"Aeva the Wild" by Claire Marion is an enchanting fantasy novel that transports readers to a world of magic, adventure, and ancient mysteries. Marion's lyrical prose and vivid imagination weave a captivating tale of courage, friendship, and the power of nature.

At the heart of the story is Aeva, a young woman with a deep connection to the wilderness and its inhabitants. Gifted with extraordinary powers, Aeva embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she navigates a world fraught with danger and intrigue. Along the way, she forms unlikely alliances, confronts powerful adversaries, and unlocks the secrets of her own heritage.

Marion's world-building is rich and immersive, with lush descriptions of fantastical landscapes, mythical creatures, and ancient ruins. From the towering forests of the Wildwood to the sun-drenched plains of the Grasslands, each setting is brought to life with vibrant detail and a sense of wonder that will transport readers to another realm.

The characters in "Aeva the Wild" are compelling and multi-dimensional, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and motivations. Aeva is a fearless and determined protagonist, her journey of self-discovery and growth resonating with readers as she grapples with questions of identity and destiny. The supporting cast of characters, including the enigmatic ranger Aric and the wise sage Mirabelle, add depth and complexity to the story, highlighting the importance of friendship, loyalty, and perseverance in the face of adversity.

At its core, "Aeva the Wild" is a story about the interconnectedness of all living things and the importance of preserving the natural world. Marion explores themes of environmentalism, conservation, and the delicate balance between humanity and nature, reminding readers of the beauty and fragility of the world around us.

Overall, "Aeva the Wild" is a spellbinding adventure that will capture the hearts of fantasy fans young and old. Claire Marion has crafted a magical world filled with wonder and danger, inviting readers on an unforgettable journey that will leave them eagerly awaiting the next installment in this captivating series.

Honestly, this is my first foray into Viking fiction. I've always been interested in the history and while that part of the book was enlightening and fun, this book dragged a bit after a few chapters. It just didnt end up being for me.

i really enjoyed reading this viking series, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the plot and time period.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book!

I was pleasantly surprised with this book! I have not really delved too much into the Viking world so I was unsure what to expect but I found myself draw in from the start. I did have some frustration with how much AEva seemed to follow along with what she is told instead of standing up for herself, but you see how she grows from the naive girl who gets caught stealing food to the woman willing to die for love. I may have hated the cliffhanger ending but it definitely is going to make me keep my eye out for the next book!

In a literary, young adult and historial fiction world, Marion makes several unconventional and unpopular choices in the telling of "ÆVA The Wild." This is extremely brave of her. Many of these choices worked (e.g. her realistic ending) and some simply fell through. Off and on, the story felt like it was leading somewhere, but in actuality, most of the events and scenes did not add value to the story. It is unfortunate because the writing style was lovely as Marion paints beautiful, comprehensive scenes with her words. I think this story has potential, and Marion has a wonderful voice. But, I do think it needs to be gutted of many elements that don't add to the story and replaced with scenes and events that do.

I absolutely loved the first half of this book, I devoured it in a few hours, but once I passed that 50% mark I just couldn't bring myself to go any further. This book is good, I know it, I loved the writing style, the characters, where it was headed but something felt missing. Once Bayan entered the story things just seemed confusing to me, I couldn't tell who she was romantically interested in, who was the villain, what was the major thing to focus on.

Im giving it 4 stars because I did enjoy the first half, and I know many enjoyed the second half too, it just wasn't my sort of thing. Maybe I will give it a reread at some point.

I absolutely loved this book. The writing style was perfect, the plot was engaging and the characters each had their own personality. I couldn't put this book down, it was that good. One thing that annoyed me was the ending. I thought the ending was very abrupt, and not what I expected at all. I hope there's a second book because I have a lot of questions.

I had never read anything set in the viking era and it intrigued me, however I should have processed the reality of how vulgar the vikings were into my decision to pick this book up. It is very violent, including sexual violence. And though there wasn't a ton of language for most of the book, it oddly picked up in the last twenty percent of the book. So while the author was fantastic and the plot was very well done, the ratings are a lot higher than I'm comfortable with.

