Sunday, July 14, 2019

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Synopsis (via Goodreads): 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.
"It’s like that, with all of us here. Sick, strange, and we don’t know why. Things bursting out of us, bits missing and pieces sloughing off, and then we harden and smooth over."
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Wilder Girls made my skin crawl! It's been awhile since a book made me shiver. The editor's note at the beginning said, "Dig deep, though, and this novel is a brilliant feminist twist on Lord of the Flies," and I can totally see it. I vaguely remembered Lord of Flies from school, but this book made the story come rushing back.

I've been struggling with this review (and my rating), because I really loved the story, but not its conclusion. The private school (Raxter), the Tox, the mutations (humans, animals, plants), and the relationships were all amazing. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I never wanted to stop turning the pages. However, the story kept building until my mind felt like it was going to explode from the anticipation... and then it ended. There's no resolution and very few questions are answered. A few aspects are hinted at, but nothing is really confirmed or validated. I needed so much more after all that suspense and buildup. The anxiety alone was brutal.

Think about it this way... you're on the verge of an orgasm, and then your partner suddenly stops, or your vibrator decides to die. You're left feeling extremely frustrated, and probably a little angry. I loved everything that led to the story's climax, but ultimately I was left feeling unsatisfied.

There were a few inconsistencies throughout the book, but this was a review copy, so some errors are to be expected. I was mostly confused about the gate... at one point it needs a key to be opened from the inside, and then other times it only needs a key to be opened from the outside. There's also a bit at the end with the keys that felt off. If you've read a finished copy, let me know if you experienced any confusion regarding how it works.

I loved the relationships between the characters in this book, and how their dynamics shifted after the Tox. Their situation seemed to make them feel everything more strongly, and my emotions were directly tied to theirs. I disliked the "adult" presence we see throughout the book, because they're mostly dishonest and manipulative. I never knew what their intentions were, and I hated that the girls suffered because of their decisions.

The end of Wilder Girls progressed a little too quickly. I wanted more from Byatt's perspective, because even though it was choppy and disorganized, it provided a lot of clues. Additionally, the characters really struggled for most of the book, and then things conveniently clicked into place at the very end. There were no explanations, and their last encounter with the Headmistress felt weird. I almost want to re-read the last few chapters to see if I missed a major turning point. It all happened so fast!

Hetty and Reese were both really impressive characters, and they did what they had to do to survive. Their friendship felt realistic, and we see them have their ups and downs. Being quarantined on an island didn't change the fact that they were teenagers. There were fights and arguments, but even those felt intense and like lives depended on the outcome. (Side note: Hooray for some wonderful f/f representation!)

I really enjoyed the world Power created, and think it's very original and unique. I wish we had learned more about the island and how the Tox originated, but information is hard to come by. It seemed like everyone had secrets they were willing to die for, and it was interesting to see people working together but also for themselves. They needed each other to survive, but in the end people only cared about themselves and those closest to them. Lives lose their value when you get used to death, and it was heartbreaking to see what these girls had gotten used to.

I hope there's a sequel planned, because I am still fuming about the lack of an ending!


34 comments:

  1. I’ve read other reviews that mentioned the disappointing ending of this one. I’m still excited to read it, though. It sounds very unique.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. It was a wonderful reading experience! I wish there had been more resolution at the end, because now I feel like I wasted a lot of mental energy on the book. :/

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  2. Never in a million years would I have imagined I'd read the words "orgasm" and "vibrator" in a book review ๐Ÿคฃ.

    That cover is disturbing, to say the least...but also pretty? I can see the reasoning behind it though. Is it one of those books where gross things happen?

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    1. Yes! A LOT of gross things happen! The Tox causes mutations in people, animals, and plants. The author describes those mutations in incredible detail. Hetty, for example, has an eye that's sealed shut. Sometimes she can feel something slithering behind her eyelid, but she has no idea what it is, and there's no way for her to find out. I thought the variety was interesting! No two girls had the same afflictions, and the author was very creative.

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    2. Oh gosh. I can stomach gore very well, but body horror...I'll sit this one out LOL. Thanks!

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    3. It gave me literal goosebumps.

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  3. That sounds like it had a lot going on in it. Probably not the book for me but it does sound interesting.

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    1. I didn't think there was a lot going on... just a group of girls trying to survive with a mutation no one understands. There are a lot of secrets/lies, but we don't discover what those are until closer to the end. The concept is really interesting! I love the feminist spin on Lord of the Flies. It's worth looking into if you like suspense/horror.

