink of destruction, the one witch who holds the power to save it, and the choice that could cost her everything she loves.
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.
"The intriguing premise is fresh and original, and the worldbuilding is vivid and charming...This standalone novel ties fantastical elements, LGBTQIA themes, and climate change together into one neat package that will leave readers satisfied." - School Library Journal
"In her debut, Griffin ties the story of a witch learning her strength to the raw power of nature and places it in a world decimated by climate change. It's new, different, and well worth a read." - Booklist
"Debut author Griffin unfortunately fails to breathe new life into chosen one fantasy tropes—the obligatory villain, the unavoidable romance, the overly dramatic sacrifice—but excels at lush and lovely descriptions of nature and the weather and delivers a stern, if heavy-handed, message about environmental consequences of modern living. A slo-mo environmental disaster story." - Kirkus Reviews
"A refreshing take on witches...imaginative, romantic and inspiring." - Shelf Awareness
"The Nature of Witches is unlike anything I've read before. With its wholly original take on witches, thought-provoking commentary on climate change, and a swoony romance I would die for, Griffin has crafted a magnificent debut that will have readers on the edge of their seats. To put it simply―I'm obsessed with this book." - Adalyn Grace, NYT bestselling author of All the Stars and Teeth
"The forces of nature and magic blend perfectly in this masterfully told story. I couldn't love this book more." - Shea Ernshaw, New York TImes bestselling author of The Wicked Deep and Winterwood
"I could have stayed lost in the pages and magic of The Nature of Witches forever. Griffin's lush prose and evocative imagery adorns and compliments the thoughtfully designed world, and the well-drawn characters triumphantly carry the story from beginning to end. A stunning and timely debut." - Isabel Ibañez, author of Woven in Moonlight and Written in Starlight
This information about The Nature of Witches was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Rachel Griffin writes young adult novels inspired by the magic of the world around her. She is the author of The Nature of Witches. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Rachel has a deep love of nature, from the mountains to the ocean and all the towering evergreens in between. She adores moody skies and thunderstorms, and hopes more vampires settle down in her beloved state of Washington. When she isn't writing, you can find her wandering the PNW, reading by the fire, or drinking copious amounts of coffee and tea. She lives with her husband, small dog, and growing collection of houseplants.
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