Annie Mason is summoned to Crow Island to deal with her late father's estate, and in a world where magic is prohibited can she resist the temptation that life on Crow Island presents her with? Or will she fall into a world of magic, danger, and romance?

This book was absolutely everything I was hoping for and more. It was so so beautiful, I cannot stress this enough.
The dynamic of our two main characters was really well crafted. They were rich and complex individuals and none of that was lost in their relationship with one another. Even more than that, we also get to see so much explored in their relationships with the other people in their lives. I really enjoy a book that actually devotes time to developing the cast of characters and not just the main/love interest as it can add so much to the story as well as to the main characters' arcs.
The story was beautifully crafted; we go between Emmeline and Annie's POVs, with a few extras here and there to flesh out the history and backstory which I really liked. The start builds intrigue around both characters and what has brought them to where we see them and we then gradually get to learn more about them, both from their own POVs and as perceived by the other. This contrast between their own perception of themselves vs their perception of each other made the development of their relationship so interesting to watch.
Add to this a super interesting magic system with a well-established historical and political backdrop, all brought together with beautiful atmospheric writing and I was absolutely engrossed. From start to finish.

All of that to say that if you want The Great Gatsby but with lesbian witches (and bonus- The Haunting of Bly Manor vibes are ~real~) you need to read this book immediately, it will not disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for my e-arc of this title, recieved in exchange for an honest review.

Crow Island is home to Witches. Or at least, that's what the stories say. Annie Mason just knows it as the place her father abandoned her for, a place she has never wanted to visit, but her father has died and his last request was that Annie come to the Island and sort out his belongings. Hoping that she can also re-connect with her long lost friend, Bea, Annie travels to Crow Island but isn't prepared for how freeing it will feel being there, or how tempting it will be to visit her new neighbour, Emmeline who throws daring and slightly illegal parties. But the longer Annie stays on the Island the more she learns, about her father, Emmeline and herself. Things she could never imagine, things that somehow just feel natural and things that could potentially get her killed.

Wild and Wicked Things is a dark and enticing book filled with magic, temptation, romance and some brilliantly written morally grey characters. Annie is incredibly naive and innocent when she first visits Crow Island. Forever told by her mother to stay away from magic, she is initially wary of drawing the attention of her intriguing new neighbour, but she feels a pull to Emmeline she can't understand. Her character growth in this book is incredible, she goes from being shy as a mouse to incredibly forthright and gains an inner strength she never knew she had. Emmeline is one of those characters that just effortlessly draws you in. Her life hasn't always been filled with glamour and parties, and she would rather it wasn't now, but she has to pay the bills and keep the elite of Crow Island happy. She is feisty & puts up a hard front, but inside she is still a lost little girl longing for somewhere to truly belong.

As as well as Annie and Emmeline we have a fabulous cast of side characters from Isobel and Nathan, Emmeline's house mates and the closest thing she has to a family. Each have their own unique magic, as well as their own tragic backstories, which ensured I was an absolute goner for them both. Bea, however, was the one character I just really struggled to bond with in any way. She came across as entitled, always wanting something more from life, and always blaming somebody else when it didn't work out the way she wanted.

Fans of The Great Gatsby will see nods to the original story. but May puts a sapphic, feminist and magical twist on the story that makes it solely her own. With magic being forbidden after events in the war and a, seemingly, all male council in place to pass judgement, sometimes even death sentences on the magical community, Emmeline's position is a tenuous one at best. She tries to stay out of the councils way, but the more the story progresses, the more we realise how hard that will be. As well as the Great Gatsby, I was incredibly happy to see references to practical magic, one of my all time favourite films. There are a few scenes that fans of the film will appreciate, but she also brings to it the strength of sisterhood, even if in this book they aren't related by blood. In fact the focus on relationships was one of my favourite parts of the book. There is a main romance threaded through, as well as illusions to past romances, but May really shows the strength in family, and not necessarily the one we have by blood. The characters in this book are willing to risk their lives for each other, and this is another reason why I bonded with the characters so easily.