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

Okay, so Aeva: The Wild started off great. I was thoroughly intrigued by this girl who was just wondering alone in this world barely surviving. Then she tries to steal meat from three good looking soldiers.. and that's that.

No, the story isn't over - the adventure is just beginning!

Honestly, this was a roller coaster ride for me. I liked it up to a certain point because I feel like the ending was just super frustrating. It wasn't the only thing that frustrated me either. I get that Æva was weak in the beginning. Then she was sort of practicing how to protect herself with
Wulfram, Ælric and Iden. Yet, once Bayan entered her life/the story.. things just kind of went downhill.

I did not like Bayan one bit. Still don't and I'm so freaking worried about what the next book might bring me. If there is ever another book. Ugh, I just feel like something should've happened but no, now she's trapped and so am I.

Maybe, just maybe, a second book could redeem everything that happened in this one.

I got this as an arc.... the first 3 chapter were incredible! They had some much detail and you could relate to the character. Then after that is became really mundane and quite boring... I thought it the book would take a different path.. I would read the second book!

So I adore Viking era stories. Which the world seems to be short of unfortunately. So this book immediately sparked my interest. It has great world building and character development, mixed in with a great romance and some adventure. I inhaled this book and I think anyone who enjoys anything Viking should give it a try.

It's rare for me to finish a book in one day, but Æva's story took me by surprise with it's raw look at moments of war, political intrigue and the honor among warriors.

From the moment Æva stumbled out of the night into the midst of three warriors, I was intrigued by the dynamics and growing relationships between them. And while she made some bad decisions due to her innocence, I could understand why the three men chose to protect her.
As Æva meets Prince Bayan, everything is beginning to change, and she must finally learn to take responsibilty for her actions because sometimes it can others cost dearly.

The worldbuilding in this book is great and every character has a distinctive voice, which added wonderful depth to everything. I especially loved the small band of the three warriors with calm Wulfram, the leader, clearly my favorite.
I hope we get a second book because the cliffhanger is brutal and I wonder what Wulfram's end goal is.
Because there's much more to him than he lets on and I have the strong feeling and hope that he has a plan...

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Partly thanks to the success of Netflix’s The Last Kingdom and History’s Vikings, the stage has been set not just for stories that take place during the creation of the English monarchy, (starting with the absorption of lesser kingdoms into three great ones, Northumbria, Mercia and Wessex), but also for stories that present this world with heroines who do not mold themselves to the damsel-in-distress cliche. Set in 862 AD, Claire Marion’s Aeva the Wild is a winner in the young adult, historical fiction world, diving straight into the bloodshed of a fragmented nation that will one day be England as it faces the onslaught of Viking hordes.

It is easy for a story of this magnitude to get lost in political explanations and battle schematics, but Marion deftly weaves a coming-of-age yarn where a young girl first survives hunger by stealing, and then has to survive the realities that, as a woman with a secret royal lineage, she will always be a pawn in the eyes of too many men. Protagonist Aeva makes split-second decisions that keep the pace moving, and there is no discomfort of having to suspend disbelief in order to ride along on this journey. The camaraderie that she initially forms with a group of battle-weary soldiers almost has a Lord of the Rings quality to it, and yet, her gender is constantly the wedge that keeps her from ever entering a real brotherhood. She is the consummate outsider who has to keep a wary eye on the decisions and reactions of others. Though she was reared in a nunnery to hide her illustrious birth, Aeva is not so innocent that she doesn’t recognize that succumbing to the advances of certain men will afford her protection in a world where there is none. Still, she possesses a sense of self-determination and cannot stop herself from falling in love, even when battles rage and outcomes force her into futures not of her own design. Luckily for readers, there will be more of this heroine’s tale to come.

