What stood out to me in this novel was the immersive, atmospheric setting. May's writing is lush and evocative, drawing readers into the eerie and enchanting world of Crow Island. The dark, magical undertones create a sense of tension throughout the book, while the complex relationships add emotional depth. The slow-burn romance between Annie and Hedley is intriguing, as it develops alongside the unfolding mystery.

However, while the atmosphere and character dynamics were engaging, the pacing felt a bit uneven at times. The plot had moments that slowed down, and some aspects of the story took a while to fully come together. Nevertheless, the emotional payoff and the exploration of love, betrayal, and identity make it worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I have tried to read this one several times since I was approved and unfortunately can't get into it, so am officially DNFing it. I'm very sad about it as I thought I'd love 1920s witches, but something about it just isn't clicking for me!

A witchy sapphic retelling of The Great Gatsby? Sign me up!
this book was beautifully written, the atmosphere definitely taking the lead. The characters were well flushed out, their romance felt so natural and bloomed brilliantly. In places, the storyline did seem to slow down and struggled to pic back up again, but overall it was a fun read

Set right after World War I, ''Wild and Wicked Things'' takes us to Crow Island, where Annie Mason gets pulled into a world of dark magic and a slow-burn sapphic romance. The story switches between Annie and Emmeline’s perspectives, with a few others popping in. The writing does a great job of setting the mood and capturing the time period.

Even though the writing is nice, I didn’t feel connected to the characters. Most of them weren’t very likeable, and even with their backstories, they felt flat. I usually don’t mind reading about unlikable characters, but these ones didn’t feel interesting enough to keep me hooked.

The pacing was really slow too. Not much happens in the first two-thirds of the book, but it did get better and more exciting near the end.

If you’re into sapphic historical fantasy with dark, atmospheric vibes, you might enjoy this one.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK & NetGalley for sending me an eARC

#WildandWickedThings #NetGalley

An interesting read, with twists and turns. But sadly not for me, I read it and felt I could see the direction. I enjoyed the intrigue to start with

I did enjoy this book but found it a little slow personally. A different genre/time than I am used to.

I sadly had to DNF this one, I just couldn't get into it, the writing style just wasn't for me and I just couldn't push myself to keep reading past chapter five, was looking forwards to this but turns out it's not for me which is such a shame.

2.5 stars

When Annie's estranged father dies, she finds herself travelling to the notorious Crow Island to sort through his things.
On the mainland, magic is prohibited after the events of the First World War. However, on Crow Island, the use of magic is less controlled and Annie soon discovers that her new neighbour is a witch.
As Annie spends time on the island, she is reunited with her best friend from home, Bea, who now lives there. Annie also discovers more about her father, and is drawn to her bewitching neighbour Emmeline.
As Annie is sucked into the world of magic, she discovers that it can be as dangerous as it is seductive.

The pitch for this book intrigued me - The Great Gatsby with witches - but, unfortunately, it didn't live up to my hopes.
Annie was an OK protagonist. I liked her, and I felt sorry for her at times, but didn't feel that I fully connected with her.
Bea and Emmeline were mixed characters for me - there were times when I liked them and times when I didn't.
My favourite characters were probably Nathan and Isobel, whose relationship I liked.
The setting of the island and being just after World War I was interesting. As Crow Island was a separate entity from the mainland, there didn't seem to be any after-effects from the war, such as rationing, and I wasn't sure how realistic that was - surely there would have been some foods they couldn't get? - but given that this book has magic and witches, it's not exactly realistic.
There was some world-building, which was interesting, but it did seem a little vague and was a little confusing.
The plot was mixed - while it did go in a direction that I wasn't expecting, I was never gripped, and didn't feel immersed or invested in what was happening.
I am disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall, this was a mixed read.

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May is full of dark witchy magic with a slow burn romance.

After World War I, Annie Mason has arrived on Crow Island to settle her late father’s estate. She ends up falling into a world of dark magic and feels a strong connection to her neighbor.

This tale mainly alternates between Annie and Emmeline’s perspective with a few others characters included. The author's writing style is very atmospheric and captures the era well.

Although the writing is beautiful, it was hard not to feel a tad distant from the characters. Not many of them were particularly likeable, even knowing their origin stories. Usually, I don’t mind reading from unlikeable characters pov’s if they are interesting, but with this one, they felt one-dimensional.

The pacing was quite slow in areas, finding it only to speed up and get exciting nearer the end of the book.

Overall I would recommend this book to those looking for a sapphic historical fantasy read.

I had such a hard time getting into this book. I have no idea why because the premise sounded exactly like something up my alley: dark, mysterious, WITCHES! But somehow this book just didn't click with me. The characters were very interesting- their background very enticing and all their worries and joys reasonable.
3,5 stars

This is one of those books that I spent a really long time trying to read and just could absolutely not get into it.

A sapphic retelling of The Great Gatsby, what’s not to love! Full of glitz, and glamour with magic, suspense, and sexual tension!

Francesca has created the most perfect witchy/gothic atmosphere with a crow element used to enhance the spooky vibe throughout. The world building was spellbinding, I would recommend the book on this alone.

The character relationships brought another dimension although I felt that some of the multiple POV’s were unnecessary.

This is very much a plot-led book but the execution of some parts felt fragmented and at times a little confusing.

Overall a fantastic read book that I’ll recommend to many.

I was SO excited to read this book - from the witchy, 1920s, Gatsby-inspired setting to the sapphic rep to the stunning cover, it sounded perfect for me! And it didn't let me down - with lush, poetic prose and richly-drawn characters, I could definitely see the Gatsby influence coming through. Ideally I would have liked to see a little more worldbuilding around the uses of magic and different types of witches, but overall this was still an engaging, atmospheric read and definitely satisfied my desire for more 1920s-era fantasy novels.

I can see why so many have loved this book - it is one that has stayed in my mind for a while. Rich descriptions, clear setting, and interesting characters. Unfortunately not quite my cup of tea but I know plenty of people for whom this would be a 5 star 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.

The story was quite nice to read but unfortunately couldn't catch me that much. I did not really emphazise with the characters which made the ready sometimes really hard because I did not want to keep reading, also because the two third of the book went quite slow because bot really much was happening.

An atmospheric and compelling story that earns its comparison to THE GREAT GATSBY. There was also a slow-burn sapphic romance combined with witchcraft. Highly recommended if you're looking for something a little different.

It's been a long time since I received this book on netgallley so I will not be reviewing this, I am a mood reader and I have really struggled to pick this book up- when I do eventually read I will make sure to leave an honest and thorough review

Couldn't really get into the book because the writing kept throwing me off. I expected it to be alot more witchy but it wasn’t

I loved the sound of this one but sadly ended up dnf-ing it.

I found myself really struggling with this one and just could not get into it. At this point I've tried to pick this one up twice and just had to put it down. I've also seen some of the trigger warnings for this one that unfortunately would not be good for me.

So sorry!