The story does start off incredibly slow, May takes her time introducing all of her players, as well as getting us accustomed to Crow Island and it's own unique set of rules. She also uses this to build a kind of mystery behind all of the characters, how exactly they're linked, what drew them to Crow Island in the first place, how did they end up together. Through diary entries, as well as throwback chapters we get a really deep insight into how magic is used on the Island, who we can trust, and who we can't. Though it's only towards the end of the book that all the pieces truly fall into place. The story and writing lend themselves to a darker tale and May certainly delivers on this part, there is strong use of blood magic, physical and mental abuse, off page rape as well as child abuse, so readers definitely be warned. It's not overly glorified, and does completely fit with the tone of the story, but some parts are incredibly traumatic to read, so be sure to check the authors trigger warnings before reading.

If you enjoy sapphic retellings, dark magic and even darker stories, morally grey characters and atmospheric settings, then look no further. Wild and Wicked things is all of this and more and I can't wait to see what May has in store for us next.

1920s-era, morally grey characters, a well-done (sapphic) romance, a story that tells us that magic is actually bad and dangerous? Honestly, everything was there to make me love this book, and I indeed loved it!

I could say that this book was slow to start, took some time to settle in (about 1/3) with finally good actions. However, I feel like there weren't really plot twists, but actions' importance were growing more and more until the very end, and it's something I like a lot. The atmosphere is dark, there's always issues with blood debt, Annie's father, Bea ; I can't tell anything without spoiling but we do get all the wrong and dangerous side of magic here, we got told how bad it can go, that nothing is all easy. And that's something I loved, it's super rare to find a book where magic isn't all white and fun and bubbly and brings joy ; we get all the bad side of dark magic.

Also, one thing that bothered me was that Annie was super stubborn and pushed a lot of her ideas for someone who knew nothing about magic, and that's the only trait I disliked. A good reminder is that all characters are morally grey, even Beatrice isn't innocent, even Annie ; those who don't like these characters won't like the book. I personally love that, and loved all the characters, may it be our main (Annie & Emmeline), or Nathan, Isobel and Beatrice --- nobody can love Cilla btw (those who read will understand), that's a fact. Anyway! I loved our characters and the romance between Annie and Emmeline, which I think was very well done - I was rooting for them and so wanted them to be together! But it was also great that romance wasn't taking over the plot, even if it had its importance.

I loved the idea of this book. I just didn't mesh with the execution. There were so many wonderful aspects of this but as a whole, it just didn't work for me. I found the writing dull and the characters meh and I just didn't vibe with it at all. I ended up skimming through the latter half of the book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst I liked this book and did enjoy it to a certain degree, I sadly didn’t love it. I saw early reviews calling this a sapphic Great Gatsby with witchcraft and simply had to request it! There definitely is that vibe going on here but there’s also a much darker undertone from both the themes it explores and the style of magic used by the witches. If blood magic isn’t for you, probably one to miss! It’s a slow burn of a story and is quite heavy on the descriptive prose. For someone who is a much more character lead reader, I did find myself tiring of the length of chapters in places because of that. The romance was sweet but unfortunately I didn’t care too much for any of the characters so wasn’t overly invested in the end.
I think this book had great potential and I really wanted to love it. There’s nothing *wrong* with the book but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations in the end.

This is a really well written book. It has lots of depth too it too. Showing the dark and light side of magic. Which I liked.

Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for sending over an arc.

Blood is thicker than water. In Wild and Wicked Things, join Annie, Emmeline and Bea as they delve deeper into the world of witchcraft. This book has a lot of feminine power, betrayal and is action-packed.

What I like about this book: When coming to think about witchcraft, I thought it was just another fluffy book, however I was proven wrong. This books shows using magic or witchcraft has a price to pay, and it has a dark side. Magic must be used with caution by the user, and not blinded by love and being desperate.

Recommended for: People who loves to delve into these interesting yet dark world of magic
Overall rating : 5/5 (Chev picks)

Do you like books based in the roaring 20s? About witches? Sapphic romances? Great, because this book has all that!