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  4. Okay, I love the whole orgasm metaphor. LOL Sorry to hear the climax of the book wasn't great. It can really "ruin" a book if all the lead up doesn't amount to much.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. Haha! Thanks! ;) Right?? It was super suspenseful and I never wanted to stop reading, but then it ends with zero resolution. I feel like we deserve some answers after committing to an entire book. It's suuuper frustrating when a story is left without an actual ending. Like, I get that their futures are an unknown, but what about everything leading up to that point? There was so much going on behind the scenes, and we only get the briefest of glances behind the curtain.

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  5. Boo for the lac of an ending but, hopefully that means there will be at least one more right? I was really hoping this would be a good book, I came so close to picking it up LOL!

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    1. It was an excellent book, if you can ignore the lack of an ending! Everything leading up to the conclusion was tense and gruesome, but then everything stops before anything is really explained. They're literally left sitting out in the open and... nothing. It stops. If you can ignore that, go for it! :)

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  6. LOL I love your comparison. I saw this one around but I confess that I haven't tried it

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    1. I really liked the overall story! It kept me on my toes... there was just no resolution. I haaate when I commit to a book and there are no answers at the end. I don't need EVERYTHING to be explained, but some of the major points would have been nice.

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  7. I wish I could add my text emoji response here lol

    P.S. I removed this from my library hold because nope!

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. Hahaha! It was the best response! ;) I really wish it had ended differently. It went from a five-star read to somewhere between three and four.

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  8. Okay so that sounds frustrating when you put it like THAT lol. I still kinda want to read this, because school and mutations and stuff, but I will totally go in expecting to be disappointed by the end. I hate it when you don't get answers at the end of a book, especially a book like this.

    The characters sound good too, and the whole island thing w/ the Tox.

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    1. It was unbelievably frustrating, Greg! I didn't know how else to explain it, but then that popped into my head. It was the perfect example, so I used it. ;) Everything else about the story was AMAZING! I loved it! The mutations, the characters, the private school on a secluded island... all of it. But there are NO ANSWERS AT THE END. I wanted to scream. :(

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    2. I hate it when there are no answers. At least give me SOMETHING, right? Otherwise it's just rude lol.

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    3. SO RUDE! Something TERRIBLE and GROSS happens, a few words are said (that mean absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things, and then IT ENDS!

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  9. For me as a reader it would be an anticlimax. I would feel cheated of a good ending!

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    1. It was just so good up until that point, you know? I invested all of this time and energy, waiting for secrets to be revealed, and answers to be found, but it's all very vague. There are no real answers or revelations, just ----. Nothing. It stops.

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  10. It made your skin crawl - sign me up!

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  11. I've heard the same thing about the ending! Still sounds like it was good :) like you, I'd probably want that sequel!

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    1. Do you know if there's supposed to be one? I can't find anything! If you're okay with it ending without any resolution, go for it! Everything leading up to that point was fantastic.

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  12. Excellent review! I had a similar reaction to the book. There was a lot to love but I wanted so much more, and I hated the open ending. Like you, I really hope there's a sequel because I still have so many unanswered questions.

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    1. Very few questions were answered, and most were vague and confusing. Something about climate change, right? It was so frustrating!! Also, that they just left everyone else there... what was up with that??

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  13. I had no idea this is what the story was about. Thanks for the heads up! ๐Ÿ‘✨

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  14. I totally get from your review why you feel so split! It sounds like a sequel would really help make this book better. I just finished a book that is like this though more satisfying. Still there are no answers to what caused the events in the entire book and that is a bit maddening. But this time I know there is already another book in the works. ❤️ great review Lindsi

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    1. I envy the fact that your book had a satisfying conclusion, and that it's definitely being continued in the future. I'm really disappointed with how the author chose to leave readers. We had just started to learn about the Tox and what caused it, and then the story stops. I have no idea if she has plans to pick up where this one left off. :(

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  15. This is the second review of this book that I've read that said they loved the book, but not the ending. Hmmm.... I don't know if I want to take a chance on a book that I know doesn't end well...

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. It's like putting a carrot on a stick to lead a horse... the horse is never going to catch the stick, so it's cruel to make him think he can reach it. The author lured me in with an amazing story, and then simply stopped without offering any explanations.

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“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don't you know?”
― Marissa Meyer, Heartless