Wild Beauty

Wild Beauty
Anna-Marie McLemore
Feiwel & Friends, October, 2017 352 pages
Grades 9-Up
Fantasy

Estrella lives with her four female cousins, their mothers, and grandmothers on the La Pradera estate, where they have tended the lush gardens for generations. They are so amazing at gardening that folks claim them to be witches. The ladies admit to have a special touch with plants and trees, but only they know the real secret behind their powers: they are bound to the land by a magical force and whenever they love a man too much, the man disappears. All of the five cousins. who all are named after flowers with the exception of Estrella, have fallen in love with the young female owner of the estate, Bay. Bay's black-sheep male cousin is sent to the estate to take it over, forcing out Bay and jeopardizing the tranquility and future of the family. Meanwhile, Estrella accidentally pulls a figure out of the ground. It is a mysterious boy with no memory of his past beyond his name: Fel. The mothers and grandmothers know what to do with Fel and seem to understand that he is one the the men from the past who has disappeared. Fel and Estrella fall in love, yet Estrella is scared. Will she force Fel back into the ground by loving him, losing him forever? Will the girls find the missing Bay and banish the evil cousin? What is the truth behind the curse of the Nomeolvides women? All is revealed by book's end in a satisfying conclusion filled with magic and romance.

Critically acclaimed author, McLemore, offers a modern fairy tale that could be described as magical realism. The writing is beautiful and the mystical mood of the storytelling will draw readers right it and hold them through the conclusion. The curse/magic is believable in a folklore-ish type of way and will provide a perfect escape for whimsical readers. McLemore plays with blurred gender and race, allowing for the book to break through cultural expectations. The truth behind Fel and the curse is revealed in a satisfying manner and I felt a delicious sense of closure at the end of the story. Patient readers will best enjoy this book as it is quiet and lyrical and relies more on mood than plot. It took me a while to read this story, I think because of the dense writing, but even though I would put it down for a while while I read something lighter and faster, I always came back to it. I had a hard time keeping the cousins straight and finally gave up as it did not matter to the plot. The main characters are clearly defined and that is what matters most to the story. Dreamy teenage girls are the audience and they will find much to enjoy here. The real star of the story is the breath-taking cover, which is what encouraged me to pick the book up in the first place. The beautiful cover will draw in readers and the lyrical telling will sweep them into this magical and gorgeous world.