This is my favorite read of summer 2019!
I started "Wilder Girls" while tent camping with my family. I finished "Wilder Girls" in the middle of the night during that same trip. Holy cats, did this story grab me! The author's tone was haunting and driving. I found myself thinking about the book whenever I wasn't reading it. When I was reading it, I read slowly (a major thing for me!) so I wouldn't miss anything. I savored each word.
The story itself is masterful. We join the characters during their quarantine. Glimmers of the life they once had still shines through the dingy present. The effects of the sickness on the girls and living things on the island are hard to predict since they don't have any idea what the sickness is. So, the characters are hopeful but also subdued by the changes around them. It's a brilliant backdrop for this book.
The storytelling style would be very well-suited to a live action series (hint, hint). The characters are gripping enough to carry the book through. Plus, the mystery of the illness and its eventual effects drive the reader to keep going. I was very happy that the ending wraps most things up. I actually could have dealt with a longer, more detailed ending personally. It's rare that I wish a book had been longer.
"Wilder Girls" is my go to recommendation when my students come back to school.

2.5 I was truly disappointed with this book. The cover is gorgeous and will undoubtedly attract many readers. The build up/description was amazing. I could not keep myself awake while reading it. I was not emotionally attached to any characters...I just didn't care. It wasn't that they weren't likeable (they weren't); it was that I had no connection with them whatsoever. They were girls and women (and a couple of men) who really didn't give a rat's ass about each other but thought they did and came across as whiney and plastic. The storyline didn't really make much sense and was weak, but it wasn't completely explained either. It took me way too long to read (because I kept nodding off) but I finished it without much of a climax at the end. When I discussed it with my fellow middle school librarian friend, she had pretty much the same reaction. I'm just not sure what they hype is about.

Oh how I enjoyed this book and really hope there is plans for another. Taking place on an island, in an all girls school. Each girl once they hit puberty encounters the flare up, leaving them with oddities. Hetty loses an eye, Byatt gains another spine, and Reese has a scaled arm. This book was seriously so good. A bit of horror, a bit of suspense, constantly wondering what is going to happen next. Definitely a must read.

This is a brutal book. I've heard numerous comparisons to Lord of the Flies, but Wilder Girls is far more grisly, far more disturbing, than Golding's book. This is gripping and beautifully written, and I can't overstate how wonderful it is to read a book like this about teen girls (queer teen girls, no less!). The ending was abrupt to the point that I wondered if some final surprise had been left out of the arc, but I have since read other reviews and purchased a finished copy, so I know that's just how the book ends. That's a bit disappointing, but I still highly recommend this and look forward to seeing what Rory Power writes next.

3.5/5

Gays, girls, and death. My perfect literary mix. Wilder Girls is a truly unique novel. Admittedly, I've never read Lord of the Flies, so I can't make any Lord of the Flies comparisons, which seem to be common in other reviews for this novel, so maybe I'm out of my depth when I say Wilder Girls is original, but I stick by it. Rory Power is a powerful (pun intended) writer whose body horror writing is some of the best I've read in a long time. (So if you're squeamish, this probably isn't the book for you!)

All of that being said, there are some moments that I feel were a little weak. First of all, Byatt's portion of the book feels pretty unnecessary. I found myself connecting far more to Hetty and wanting to stick with Hetty's story than I did with Byatt's. And is Byatt a bad person? A good person? Why do we get glimpses of Byatt's manipulative skills when they seem not to come back and contribute to the overall arc of the story? People are complex, yes, but I didn't get a literary sense of justification for Byatt's grey area. Also, Power doesn't differentiate between Byatt's and Hetty's voices, so it doesn't feel like the reader is reading two different perspectives.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and God, am I glad to see some bisexual girls getting some recognition! Especially in f/f relationships! If nothing else, Wilder Girls is worth a read for the interesting dynamic between Hetty and Reese, which I would have loved to see more of, though I recognize that that wasn't the main point of the novel. Regardless, it was one of my favorite bits, and I recommend Wilder Girls for anyone who likes some good body horror, thrillers, and LGBT+ girls!

First 3/4 of the book is equally horrifying and intriguing. Pacing slows down in the last few chapters as the story takes a turn, sometimes leaving me, as a reader, questioning where this is all going. Overall, a unique powerful, girl centric story that is a must read for ya fans!

