I really enjoyed the storyline in world building in the novel. I also really liked the characters. I thought this was a solid read, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

I had this book sitting on my TBR pile for over a year, unable to read it because of what was happening in the world in 2020. However, I'm so glad that I finally read this. This is not your typical YA book with jovial tropes. This is a story about survival amidst a virus that turns people into, well, "wicked." It follows Hank and Astrid, both living in a town called Goldsport, which is completely isolated from the rest of the world, and their journey of solving two mysteries: the town's beginnings and whether or not there were any people living on Puffin Island. I loved how the different timelines create a sense of tension and mystery, and I appreciated the unexpected ending as well. I will definitely add this book to my classroom library.

Young adult dystopian!
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review How We Became Wicked by Alexander Yates.
The story opens as Astrid notices the lighthouse that has been unlit for a long time, coming to life. She wakes up her neighbor Hank. The community is annoyed at Astrid because she keeps talking about the light being on in the lighthouse. She thinks they’re upset because they’re hiding something. The story felt somewhat drawn out and not as exciting, dangerous or suspenseful as I would have liked it to be. This could have been a truly scary story if it was built up more. I did like how creepy the wicker’s comments were because they were spoken so calmly. 3 stars for this young adult dystopian

When a book gives you chills, that's when you know. Honestly, the title and cover are what sucked me in at first. but I didn't expect the story to pull me in the way it did, and to creep me out to boot. It kind of reminded me of The Purge meets We Happy Few meets Plague (game).

Plague stories are usually a pretty exciting proposition. In this case, we have people transformed into a near childlike state of wonder and excitement but with a violent tendency. They are off hand about murder. They want to kill and are fairly open about that desire. No mindless zombies here. It makes their presence unsettling to be certain but not overly frightening. Yates does some interesting things with perspectives and timelines, revealing truths about the world in which his protagonists live in a metered way. Not especially pulse-pounding but an interesting read.

Loved this YA dystopian novel. I thought it was an interesting different concept. It gave off a really creepy eerie vibe.

This book is sooooo creepy! The Wicked say some really violent things but in this cheerful, artless, innocent way. The juxtaposition of those two things gave me chills in lots of scenes.

HOW WE BECAME WICKED is told in two different viewpoints, from characters in two different situations that don’t, at first, overlap. One section follows Astrid’s point-of-view.

Astrid isn’t a super girly heroine. She’s very smart and practical, and almost detached from her emotions. I liked her, but sometimes that detached feeling kind of kept me from feeling like I understood or empathized with her. Astrid is the town leader’s daughter. She’s got an Ariel complex– you know, wants to be part of someone else’s world. Mainly she wants to escape the walls of her town and go somewhere else, find other True survivors.

The other point-of-view is Natalie’s. She lives with her parents and Wicked grandfather on an island with a lighthouse, too far from the mainland to be a temptation for other Wicked. The only thing that keeps Natalie and her family safe from her grandfather is the fact that he’s imprisoned inside the lighthouse.

Natalie’s point-of-view was easier to connect with, for me. I liked her courage and her loyalty to her family as well as her quick thinking.

Despite the separate storylines, I found the plot of HOW WE BECAME WICKED to be really easy to follow (And mostly not too predictable. I did guess one major twist, but only shortly before it was revealed.) and nicely paced.

Because of the nature of the Wicked, the story does show some violence. I know I mentioned this already, but it’s very creepy the way they talk about and commit awful violence with this innocent childlike glee. They don’t understand what it is they’re doing, which is one of the things that makes them so dangerous.

If you liked THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan, definitely check out HOW WE BECAME WICKED. (Also, if you like zombie or post-apocalyptic stories, go read THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH because it is awesome!)

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

HOW WE BECAME WICKED by Alexander Yates is exciting and suspense-filled. Set in the future, this dystopian science-fiction story is told primarily through the eyes of three teens: Astrid and Hank who live in Goldsport and Natalie who lives on Puffin Island. Their surroundings have been totally transformed by the spread of a plague called Wickedness – human victims become infected through the sting of mosquito like singers or by touching another infected human. A very few people, like Astrid and Natalie, are "vexed" or immune to the disease. Those who are still "true," including Hank and the residents of Goldsport, must live in self-contained communities and take precautions such as wearing special suits if they venture out. Of course, a substantial part of this novel is devoted to world building and character development, but that adds to its richness and to some very surprising twists. Be aware that there are a few horrific scenes and strong emotions in this novel. Along the way, though, readers will be asking themselves about the nature of right and wrong and who truly is wicked (e.g., the imprisoned grandfather or his family/captors?) and why.

HOW WE BECAME WICKED received starred reviews from Booklist and the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. I will be recommending it as an engaging independent read for students taking our Good and Evil English elective although this novel will be particularly enjoyable for ANY readers who like science fiction and survival stories – once started, it is hard to put down.
4.5 stars

I have no idea how this book isn't on all the radars, but it isn't. And that's a complete shame, because it is phenomenal. The kind of book I flew through reading, but was also sad cause I never wanted it to end. You know the kind. So let us chat about why I am such a fan, yeah? Though I am purposely keeping this short, because it's best to go into this knowing as little as possible, like I did!

• Incredible atmosphere! It fit perfectly with the vibe and tone of the story, and made me feel like I was on this secluded island. Think Sawkill Girls meets the apocalypse. Good stuff.

• I cared about the characters immediately. And never stopped. There are two main POV characters, and I adored them both. I also enjoyed learning about their families, and in some cases, the other people around them. This is so wonderfully vague that I am probably confusing more than helping at this point, but just trust that there will be characters you love, characters you hate, and characters so gleefully gray you won't be able to decide.

