Wildwood Whispers

By: Willa Reece

Narrated by: Kamali Minter, Grace Rolek, Andrew Kishino

A heartwarming tale of hope, fate, and folk magic unfolds when a young woman travels to a sleepy southern town in the Appalachian Mountains to bury her best friend.

At the age of 11, Mel Smith’s life found its purpose when she met Sarah Ross. Ten years later, Sarah’s sudden death threatens to break her. To fulfill a final promise to her best friend, Mel travels to an idyllic small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. Yet Morgan’s Gap is more than a land of morning mists and deep forest shadows.

There are secrets that call to Mel, in the gaze of the gnarled and knowing woman everyone calls Granny, in a salvaged remedy book filled with the magic of simple mountain traditions, and in 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 that has now set its sight on Mel.

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

Praise for Wildwood Whispers:

"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 feast for the senses. Willa Reece has written a magical, romantic tale about our essential connections to nature and to each other." (Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times best-selling author)

"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)

"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 best-selling author of Midnight at the Blackbird Caf)

©2021 Willa Reece (P)2021 Orbit

Critic 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 best-selling 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 best-selling 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)

Terrible narrator, terrible ending

Okay, only one of the narrators was awful. The accent the woman who voiced Sarah’s parts used was so beyond obnoxious there were times I had to turn it off because I couldn’t stand it. Totally ruined the beautiful writing. Additionally, the ending was so ludicrous it tainted the whole book for me

Almost

This left me confused. I almost loved it. Yet, I almost quit listening. It missed the mark, I think on what could have been a lovely, rich story. I rewound more than once to see if I missed an explanation that just wasn't there.

And a few production problems to note. 5 or 6 times words or parts of sentences were repeated, like a skip on an old LP.

Thank you narrators for telling us this story.

Thank you Willa Reece for writing this book and outstanding story to listen to.

Beautiful Story

This was a beautiful story, but didn’t fully pull me in or excite me. It’s definitely an atmospheric book, driven more by the location, feel, and vibes than by the plot. The wildwood is a magical place that connects the earth, flora, fauna, and people who are close to it. I did enjoy getting to know the wildwood alongside Mel, but overall, the book was just too slow and a little predictable for me.

Lovely and Magical

This is kind of exactly the type of book I needed now. Even with all of the conflict and problems, it still felt warm and lovely and the development was wonderful.

Missing authentic language amidst lovely prose

Having knowledge of the foster care system is essential to this story! If your protagonists were sent from home to home you should guess that there education was hindered if not splintered! You never made mention is Mel’s love of reading. How did she get so articulate that prose rolled off her tongue in such an impressive manner. Moreover my husbands family were rural country people! They had skills and life way views that were amazing. There speech was studded with unique words but never flowery language. There skills were indeed handed down from mother to daughter, but not even a college educated daughter would speak as though she was working on a PHD in literature. Her grandchildren were the first to go to college. They still speak country slang! My biggest concern was how you missed basic “country”. No one in the south “breaks” beans. They “snap” beans; they “tote “ their baskets and you left out the cast iron skillet, which is essential for cornbread. Cornbread is still the daily bread of the poor in the south! Your beautiful language skills did nothing for my heart,nor to give the people in your story an authentic language to reach my heart. Simple language for country folk; sophisticated language for academics! Keep writing!

Enchanting story

Loved the blend of mystery and enchantment. Strong women and backwoods drama capture great read

A good departure from the day to day

Overall a good story. A little long to on the descriptive narrative yet move past that and still a good story.

Narrator's Lack of Articulation - Very Distracting

I am 4 hours in to the book and will probably finish. The story is interesting. But I am continuously distracted by how often one of the narrators slurs the words, especially contractions. I can't imagine the author allowing her work to be published with this reading. I wish I knew which of the narrators it was and I would avoid any future books read by her.

LOVED IT!

Enjoyed the story and the performances very much. Wish there were sequels. Would like more by this author.