I found this book a little difficult to get into, at first. Then its off to the races and you can't put it down. Wow. Really impressive retelling of a female version of The Lord of the Flies with a twist is probably the best way to spin it without giving anything away.
Just read it!
Highly recommend!

#WilderGirls #NetGalley

A story with no boys at all except for a father already gone. Just what I needed, though I didn't know it. This is survival fiction at its truest. There are a few moments of pressing danger but a lot of it is the drudgery and relationships and community building that happens in the down time between those dangers. I'll give this book to students who like complex horror, who want more than just blood and guts or jump scares. It reminds me a little of The Forest of Hands and Teeth.

There was A LOT of potential here and I loved the atmosphere the author was able to create early on in the story. That said - ultimately, I think the character development and plotting of the story lost its way a bit, making the ending a bit anticlimactic. Overall, still worthy of a purchase for YA collections and I will be curious to see what the author has in store for her readers in terms of future publications.

I was so excited about this book. I wanted to love it. I tried to love it. I didn't love it. I wasn't hooked right away, which isn't usually a good sign. I read enough to feel invested and forced myself to finish what I had started with the hope that I wouldn't be disappointed. Unfortunately, this book was a huge let down for me. I'm glad I finished it because I would have wondered if I totally missed out on the awesome I was waiting for, but at the same time I probably could have found better ways to spend my time.

Wilder Girls thrusts you into the midst of an epidemic unlike any you will have encountered before. The story is centered around a group of three friends who have all fallen prey to the Tox, which has overtaken their boarding school as well as the island it sits upon. Many lives have been claimed by the Tox, both students and teachers alike. The girls have become quite accustomed to the situation, and seem to have accepted their fates.

Part of what I adored was how original the Tox was. I think we’ve seen plenty of sci-fi stories focusing on diseases, but Wilder Girls took this to a whole other level. We aren’t fed much info about the plague, which makes it feel quite mysterious, but its result is a whole lot of body horror that plays out differently in each girl. And believe me when I say it is a LOT of body horror. This book is really not for the faint of heart.

At first I had a bit of trouble discerning the differences between the characters themselves. It took me quite a bit to become attached to them and their relationships. The three girls at the center of the book kind of blurred together in my mind until about a third through. Luckily, I felt this issue was resolved and came to love them all in their own ways.

Also, believe the hype when it comes to how queer this book is. Hetty, one of the POV characters, is bi/pan/queer (she mentions liking both boys and girls, but no label) and Reese, another one of the characters, self-identifies as queer. Byatt, the third in the trio, doesn’t have her sexuality mentioned at all as far as I remember. There is a f/f romance that is not the focus of the story at all, but was very cute and did add a lot!

Overall, I think this was just a lovely sapphic YA horror novel that gave off some serious Annihilation vibes. If any of that sounds interesting to you, you’ll probably adore it. While I’d love a sequel (or a spinoff?), I do think the ending left things tied up quite nicely. I’m impressed by this debut novel and am quite excited to see what Rory Power puts out next!

First Impressions

When I first heard about Wilder Girls, I wasn't immediately intrigued. But I followed the author on Twitter and my interest piqued. Specifically her edit of the cover stating that the book is gay. As the book approached release, more and more people started talking about how amazing it is. I decided to order the book, but was out of town when it released. I finally picked it up when I was home. I had a slow day at work, and I managed to read half the book during my shift. I got that evening and stayed up late so I could finish it. Long story short, this book took me by surprise, grabbed me by the shoulders, and wouldn't let go.

Also, a quick note, the book covers some hard topics, so check out the author's content warnings here.

Characters

The main character is Hetty. Most of the book is from her POV, with a handful of chapters from Byatt's POV. An interesting bit about Hetty and the rest of the characters is that they're all a bit feral. They've been trapped on an island for months, with no sign of escape in the foreseeable future. In fact, the book starts with a brutal fight between Hetty and Reese, who is also the love interest. Due to the large amount of death and destruction in the book, there isn't much time for romance. I did like getting to see Hetty and Reese grow closer and realize their feelings for each other.

