Welcome to Raxter School for Girls, where the food is scarce, the body horror is free, and quarantine definitely doesn’t mean safety. In "Wilder Girls", a brutal plague called the Tox has turned a once-normal boarding school into an isolated nightmare. It mutates everything—students, teachers, wildlife—leaving the surviving girls with grotesque and unsettling changes. Hetty, Reese, and Byatt have adapted as best they can, waiting for the cure they were promised, but when Byatt mysteriously disappears, Hetty is forced to question everything they’ve been told. Breaking quarantine might be a death sentence, but so is staying put, and it turns out, the biggest horrors aren’t just lurking in the woods.

The atmosphere in this book is unmatched—moody, eerie, and dripping with dread. Think "Lord of the Flies" meets "Annihilation", but with sapphic yearning and more exposed bones. The survival horror elements are strong, but instead of leaning fully into action, the book takes a more introspective, almost dreamlike approach, which works… most of the time. The writing is choppy and chaotic—deliberately so, to reflect the girls’ fractured world—but it can feel a little too detached at points. The body horror? Absolutely top-tier (a girl grows a second spine, another has flowers bursting from her scars), but the slow, creeping tension sometimes overshadows the actual plot. By the time things start unraveling, the book is this close to delivering something incredible… and then it just kind of ends. No big answers, no real closure—just a lot of lingering questions about the Tox, the school, and what happens next.

A solid 3.5 out of 5 stars! The writing is immersive, the horror elements are fantastic, and the relationships (especially between Hetty and Reese) add an emotional punch. But if you like your horror with actual explanations, this one might leave you screaming—not from fear, but from wait, that’s it? energy. Still, if you’re in the mood for a slow-burn, unsettling, and deeply weird experience, this one is worth the trip to Raxter Island.

So many of these I thought I’d reviewed here before 😂 I really liked this. The tension both of the situation and the relationships and everything just went so well together. It was also easy to picture everything as I was reading.

I'm so sorry this was never posted like I thought it had been!!!

This was an absolutely superb debut, that tackles the horrors of girlhood and monsterousness hidden within us all just waiting to be unleashed. The body horror was delightfully gruesome; there are scenes I still ruminate on so many years later. Where this novel truly shined was in the relationships and the messiness of teenage longing to both belong to something greater and to stand out as a distinctive individual. The friendships weren't perfect, but that made them real and believable.

Interesting premise that had me intrigued, but I couldn’t connect with any of the characters.

I also really love the cover—it’s unique and haunting.

I love the idea behind this story. Overall, I did enjoy this book. However, many questions of mine were left unanswered. Still, enjoyed this read.

BEAUTIFUL PROSE 💜
Loved the pace and the story was really enjoyable.
The ending was very abrupt and some things weren't very well explained.
I REALLY hope there's a sequel.

I loved the setting and the body horror of this book. Is it weird and creepy and perfect. However, I didn't buy the romance completely. Overall, an enjoyable read.

This one was not my favorite. I think the story and the book were a little too strange for my liking. I liked the boarding school setting, but felt it was a little too gory for my tastes. I wish I would have read the trigger warnings in advance on Goodreads.

Power’s debut reflects the author’s name: powerful. The main characters are isolated on a decaying island where the decay spreads to the girls. Power creates a very palpably dangerous environment that has become everyday to the girls left. The body horror she writes is distressingly excellent and evocative as is the strained yet close relationships between the three protagonists. This is perfect for fans of ANNIHILATION or for any readers interested in climate science fiction and horror.

This book was pretty good. The ending felt a little abrupt though and there were still a lot of questions that were never answered.

I was intrigued by the unique storyline in Wilder Girls, but was disappointed that it ended up being a standalone. I thought the ending left the reader unsatisfied. Yet, I thought the writing was beautiful and felt a connection to the characters in Wilder Girls, enough so that I look forward to Power's other works.

Very interesting book, it kept me on the edge of my seat. Not knowing how the girls of Raxter were going to survive the Tox.
I will say, their is one character in the book that hit my heart good. Her name is Mona and I was very heartbroken about her death.

An eerie and chilling read. I loved every second and found Rory's prose to be both beautiful and terrifying.

I really wanted to love this book. I really did.
And I liked it but I didn't love it.
The concept was great but the execution was a bit of a disappointment.

This book left me speechless. The writing was amazing—edgy and smart and the characters were three-dimensional and relatable. The plot was out there in the best way and I never guessed what was going to happen next. Power is definitely a new fave of mine.

3.4 stars
At first it was a DNF because the plot moved slow and I was a hard time connecting with the characters but then I tried again and enjoyed it!

I'm currently clearing out all of the books that were published in 2019-20 from my title feedback view!

If you are looking for a violent, gory book filled with characters unlike anything you have ever come across before then look no further.

This book not only features a beautiful cover, but it has a matching story to go along with it. The characters are not your typical females, stuck on an island plagued by "the Tox", who have gotten deformities. And I am not talking cute little deformities like a set of pixy wings. No these are the stuff of nightmares, two spines, scared skin, double hearts.
What's more is their personalities are exactly as you would expect real life women to be given their situation. They are unlikable, determined, strong willed women who know what they want and they intend to get it.

Queer girls take over the world in this incredible story from Rory Power, with aesthetics and vibes for days on a moody island and a big mystery of why the girls are really there-- and what's happening outside. I want more!

Thank you so much @DelacortePress & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 9 July 2019)

SYNOPSIS | It's been 2 years since the 'Tox' appeared on Raxtor Island causing Raxtor's School for Girls to go into quarantine. No one knows what the 'Tox' is, but it has infected the plants, animals & students and they've been told to survive whilst a cure is researched.

WHAT I LIKED:
- loved the isolated setting
- I don't read a lot of horror so the body horror was disturbingly intriguing to me
- I am obsessed with this cover

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- the romance. I don't think it added anything to the story.
- the abrupt ending. I'm usually down for an ambiguous ending but this story just stopped!!
- 90% of the story was day to day boringness which is frustrating because this concept had so much potential.

This book was hyped to the hills and just look at that stunning cover. It was touted as a feminist Lord of the Rings. How could I not request this book? Well, once i opened my kindle and started reading I quickly recognized this book just wasn't for me. The writing style didn't work for me and I wasn't expecting the gore and such. I get the feminist aspect and can appreciate the message.