The Grace of Wild Things - Heather Fawcett - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Heather Fawcett

GENRE: Middle-Grace Fantasy, Retelling.

RATING: 4 Stars.

In a Nutshell: A witchy retelling of ‘Anne of Green Gables’! Good for middle graders who don’t get scared easily. Knowing the original tale isn’t necessary, though it helps. If you are an adult fan of Anne and also like fantasy, you might wanna add this to your agenda.

Story Synopsis:

Grace is a young orphan who has run away from the children’s home with just one aim in mind: she is going to convince the witch who lives in the nearby woods to take her on as an apprentice. After all, she knows she can do a little magic; so what if she can’t control it? What Grace doesn’t realise is that the witch is as bad as the locals say. However, a she doesn’t want to return to the dreary orphanage, she makes a deal with the witch. Grace now has to learn all the 100½ spells in the witch’s grimoire within the next 7-8 months, or else she has to surrender her magic to the witch. Will Grace be able to save herself and her magic?

Where the book worked for me:

👻 I love it when retellings don’t just rehash the original story but take it as the foundation to create a whole new experience. In many ways, this book is like Anne of Green Gables, and yet it is not. There are subtle nods to the key scenes from the original such as the slate scene or the raspberry cordial scene, but nothing is replicated outright. You will also find an equivalent of all the key characters such as Marilla, Matthew, Gilbert, Diana and even Rachel Lynde. However, none of them are called by the same or even a similar name in this book, thus making this story a fresh experience and allowing the new characters to stand tall without the shadow of their predecessors covering them.

(Funnily, many story elements also reminded me of Hansel and Gretel.)

👻 Grace’s character lives up to the high expectations set by Anne Shirley. Grace is just as curious, loquacious, vivacious, and audacious as Anne was. She is a wonderful character to have as the main protagonist. There are many other characters I liked, but my favourite of these was Windweaver the poetry-loving crow.

👻 The book begins on a somewhat slow pace but soon picks up the momentum. It is almost episodic at times, just as the original was, but reading the adventures in this style was better, especially as it is kinda long (at 368 pages) for its target age group of 8-12 years.

👻 Kids will surely enjoy reading about the bizarre ingredients Grace requires to carry out the spells from the grimoire. The magical elements and the spells are fun.

👻 This is not just a story of found family but also a tale of friendship, determination and loyalty. As a children’s book, this has many lessons to offer along with the entertaining bits. There are some really beautiful quotes too.

👻 The worldbuilding needs to be spot on for a fantasy to work, and this book doesn’t fail us. Prince Edward Island is transformed into a magical place, what with mysterious woods and fairy realms intermingled with the regular village people.

Where the book could have worked better for me:

☠ There were a few elements that go unexplained, and a few scenes that are too hurried. The ending is especially abrupt. (There’s no cliffhanger though.)

☠ The character who is introduces towards the final section doesn’t add much to the story. I get why her track was required, but it felt superfluous. Only if there’s a sequel planned of which I know nothing right now, her appearance is justified.

You don’t need to know the original at all to enjoy this story; it stands perfectly well on its own. But knowing the original will certainly help you see how well the author has transposed the children’s classic into this fantastical version.

Overall, this is a nice book for middle graders who have a preference for the fantastical and would like to read a story of friendship and courage.

4 stars. (I’d have happily gone with a higher rating had the final few chapters been written better.)

Note: There are a few scary elements in here, so if your child is sensitive about ghosts or nightmares or evil witches who eat children, do proceed with care.

My thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Grace of Wild Things”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.