Byatt was a bit more of a mystery. The only times we see her POV, Byatt is not exactly in a decent state of mind. While Hetty is out to survive, Byatt seems to enjoy sowing chaos. She grew up in a situation where the main way to get attention was to get in trouble. She was sent to Raxter when her behavior became too much for her parents. Of the three main characters, Byatt was also the only one there that was actually paying to be there. Hetty was there on a military family scholarship and Reese's father worked at the school. Due to the fact that they're trapped on the island, we don't get much information about their families save from flashbacks. I want to know more, and I hope that if a sequel happens, we get to see their families, specifically Hetty's father.

World Building

Wilder Girls takes place in either present day or near future. It's hinted at from the beginning that the odd changes on the island are related to climate change. The native animals of the island are bigger and more dangerous than before. The locals crabs and flowers turn black and blue upon death. Just like the girls when they die.

The entirety of the novel takes place in just a couple places. Most of the book takes place at Raxter, with some time exploring the surrounding woods. Byatt's chapters take place in a separate location that's unclear to the reader. Despite this lack of movement, the world felt big. When you're confined to a small space for as long as these girls have, just a little more room feels like a lot.

Final Thoughts

This book was absolutely amazing! It was creepy but not scary. The book isn't afraid to 'go there' in regard to multiple things. The book was wonderful, and I really hope that there will be a sequel!

Hetty and her friends live at the Raxter School for Girls, on an island just off the coast of Maine. They have been scrambling to survive since a strange infection they call the Tox took hold of them and the teachers a year and a half before. It killed off most of the adults, but one young teacher and the headmistress remain, affected by bleeding sores and tremors. The Tox has taken over not just the bodies of the humans but seemingly all life on Raxter Island: Animals are larger and deadlier, eager to attack; trees and plants have grown rapidly. The girls experience varied symptoms: Hetty’s main problem is one eye has gone blind and fused shut; her friend Reese’s hand is scaly. Her bunkmate and best friend Byatt has a sore throat and an extra ridge of bone down her back.

The girls regularly get shipments dropped to them from the mainland, containing food and other supplies, but the food given them isn’t enough for more than bare-bones rations. The girls cycle through flare-ups that they sometimes survive — and sometimes don’t.

The Raxter girls have assignments, such as taking shifts with guns on the roof of the school, and a few go outside the fence, which keeps the school’s inhabitants safe from the animals on the island and keeps them under quarantine from everywhere and everyone else, to the dock to pick up shipments. When a spot opens up on this “Boat Shift,” Hetty is given the position, and it changes her viewpoint. After a trip out to the dock, she isn’t so sure if what she and the other girls are being told about what they’re going through is the whole truth. And her subsequent choices may drastically affect their lives.

Wilder Girls has a bit of a Lord of the Flies feel to it: Young people, this time all girls, are mostly on their own facing terrible conditions. Sickness and death, too little food, no contact with their families, only two adults supervising all contribute to less-than-civilized behavior. Fights break out easily. Appearance —looking good —is no longer an issue because the Tox has made them all look inhuman in some way. In this way, the book is an interesting study in behavior under duress.

I did think, however, that the story would go somewhere different than it did: I kept expecting a big secret or twist, and while there were some things being kept secret from the girls, those facts, once revealed, didn’t have the impact on the story I thought they would. The book was just kind of a sad slog through the results of a nasty sickness in a small group of isolated females, and it didn’t do much for me.

Rated: High, for just under 10 uses of strong language and some other instances of milder language. There are some references to girl-girl relationships and kissing. There is violence throughout and gory details about what the Tox does to people’s bodies, as well as a suicide by knife.

This book is super intense, but also super good. The pace of the story, how things are revealed slowly at times and fast and furious at others, was perfect. And the story itself — wow! This would be perfect for use in a course about environmental feminism.

Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine 18 months ago. Since then, most of the teachers have died, and a strange infection has been spreading through the students, giving them strange growths and odd abilities. "The Tox," as it is called, has spread through the whole island, changing the plants and animals that live there, and making it impossible for the girls to leave the school, except one group of girls who travel down to meet the boat and get supplies when they are shipped in. Hetty has adapted to this life, even becoming an expert marksman, but when her best friend goes missing, she has to make the decision whether to break quarantine and find her - and some answers to questions better left unasked.