• The layers that unravel and the twists that unfurl... simply delicious. Wow I love a twist. And this book just keeps them coming! It's like a layer is peeled back, we learn something about the characters or world, but then we get new questions. Remember what I said about not being able to put it down? Yeah, that.

• Everything about the book feels very fresh. The world itself, the plot, how everything turns out... it just feels new. Like nothing I've ever read before. Sure, there are bits here and there that you can compare to other books, obviously, but as a whole it's an incredibly unique story that captivated me from the start.

Bottom Line: Eerily atmospheric, genre-bending, and wholly unputdownable, How We Became Wicked is one of the best books of 2019.

This was a very good YA dystopian book. It was refreshing because I have not read a dystopian story in a minute. I loved the world building.

I really liked the basis of this book and how the wicked individuals were portrayed. I think it differed from the other dystopia novels well enough to set it apart. The end broke my heart though!

I'm always up for a post-apocalyptic plaque story.  I've read several, but this novel puts a fresh spin on the typical version.

Some reviews have referred to the Wicked as zombies.  I didn't see them that way at all.  They're almost childlike, and retain most of their memories, but are able to function and take care of themselves.  It's unnerving, because it can be difficult to tell they're Wicked.  They're lethal and, given the chance, will kill you in spectacular ways.  However, as with children, their attention can usually be diverted - at least for a little while.  Maybe enough time to get to safety.  Maybe not.  Don't underestimate them.

There's a clever plot twist toward the end.  It's something I suspected early on, but that didn't make it any less spectacular, and it gives the whole story a new perspective.

How We Became Wicked isn't just a post-apocalyptic story, it's also about the sacrifices we make to save our loved ones.  And how some people can so easily sacrifice others to save themselves.  The ending leaves me to believe there may be a sequel.  If so, I'll definitely be looking for it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

To be brutally honest, I never head of How We Became Wicked until I spotted it on NetGalley. Immediately the summary sucked me in. Ultra-violet mosquitoes that spread a plague that causes people to become incredibly violent and sadistic, sign me up! This book had my name written all over it. How We Became Wicked wasn't just a book about a world that had ended, but the sacrifices you make for the ones you love and how dark secrets can have really deadly and horrid consequences. I ended up loving How We Became Wicked a lot more then I thought I was going too.

How We Became Wicked is told in two point of views: Astrid and Natalie. Astrid has recently broke up with her childhood best friend Hank, but there is one problem. They are the youngest people in their domed town leaving people disappointed in them no longer being together. When the light house on the island across from where Astrid and Hank live begins to go off, Astrid begins to ask questions that lead to dark and deadly consequences. Natalie lives on the island that Astrid is asking question about. Her mother is heavily pregnant and her grandfather is locked in the light house because he became Wicked years prior. But when Natalie's mother goes into labor and gives birth to a baby girl it is up to Natalie to take her to the mainland and have her bitten by the bugs, its the only way to get her vexed, immune, to the virus just like Natalie and her mother. Only once on the mainland Natalie learns that her and her tiny family aren't the only survivors and there are people looking for answers too.

I really enjoyed the writing style of How We Became Wicked. The characters and setting became alive in front of my eyes. The terror of the Wicked and how sadistic and terrifying they are was palpable. I waited a majority of the book for Natalie's and Astrid's paths to cross, only to be let in on the most amazing plot twist I've read in a while. I didn't expect the twist at all, but looking back at certain things that happened, it makes perfect sense. Overall I really enjoyed How We Became Wicked and hope we will get to see more of Natalie and Astrid's story.

What a surprising book. I did not predict the ending like I usually do. In my final consideration, I think that there are reminders of other fantasy books here, other fantasy utopias that turn out to be nightmares. Most importantly, this marks the first time I got the ascm file to work so thanks to Netgalley's directions about Aldiko.

Reading books about contagions always makes me itchy, and this one was no exception. An absolutely thrilling story with a conclusion that comes in like a punch. A must order for libraries to add to collections.

Nothing makes me happier than a book I’m not sure about being one of my favorites of the year and this book is exactly that.

“How We Became Wicked” draws us into a world where The Wicked spend their time gleefully hunting those who have yet to be infected trying their best to kill everyone they can when Astrid and Hank find themselves face to face with someone new just behind the wall who speaks of life on a nearby island but when things take a turn the two are faced with a choice, to abandon everything they’ve ever known or to stay and watch it all burn.

This book had probably one of my favorite twists in a story of this nature and though I can’t speak to what it was, for obvious reasons, it actually made me gasp out loud when I caught on to what was happening so bravo to the author for that.

Astrid and Natalie were two young women who have known nothing but this world of death and the Wicked and they both managed to rise to the occasion and survive even when the odds were stacked against them and I loved each step in their journey. Hank was touch and go but I think he is an important piece in their puzzle as both his presence and absence in certain scenes brings out some of the strongest qualities in both of these characters so for that I have to appreciate him but it doesn’t absolve him.

The Wicked themselves and the way they spoke of their plans was borderline comical but in that way where you’re laughing but inside there’s this unsettling weight in your stomach. The overall story arc was something that we’re all familiar with as it has happened time and time again with everything from diseases and social injustices and that paint a smile on it lack of remorse was also something we also unfortunately see to the point that you almost find yourself thinking like the Wicked waiting for it all to crash and burn and when it does you can’t help but smile as karma is served.

If you’re looking for something with a bit of a similar setup like ‘Bird Box’ this is perfect for you but all in all this was a great read and I can’t wait for everyone else to get a chance to read it too!

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**