For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, but now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic; the storms, more destructive. All hope lies with Clara, a once-in-a-generation Everwitch whose 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.
Plot
This felt like the most unique story I’ve read so far this year, if not in the many years I’ve been doing reviews. Instead of featuring a traditional antagonist or even a good guy vs bad guy dynamic, the story focuses mostly on the main character's internal conflict and the larger looming conflict of the world struggling with climate change and nature revolting against control. It made for a fascinating read all on its own.
Characters
The main character, Clara, is a reluctant protagonist. She fights being the hero of the story repeatedly and it makes for an interesting internal conflict in our narrator. She speaks a lot about changing with each season, which I thought would make for an interesting character, but I didn’t notice a huge personality shift, which was the only disappointment. The side characters were interesting, but not especially complex.
Setting
I appreciated the change in the magic system in this world. It often seems like for nature-based magic, like many witch books now feature, the magic has to be based around elements (water, fire, earth, etc.). But the author adds a unique twist to this magic system in having powers be based around the seasons. My only complaint about this is that it wasn’t completely clear what each season had the ability to do and the way the magic worked seemed vague. But I also appreciate that not too much time was bogged down with logistics so the plot could remain the focus.
My Recommendation
I highly recommend The Nature of Witches to any fans of the Young Adult Witch genre. The book is a welcome breathe of fresh air to a niche in YA Fantasy that seems to be filled with the same stories and the same magic systems. The plot is intriguing and unlike anything I’ve read before, while the magic system and main character offer something unique to veteran readers.