My Notes:
I really, really wanted to love this book, but it just wasn't for me. Given the subject matter, and the gorgeous cover, I thought I'd have it read in a day, but I kept struggling to get through the next chapter. It was very slow-paced, and I just had a hard time caring what happened to the characters. I know some people will love this book, but it wasn't for me.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this title, which I was given in exchange for an honest review.*

Before I start with my New book Review , I would like to thank @PRHGlobal @prhinternational for Providing me with a free E-galley copy of this book for my Honest Review . Thanks a lot for giving me the opportunity to read this novel .

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"Some days it’s fine. Others it nearly breaks me. The emptiness of the horizon, and the hunger in my body, and how will we ever survive this if we can’t survive each other? “We’re gonna make it. Tell me we’re gonna make it.”"

Book : Wilder Girls .

Author : Rory Power .

Genre : Fiction , Young Adult, Horror , Mystery .

Rate : 4/5

Review In one word : Amazing .

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Let Me start this review by telling you that this book was the most surprising book I've read this year . I don't usually read this genre , But I received an ARC to review and I was really Intrigued by the beautiful cover and the mysterious synopsis . Then I started reading it and I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN . 

The new storylines in this book are really fascinating and interesting even though the events are horrible , what happened to the characters is so bad . while reading I was alternating between being horrified , heartbroken and intrigued with the story . I will leave the Summary below , so you could learn more about the story without being spoiled .

The writing style is so good , gripping , visual and the descriptions are vivid . I loved every word and  through the novel I found myself so immersed in the story , the characters , their feelings , relationships , friendships , struggles and  heartbreaks .

This novel has all the elements that makes it highly recommended . In my opinion , even if you don't read this genre , if you like a well-written book , you will definitely enjoy this book . 

I hope the author  intends to write a second installment as I found the ending is  still incomplete and I really loved the characters , would love to read more about their adventures and lives .

"Bodies wither, evolve, and transform, and the girls become ugly and wild. They become monsters, and yet, they don't hide what they are. Identity and physical appearance are inherently intertwined, but for girls it's different. Girls have always been valued first by their appearance. In this novel, girls are allowed to be terrifying without judgement."

To be completely honest I had a hard time getting through this one. I enjoyed the story overall but it was the writing style that I struggled with. Maybe the finished copy will be different but there were a lot of choppy and incomplete sentences.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I really enjoy the premise of this book. This book remind me of a girl version of Lord of Flies meets Annihilation. I really want to enjoy this book but this was a missed for me. But overall this is an okay book. Still want to read more from this author.

An eye-catching cover and intriguing premise is sure to bring readers to this YA speculative thriller, reminiscent of Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation.

18 months ago, the Tox hit Raxter School for Girls on a remote Maine island. Most of the teachers went mad and killed themselves, some girls lost or gained body parts, others mutated in different ways, and the flora and fauna on the island has grown larger and wilder. Narrator Hetty has lost an eye, her friend Byatt has grown a second spine and the hand of her other friend Reese has turned to silver scales.

With the CDC and Navy promising a cure, the school is quarantined behind a secure fence and cut off from all communications, but this precarious balance is blown when narrator Hetty joins the “Boat Shift” – the group that leaves the school to collect supplies – and when Byatt disappears.

In the first part of the book Power leisurely builds the world with a few brief glimpses of life before the Tox. Character development does not seem to be a priority (main characters all default white) and even Hetty is not much more than a stereotypical YA dystopian protagonist. Her unresolved sexuality and out of the blue attraction to Reese provide some relief from the disease-driven plot, but the novel remains one-note overwrought, with life-threatening crises from page to page.

The arc of the story follows a familiar pattern as Hetty and friends start to search for explanations and unravel a potential conspiracy (Maze Runner fans might have some ideas) and the plot picks up momentum, with fast-paced, occasionally gruesome, action and horror.

An environmental theme is introduced late in the novel and with many questions unanswered a sequel is sure to follow.

All I could say when this book finished was 'Wow.' The book reminded me a bit of Annihilation- but you see what happened to the people during this strange time. There was so much happening and not happening that I was almost spinning by the time I was finished. Even just the ending had me like "That's it!?" A good book and a great read for any time of the year.