Wild Is the Witch

Gr 9 Up–In this standalone novel, Griffin offers up a paranormal romance set in the drizzly Pacific Northwest. Iris Gray has a secret: she is a teenage Lunar, a witch who can connect with animals. This skill comes in handy while working on the nature reserve where she and her mother have settled on the Olympic Peninsula. Idyllic as the reserve might be, Iris has a dark past that she’d like to keep to herself. The problem is that Pike Alder, a pale bespectacled ornithology student who hates witches, keeps pushing past her defenses, forcing her to reconcile with her past and learn to trust again. This fantasy novel draws readers into an atmospheric trek through damp old-growth forests. Griffin is spare in her worldbuilding yet uses Iris’s story compellingly to explore themes like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. This novel is bound to engage readers with its warmth, vivid portrayals of outdoor settings, and romantic spark. The race of the main character was not stated.