By Robyn Rossit
The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin is a timely and easy-to-read addition to the YA fantasy genre. I was stunned to learn that this was the author’s debut. Set in modern times, witches have maintained the climate for centuries; however, climate change is causing some erratic and off-season weather, leading witches to deplete their power at an alarming rate. A witch’s power is tied to the season in which they were born, but Clara, the protagonist, is a rare ever witch whose power is tied to every season. She is powerful, but her magic is volatile, causing her to distance herself from the ones she loves. The price of her magic often means losing loved ones, and she often feels like she must choose between her power and her happiness.
The Nature of Witches is a coming-of-age story that touches on themes of grief and the pressures of power. Clara is still a young witch attending school but has so much riding on her as she is unique and is essential to preventing natural disasters unlike anything anyone has seen before. However, losing control means endangering the people she loves, which not only isolates her but also causes her to resent her gifts.
What I loved the most about the Nature of Witches was that the evil the witches were fighting against was climate change caused by human carelessness. It wasn't a demon, dragon or anything else you would typically find in a fantasy book, but something we are fighting in everyday life, which made it very relatable.
The writing is beautiful, and there are so many scenes that elicited beautiful seasonal imagery as the book takes the reader through a full year, season by season. My head was full of flowers in the spring and colourful, crisp leaves in the fall. There were so many scenes I could see vividly in my mind's eye.
Rachel Griffin certainly exceeded at writing a beautiful and relatable work of YA fantasy. I think even readers who don't usually read the genre would enjoy it. Even though it touched on some real-world issues, it was done in an easy-to-read way that doesn't overwhelm the reader. While it is a standalone novel, I cannot wait to see what else Griffin has up her sleeve.