This was a beautiful, immersive novel! I struggled to get into the story at the beginning, but I really enjoyed it as the story picked up!

I wish more had been explained about the wildbloods and I really wish this hadn't been so repetitive. I struggled to get immersed in the plot and found my mind wandering. The characters come off as just there, not quite fully formed but with enough of a hint of their personalities that I wanted to know more. Just not the read for me.

This is the best first Netgalley book I could have started the year off with and partially why I stalled finished reading it a week after the pub date. I mean there's a lot going on in Wildblood that emotionally wrecked me which is the other reason it took me some time to finish this ebook ARC. It's taking everything I have in me not to go buy this one until I finish a certain amount of the books I own.

Anyways the main character Victoria is a total brave soul at eighteen with the way she uses her Wildblood skills to protect and improve those conditions for those who've become her family. Samson her friend who loves and is protective of her. And Bunny a thirteen year old that both want to keep safe. He can't control his ability of the science to control blood so instead causes harm to himself.She goes on this expedition into the dangerous jungle in Jamaica where she was stolen from at just six with the company she was forced to work, for him. More prepared , not to mention smarter than everyone. Which includes her ex best friend Dean who is supposed to lead this tour, now who she distrusts for good reason, and bunch of privileged rich from America. Including Thorn, a Black Christian ,miner and her love interest who shes conflicted to be with. Because of what he's
on the island for and taking from her only home.But he's necessary to the contrast in this book about Christianity and belief in God and morals because Victoria struggles with how he believes in his religion but is doing something immoral.

Her enemies surround her on this journey the major one being Dean, the white bosses of the tourists guide company's menntee to run it and her ex best friend. Then of course the rich tourist there with Thorn and the other Wildbloods besides Sam and Bunny who perceive her as more a threat. Bcause of her control with her ability to control her ability they all have and comfort and familiarity with the dangerous jungle. With the risks of losing becoming a leading tour guide herself she tries reason with him. To make him look good and that is the foundation of the conflict that moves fast considering the location. Victoria is trying to be reasonable in a group who lacks it. By the end I was a emotional wreck because nothing goes like expected in a place that doesn't like humans. For Victoria though it was rough and I kept going to she get her freedom after everything done and forced on her to do. It was so great to read to the end to see what she chooses to for herself after a long adventure. Definitely glad I read on until the very end because it had me curious and invested given the options she had.

I loved this story! It was super unique and enjoyable. The action was strong, The magic was unique and complex which kept me interested throughout the entire read. There were a few twists and turns that I did not see coming and I was here for it!

3.5 stars. I'm torn on this one. Yes I enjoyed it for the most part. It's beautifully written the imagery is done so well and Victoria is a great character. Then there were some aspects that weren't as good, not bad just not as enjoyable for me. I didn't like Thorn all that much, aside from his good looks I didn't find anything about him appealing. With the conflict you have man vs jungle with Victoria the only thing standing between the two. The jungle is this amazing place but so so deadly. The wildblood's abilities are so cool it's almost like water bending with blood.

First, the reader should be aware that this book contains themes that may be difficult for some people to read about. The author deals with these themes well -- displaying the horror and trauma without sensationalizing it or being unnecessarily graphic but also without shying away from the profound impact physically, mentally and emotionally of the incidents described.

The concept of wildbloods and "blood science" was an interesting one. Victoria makes a great main character. I liked her respect and reverence for the jungle, its inhabitants, and River Mumma. She also is fiercely protective of those who are most important to her, sometimes to her own detriment. The author does a great job with the tension Victoria feels towards Dean -- this guy who was her closest friend and ally for so many years but who betrayed her in one of the most brutal ways possible and has continued to engage in behavior to her detriment, yet whom she needs if she wants to make life safer for her and the other wildbloods. The author does a good job of portraying the fear and distaste of "others" that is imposed on the wildbloods by "normal" humans and how this is used to subjugate them.

My only significant criticism of the story is that Victoria's relationship with Thorn progresses too quickly, and for all her admonitions about the dangers of going into the jungle and the risks that entails (which are displayed through the steadily diminishing size of the expedition party), she is too forgiving of Thorn for ignoring her warnings and for the resulting great personal toll.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Wednesday Books for sending me this e-arc in return for an honest review.

I really wanted to get into the story, but I found the pacing of the story and writing a bit slow for me. The premise of the story I found enthralling, it was just the writing of the story I could not bring myself to keep reading.

Lauren Blackwood’s first book, Within These Wicked Walls, was my favorite book of 2021, and so I knew this one would end up on my TBR list. Though the two books are unrelated, both of them have a similar voice. With complex heroines, interesting love interests, and a touch of magic, I’m beginning to understand what to expect from a Lauren Blackwood book—and that only makes me more excited to pick up the next one. If you enjoyed her debut, I’m sure you’ll find something to love about this one, too.

There are slew of triggers to be aware of (see the author's website for a full list), and I did find some of the sexual trauma difficult to read, though it was handled well and depicted the complexity of recovery and how it is often non-linear. Enslavement and colorism also play an important part in this book, and though it is tough to witness everything Victoria goes through on a daily basis, I appreciate that the author didn’t shy away from the realities of the time. On the flipside, there are moments of community and genuine love that give both the reader and the main character hope for the future.

I love reading stories about enchanted forests. There is something inherently magical about nature, and Wildblood takes it still further, forcing us to question whether we find the jungle terrifying or mesmerizing. With Victoria leading the way, it’s hard not to see its beauty, though this book is not without tragedy. The jungle cannot be tamed, and even though the River Mumma favors the main character, she cannot always convince the jungle to spare her charges. Though I enjoyed the romance and Victoria’s inner monologue, the setting was what initially drew me to the story, and it’s what kept my attention the whole way through. With spine-tingling twists, high stakes, crushing blows, and euphoric peaks, I had no trouble devouring this book from start to finish. My only wish is that we might visit the jungle again to uncover more of its secrets.

So I went into this story expecting a fast paced adventure full of magic and suspense but that was not what this was. Maybe if I had not been expecting something else Wildblood would have been great, but that was not how this played out. Instead this was a very slow angsty read, with lots of hard topics like sexual and physical assault, human trafficking, death, repression, betrayal, and all kinds of violence in general... Overall it was a pretty dark read that should definitely come with warnings.

I was also not a fan of the insta-love relationship, which was legit based on nothing but basic physical attraction (which is called lust, not love, but anyway). The main character and her love interest basically become devoted to each other within 2 days with no depth and spend the rest of the story professing their love and using pet names. It was a lot, but I am sure others will enjoy the over the top-ness of the two.

There were also lots of occasions where things were assumed as if the reader was aware of the situation, backstory or supernatural creatures (and heck maybe other readers are but I was not) so I felt confused and disconnected a lot. I will admit that I am still not 100% certain what exactly a Wildblood is or what they can do even after reading the book.
This is a standalone novel with a very bittersweet ending that on one hand I was glad for and on the other I wanted to rage that this was how everything wrapped up?!

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. There were times that I found it fast paced and peaking my interest. There were other times that it felt repetitive and monotonous. I am never a fan of instant love and unfortunately that seem to be prevalent in this book. I also found the ending to be somewhat anti-climactic. At the end of the day, I felt myself wanting more from the story.

I really like her first book that was a spin off Jane Eyre but this one just didn’t grab me like that one did. The story felt very repetitive and honestly I ended up more confused and with more questions. However or despite all that the jungle was such a unique idea! The creatures that live there and the jungle were soo interesting.

Inhaled this audiobook so fast that my dreams were all narrated with a Jamaican accent.

I have mad respect for how Blackwood writes her heritage into books you can tell mean a lot to her. First there was the Ethiopian Jane Eyre retelling, and now we have a Jamaican jungle adventure. Wildblood is chockful of jungle spirits and monsters--of the animal and human variety--that made this an incredibly compelling story to read.

Victoria is one heck of a character that I really liked. She wants nothing more than to escape to the jungle she is paid to take tourists and travelers through, but while she gets to spend days beneath its canopy, she cannot be a part of it as she once was. Stuck in a job that will not set her free, she is fully at the mercy of a boss who will never respect her as a Black woman. She is the best Wildblood the company has and knows the jungle like no other, and she's stronger than me. I was *losing* it at some of the people she was escorting for being so damn stupid lol they deserved what they got.

