I think I found one of my new favorite books of the year! This had everything I am looking for in a YA book--it was just such a satisfying read!

This was such a fantastic read! The synopsis sounded really intriguing, were these girls actually these princesses, or was the guy they called Mother crazy? Set in a backdrop of these wild girls now in society, and all the rules, written and unwritten, the social mores, and the misogyny, yeah, I loved it!

I didn't realize right away, but this book is narrated by all of these girls, and a few others, plus a few transcripts, and book excerpts that came together to furnish the full picture. To see how each girl was struggling with their new life, loved it!

We know something happened with Rhi, and her stepbrother. We knew she didn't want to go back to her dad and stepmother. Adding in the trigger warnings, and I had a good idea of what had happened, but it still hurt, finding out all the details, that she'd been through that.

There are some unanswered questions at the end of this book, about if it was really real, who Mother was, and how they ended up with him. But that just added to the atmosphere of this book, where those questions had been lingering since the beginning! So I really enjoyed where we left these characters.

Loved reading this book and I'd love to read more by Madeline Claire Franklin!

This was a very uniquely written book and in a world where i feel like i have read a lot of the same books, this one doesnt fall into that category.

The Wilderness of Girls by Madeline Claire Franklin is a captivating story about teen Eden, who renames herself 'Rhi' to start fresh after her father's imprisonment and her stepmother's abandonment. Living with her Uncle Jimmy, a Ranger, Rhi discovers four girls in the forest, one trapped in a bear trap. The girls, who claim to be princesses from another land, believe Rhi is their lost sister.

As the girls struggle to adapt to the modern world, their bond weakens, and Rhi's own life begins to fall apart with her father's impending release. Despite the allure of a magical kingdom, it may not solve her problems.

The book is beautifully written, exploring themes of trauma and resilience. The audiobook, narrated by Rebecca Soler, brings the story to life with compelling narration. Soler's performance adds depth to the characters and keeps you hooked.

Narrated by Rebecca Soler
Audiobook rating : 5 stars
Book rating : 4 stars


I will start with praise for the audiobook and narrator. This was one of the best experience I had , I was hooked from the minute the audiobook started till the end. It seldom happens. Many a times I zone out and audiobook keeps on playing in the background and I have to rewind to understand what was happening. This did not happen with this book.

Now coming to the book, it's a debut novel but it doesn't feel like one how the prose and the storyline flows smoothly. I must congratulate Madeline Claire Franklin for the beautiful experience that this book offered which was beyond words.

There are moments the book where it was slow but most book was full of adrenaline pumped up scenes and the narrator did amazing job while narrating those. I wish the end was little better but it was satisfactory. The book starts with Eden's story which later gets intertwined with story of wild girls she stumbled upon while working as a ranger.

There are some things which are left unanswered, which left me feeling a little bereft, otherwise everything, almost everything about this book was perfect.

Thank you dreamscape select | zando young readers and Netgalley for the wonderful ALC in exchange of an honest review.

This was a strong YA debut that might be better read by older teens since it addresses some pretty dark topics. That said, I liked the Children of the wolf by Jane Yolen vibes to this story about Rhi, an orphan girl working as a Ranger with her uncle who discovers a pack of four "wilderness girls" who have been living with wolves. When she brings them back to civilization the media circus that results gets out of hand and Rhi is determined to discover more about the girls' cult-like past. Good on audio and perfect for anyone looking for something a little darker with deeper undercurrents. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Narrated by Rebecca Soler ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
by Madeline Claire Franklin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was beautiful!

Magic with a dark side to it that constantly makes you second guess what you think you know throughout the book.

I really loved it and can't tell you enough how many people I've been recommending this too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was powerful and so moving. I really enjoyed the journey these young women went on to discover themselves and how to adapt to society. The way that magic was incorporated was really well done as it felt like the magic could have been real and yet there was a question in my mind as to if that magic was real. The terror I felt for the wild girls was crazy and I really enjoyed their characters and how they learned to survive and to go on with all that they had endured. This was a great book and left me breathless.

4.5 stars. I loved this one. Really dark themes, that you hope aren’t true, and almost believe aren’t true because of how much the girls believe in something else. Borders on fantastical, and I loved the grittiness that was lined with magic even the reader starts to believe.

I tried to listen to this audio multiple times before it was archived but was unable to get into the story and due to that was unable to finish before it was taken down.

"The Wilderness of Girls" is by Madeline Claire Franklin is a young adult fiction novel and her debut novel. Honestly, it's pretty intense, and I think it's more of an adult novel.

Rhi is not in a good family situation at first. Her uncle takes her in, and she is able to start over. On her job scouting in the wilderness, she finds a group of four girls who have been living in the wild. They are dirty and wearing animal skins. One has been injured with an animal trap on her leg. Two big wolves are guarding the girls. Rhi calls for help, and they are taken to the hospital.

The wild girls all believe that they are princesses from different lands who are destined to go to Leutheria to save it from some evil. And they think Rhi is their missing 5th sister. They can do some magic, so it might be called magical realism.

It is a well written book, but it might make you cry. There is a lot of darkness in this book. See the trigger warnings in the description. Note my scores below.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 5/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 3/5
Narration - 5/5 by Rebecca Soler
Cover - 3/5
Overall - 35/8 = 4 3/8 rounded to 4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Select/Zando Young Readers, and Madeline Claire Franklin for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This reminded me of "The Grace Year" in the best way possible! I loved this unique story and will definitely be recommending it to young adult patrons in the future.