Interesting viking story and a quick read.
The viking era isn't something I know a lot about, but I do enjoy stories set in that time. I wish there had been more about the vikings, we basically just learned how terrible they are as enemies, but I think in the next book we'll see more of their culture. Aeva is young and scared and doesn't know how to take care of herself. She's lucky when she stumbles across Wulfram and his guys since they feed her and take her to a village. I enjoyed their friendship and that they tried to take care of her and teach her to defend herself.

Unfortunately, Aeva gets entangled with Bayan, who wants to use her for personal gain and treats her poorly. I was definitely hoping Wulfram, Idin, and Aelric would save her and take her away somewhere. The ending is the worst cliffhanger I've read in a long time so beware! Things are completely hopeless and I'm disappointed in pretty much everyone for their choices. I hope a sequel is on it's way!

<i>I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

4.5 stars

Hold still my heart.

I could not put this book down. That's how much I loved it and how angsty the story was. I cared deeply for the characters and for Aeva, our main character who is trying to survive in this brutal world while at the same time hoping for an happy ending with the man she falls in love with. However, someone is standing between their happiness and I have no idea how they'll overcome those obstacles or if it's even possible. One thing I know for sure, I will read the sequel as soon as it's out. I really hope I won't have to wait too long to continue this series.

If you want to read a story set during the vikings era with a breath-taking romance, you need to pick up this book. It's available on kindle unlimited so you really shouldn't hesitate <3. Now be aware that this world is far from gentle and it might not be for everyone but for me, this book gave me everything that I didn't even know I needed.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an arc via Netgalley)

From the first words, this story was engaging and intriguing. I struggled to like the main character as there were times when she made choices that really frustrated me. As I got to the end, it almost felt like the back story of a villainess. The scene of this book is drive and war time and the author doesn’t pull any punches for her heroine. Although there are adult themes, this is a clean book. If you enjoy a good intrigue with more questions than answers, this would be a great book for you.

Great storyline blended with history... thoroughly enjoyed this story of Aeva and the friendships and relationships with the other characters she experienced. This is the first book in the series so the ending is definitely a cliffhanger. Can’t wait for the next one!

I loved this so much , the synopsis intrigued me so much and I was enthralled from the start. A Eva is a fabulous character, she isn’t the all strong and all knowing characters you often see, but this makes her so much more relatable and likeable. It’s a fast paced read, full of action and I found myself at the end far too soon. It unfortunately for me ends on a cliffhanger and I need the next book now. So I’m annoyed but in a good way ! It’s well written and seems well researched, as you really felt you could be back in the Viking era. An interesting and entertaining read, so much that I can’t wait for the next book

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

The story is very well written and from the start you are emerged in this cruel and barbaric world.
AEva is a sweet and shy young girl without knowledge about her true identity. She lives in a bad period of time and fights to survive. Her "luck" is that she meets three brave men who will help her. They get attached to each other but soon her "luck" changes again. This time she is noticed by a handsome man with cobalt blue eyes and her identity is revealed.
Although at first she thinks she likes him AEva soon discovers that her heart is with the three men that helped her.
But the approaching war gets near and along with it everything changes and she makes some choices that leads her to the ending.
AEva has to fight for her life, a little pathetic at this moment because she is weak and naive but I believe that in that final moments she realized that she must overcome her weaknesses and I sense (and hope) that there will be a next book and we will get to see another side of her as I am really excited to see what she will do next.

Received a copy from Netgalley.

Warning this ends in a cliff hanger which I sadly wasn't aware of so if like me you are expecting a complete story then this will slightly frustrate you. That being said it was very well written and certainly made me feel transported back to a time when Vikings arrived in England. The plucky heroine is very lucky in that she stumbles upon three soldiers who are inherently good men and they do their best to protect her from the darkness that creeps over the country. Yet Aeva suffers atrocities that are shocking and its a harsh sometimes sadistic world that she's catapulted into. There are lighter moments and Aeva is a likeable albeit naive heroine but overall the tone and certainly the ending ( which was abrupt) felt dark which reflects quite well the situation during that time.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair