Wilder Girls had me hooked by the grit and horror of the girls surviving with the Tox.

QUOTE: My first flare-up blinded my right eye and fused it shut, and I thought that was all, until something started to grow underneath.

The cover drew me but the story is one I’ll remember. Every day the quarantined girls of Raxter School stare down death by starvation, the animals in the forest, each other, and even scarier—themselves. We see things through the eyes, raw emotions, and actions of Hetty, Byatt and Reese, a trio of friends, who are loyal to each other despite the secrets they each keep. At first the girls have settled into a comfortable routine of dealing with their circumstances until a conspiracy is uncovered and they become desperate for answers. The last part of the book picks up as they take new risks, discover new and even more horrible information, and the ending…I loved and hated it at the same time (no spoilers). #WilderGirls #NetGalley

Thanks to Random House Children’s Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this arc.
Content Warnings (mostly referenced by the author herself) and is a bit SPOILERY:
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Graphic Violence, Body Horror, Gore, Character/Parental/Animal Death (animals are not pets), Behavior/Descriptive Language in the form of Cussing/Self-Harm/Sensuality, Chemical Gassing, Suicide, and Non-Consensual Medical Treatment.

First of all, I want to say that this was probably one of the most original stories I've read in a long time. I was struck from the beginning by how different the story was, and also now having finished it, how well it was executed.

So what's it about?

Best friends Hetty, Byatt, and Reese live at Raxter school on an island, where they've been quarantined after the entire school came down with a mysterious disease called the Tox, which has already ravaged all of the rest of the life on the island. The girls of the school are desperately trying to survive on extremely limited food and despite the mutated monsters of the island while they wait for the Navy and the CDC to find a cure.

That's only the premise, but I'm not actually going to get into the plot at all because I absolutely refuse to spoil anything. But let me just tell you, shit hits the fan.

What did I think?

The writing style is a tad unusual, but it reminded me a lot of my favorites of my own writing (which I can never really maintain for more than a few paragraphs and somehow Rory Power made happen for a whole book). I can see that it might put some readers off, but I absolutely loved it.

We're thrown into the action from the beginning, which is odd for a story about an infection. The disease has already come, it's already infected everyone at Raxter before the book even begins, which is another thing I loved. It might be more obvious to begin when the disease first arrives, but Wilder Girls takes the road less traveled and it's excellent. We have to decipher relationships between characters that have years of trauma-laden history, which is another thing that could have gone wrong, could have been too confusing, but was AMAZING. I just...I'm blown away by this book, honestly.

The main thing you should know about this book is that it's hella queer, and features many flawed but wonderful female characters and friendships.

Also, the author has posted trigger warnings on her website, they're linked in the summary of this book. But hell, i'll link them here too... https://itsrorypower.com/wilder-girls/. The main ones I remember: lots of gore, animal and human death, suicide, and self harm. Please check out her site as well, for any I forgot!

This book was so INTENSE! I feel like it's one of those books I could read 20 times and get something new out of it every time. I absolutely loved Hetty and how badass she was. Byatt was super flawed, and she knew it, and honestly I would love to know more about her past, but that's just because I'm nosy! Reese is the only other main character that we don't get a POV from and man, I really want one! She's just a very interesting character!

I don't really want to get too much into the plot because I think this is a book you should go into knowing as little as possible. But it's intense, and it's nonstop, and you will ask A LOT of questions while reading it!

My only complaint is maybe a spoiler so LOOK AWAY! [ It's left very open ended at the end and I don't think we get nearly as many answers as I would have liked. That being said, I'm also okay with how it ended. (hide spoiler)]

Anyway, I highly recommend this book for fans of mysteries, horror, and paranormal books. Interestingly enough, I'm not big on any of those genres and I still really loved it. Also, if you can read it with a friend, you should! Because you're gonna want someone to talk to about it!

Gorgeous cover. But, a cover does not make a story and I should learn to consider that when I read books. (I read this book in eleven days. ELEVEN!)

Unfortunately, I did not connect as I hoped I would, especially with the main character, Hetty. I did enjoy Bhatty's chapters, though. They moved fast and heart definitely illustrated themselves through each of them. Sadly, Hetty's chapters came off as confusing. (I read an ARC so hopefully it'll fix itself before publication). Some of hers moved incredibly slow with confusing and overwritten prose.

Along with its cover and Bhatty's chapters, I did like seeing a bisexual character, Hetty, who actually said she was bi.

However, those three things could not inspire any more than two stars. It was okay, just not great, in my opinion. Covers do fool.

Lord of the Flies meets Annihilation meets a teen boarding school drama (forgive me, the name of one doesn't immediately come to mind...). Featuring extra creepy woods, a mysterious disease, and queer young girls.

The writing was a particular favorite aspect of this book - Rory Power really knows how to write poetic and dark descriptions of nature. I'm not a local to the Northeast or any part of any country that has those creepy, foreboding woods haunting in the background, but Power makes me feel like I am. As much as I want to avoid sounding like a junior-year English teacher, the forest really is its own character in this book, as alive as any of the protagonists.

The characters were a little bit on the weak side for my taste - I just couldn't connect to any of them. The central tie of the story is really how they connect with each other - how they, especially Hetty, will fight to save the lives of those she loves. The solidarity of their friendships was admirable.

Overall, if you're into YA survival thrillers with strong female characters at the center, you'll love Wilder Girls.

I’ve been excited for this book since I heard about it. Getting the chance to read it and find out it’s so close to home to me made it even better.
This story really lived up to the hype and perfectly captured what living in Maine is like unlike many books that try to capture just how the state is, a mix of spooky and sad tourists destination that doesn’t leave much for those living here. The story follows a school of Girls who have been infected with a strange illness. A sort of setting you can only ever expect to happen in Maine.
The characters are full of depth and growth. Byatt is sort of a mystery for most of the story only to find out she’s not exactly a great person, but Hetty makes her better. Reese fell close to home for me, the outsider of the group who seems cold and uncaring but actually is big hearted and cares too much. And Hetty is the person who brings them together. She’s loyal to a fault and loves her friends. She will do anything for them. She grows a lot but still keeps the basics of the characteristics. She’s fierce and wild. They all are.
The story itself is timely. The Tox being a parasite that was locked away in glaciers and ice that’s melting due to climate change, starting on Raxter, giving to the fact the state was carved out by them. It’s exactly as haunting as it sounds and something that could occur to us in a sense. It leaves the reader chilled to the core.
All in all the story is great with only minor flaws. Is inclusive and written well with the queer characters. I read it near obsessively as soon as I was approved for it.

When I started Wilder Girls I wasn't quite sure what genre it would be, mostly because I didn't pay much attention to the synopsis. I saw the weird cover, read some weird descriptions, and knew it was going to be a book for me!

Hetty is a student at Raxter School for Girls, along with her best friends Byatt and Reese. A year and a half ago the Tox hit the school, killing off teachers and afflicting students with horrible symptoms. The agreement they have with the government is that they maintain quarantine on their island within the school's fence and they'll continue to receive supplies. Hetty is chosen as one of the girls who ventures outside the fence to pick up supplies at the dock, soon after Byatt goes missing, and things unravel from there.

I loved the characters in this book and the relationships between them! Hetty was brave and fiercely loyal and I adored her friendship with Byatt. The romance was amazing and real and I loved seeing a more realistic exploration of a romantic relationship during such a brutal situation instead of the normal "they stopped to kiss" during life or death moments in a lot of YA fantasy. It was beautiful and heart-wrenching and I loved it.

Although the characters were amazing, where Wilder Girls REALLY shines is its worldbuilding. The island and the school are creepy and created a feeling of claustrophobia even though it takes place on what feels like a large island. I loved the idea of the world outside the fence and not knowing what was out there, but the school was equally amazing. I can easily picture this whole world of weirdness and I love when an author is able to paint such a clear picture. This is absolutely my kind of book!

