Witchy romance with slow burn sapphic romance.

A great Gatsby retelling but I feel the author completely made it it's own, which in my opinion is a good thing .

Quite a lot of things I already guessed/saw coming therefore probably didn't effect me emotionally/how it should.

The characters were fab but I'd have liked a little more depth on them all.

Definitely an adult book that has a lot of trigger warnings(my type of book haha)

A good read that I would recommend

Ended up being a DNF for me about 70 pages in - I tried but couldn't get into the story. I might at some point try giving this another go

Wild and Wicked Things is sapphic witchy historical romance with fantasy element inspired by The Great Gatsby. The world setting and writing are well done, very atmospherics, and compelling. But the plot story is interesting and unreveal with slower pace than my usually preferences.

The characters are grey, intriguing and imperfect. Both narratives have personal growth but need more flesh out. The romance itself need extra attention and development.
Perfect read for sappic characters driven type reader who love classics vibes on their reads.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit from Little Brown Books Group UK for providing a copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF around 30% - Such a shame!

The concept was there though, and I wish it delivered but it just left me not engaged and waiting TOO long for something to happen...

I also didn't pick up much of a connection to the characters either and I found myself just putting this down a lot because of that. It's taken me a long time to even get this far...

The writing isn't necessarily bad though, it was easy enough to picture the location setting and etc... but I felt like it lacked any depth or connection?

Again, not necessarily a bad book but definitely not for me!

Wild and Wicked Things is a historical fantasy with sapphic witchy vibes. There is a Gatsby, 1920's golden era atmosphere and a bit of gothic imagery thrown in as well. My favourite parts were the nature descriptions and island life.

It launches straight into life with Annie, who has arrived on the island to settle her father's estate. A father who had abandoned her and her mother. Due to the time era, a big focus is on the Great War, described through a magical lens (the soldiers were imbued with magic). As a result, real magic is banned. Except for on Crow Island.

The premise was interesting but for me I didn't feel connected to the story or the characters. I could see Annie's development but just didn't care enough about it. The magic system was basic and not explored to any great lengths. Whilst the writing was good, I felt it was too long and the drama didn't really kick in until towards the end.

The final scenes were great, I enjoyed the use of magic, the "exorcisms" and menacing feeling.

This was a slow burn read in a beautiful setting, The back drop of WWI with the dark twisted magic was executed very well but I struggled to connect to the characters. Whilst I don't mind flawed characters these were unlikeable. The switching POV helped with the interest in the story but I felt it could have been a little shorter and more enjoyable.

In the aftermath of the First World War, a young woman gets swept into a glittering world filled with illicit magic, romance, blood debts and murder! A thoroughly engaging read.

Wild and Wicked Things is a veeeeeeery slowburn book, which I enjoy! And my, was the payoff worth it! I loved the writing and the world building, as well as the characters and their development!

This was an okay read, for the 40% I managed to get through. But it honestly was just so slow and I found myself shouting at my kindle for something to actually happen!

I think this book was a miss for me. I tried several times to get into the story but I found it too slow to keep my interest. Such a shame as I thought the blurb was very interesting.

A slow burner that took me ages to get into, to the point that I didn't want to keep picking it up, however once I got into it i did enjoy it

On Crow Island, people whispered, real magic lurked just below the surface. But Annie Mason never expected her enigmatic new neighbour to be a witch.

When she witnesses a confrontation between her best friend Bea and the infamous Emmeline Delacroix at one of Emmeline's extravagantly illicit parties, Annie is drawn into a glittering, haunted world. A world where magic can buy what money cannot; a world where the consequence of a forbidden blood bargain might be death.

This one was a slow burner and initially I thought I was going to DNF it but I am so glad I stuck with it. Teeming with 1920s atmosphere, fashion and drama this story is magical, mysterious and murderous. May encapsulates the roaring 20s party life and couples it with the myth and mystery of magic. Yes a slow burner to begin with but boy does it end packing a punch! May is definitely an author that I will be keeping me eyes open for in the future.

I love historical fiction and when you add in a fantastical element you have me hooked. It took me a while to get into this but once I was into the story then I was hooked. This was a interesting story of how someone who wants to avoid everything to do with magic and then they get drawn into the world of folklore and magic. However when our main character meets a charismatic and alluring person then she find that this awakes her magic. I love the characters and setting however the story was slow in pace and this was one of the reasons which it took me a while to finish and enjoy.

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May is a spellbinding debut novel that takes readers on a journey to a world where real magic lurks beneath the surface. Set in the aftermath of the First World War, the story follows Annie Mason, a young woman who inherits her father's cottage on Crow Island. Little does she know that her new neighbor, the infamous witch Emmeline Delacroix, will draw her into a glittering, haunted world where magic can buy what money cannot and where the consequence of a forbidden blood bargain might be death.

One of the things that make this book so captivating is the way the author weaves together magic, romance, and murder in a lush and evocative way. The world-building is top-notch, and the magic system is extremely intriguing, with each magic having a different scent and taste. The use of blood magic is particularly fascinating, and the concept of the Debt and Giving adds an extra layer of depth to the story.

The characters are also well-developed and multi-dimensional. Annie is a relatable protagonist who grows into her magic and becomes stronger willed and more morally questionable. Emmeline is an enigmatic figure who has a better control over her magic after years of trading illicit magic. And then there's Bea, Annie's best friend who has done well for herself with a new identity but has an undertow that makes Annie's renewed friendship with her feel uneasy.

