Book Title: The Grace of Wild Things
Series:
Author: Heather Fawcett
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61150757-the-grace-of-wild-things
Release Date: 2/14/23
Star Rating:
Delightful and whimsical.
An inventive and fantastical reimagining of Anne of Green Gables–with magic and witches!–that explores found family, loss, and the power of a girl’s imagination, from the acclaimed author of The Language of Ghosts and The School Between Winter and Fairyland. Perfect for readers who loved The Girl Who Drank the Moon and Serafina and the Black Cloak.
Grace has never been good at anything except magic–not that anyone believes her.
While other children are adopted from the orphanage, nobody wants Grace. So she decides to make a home for herself by running away and offering herself as an apprentice to the witch in the nearby woods. After all, who better to teach Grace to use her magic? Surely the witch can’t be that bad.
But the witch is that bad–she steals souls for spells and gobbles up hearts. So Grace offers a deal: If she can learn all 1001/2 spells in the witch’s grimoire, the witch will make Grace her apprentice. But if Grace fails, the witch can take her magic. The witch agrees, and soon an unexpected bond develops between them.
But the spells are much harder than Grace expected, and when a monster from the witch’s past threatens the home Grace has built, she may have to sacrifice more than her magic to save it. – Goodreads
I’ve been a fan of Anne of Green Gables ever since I saw the wonderful miniseries with Megan Follows. She is the definitive Anne for me. So any new Anne has some big shoes to fill. I think this book does a lovely job of it.
This is not your usual Anne of Green Gables, although the story lines will be familiar to fans of the book or tv show there is enough different to make this book feel fresh and new. It does an excellent job of hitting the right narrative notes. Found family, found friends, imagination. Focusing on a clever, brave heroine who experiences the world around her with unbounded charm and delight. The book was easy to read and to fall into, and it was a page turner. I am sharing it with my daughter, who never got into the original book series. I hope she likes it as much as I did.
Lost In A Good Book 