Wildwood Whispers

by Willa Reece

Overview

"A witchy story full of found family, lush nature, and small-town secrets.” —Hester Fox

"A magical, romantic tale about our essential connections to nature and to each other." —Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author

Step into a world of hope, fate, and folk magic in this bewitching debut when a young woman travels to a sleepy southern town in the Appalachian Mountains to honor her best friend. 

Mel Smith’s life is shattered after the sudden death of her best friend, Sarah Ross. In an effort to fulfill a final promise to Sarah and find herself again, Mel travels to an idyllic small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. But Morgan’s Gap is more than she ever expected.

There are secrets that call to Mel, from a salvaged remedy book filled with the magic of simple mountain traditions to the connection she feels to the Ross homestead and the wilderness around it. 

With every taste of sweet honey and tart blackberries, the wildwood twines further into Mel’s broken heart. But a threat lingers in the woods—one that may have something to do with Sarah’s untimely death and has now set its sights on Mel. 

The wildwood is whispering. It has secrets to reveal—if you're willing to listen . . .

For more from Willa Reece, check out Wildwood Magic.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316591775
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	02/01/2022
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	139,877
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 5.40(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Willa Reece is a pseudonym for Barbara J. Hancock. She lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia where stories are often told on a dark side porch in the flicker of firefly light.

Editorial Reviews

"A feast for the senses. Wildwood Whispers is everything I love in a book and I fell under its spell. Willa Reece has written a magical, romantic tale about our essential connections to nature and to each other."—Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author

"Willa Reece has perfectly infused magic, suspense, and a love of nature deep into the pages of this novel. Ultimately filled with hope, love, and the power of growth and resilience, Wildwood Whispers is a thought-provoking, memorable debut."—Heather Webber, USA Today bestselling author of Midnight at the Blackbird Café

“Dark, tender, and thought-provoking, Wildwood Whispers is a beautifully woven tale of fantasy, feminism, and mystery set in rural Appalachia.”—Constance Sayers, author of A Witch in Time

"The Appalachian Mountains are alive with magic in this folksy, feminist contemporary fantasy...Mel’s story is full of human compassion and animal wisdom that will charm readers. This works both as a contemporary fairy tale and a slow-burning romance—and fans of both genres will appreciate this walk through the wild woods."—Publishers Weekly

"A lovely tale of sisterly love, the power of inheritance, and the many magics of the natural world. Readers will love Reece’s wonderful wisewomen and cheer for the abandoned baby who grows up to find her true home. A deeply satisfying read!"

—Louisa Morgan, author of The Age of Witches

"I loved everything about Wildwood Whispers. Reece’s poignant writing style truly captured the vivid setting of small-town Appalachia. Readers craving a witchy story full of found family, lush nature, and small-town secrets will find it utterly enchanting.” —Hester Fox, author of The Witch of Willow Hall

“A wonderful heartfelt novel full of intuitive nature-based magic, wise women, and found family.”—Luanne G. Smith, author of The Vine Witch

"Willa Reece's Wildwood Whispers will cast a spell on its readers. Rich with imagination and rooting itself in the tendrils of rural Appalachia, the story will pull you in and never let go. A glorious read.”—Lydia Kang, author of Opium and Absinthe

"A beautifully-written debut spun from love, suspense, and a deep connection with nature that simply entrances. Wildwood Whispers is an unforgettable tale.”—Tish Thawer, author of The Witches of BlackBrook

"A sweet tale of self-discovery, but it’s also a story of the way women and marginalized communities have always been underestimated by those with power."—Culturess

From the Publisher

04/19/2021

The Appalachian Mountains are alive with magic in this folksy, feminist contemporary fantasy from Reece (Hunger, written as Barbara J. Hancock). Mel Smith grew up hard, bouncing between abusive foster homes with only Sarah Ross, her unofficially adopted sister, as a constant. When Sarah dies in a car accident that might not have been so accidental, the now 23-year-old Mel travels to Morgan’s Gap, a small Virginia mountain town, to scatter Sarah’s ashes in the Ross family garden. Immediately taken in by the local herbalist known as “Granny,” Mel finds a home in Morgan’s Gap, discovering a surprising connection with both mysterious local biologist Jacob Walker and the woods on the edge of town. But there’s darkness lurking beneath the town’s façade. When an oppressive cult called The Sect and the town’s bullying mayor threaten the peace Mel has finally found, she must learn to harness her burgeoning druidic power to fight back. Though the pace drags a little in the middle, Mel’s story is full of human compassion and animal wisdom that will charm readers. This works both as a contemporary fairy tale and a slow-burning romance—and fans of both genres will appreciate this walk through the wild woods. Agent: Lucienne Diver, the Knight Agency. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly