Wild and Wicked Things is a slow burn sapphic fantasy with a bit of spooky and witchy flavor. There is a heavy Gatsby-ish feel to the atmosphere and the locale, which drew me in pretty well, and the plot is semi-reminiscent of Practical Magic though a bit heavier on the darkness. This is not a light and fluffy read.

The pacing is quite slow and I did struggle with getting immersed in the story at the beginning, but there was some decent suspense and I was very curious to see where things would go. Some readers may find this frustrating or a deal breaker.

Though the story was enjoyable and I enjoyed the character dynamics, I would have liked to have seen a bit more development in the characters. There were times when the plot felt a bit info-dumpy rather than allowing the story to tell itself and this approach did make the characters a bit thinner than they otherwise could have been. The characters are also not necessarily likable, but I tend to be more entertained by this tactic than turned off.

The historical content was really great. It generated a world and magic system that was both intriguing and original, so I had a good time with my read. That being said, the magic system was not fully explored and definitely could have been given more backstory, especially as I found it interesting.

Creative and filled with beautiful writing, this debut was fun and intriguing. Francesca May is one to watch as her imagination may bring some magnificent things in the future.