This is an original idea and an ambitious one. The story starts off strong, then slows down dramatically before picking up again at the tail end. Honestly a good quarter of the book couple probably have been cut out. If you’re willing to put up with such a slow pace and some ambiguity, it is an interesting read. It is important to note there are some trigger warnings including sexual abuse, suicide and cannibalism. Given those incidents, this is probably suited for older YA readers. The themes, although heavy, are very well portrayed. The characters and their relationships as sisters, friends and more is the cornerstone of this book. I really liked all the characters equally too, there wasn’t one that stood out among the others in terms of keeping my interest. Readers will grapple with fantasy vs reality with one, and a lot is left up to interpretation. This novel isn’t for everyone, but those who really buy into the parallels it presents will find value in the stories told.

Audiobook Title: Wilderness of Girls
Author: Madeline Claire Franklin
Genre: Teen/YA
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Rebecca Soler
Publisher: Dreamscape Select/Zando Young Readers
Pub Date was: June 11, 2024
Star Rating: 3.6 rounded up
Pages: 276

Story features teen Eden who was placed in the foster care of her uncle Jimmy when her father was sent to prison and her step-mother abandoned her. Her mother died some years ago and Uncle Jimmy is her younger brother.
She decides in order to start a new beginning she needs to change her name; now calls herself 'Rhi' as in Rhiannon. Rhi is helping her Uncle who is a Ranger at the Happy Valley Wildlife Preserve when one day while walking in the forest she stumbles upon a pack of wolves guarding four girls one of which has been caught in a bear trap and Rhi is able to get her released. Rhi gains their trust and calls her uncle regarding the situation and he requests EMTs to get there immediately. All the girls are taken to the hospital to be examined. The girls reveal they are princesses from another land, raised by a magical prophet they call Mother. They have told Rhi they lived in a castle are convinced that Rhi is their lost fifth sister so is also a princess.

The girls are of various ages and ethnicities find that they cannot cope with the modern world. Their strong sisterhood is falling apart. One of girls finds out that she has a twin sister and that she had been stolen as an infant. The sisters begin to drift apart.
Things start to fall apart for Rhi as well. As her father is being released and although she would like to feeing to a magical kingdom if just might not solve her problems.

Story was a quick read. Certainly not what I was expecting but I enjoyed it.

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Select/Zando Young Reader for granting me this audio.
Publishing Release Date was June 11, 2024.

When Rhi's father is arrested and her stepmom vanishes shortly thereafter, she's sent to live with her uncle Jimmy. She takes a job at the Happy Valley Wildlife Preserve where she makes a startling discovery, four feral girls raised in the wild by someone they call Mother. The girls are an overnight sensation but struggle to adapt to a civilized world, and they turn to Rhi for guidance.

I didn't expect this book to affect me quite the way it did. This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story. On the surface you have what seems to be a fantasy story, but underneath, not too far beneath the surface is an exploration of trauma and grief, how women bury their pain to appear strong for the world around them. At times this book is a difficult read, but I think the story is so necessary. And that's all I can say without spoilers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Rebecca Soler was a great narrator as always, and I definitely recommend this book (just read the content warnings first).

I don't typically go for YA books but for some reason this one was calling to me so I dove in and I was not disappointed. Our FMC, Rhi is sent to live with her uncle after her dad is sent to jail and she ends up working at the Happy Valley Wildlife Preserve. While in the woods one day she comes across some feral looking girls, one who is severely wounded and stuck in a bear trap. Luckily she is able to get them help and eventually earns their trust. As the story goes on, she learns that the girls believe they have magic and that they’re princesses from another world. Rhi doesn't know what to believe and neither will you after hearing the girls stories and beliefs.

This story is poignant and raw and honest and it's quite the trip.

The audiobook narrated by Rebecca Soler is wonderfully done and she captures the feelings of the story well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select | Zando Young Readers for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I am not sure what to rate this one. I had high expectations based on the blurb but after finishing the book I was left disappointed. The beginning was great, the mystery behind the girls in the woods was intriguing but after they were rescued everything slowed down for me. I lost interest in the story until we discovered shocking details about Rhi past at the end. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad book but I didn’t think it was great either. Just OK for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Select and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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

Wow. I absolutely loved this book. This book was so good. I loved how the emotions felt by the characters were described and how they felt so raw and deep. The subject matter of this book is something that could be very difficult for those that have experienced trauma, but what I appreciated about this book was how the author brought the girls together to help one another heal. They shared in their experiences and their pain in order to help them find a way through.

A wonderful debut. I cannot wait to see what else this author produces in the future.

This book was the perfect combination of fantasy and nightmare and the author did a very good job of showing how society treats those who it willfully forgets until they emerge from the abyss in such a public way.

Rebecca Soler did a great job with this narration, especially with so many characters, and varying degrees of character development.

Four feral teenage girls were found in the woods. They'd been raised by a man that they only referred to as "mother," and believe they are princesses destined to cross through a portal and save their kingdom. The story becomes a media sensation overnight. Who are they? Were they kidnapped? Do their beliefs hold any validity? Who was mother? These are the questions everyone is seeking answers to as the girls adjust to life in the real world.

I was very intrigued and enjoyed the concepts of this book. It had a lot of metaphorical themes that possibly went a little over my head at times. The book focused in on the girls and what they were thinking and feeling as they adjusted to their lives. It wasn't so much that they had to adapt to societal norms, but more the inner turmoil of having to determine if everything they had been raised to believe was a lie.

Rhi is the teenager who found the girls and forms an instant bond with them. She is drawn into their ideas that she may be the 5th sister that was prophesized to appear right before the portal to their kingdom opens. Rhi is grappling with her own personal issues and caught between living in reality and wanting desperately for this other world to exist.

I am a true crime lover at heart, and my only disappointment with this book is that we didn't get any answers or closure on the answers surrounding the girls' origins or who "mother" was.

Overall, it was not what I was expecting, but still quite enjoyable.