The villains of this story holding Victoria down were many, and I honestly think it's what made this book as strong as it was. Dean is a force Victoria can't quite get past. The history between them is incredibly deep and painful and reading about it is really what cracked Victoria open as a person for me to understand who she is. Too many men tried to knock her down a peg and I loved how she held her own despite being quiet and vulnerable.

I confess, I'm still not sure what a Wildblood is. Victoria is one, as are all the other guides in the company, but I feel as though the proper explanations of who they are and what they can do never came up. They can shape weapons from blood, but is that all? What is the rage we're warned about? Why do they have to work in pairs? Either I wasn't paying close enough attention or it just wasn't there. As such, I don't think it served the story as well as it could have.

The ending though! Gah, I could cry because if that had landed this would have been five stars for me. I had such a good time that I could have ignored every other issue I had. It got from point A to the point B I wanted, but the execution was lacking. I'm not sure if that was what the author wanted or if she was rushed, but it was quite disappointing. I literally said "wait, that's it?" when it ended. So yeah, it's the right ending but it needs a re-do for me.

Wildblood is a book that oozes atmosphere from the very ink on the pages. From the concept of being a Wildblood and the magic from their blood all the way to the dangerous and deadly powers of the forest. I was transfixed from the beginning. Victoria works as a tour guide for tourists - mostly white sightseers - to experience "the jungle". And while she is certainly paid, there's nothing fair about her working conditions, nor those around her and their forced imprisonment in the compound.

So immediately, we are all on Victoria's side. And you just wait. Wildblood is a story which works so well because it's centered on Victoria. On her struggle, her trauma, her story, her agency. The tension is palpable from the beginning. Always trying to just survive, she's on the brink of living, on a chance out, but to get it, she will have to compromise everything she ever thought and just might not make it out alive.

This book was breathtakingly beautiful.. Seriously, I've never wanted to live in a deadly, haunted jungle more than I did while reading WILDBLOOD. I get frustrated by Blackwood's plots at times, becuase they do seem to meander more than I would prefer (which may be a personal pacing preference, rather than a genuine critique of the novel itself, I know), but when it comes to worldbuilding she seldom misses the mark.

I gave this a one out of five stars. I had issues reading this. I didn’t like the writing style. I didn’t care about any of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of this eARC for review.

This was a beautiful story, sad and tragic, and entirely unexpected. I expected less magic, and was pleasantly surprised at the magical quality of the jungle. I love that we got small pieces of Victoria’s history and that it didn’t all come at once (and not easily).

This was quick and easy to read, but had enough meat to the story to be an enchantingly descriptive read while also containing a story that spoke of hardship and sacrifice. Despite the quickness and ease, this story was not fluff.

Wildblood
Lauren Blackwood
Wednesday Books
Pub. Date 7 Feb
YA

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.


Blackwood's latest work is the story of Victoria, a wildblood, practically imprisoned and forced to work for a "travel company." This story has a lot of complex themes: slavery, rape, abuse, death, supernatural, gore, immature romance, and a few others.

There is a lot of fantastic world building in this book. The jungle beautifully comes to life through Blackwood's imagery. Give me more about what happens in this jungle between its inhabitants and I will gladly read it for days. The power and magic that Victoria has and displays is an interesting concept. The idea of this book is also really great, but the execution seemed to missed for me.

The narration is repetitive, seriously how many times can an author use the prose "kiss my teeth", and the protagonist is the most confusing character. Her trauma has prevented her from understanding basic relationships outside of the jungle, and there is no growth or understanding that comes from this, yet readers are suppose to feel for her, root for her, or want to read about her. I kept putting this one down and almost dreading having to come back and finish it.

This one really wasn't for me. I had enjoyed Blackwood's previous book and wanted to like this one. I can see the appeal for others, and I will recommend others to read it.

While the book summary is usually a great help in figuring out what to expect with a book, the summary for Wilfblood barely scratches the surface of this complex story. Much like her debut novel, Within These Wicked Walls, the author beautifully weaves a gripping, tension-filled story with a complex romantic subplot and the protagonist’s inner struggle between what she wants and what is right. Despite the length of the book, the attention-grabbing plot makes for a quick read for any lover of fantasy.

The main character, Victoria, is an excellent narrator throughout the book. She’s strong, but not without flaws, and even though she’s met with one daunting obstacle after another, she remains grounded in her beliefs and confident in her abilities as a wildblood. The author does a great job at doling out pieces of backstory slowly so the reader has to pay attention to subtle hints before the full extent of her trauma is revealed. The supporting characters, including Victoria’s love interest, the rich and powerful Mr. Thorn, are all complex and multi-dimensional, making for some intriguing interactions and development as the story progresses.

