Wilder Girls - Becca In A Book

Summary

Byatt, Hetty, and Reese all attend Raxter School for Girls on Raxter Island. They enjoyed their time there until a pandemic hit their island home. They are forced into quarantine and one by one, the Tox takes them. However, when one of their own goes missing, they are forced to face the reality of what is really happening and that they need to get out.

My Thoughts

I saw this book on bookstagram a while and I was CAPTIVATED by the cover. I read the summary of the book and thought it would be an interesting and entertaining read. It was very interesting and I was captivated, but it was not at all what I expected. It was a very cool idea and I had so much hope for it, but it wasn’t enough. I felt there was so much stuff left out and everything was chopped into a not very filling salad.

The tone of the book was very matter of fact in my opinion. There wasn’t a lot of fluff towards anything involved and usually that would be great to me, but in this case, I NEEDED THE FLUFF! The author didn’t give much background to the characters or the world they were in and she didn’t give much explanation either. The book started in a place that could have been in the middle of the story and ended at the climax. I was so frustrated! It was good and then over way too soon and I wasn’t even being greedy!

The book world was extremely interesting to me. The overall dynamic of the school and their roles was so cool, but I didn’t get enough explanation of it all to get a true and complete picture. (I feel like I’m going to sound like a broken record because I felt like this about a LOT of aspects of this book.) The way the school operated and the different groups of jobs and procedures was so interesting and such a badass part, but we only got a glimpse and it made me sad.

The outbreak involved in the plot was THE COOLEST THING EVER! The way it responded towards its host and the symptoms involved was really interesting and completely different from anything I’ve ever read before. I thought there was definitely a connection to the symptoms characters received and their personalities. The name was also such a good title for the illness and ugh this sickness was so badass. It was also an interesting and almost a relatable read because of what is going on right now in the world. I felt there was a strong connection and a gut hit home to me, which was a little terrifying. The adults in this book have no idea what to do and how to handle the situation and the government and its agencies were also no help…. Sound familiar?

There was also a complete lack of empathy and a powerful and depressing sight of the fight and selfishness of survival. Now, this book is titled Wilder Girls and BOY DID WE GET THEM! HOLY CRAP! These girls were BLOODTHIRSTY. There were scenes where girls would betray their best friends and it was HORRIFYING! They were animals rebelling for their habitat and it was thrilling, but terrifying to read. The characters were interesting and I liked to read their differing perspectives that displayed two sides to the world, but there wasn’t enough information about them for me to feel a true connection with them. I really liked the romance elements between a lot of the couples, BUT MORE INFORMATION AND CUTE SCENES PLEASE!!!

Overall, this was such an interesting and unique concept, but could have been better well executed.