The switching perspectives between Annie and Emmeline are well-executed, and both characters have distinct voices that make it clear who we are following. The chapters often end on cliffhangers, making it difficult to put the book down. The story is also expertly paced, with the tension escalating at a steady pace and every "solution" just becoming a further problem.

The theme of identity is woven throughout the story, as the characters search for where they belong and where their tribe is. The history of Crow Island and Cross House is also an interesting and horrifying aspect of the book, and the reader gets to see Emmeline put an end to the atrocities committed by Cilla against the orphans.

The only flaw in the book is the character of Bea, who is extremely selfish and causes many of the problems in the story. While it's understandable that she's a flawed character, her constant blaming of others for her problems and the way she acts is frustrating and detracts from the story. However, the other characters more than make up for her shortcomings, and the book remains an engrossing read.

In conclusion, Wild and Wicked Things is a heady, lyrical gem of a book that brims with romance and gilded danger. It's a story of magic, murder, and intrigue that transports readers far away from reality and into a witchy world full of damning secrets, unbreakable bargains, intoxicating love, and found family. If you're looking for a dark and bloody tale with a touch of the supernatural, this book is definitely worth a read.

Really wanted to like this one, I found the concept so interesting but I just really couldn't engage with the story or feel any sort of attachment to the narrators.

Absolutely loved this book! The world building was incredible and I hope that there are more books in this series.

This is a brilliant and intriguing alternative to the world as we know it.

Where magic has been prohibited (since it was abused and turned soldiers into killing machines) and faux magic is a party trick for those with money.

Annie is drawn into a twilit world of magic and politics after inheriting her father’s cottage on Crow Island.

Renting a property while she sorts through her dad’s things, her first encounter with neighbour Emmeline makes her blood sing and feel as if she is having an awakening of sorts.

Emmeline feels the same longing and fear that Annie feels but has a better control after years of trading illicit magic.

Bea, once best friend but not seen since she moved to Crow Island, has done well for herself with a new identity. There’s an undertow to Annie’s renewed friendship with her as well as an unexplained connection with Emmeline.

I loved how the chapters ended on a cliff hanger making me read on, well past when I should have been asleep!

Another thing I really liked was the format of taking us back to the past so that we could see how Emmeline came to be where she is now.

The magic for me was as much about the connections as it was about the darkness and blood. And the theme about identity (where we belong, where our tribe are and the quest to find it) runs alongside the magic.

Wild and Wicked Things inspired me to start working with the moon again - and I dusted off my Tarot cards!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in this world.

I have been excited about reading this book for a long time and I am delighted that it didnt let me down at all !!! It was dark and bloody and very witchy !!! Ik Wild and Wicked Things is often described as a retelling of The Great Gatsby with a witchy twist, which idk enough about to compare it to having never read the book myself, but it was certainly a wild ride and has made me interested to read The Great Gatsby !!! I rlly rlly enjoyed this book, as stressful as it often was in places, and how everything seemed to constantly escalate and every "solution" just became a further problem. The magic system was extremely intriguing, especially the use of blood magic, and how every magic had a different scent and taste. I was very curious about Nathan's abilities and how hard that must have made the world for him. I also found the concept of the Debt and Giving very interesting too.

I enjoyed the switching perspectives and appreciared the fact that both Emmeline and Annie had very distinct voices that made it clear who we were following even without the chapter indicators. I liked watching Annie grow into her magic, become stronger willed and more morally questionable.

I hated Bea with a passion, she was extremely selfish and the cause of so many of the problems and yet she wasnt willing to claim responsibility for any of it. She was constantly blaming everyone else for her problems and the way she acted. I did feel a little kinder towards her at the end, but I will stand by the fact that everything is Bea's fault.

I also found learning about the history of Cross House and what Cilla did to the orphans and how it shaped them to be both interesting and horrifying, and I am so glad that we got to see Emmeline put an end to that.

And my favourite character died, which is just the standard really, so am I surprised?? No, but I had hoped for better for them, especially after all the signs of them dying were there, but I had hoped that the cards were wrong.

Wild and Wicked Things is a bloody tale of magic, murder and intrigue, and I enjoyed it thoroughly !!!

There was just something about this book that put me off it. I think a big part of it was the narrator, who annoyed me by making everything sound so tragic, but I don't think it was just that. The story just didn't quite hit the mark.

It's a real shame because I was really interested by the alternate history setting and the way witchcraft fitted into it all. It was a really skilfully created world with witchcraft slotted into the first world war and the prohibition period after it. I was really interested to read all that, but the story didn't quite live up to the premise.

There was also one piece of music that they played over certain chapters that just completely creeped me out. I couldn't concentrate on what was being said because I was made so anxious by the music.

All this added up to a not very enjoyable experience, but I hope that other people might like it where I didn't.

I really loved the writing style of this book. It's beautiful and is very atmospheric. Somehow that fits well with the historic setting of this novel. The premise is amazing and I was super excited about this book, but somehow it fell a bit flat for me despite its many great things.

Most of all, I find it to be way too slow for me. It felt like nothing happened until the last third of the book, and that's unfortunately way too late for me. I like fast paced books, and this definitely wasn't one of them.

And then we have the characters. It was hard to really get to know them, and they weren't very likable. Now, I tend to like reading about unlikeable characters, but everything has its limit. Here we met characters where we didn't know them, and it felt like there was so much history that we weren't told. backstory that might have helped me as a reader connect to them.

But its a decent read and I would recommend this book for those who're looking for a sapphic historical fantasy.