One of the things I loved most about Within These Wicked Walls was the richly developed world and the haunting creates that reside in it. And while I’ve never been one for horror, Wildblood accomplishes this goal even better by introducing some terrifying spirits to haunt the jungle and chilling backstories that will stay lodged in the reader’s mind long after the book closes. Beyond the spirits, the author has done an amazing job incorporating real-world elements from early 1900’s American and Jamaican culture with the magical settling to create something very unique and exciting to explore.

Last year, I had the pleasure of reviewing Within These Wicked Walls, Lauren Blackwood’s debut novel. And I’m excited to report that Blackwood’s sophomore novel exceeded the expectations she set with her first. I absolutely loved the protagonist, Victoria, who is simultaneously tough and compassionate, eager to find moments of love in her otherwise bleak life. The story was compelling and I read through the story within a matter of days without realizing it. But the thing that shined through the most for me, was the richly developed world, with unique monsters, real-world elements, and poignant social commentary. I highly recommend this book to any fans of dark YA Fantasy.

3.5 stars

This was a bit different from what I was expecting, but I'm still glad I read it. I really liked many of the characters, including the jungle itself, and the Jamaican folklore was quite interesting, although I'm not sure how much was incorporated into this story. Victoria herself was also a strong character and I liked learning about her past and her strong ties with the jungle that no one else seemed to have. Her desire to protect those she loved made her seem "soft" by other people's standards, but it was one of her strengths.

The attraction between her and Thorn seemed to happen way too quickly (from their initial look) and even knowing that he would listen to her only to a point didn't seem to change this for her. It didn't help that she had still never truly processed what had happened to her the previous year with Dean and the boss man. Still, there were moments between them that I enjoyed, as he worked to process what had happened to her and when she was able to glimpse into his own past pain. Some of those connections were beautifully written.

The plot itself was not really intricate, despite some of the past history that made its way into the story. Pretty much the whole story was Wildblood slaves being charged to bring some wealthy Americans into a dangerous jungle to search for gold. Most don't survive. But this was a story where it was not really about the plot as it was about Victoria (and the Wildbloods as a whole) and her connection to nature.

However, the ending was exactly right and really saved it for me. It was a bit abrupt, but it was still what needed to happen.

After finishing this, I am curious enough to check out the author's first book, and have already requested it from the library.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The whole premise of Wildblood is very cool. And I do love a survival story! I mostly enjoyed this one, save for a few issues, so let's break it down!

The Good:

►Like I said, the premise was definitely unique and kept me entertained. I personally love a "let's survive in the messed up wilderness" story, so that was a huge win. I also liked that it was an island/jungle type setting, because it felt quite unique!

►Very high stakes. I mean, I didn't know if anyone was making it out of this mess alive, let's be real. The author did a great job illustrating that the wilderness was not kind, and that this journey was going to prove harrowing at best, deadly at worst.

►The atmosphere was great. Speaking of a tropical setting being great, this one was on point. The desperately terrifying wilderness, the animals, the whole thing.

►I really liked Victoria as a character. Her life was far from charmed, being held captive as a guide at this messed up tour company. Every day was a struggle to survive, and she had been treated quite brutally over the years. She had her close friends and those she cared for, but she also had been betrayed by some folks and wasn't sure who she could trust. Neither could the reader, which made the journey all the more precarious.

The Not-As-Good:

►I have seen some reviews saying that the writing was repetitive, and this is a good way to put it. I, on the other hand, wrote notes in my Kindle notes like "how many times can a person 'kiss their teeth'"?! Because I started highlighting them, got to seven times the phrase was used, then got bored but I promise it was a whole lot more. And I don't even really understand what it means, but please feel free to picture me trying to make faces that might look like kissing one's teeth in an attempt to figure it out. Anyway, my point is, it started to really grate on me.

►I know a lot of people really liked the ending. I am not one of those people. This is absolutely a personal issue, and may not be a problem for you, so take it with a grain of salt. (view spoiler)

Bottom Line: A really unique premise in an atmospheric setting with a strong main character made this one an overall win.