I don't know if I'd truly consider this horror, but I was sufficiently creeped out from the very first page. The Tox was horrifying, but what a fantastic story! I will admit that parts of this book did drag and I can understand why some readers might get bored with the descriptions of the daily lives of the girls at Raxter, but I didn't mind it. Seeing the day in and day out of the abandoned school helped to build the feeling of unease and made me feel that much more shocked when the twists started being revealed. And there were a lot of them!

While reading this I was reminded of Annihilation, which is my one of my favorite movies (no, I haven't read the book). That isn't to say that this isn't unique, because this book is definitely that! But I Wilder Girls gave me the same (amazing) feeling of weirdness and unease that Annihilation did and I loved it. If you're a fan of weird, twisty books, this is for you! I can't wait to see what this author writes next!

Well here's something I never thought I'd never say, this book should have been at least another 100 pages longer.

The premise for this book is really exciting and the cover is fabulous but the execution is sorely lacking.

The story picks up some year+ after a remote school for girls is ravaged with a devastating virus and subsequently quarantined.

Notice how I said "picks up". Very little backstory is ever given about the onset of the virus. How it all started and progressed leading up to the quarantine and beyond. For me, the most compelling part of the story was omitted.

This book features three best friends that have seemingly settled into this horrific existence as much as could be expected, even going so far as finding some appreciation for their newly found strengths and Independence. Again, some history of the events that lead the girls to this point, including a more in-depth storyline as to what brought them to the island in the first place would have been nice.

When one of the girls goes missing after a flare-up in her illness, the other two set on a course to find out what happened to her only to discover that all is not as it seems. Shocker.

The reader is never enlightened as to what the cause of or how this illness started. Why did it only occur on this island? Why does it manifest in such different ways from person to person?

Basically nothing is ever revealed, from the history to the present, making it hard to connect with this story and it's characters.

The abrupt ending is perplexing. Will there be a sequel? More importantly, can we get a prequel? It seems the author forgot to include the entire backstory from this book.

I would be interested in reading a second book because the ending leads you to believe that the next chapter could be a thrilling one. Additionally, the author has a real flair for atmospheric world building and what I did learn of the characters was fascinating.

And who knows, maybe I'll get that history after all.


2.5 Stars rounded up ⭐⭐⭐


*** I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ***

First of all, I love the cover. It's like a surrealist work of art. Otherwise, Wilder Girls was not my type of book. I like dark, but this one was a bit too dark, mostly because it's grotesque in a way that is unexpected. The yuck factor is high, so I skimmed through parts of the book. The overall picture was too overwhelming for me, unfortunately. The trigger warnings are legit, so proceed with caution if this applies to you. Although Wilder Girls didn't suit me, it's a matter of taste. Readers suited for the genre will likely enjoy the book. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Raxter School for Girls has been under quarantine for 18 months. A sickness, which the girls have named the Tox, spread quickly killing many of the girls and leaving the rest with mutations. Forced to survive on the limited rations the Navy delivers, most of the girls have become wild and deadly, just like their surroundings. The promise of a cure and their bonds to each other is the only things keeping them in check but when those things become threatened, the girls will stop at nothing to survive.

As soon as I read the premise for Wilder Girls, I knew I had to read it. This is one of those novels that just feels as if it was written specifically for me. The girls who have survived the Tox have been quarantined to their boarding school in Maine. Hetty, one of the main characters has been left with only one eye. Her bond with her roommates Byatt and Reese are the only things in her life that keep her from going crazy. When Byatt goes missing Hetty and Reese decide leave the protection of Raxter to bring her back and in doing so discover dangerous secrets. This was one of those novels I didn't want to put down and I can't wait to add this to my library when it releases. A fresh and exciting horror novel with strong female protagonists and a mysterious body mutating contagion...a must read!

Because this cover is freaking everything!!

Holy Sh*t Snacks!

I need more answers right now! Where is book two; geez I just finish this book and need another one. I mean there has to be another one because of that ending!

So, this is told through two POV's; Hetty & Byatt. But there they have another best friend Reese who is very prominent in the book.

All of these girls live at the Raxter School For Girls. The school is on an island but it seems to be a fairly big island unless I missed something while reading so fast to get to the next page! The island has every type of wild animal on it as well and yes, that's a thing in this book.

The book doesn't lead up to the Quarantine, we learn about that in bits and pieces through-out the book. As you can read from the summary, there is a disease/virus (whatever) called Tox. Teachers and some of the girls have been killed by it. But there are those that have just been changed by it. What the hell is it? I know some of what it is but I'm not telling you. It makes me squirm though.

There are certain groups of girls that are picked to be on a team to go out and get supply boxes that are dropped for the girls from some peeps. You know, clothes, food, medicine, etc. But there are some really weird things going on. Now I haven't read the book "ANNIHILATION" but I have seen the movie and it does remind me a bit of that movie.

One day something happens to Byatt and she suddenly disappears from medical. She's just gone?! So Hetty sets out on a mission to find her along with Reese and they find some really messed up stuff.

There are a lot of bad things that happen to the girls in the school, but I will leave that for you to read about. Also, I have already pre-ordered this book!

*Thank you to Netgalley for a digital copy of the book for review.*

This book was a weird beautiful little gem that I didn’t know I would fall so deeply in love. This book reps hard for feminism and own voice perspective on queer love. I am obsessed. This odd wonderful book with its mesmerizing cover and fascinating world building is one of the best pieces of literature I have gotten from NETGALLEY.

I received a copy from Net Galley in return for an honest review

Please check out the author's trigger warnings on the book site.

Seriously people. I picked this book up yesterday and couldn't put it down.

This was a fast-paced, strange and delightful read. So different from anything else I've read in the last few years.

The characters are a bunch of tough, flawed, strong females trying to make the most of life after being stranded at a girl's school where everyone is sick, mutating and/or dying. They are put in horrible situations and just trying to make it out alive.

It's labeled a queer horror and I love it so much more for this. The relationship in it is a delicious side note to the plot.

The descriptions of the "Tox" and how the women suffer, how the animals and landscape are affected are beautiful and disgusting.

The world building is intense and the emotions evoked are powerful, please pay attention to the trigger warnings.

The book ends, in a way that wasn't surprising but also left a lot of questions.

The author never 100% explains the "Tox", how it came to be, why it's there or what it is for. The author gives the reader just enough to form their own opinions.

This novel is a great YA to add to lists which include books like The Power.

**THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR AN E ARC FOR MY HONEST REVIEW**


I don’t know what I was expecting going into this, but it wasn’t what I got.

I really enjoyed parts of this story and hated others. I enjoyed discovering what the Tox was, but stuff was also kind of left out about why and so I was left feeling confused.

The Tox also completely creeped me out, I wasn’t prepared for the absolute weirdness of it and I like dark stuff, but the just off the wall weird stuff never sits well with me, but this is also labeled horror so I guess it did get a creeped out reaction from me, but I was never scared..

I really liked Hetty and Reese, even though their relationship didn’t have any tension, or chemistry and kind of just happened like we were supposed to know it was going too.

I liked the scenario, the Abandoned school and survival...and the all girls cast.

I didn’t care for Byatt’s chapters at all. They were written extremely choppy and weird. No punctuation, no sentences. Just random words and maybe that’s how she was thinking but it was just a big no for me. I understood it, most of the time but was more annoyed than anything and couldn’t get invested into it.

I’m kind of bummed because this cover is freaking phenomenal and this has been hyped a lot and it wasn’t what I was picturing, I also wasn’t aware it’s a series, I might continue...

[3.75]
The first half of the book took me a while to get through, and I found that every time I would start to read it, I would wind up falling asleep. That's not to say it was borning, it just was not always exciting. I think the biggest problem I had was the writing style or the prose, it was sort of poetic, which worked in some scenes like the relationships between the girls, but at other portions, it took me out for the story, and was hard to stay engaged while reading. This happened in Hetty's chapters, which constitute a majority of the book. The reason why I am giving the book 3.75 stars, is because the second third of the book was much more interesting, and I absolutely loved Byatt's chapters, honestly her chapters were 5 stars. I wish more of the story could have been through her, I especially enjoyed the writing during her chapters, which I felt was better than the writing in Hetty's. Overall, it was an interesting book, while not my favorite, there was definitely a lot about this book that I DID enjoy, and can't wait to read another book from this author.

Wilder Girls is one of the best books that I've read in a long time and, even though it's April, is already a top 5 favorite book of 2019 for me. Rory Power has such a way with words; her characters are real and fleshed out and the vivid imagery she uses in her descriptions are gut-wrenching. I have read books featuring survival stories, boarding school tales, LGBTQIA+ romances, horror situations, mystery plots, unbreakable friendships, underdogs and cunning characters but Wilder Girls is the first novel to employ all of the above and take it to a whole other level. Exciting and original and dark, Wilder Girls is an instant classic.

📚Book Review 📚
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Release date: 09 Jul 2019
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I just finished the book like a minute ago and OMG I couldn’t put it down. The book was so amazing and while Byatts sections of the book had me confused a bit I did enjoy the art in how she wrote the first sections almost as a poem. I fell in love with this book mostly because of the Tox, which was the disease they all had. While it made me mad it made the book even better at the end... which was a cliff hanger (got to love ‘em)
Before I share my other loves I will give you some background. 📚Book Report-ish)📚
The book takes place on Roxter, which is an island of the north-east of America. Roxter has been in quarantine due to the Tox.The Tox is a disease that tries to make the host better but ends up eventually killing it. There is a academy on Roxter of just girls, which include Hetty, Byatt, and Reese who have became a pack. They share the food, which is on limited supply, and they try to live and survive when they think death is inevitable. When one of the Boat Shift girls quit Hetty is elected as the new third to the Boat shift girls, which go out in the danger and get the food. After Hettys first trip out she uncovers secrets she wish she hadn’t and she fights to keep her girls together. But that all falls apart when Byatt is taken. ... I just LOVE this story so much and can we talk about the cover, it’s so gorgeous. I didn’t tell a lot about Reese for two reasons, one she turns to be way different in the middle of the story and two, she is very complicated. The ending is very intense and suspenseful so that was amazing. This book is, essentially, about girls on an island trying to survive. Also did I mention, all the animals have grown and went savage thanks to the Tox. Also there might be a love interest. I really think you will enjoy this book and as always thank you @itsrorypower for writing and congratulations on your first novel. Thank you @netgalley for making this review possible and I hope it helps. 📚Categories📚
Young Adult, All girls, Thriller, LGBTQ
#book #bookobsessed #bookstagram #bookworm #youngadultbooks #wildergirls #rorypower #bookaholic #arc

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC! I had went in expecting a Lord-of-the-Flies-esque story; with girls turning against girls and a constant fight for survival. I received both of these things, but in ways that I did not expect. We are thrown into Hetty's nightmare world, eighteen months after her life turned upside down. She has been stuck on Raxter, an island with a girls only school and a dark, hidden secret.

The girls are wracked by a disease called the Tox that attacks their bodies in different ways. For Hetty, she lives life with only eye permanently closed-- and something writhing behind it. She watches her friends and fellow schoolmates suffer through flare-ups; times when the disease makes some sort of change to them that they either power through or die trying. Tensions are high, supplies are low, and the only spark of hope is the dream of a cure that the CDC, Navy, and the bordering Camp Nash are reportedly hard at work trying to realize.

Hetty and her two closest friends, Byatt and Reese, are in the front lines as everything deteriorates quicker and quicker, and we quickly see the resourcefulness and strength of not only these characters but every single girl that we are introduced to. It reminds us that even in our darkest hour, women are a force to be reckoned with. These girls are doing the best they can to survive; fighting for food, killing diseased animals, and even sacrificing others for the greater good.

In light of this, I think that the author did a beautiful job of actually living in the grief and the guilt that these characters felt after having to commit these acts. If they had to kill someone, they were stained red to their very bones as the weight of a life soaked under their skin. The other people that these actions effect react in kind; they understand the path taken but something snaps, breaks, and may never be repaired in that relationship but they continue on.

The biggest theme in this book to me was just that; moving forward. Life gets so hard sometimes that it feels easier to just let it swallow you whole. Even when it seems like you've lost it all, you have to remember the people and dreams that drive you. Hetty, Reese, and Byatt are all the author's will to live personified. She wrote something in her acknowledgement that stopped me and illuminated the book as a whole. She says, "Thank you to younger Rory, who decided to stay. I would not be here without you".

I think Rory Powers created an intoxicating whirlwind of a novel. I could not put it down. I had been reading it late at night, and I would be struggling to overcome the siren call of sleep begging for one more chapter. I woke up in the mornings clutching my kindle like a favored stuffed animal or security blanket, and I would just keep going from where I had left off. The action never stopped, and the bonds between our girls were as beautiful and original as the Raxter Blues. It's a perfect debut!

This book was a thrill ride from page one. Rory has a beautiful style of writing that brought the world of Raxter and The Tox alive before my eyes. This book was unlike anything I have ever read before and left chills down my spine as I read.

The idea behind this book is terrifying and really makes you think about human evolution and viruses and things that can change the course of human history. It also brings into question the issue of climate change and the disastrous effects that that can have on microorganisms. I think the science behind Wilder Girls was amazing and the development of each character and the anomalies they developed because of The Tox was amazingly done.

I really loved Hetty's character and it was easy for me to relate to her. You can see through out the story how she struggles with what is right and wrong and how she feels responsible for some of the events that happen in the novel (Even though for many of them she wasn't at fault for.) You can see how The Tox and the quarantine as well as losing her sight in one eye has put a strain on her and her relationships with the other girls. But with the quarantine and effect and the food supplies low it is easy to see how everyone is tense.

I liked Byatt's chapters for the sake we got to see what was happening after she went missing and we go a little more insight on her character. I love that Rory wrote her POV as fragmented and with a lot of repeated language. It showed through the pages her hysteria and desperation and as well as her confusion in being in this situation. We learn also that Byatt is a master manipulator and that it is one of the reasons her parents sent her to Raxter. Byatt's use of manipulation actually causes someone to become infected with The Tox.

Though Hetty and Reese's sexuality isn't explained in Wilder Girls, it is a female/female romance. I loved that Rory didn't make it a cookie cutter romance that so many other young adult books fall victim too. The romance between Reese and Hetty is flawed and complicated. It isn't perfect, but essentially love is never going to be 100% perfect all the time. The actions that Hetty had to take in certain parts of Wilder Girls put a strain on their budding romance. By the end of the novel their relationship is very open still, but I like to think that they were able to work through the ordeal on Raxter island and continue their relationship.

*Slight spoilers in this paragraph!*

Wilder Girls was left really open ended and I can see the potential for another book. But at the same time the book had a haunting atmosphere and that's the sort of note on how this book ends. Do these girls live? What exactly is going to happen to Byatt? Do they cure The Tox? There are a lot of questions but it is also up to the reader at this point to come to these conclusions. To me they get rescued and there is a cure, Hetty is reunited with her family and Reese goes with her and Byatt reverts back to her bubbly self. But that is me and I am excited to see how other readers are going to interpret that.

Overall, I really loved Wilder Girls and I can't wait to read any of Rory's future novels. Her writing is a breathe of fresh air in the young adult genre. Wilder Girls is a book that is a must read for 2019 and is a fabulous debut novel.

Thank you to Random House Children's Delacorte Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book.

This one was just not for me. I didn't find myself liking any of the characters or the story. It seemed slow going. I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't enjoy this book. It was gross and unique which is something different in the YA genre. I do think the author does a good job with her descriptions of how the Tox affected the girls and the animals and the island itself. I found myself squirming at her descriptions. Which was good. This book was certainly meant to make the reader squirm. I did like the idea behind this book with the island turning into something out of a nightmare and the girls turning into nightmares themselves. I guess I just never found myself engrossed in this book. I do think other readers will enjoy the darkness of this story and it certainly is original and unique! I also love the cover!