Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May

Name of Book: Wild and Wicked Things

Author: Francesca May

ISBN: 978-0-316-28715-9

Publisher: Redhook

Type of book: 1920s, witches, sapphic romance, Crow Island, United Kingdom, mysteries, debts, Great Gatsby retelling, darkness, blood, crows, friendship, relationship, mistakes 

Year it was published: 2022

Summary:

In the aftermath of World War I, a naive woman is swept into a glittering world filled with dark magic, romance, and murder in this lush and decadent debut.

On Crow Island, people whisper, real magic lurks just below the surface. 

Neither real magic nor faux magic interests Annie Mason. Not after it stole her future. She’s only on the island to settle her late father’s estate and, hopefully, reconnect with her long-absent best friend, Beatrice, who fled their dreary lives for a more glamorous one. 

Yet Crow Island is brimming with temptation, and the biggest one may be her enigmatic new neighbor. 

Mysterious and alluring, Emmeline Delacroix is a figure shadowed by rumors of witchcraft. And when Annie witnesses a confrontation between Bea and Emmeline at one of the island's extravagant parties, she is drawn into a glittering, haunted world. A world where the boundaries of wickedness are tested, and the cost of illicit magic might be death.

Characters:

Main characters include Annie Mason, a blonde haired blue eyed woman who has recently arrived to Crow Island to put her father's affairs in order. She is determined, optimistic and seems to have a blind spot when it comes to her own faults. Bea is Annie's friend, a beautiful redhead with green eyes who loves parties, suffers from personal loss and has charisma to manipulate people into doing what she wants. Emmeline is a brunette who cross dresses into suits, is a powerful witch and is seen as dark. She also cares deeply and will do whatever she can for those she loves. She sees herself as undeserving of what she gives to her friends and family and is afraid of accepting or asking for help. She is also very vulnerable and refuses to let others see the real her. 

Theme:

One step can equal a never ending rabbit hole 

Plot:

The story is told in first and third person narratives primarily from Annie's and Emmelines points of views. Third person is used rarely and is saved for history or else a mysterious male member. The tale begins with Annie coming to Crow Island to sort out her father's house, but then, rather quickly she gets detracted by meeting with her friend Bea and becoming introduced to Emmeline. From then on, Annie gets pulled deeper and deeper into darkness, risking her life and herself. There really wasn't enough time spent with Annie's original mission, and I honestly didn't really understand the magic as presented in this book, especially how blood debts work and what involves in giving or if there is no resolution to the blood debt. ( Does the witch go crazy? Does she disintegrate?) However for a wonderful and slow romance, this is a fantastic tale to read and become lost in. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

Francesca May grew up in the middle of England where she spent her childhood devouring fantasy books and brewing potions in her back garden. She currently lives in Derby with her family, three giant dogs and two black cats.

By day she works as a bookseller. By night she accidentally kills every house plant she touches and writes novels about gothic mansions, witchcraft, and queer love.

Opinion:

Wow, where do I start? If you are looking to gauge this novel, then it breaks the cardinal rules of genies in Aladdin: there is killing, there is emotional manipulation of love, and yes, there is bringing back the dead. The best feature of WILD AND WICKED THINGS is the love story between Annie and Emmeline, which I really loved because it's torturous, vulnerable and we see the characters at their worst. I also love the cover and the title, which sounds dazzingly seductive and far more darker than Great Gatsby. What I didn't like is not enough time spent on magic world building which kind of frustrated me because I had very little idea what is going on and why things were spiraling out of control. ( Maybe more detailed magic lessons about how it works in this story?) Other than that, for a wonderful and powerful retelling of the darkness that is hinted at but not fully seen in THE GREAT GATSBY, but which this story brings out, then don't miss WILD AND WICKED THINGS. 

This was given for review 

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)