Wildseed Witch by Marti Dumas REVIEW

 Wildseed Witch

by Marti Dumas

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Synopsis:

Hasani’s post-seventh-grade summer to-do list is pretty simple: get a bigger following for her makeup YouTube channel and figure out how to get her parents back together. What she does NOT expect is that an emotional outburst will spark a latent magical ability in her. Or that the magic will be strong enough to attract the attention of witches. Or that before she can say #BlackGirlMagic, she’ll be shipped off on a scholarship to a fancy finishing school for talented young ladies.

Les Belles Demoiselles is a literal charm school. Here, generations of young ladies from old-money witch families have learned to harness their magic, and alumnae grow to become some of the most powerful women across industries, including politicians, philanthropists, CEOs, entrepreneurs—and yes, even social media influencers. Needless to say, admission to the school is highly coveted, very exclusive . . . and Hasani sticks out like a weed in a rose bouquet.

While the other girls have always known they were destined to be witches, Hasani is a Wildseed––a stray witch from a family of non-witches, with no background knowledge, no way to control her magic, and a lot to catch up on. "Wildseed" may be an insult that the other girls throw at her, but Wildseeds are more powerful than they know. And Hasani will learn that there are ways to use magic and thrive that can never be taught in a classroom.

Expected Publication Date: May 10, 2022

Review:

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I was really looking forward to reading this book as magical middle grade is one of my favorite things to read. Unfortunately, this one just didn't click with me. I could not connect with Hesani at all. The story just didn't pull me in and make me care.

While this book clearly wasn't for me I do think others would enjoy it. I feel like when my daughter gets a little older this is exactly what she would want to read. There is strong YouTube representation here that I think kids of this social media age will appreciate and relate too. The story is simple and fun with a slight twist that will entertain young readers.

If you have a middle school aged girl, or even a little younger/older, who enjoys magic, nature or wants to be an influencer this is something I'd recommend picking up.