Wilder Girls Review

Title: Wilder Girls

Author: Rory Power

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Science Fiction

Trigger Warning: Body Horror, Eye Trauma, Death, Medical Torture

Rating: 5 stars

Release Date: July 9, 2019

Synopsis

It's been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty's life out from under her.

It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don't dare wander outside the school's fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.

But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there's more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.

Review

A special thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for providing a free advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am so glad that I got a chance to read this because it is amazing. I was a little nervous since horror isn't really my thing, but the descriptions were the perfect balance where I was grossed out without being overwhelmed by the descriptions. Especially as someone who is grossed out by eyes, I really liked the description that were detailed without going too extreme.

The characters are absolutely amazing, especially in contrast between their demeanor of now after surviving through this disease that mutates them and just surviving and the stories that Hetty remembers about them. There are a lot of puzzle pieces about what happened before that were really cool. Not all of my questions were answered, but the way Power drops these pieces is enough that I'm surprisingly not frustrated by all the things that don't end tied up neatly. Also, these changes of characters from before the Tox and in the present are really cool, especially because the girls all are relatable.

Also, this book is super gay. There is so much going on and the worldbuilding is amazing, but the way it's just so casually treated that many of the girls dated each other is awesome, especially because it fits not only the plot, but also the culture and acts as motivations for even minor characters. It's just so casually mentioned and it isn't a big deal except that Reese and Hetty are an adorable couple.

The plot was amazing, especially the twists. I did know that twists were coming, but I was still taken aback every time because I had no idea what they were, which is the perfect balance of suspense. It was definitely really dark, but there were moments of brightness that just made the whole thing even better.

Basically, this book was absolutely amazing and you definitely need to go read it as soon as you can. I don't even read horror and this is one of the best books I've read this year.


Have you had the opportunity to read Wilder Girls? If so, what did you think? If not, are you going to check it out?

Thanks for reading!
Alyssa