Annie arrives on Crow Island to take care of his father things after his death. Her childhood friend Beatrice lives her wonderful new life there on the island with her new husband Arthur. Annie's mysterious neighbor, Emmeline Delacroix, hosts noisy parties where booze flows freely and there are rumors about magic being the very essence of the island itself. Annie soon finds out that Bea and Emmeline are tied by a terrible secret, that will pull her in a web of darkness and danger.
I will start by saying that I enjoyed the book in general. The characters are pretty interesting and well rounded, they also grow throughout the story (most of them at list), but I would have liked some more chapters from Richard's point of you, to get to understand his role better. The atmosphere is the strongest aspect of the book I think: Roaring Twenties reminiscent of Great Gatsby atmos mixed with dark magic and rituals, very well described and recreated on the page. Which brings me to the second strongest feature: the writing style. Smooth, easy to follow, but rich in details that build up the scene very carefully, without being annoying or overwhelming. The plot, on the other hand, could be a bit better. Up until the middle part of the book I really couldn't figure out what exactly the author was trying to tell me, and then things suddenly progressed through the ending and I feel like something is missing somewhere. Also, the relationships in the book could be better explored maybe. Annie/Emmeline especially left me a bit confused in some places.
Overall, it's an enjoyable book (if you don't have problems with blood being mentioned A LOT) that I would recommend.

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May is a standalone historical fantasy set after the First World War were witchcraft is outlawed and the glamorous backdrop of the Jazz Age is a buzz with scandal and gossip.

After being informed of her absent father's passing, Annie, travels to Crow Island to organise his affairs. She moves into a small cottage by the coast and is soon besotted by her mysterious neighbour.

The infamous Emmeline Delacroix throws legendary parties were booze laced with magic flows, bargains are made and blood magic runs wild. Annie is soon drawn to her enigmatic neighbour by a curious tether that bonds the two and soon discovers that practicing magic can come with devastating consequences.

This book felt very familiar. I think this is due to the fact that it clearly takes elements of The Great Gatsby and intertwines them with Practical Magic. The slow burn queer romance delicately fizzes throughout and I also adored the supporting cast of characters such as Isobel and Nathan. The flashbacks of their tragic childhoods were actually my favourite parts of this book.

I wish that Emmeline's backstory had taken a more prominent place in the book as Annie felt very under developed and her childhood friend, Bea, came across as selfish and very conceited. I would have loved to explore the dynamics of Isobel, Nathan and Emmeline's relationship instead.

I actually thought Wild and Wicked Things was going to be book one in an ongoing series. I still have so many questions regarding the nature and origin of their magic, the lingering presence of the Witches Council and the aftermath of their actions. Surely the events in the finale would cause ripples throughout the entire island and magic community?

It was a beautifully written atmospheric read. I loved the dazzling backdrop of the roaring 20s against the gothic haunting imagery, however, I felt like we skimmed over the potential for these flawed and fascinating characters.

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First of all, thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this one which sounded really promising. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me...
I enjoyed a lot of little things and didn't like a lot of little things too... I found the storyline really complicated, and I didn't understood what was happening until the 100th first pages ! Talk about a slow burn...

Annie arrives on Crow Island. She's here after her father's passing, to visit his house and collect his things. She didn't really know her father, only seen him a couple of times, but she had to come, to pay her respects.
She settles in a little cottage next to a big house, which hold big parties every week. She's also on the island to find back her best friend who left one year ago.
But nothing goes as she thought. And she had never imagined that magic, real magic, was on this island, and especially at her neighbour's...

I read after that this was sort of a retelling of Great Gatsby, plus the magic, and that's right. But even if the characters are intriguing and powerful, there's not really a lot happening in the book. And that's what I didn't like.

This is a interesting story about hidden and punishable magic, set around World War 1, on a mysterious crescent moon shaped island. It follows Annie who has gone to the island after her estranged father has died and left her his house and belongings. She rents a cottage on the island next to a house where parties are thrown every weekend and the whispers of magic are heard. She feels a pull towards the house, and in particular to Emmeline who lives there.

She uses this opportunity to rekindle a friendship with Bea, her best friend, who had moved to the island and had not left on good terms. On meeting her, Bea is married and has spun lies about her life to her new husband.

The magic system was interesting and I think it could have been explored further. It had a very slow build, it was mysterious and definitely reminded me of practical magic. I really enjoyed Emmeline and Annie’s development and tension. I wanted more. I found Bea irritating which I think the author was aiming for and some of the choices she made were predictable.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in sapphic relationships, witchy, forbidden, mysterious vibes.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book is such an intriguing one. Witches, historical fiction, romance, suspense, it has a lot to draw you in. And at first it definitely did!

I slowly started to get drawn into the characters and Annie’s character definitely intrigued me. She’s very likeable and easy to get behind, with her quiet and careful ways as she’s drawn into a world much bigger than she could have imagined. I did find her very… repetitive though and her thought processes got a little samey after a while.

There was enough in the story to keep you captivated but I just kept finding my attention wandering! It felt like a very long book to read and I felt it could have perhaps been a little shorter. I loved Nathan’s character and the historical setting intwined with magic made for a spell binding and atmospheric mix. But there’s was something about this that I found didn’t quite hit the mark and I’m not sure why! Maybe I wasn’t in the right mind frame but it’s a great book if you’re looking for lgbtqia+ with gay representation and some likeable characters to boot.

3.5 stars
This could have been a great book .

A retelling of Gatsby and throwing in a goodly measure of Magic, sexual tension and suspense.
A Sapphic Novel .
And yet there feels something lacking .
I had to stop half way and read another book before finishing this one.
It felt a bit gushy, young passion, the hot and sweaty kind .
But there was enough to keep me engaged until the end.
My fave character was Nathan… I would love to hang out with him a little . Have one of his cuppas and talk plants and spices.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK (Orbit) for providing me with this ARC!