When two differing genres smash together, it can either be a spectacular fail or a spectacular success. Thankfully, the novel The Nature of Witches beautifully combines real-world issues with a fantasy story.

The Nature of Witches focuses on a young witch named Clara who happens to be an Everwitch, meaning her powers stretch and change with all four seasons; other witches have magic all year round but are strongest in their season. The main plot of the book is about Clara learning to control her powers that seek out and kill those she loves. After killing both her parents and her best friend, Clara’s school sends her to live in a cottage on campus separated from her peers. 

My main question at the beginning of the book was why the Eastern School of Solar Magic in Pennsylvania didn’t stop Clara’s magic training or kick her out of the school. I soon realized the true purpose of writing this book. Author Rachel Griffin wrote The Nature of Witches to spread awareness of global warming. Clara was sent away because she was the only one who could help the disintegrating earth. This different look into environmentalists’ mindsets helped me realize just how much change needs to happen and how that can start with me. 

Global warming is a very real problem in our world, and this book tackled it spectacularly. I loved how it showcased the different seasons’ best and worst qualities; these were shown through the personality changes of Clara. For example, in the summer, Clara fell in love easily, while in autumn, all the feelings towards a person were lost. 

Clara had few people in her life that cared for her, and though she didn’t trust herself to get too close, she cared and trusted them after all. A character named Sang was Clara’s main love interest, and their love story was so incredibly cliche, yet I found myself awaiting the moment Sang and Clara got together. 

However, the characters in this book were all rather flat. Clara had an obvious change but not exactly in her personality—her change was in the capacity for love and how she learned to trust herself. Sang never changed from the moment we met him, and neither did any of the other characters, who were so boring I can’t remember their names or one interesting fact about them. Clara and Sang, in comparison, were real—they were people I would see walking the street. I can imagine them sitting in a nursery surrounded by beautiful flowers drinking tea at this very moment. 

The Nature of Witches had a Hogwarts feel to it, which as a hardcore Harry Potter fan, was amazing; it gave me the feeling of walking through an old stone castle with a cold breeze blowing through. I remember sitting in class reading The Nature of Witches and screaming out—something only Harry Potter had made me do before. 

This book used magic to explain global warming and how pressing it is that everyone takes a stand. While few of the characters were complex, they still wormed a special place in my heart alongside the incredible story. The message behind the magic is the true reason for my love.