‘Wild and Wicked Things’ has been described online as a Great Gatsby retelling, which is kinda true but also doesn’t do it justice at the same time. It’s easy to see which characters are based on who (Annie as Nick, Emmeline as Gatsby, Bea as Daisy, and Arthur as Tom) as they have similar characteristics/character arcs at the beginning of this story - but when the drama starts, that all falls away and the book comes into its own.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It was so wonderfully dark, the settling was perfect - including the idea of magic prohibition, all the characters were intriguing and at times infuriating (but in a good way where I HAD to keep reading).

The way magic is described - from the magic laced booze, the use of herbs and moon phases, premonitions and senses - felt natural for the setting. If the author had gone for a more wand waving, snap of the fingers style of magic, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the book as much.

I really, REALLY hope this gets a sequel or another instalment in the same universe.

DNF at 10%. Unfortunately this was not mine... I found the pacing too slow and lost interest. I liked the fact that there was magic hidden on this island (somehow) but it took too long to get there.

3***

I enjoyed the setting of this book and the glamour and glitz of a Gatsby party, however I just didn’t care for the characters.

I really enjoyed the witchiness and the magic and what it could induce/cause. However, I think this book is a YA book (which I didn’t realise) and so I might not be the target audience for this one.

When I read about the premise of this book, I thought it would be a great choice. There's lots of potential in the story but unfortunately, it didn't quite do it for me. That's the way it goes sometimes.

I'm sure there will be others who'll love this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc.

This was a great book, with sapphic representation and a wonderful witchy world, I adored it. I have a few beautiful copies coming and I can’t wait to post about it all over social media!

A beautiful book inside and out (with the perfect dash of mystery)

I love a good witchy book this didn't disappoint. Very dark magic which I was totally shocked but in a good way . I really loved the gothic feel to this book I found it was very atmospheric like you was in the book with them . . The characters all so well written. And the book very easy to follow . I loved how it had that twist oh gatsby truly wonderful. Only thing for me is the trigger warnings some was bit much for me to take in so I did have to skip those parts . Generally think the book is a great read .

I picked up this book because I am a sucker for The Great Gatsby, and the words “sapphic retelling of The Great Gatsby” was definitely something I couldn’t pass. Too bad it didn’t work for me.

I have to admit that my first struggle with this story was understanding the timeline and the world. I should have probably known that when they were talking about “war” the characters were referring to WW1, considering this is a Gatsby retelling, but for me, it wasn’t so straightforward (and no, sorry, I didn’t read the synopsis, my bad). I had to check other reviews to connect the dots, and I guess the writer didn’t spare much description of the world. Furthermore, I couldn’t grasp the magic system. Does magic exist in this world? Is it widely acknowledged its existence, or does it exist only on this island where the story takes place?

The story was very slow, sometimes there was just a string of pretty words to describe something that was happening, but in the end, I failed to grasp the message they were trying to convey. On top of that, the flashbacks into the past drove me more into confusion. The dialogues contributed to making this story even less engaging and I’m sorry to say I was bored for the majority of the time.

I am sure other readers will love this story. It is probably more of a book that people should pick up during the Halloween period. I also thought the characters were bland, and while I couldn’t relate to any of them, I’m sure other readers will find the overall atmosphere will resonate with them.

First of all, let me just say I was drawn to this book from the first moment I heard the premise - Gatsby, but make it gay. SOLD before I had even picked the book up.

Annie is a sheltered, introverted woman who has only ever known life in her small home town. But when her father dies and requests that she come to Crow Island to sort through his house and belongings, she becomes embroiled in a life of intrigue, magic, and mystery. And the most mysterious part of all is her new neighbour, Emmeline (YES THIS IS GAY).

What unravels is a sumptuously gothic tale of magic, found family, the darkness of the human soul, and above all the lengths we are willing to go to protect those we love.

The tension building throughout this book is just divine! It's a slow build that rises inch by inch as more is revealed about each of the characters and their back story. The characters themselves are fully fleshed out and each one is compelling, including the side characters (Nathan might be my favourite little cinnamon roll).

Told in different POVs, this helps to build the tension in the story, as the reader can see everything unravelling, but the characters themselves are often left in the dark regarding each other - they don't know who to trust and in turn neither do we!

The magic system built in this book is fascinating, and it is so well thought out/described that it instantly draws you in - you always want to know more about the different types of magic. And trust me, the magic can turn DARK AND TWISTED. The setting is vividly described too, making you feel like you are there yourself.

Now, to the sapphic part - Annie and Emmeline's relationship is a torture of a slow build that will often leave you screaming at them. It builds and it builds and it builds and it's almost there before it crashes against the rocks and builds again. But it is worth it. You may get whiplash, but it's worth it.

I loved everything about this book. Setting. Characters. Magic. Tension. The absolute queerness of it all. This is my first 5 start book of the year (and I don't give out 5 stars very often!)

I loved the premise for this book; set in the heady, indulgent 1920's, dark magic, and forbidden love but it just wasn't for me. Very little ever seems to happen and the plot has been sacrificed for the emotive, flowery language.
I never found a way to connect with the characters and found myself zoning out for pages at a time. I do feel that there is something there; the ideas behind the book were clever and original and I can see how some people will really love this book, but it just wasn't for me, I'm afraid.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e arc of this book.

Wow, what a read! It took me a little time to get into this one initially but once I got started I didn't want to put it down. It was complete 'Practical Magic' meets 'Gatsby' vibes.

The story is set on Crow Island and Francesca May created the perfect witchy/gothic setting with this I especially liked the recurrence of the crows and the old rhyme throughout the story it definitely added to that spooky vibe. The world building was done really well and it made the reader feel the setting could have been very real rather than some imaginary land.

The characters were interesting. I really liked the relationship between Emmeline, Nathan and Isobel and you could clearly visualise the close bond the three of them had. Annie was a very relatable character however I didn't really like Bea. This dislike began early on when we first met her, it felt very much like Annie would do anything for her best friend but the same could not be said for what Bea would be willing to do for Annie, she came across as quite a selfish character.

The plot was written well and there were parts when I just couldn't put the book down as I had to know what happened. Although the ending wrapped everything up, I did feel it was slightly faster paced than the rest of the book had been and would have liked to see it slowed a little.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review a digital arc in response for an honest review of this book.

This is a really well written book, with beautifully descriptive writing. Unfortunately the magical thread just didn’t pull me in this time. I think maybe this is because the story is character driven, the characters are very well written and with a great intensity about them but the magic is quite dark and I think I was seeking some happy magic.

promising concept, lacklustre execution. it seemed that it was trying hard to be the next The Chose and The Beautiful (sapphic, great gatsby vibes, magic) but May does not possess the same writing skills as Nghi Vo. Her writing was overworked, clunky, and came across as something that would be okay if it had been posted on a fanfiction site. I believe however that the more May will write the more she will be able to hone her writing skills so I wish her all the best and I'm sure less nit-picky readers won't find this as disappointing as I did.

Immersive and deeply descriptive, Wild and Wicked Things is a beautifully written historical fantasy.

Wild and Wicked Things focuses on the lives of three women whose fates become inextricably entwined. Annie is a naive young woman who arrives on Crow Island following her father's death. Tasked with clearing his home and organising his estate, Annie soon reconnects with her childhood best friend, Beatrice.

Bea has shed the shackles of her humdrum past and now enjoys a life of luxury with her handsome new husband. However, it isn't long before Annie starts to see cracks in the armour Bea has built around herself.

Both Annie and Bea find themselves drawn back time and again to the mysterious, grandiose house next door to Annie's rented cottage on the island. The house is run by the enigmatic Emmeline, a young woman who throws decadent parties every weekend. Locals say Emmeline practices real magic at her parties. Annie and Bea are about to find out what really happens behind closed doors at Cross House.

The setting of this book is gorgeous, although the world-building wasn't as detailed as I would have liked. The idea of the magical Crow Island is entrancing, but there wasn't a lot of explanation for much of the magic in the book. Some of the characters were also difficult to like - but somehow, that only adds to the charm of the book.

Although it didn't blow me away as much as I'd hoped, Wild and Wicked Things is an intoxicating novel of magic, desire, and opulence. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel!