I loved this book. I was very skeptical because of how much hype this has received even before it's release date.

I will warn you that there are a lot of characters mentioned. I made it 17% of the way through the book and had no idea which character was which so I started over and wrote down all the characters and their traits as I came across them. I did this for the first quarter of the book and came up with 21 different characters. After that the name dropping slowed down and the story started to progress with just the main characters.

I am a sucker for boarding school with secrets trope. The main characters are very developed and felt like real people, The atmosphere of the book was so creepy and ominous. I could just picture the school in my mind like a movie. I really enjoyed the writing and the main plot of the story.

I was intrigued from beginning to end and would highly recommend this book.

Wow. What a crazy book. The writing of this was absolutely beautiful and powerful. So many passages read like poetry. This was hard to read at times, because of the sheer gruesomeness of the scenes. This book will def not be for everyone and is not for the faint of heart. There was more mystery to the story than I expected, which I totally loved. I enjoyed the character development and the feminist tones. What a powerful novel!

Read to 45% before skipping to 80% and reading the rest.

This was a book I was very excited for. I loved that synopsis and the cover and I’ve heard nothing but good things from people I trusted. Sadly, it was bit disappointing for me.

I liked Hetty and Byatt and Reese well enough. I liked their almost camaraderie and how all of the girls bonded together like packs. There’s a good amount of violence and confusion and Hetty’s inner monologue reflects that. It was a bit of a struggle to settle into her side of the story. Byatt’s chapters were much better.

Plot wise, it was boring and intriguing at the same time. The writing was choppy and disjointed. My main complaint is that I wanted to be shown things, not told. The entire narrative was tell tell tell. I will say, I loved the imagery of the things happening, especially the density of forest and the effects of the Tox.

Overall, I wanted to like this so so so much. I did enjoy the very abrupt ending and how things played out; however, it wasn’t enough to get me to go back and read the section of story I skipped.

**Huge thanks to Delacorte Press for providing the arc free of charge**

Summary
Over a year ago, a disease they call Tox took over the island - affecting both the Raxter Girls and the island itself. Now the animals, plants, and girls have morphed into something more vicious. The girls that are still left are different - they have abnormalities: second hearts, spines, scales, etc.
Quarantined to the island, they rely on each other and measly rations from the nearby Navy base. Who has promised to find a cure - as long as no breaks quarantine.

Overview
This is written in dual POV's. Mostly from Hetty's point of view with a few chapters from Byatt. The writing is this is wonderful - Power gives such unique voices/styles to both POVs.

This book is dark and gritty. It definitely gets pretty descriptive during some of the more gruesome scenes so that is something to consider before picking this up. It is however, not at all scary. So don't let the "horror" genre deter you away.

Content Warnings: Body disfigurement, Graphic violence, Gore, Death of a parent, Animal death, Suicide, Self Harm, Starvation, Non-Consensual medical research*

*Some of these were taken from Rory Power's webpage

What I Liked
1. The themes is in this are so subtle and beautifully woven throughout this story. I think this book is so important and touches on some really timely and necessary things. This book at its core, is an allegorical, feminist novel - the "liar" losing her voice, the island trying to "better" the girl's bodies but instead is slowly killing them. This story felt so much like a modern classic and is a book I could see being read and dissected in classrooms.
2. The writing in this was beautiful and absolutely captivating. I will for sure read whatever Rory Power releases next. I loved the juxtaposition of the prose in Hetty's chapters versus the disjointed, choppy nature of Byatt's. It really captured their situations and mental states perfectly. I thought it was a wonderful style choice and really drew me in.

What I Didn't Like
1. I didn't feel anything for these characters. I felt like we never really got to know any of them so as characters were dying/being killed, I felt nothing. I never got emotionally connected to anyone. Which wouldn't bother me if the plot could stand on it's own. However...
2. There was no real plot. This book meandered and became really repetitive. I just never really felt like it had a direction until the very end. Which leads me to..
3. The ending. This was hands down the most open, unsatisfying ending I've ever read. I needed something - explanation, closure, commentary, anything.
4. On their own, I don't mind an open end, or a slow plot, or unlikeable/non-relatable characters. In fact a lot of books I love contain these things. However, having all 3 at one time made this book feel underwhelming. There just wasn't anything for me to latch onto - no plot, no characters, no dramatic reveals. It was just a flat story - despite being beautifully written with important subject matter.

Overall, this fell short for me. However, I will absolutely be picking up whatever Rory Power releases next.

I'm devastated by the fact that I won't be able to finish this book & that's for a number of reasons:

1) There's ownvoices sapphic rep here and as a lesbian reader, I'm always interested in that.
2) The cover itself sold me on the book, not gonna lie, it's absolutely gorgeous & I'm in love.
3) The writing is so! good! I only managed about 5% of the book, sure, but what I have read was amazing. The narrative is in first person which usually is a turn off for me, but here it works perfectly. I already adore Hetty and it's been just a few moments.

So what's up? Why am I dropping this book instead of marveling in the great prose till the end?

Well, you see... I was aware that Wilder Girls was described from the very start as body horror, but somehow I thought "hey, that's nothing!". Somehow I thought I can handle it, while I can't even look at my own arm when I'm donating blood at the hospital.

Turns out, I really can't!!!!

It seems like a genuinely good book! I'm just a weak baby and I'm so, so sorry about that. I wish it wasn't so.

5/5 stars
I was not expecting to love this book, but I totally did. This book was super intense, and I did not expect that at all. Wilder Girls is a feminist horror that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. The main mystery of the book (what is the Tox and how it appeared) is revealed in bits and pieces without you really knowing it until all the pieces snap into place at the very end. I honestly had no idea where this book was going or what was going to happen the entire time. It’s a bit of a first for me, since I can usually predict most plot points. I really liked all the characters. They were each complex and multi-faceted, and I really enjoyed their interaction. Also, all the characters in the book have super original and unique names (i.e. Hetty, Reese, Byatt) and I appreciated that. In the end, this book left me with so many questions and I hope that Rory Power revisits this world in the future, because a girl’s gotta know what happens. I NEED ANSWERS.

FULL REVIEW

Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Publication Date: July 9th, 2019

When I initially requested this book, I was interested and mildly intrigue by the unique strangeness of it all. I was not expecting to love Wilder Girls, but I totally did. This book is super intense, and I did not see that coming at all. Wilder Girls is a feminist horror that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. The main mystery of the book (what is the Tox and how it appeared) is revealed in bits and pieces without you really knowing it until all the pieces snap into place at the very end. It was the most satisfying snap of the year (Avengers joke, I’m sorry). I’m going to try to keep this review on the short side, because I don’t want to give away any spoilers on accident.

What I Liked:
- THE MYSTERY. UGH. I don’t know what it is about Rory Power’s writing, but the way things are revealed is perfect. You don’t even know that you know until the very end. It was such a satisfying reveal.
- I really enjoyed the setting. The entire story takes place on an isolated island under quarantine. Since the island and its inhabitants are invested with the Tox, the same locations are used more than once, but Rory Power keeps the setting from feeling repetitive, almost like the its being altered by the Tox as well.
- This book surprised me at every turn. I had no idea how any of the pieces connected and I had so many theories. I was constantly trying to beat the book to the punch, and this time I totally failed (and I loved it). There’s nothing quite like being blind-sided by a good twist.
- I really liked all the characters. They were each complex and multi-faceted, and I really enjoyed their interactions.
-Also, all the characters in the book have super original and unique names (i.e. Hetty, Reese, Byatt) and I appreciated that.
- Rory Power’s writing is enchanting. She paints an extravagantly graphic picture on every page (more on this later), and absolutely pulls you in to the story.

What I Didn’t Like:
- The graphic writing combined with the gory subject matter didn’t always sit well with me. I do think I gagged a few times and had to skim a section or two, but it was worth it. If you have a stronger stomach than I, you’ll fly through this. (Trigger & Content Warnings for WG will be included at the end of the review.)

Recap:
Wilder Girls was a total change of pace for me, and it surprised the hell out of me. It was actually in the top spot of favorite books of the year for a few weeks before Red, White and Royal Blue bumped it to #2 (Sorry Rory). (Shouty RW&RB review here.) One thing I loved about WG is that all the imagery is so vivid and realistic that you get enraptured with the story and kind of, sort of lose track of time (well, at least I did). Ultimately, Wilder Girls is an elaborate mystery filled with damaged girls, fierce friends, grotesque mutations, and the strength to survive. I really can’t recommend this book enough. I've been shouting at people about it for months. I know Wilder Girls is a standalone, but I do hope that Rory revisits this world soon. I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS, OKAY?! But honestly, I will probably read anything Rory writes from now on. I am Rory Power Trash. Ready to join the club?

5/5 stars

xoxo, bree

*Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*


Trigger and Content Warnings:
Graphic violence and body horror. Gore.
On the page character death, parental death, and animal death, though the animals are not pets.
Behavior and descriptive language akin to self harm, and references to such.
Food scarcity and starvation. Emesis.
A scene depicting chemical gassing.
Reference to suicide and suicidal ideation.
Non-consensual medical treatment.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2019, and I thought it was going to be spooky, gay perfection, but I had such a hard time getting invested in it. The short of it is that I can't seem to connect to the characters, there's not nearly enough explanation of the Tox to satisfy my little horror-fiending soul, and too much of what's gone down doesn't make sense within the parameters of the story. This will be great for a lot of readers, just not me.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was excited to read this, but right off the bat I was put off by the writing style and the vagueness about what was going on. I didn't finish it because I got bored and it didn't feel like an engaging plot was going to emerge.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power seems to be as standalone young adult horror tale, which is one reason my rating isn’t higher. When finished with this one I felt it was still missing something along the way which might slide if it was only the opener of a series.

The story is set on an island off the U.S. coast that is home to the Raxter School for Girls. This isolated boarding school had become overran with a virus a few years before the beginning of the book leading them to be quarantined by the CDC and the Navy with only just enough supplies dropped to maintain those left on the island.

Three of the students left at the school have become extremely close friends with two of the girls, Hetty and Byatt, swapping the point of view a few times during the story. After two years of isolation the girls have come to be familiar with the Tox and horrors of the island so when one of their own is taken they go to any length for answers.

I have to say there are a lot of others out there rating this one rather high so I may just be a case of it’s more me than the book that was at a three. Starting out I thought the beginning could have done a better job with the backstory. Instead of just telling the now I would have preferred being shown and pepper in some more details to the past. The horror side is one of shock and awe at the events instead of a scarier vibe which is fine but again I wanted a tad more. And then, I also felt that overall if you change the details I could have read this a few times before in other books and wanted the characters and story to stand out on their own a bit more.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I have had an eARC of this book for a while now, but recently I have started to see this book everywhere, so I decided it was time to read it. I don't read a lot of dystopian or horror novels, but I am really glad that I wound up reading this one. Wilder Girls is set at an all girls boarding school, which is a setting that I really love in books. I really enjoyed the relationships between the girls in this story as they take care of each other and fight just to survive. It is a novel about a deadly contagious disease that they call the Tox, but it also focuses on female relationships and loyalty.

The idea behind this story really fascinated me. I have watched many movies and read several books where a contagious disease breaks out and people either get sick or have to struggle to stay alive in the world after. A lot of these kinds of stories wind up being about zombies and feel like fiction or they are about real diseases. Wilder Girls felt like a fresh take on an idea that is used a lot in science fiction or dystopian novels. The Tox is a unique disease where each of the teenage girls suffers different side effects. One girl has webbed hands, another grew a second spine, one has blisters all over and another grew silvery scales on one hand. The disease itself feels wild and is vividly described in a way that is both fascinating and horrifying.

The characters were pretty well developed. Bits of them are revealed by the things that they share and the things that they keep to themselves when they are isolated and only have each other. I love the close friendships between Hetty, Byatt and Reese and how they take care of each other and depend on one another through rough times. As a main character I found Hetty to be admirable because she was so loyal to her friends. The world in the book is so harsh, yet these girls know they can depend on each other and I absolutely loved reading about their relationships.

The writing also really made this book shine. The descriptions of the different ways the Tox effected people were so vivid that I could easily picture them. There wasn't non-stop action, but I didn't want to set it down and devoured it in less than a day. The ending was so intense that I couldn't read it fast enough. Wilder Girls was so different and interesting. This is a book that I know will stick with me for a long time just because of the descriptions. I was completely shocked to find out that this was Rory Power's debut novel, but I will watch out for anything she comes out with next.

I’ll be up-front with you about this one: horror fiction is not my thing. I can count on my fingers how many horror movies I’ve enjoyed, and that list would literally just be Pan’s Labyrinth and, like, What We Do in the Shadows because I generally don’t like horror.

However, I recognize that this is a genre preference and try not to let my reviews for queer horror reflect that. That being said, this is a well-written novel. If you love horror stories with feminist themes a la The Yellow Wallpaper, this is definitely one to check out. It has a dark, atmospheric aesthetic and involves just as much psychological horror as it does jump scares.

And this book is truly scary. The girls don’t know what’s causing the toxin – whether it’s a disease, poison, or radiation – but it’s almost better for those infected to die rather than stay alive. Their bodies and minds change in ways that are both unsettling and somewhat allegorical. I thought this would be a zombie apocalypse book when I first picked it up, but it’s much more devastating and complex than that.

A lot of promos I saw for this book pitched it as a sapphic take on Lord of the Flies. I would say that’s a fair description. The setting is a girl’s boarding school and features several LGBT characters. Though if you’re looking for a happy queer rom-com, this definitely isn’t it.

Eighteen months ago, Raxter was a respectable girls' boarding school on a picturesque island off the coast of Maine. Then came the Tox. What the Tox doesn't kill outright, it warps into monstrousness. Mutant crabs. Carnivorous deer. Teenage girls covered in scales, sores, or pulsating growths. The government promises they're working on a cure, but sends just enough supplies to stave off starvation. The last two surviving adults are barely maintaining order. Through it all, Hetty clings to her friends Reese and Byatt with a fierce, nearly feral, love. Unabashedly disturbing, claustrophobic, and secretive, yet weirdly beautiful and powerful.

3.5 Stars. Well that was really different. This book’s genre was touted as Sapphic Horror. How could I pass this book up after hearing that? However, I must admit I could have used more Sapphic and more horror. The horror elements to me felt almost more creepy/gory than scary horror so that was a little bit of a disappointment as I was hoping for a bit of both. This is a YA book. I’m not an expert in what books are good for what aged kids but I see this as more of an older teen and adult story.

The story centers around three friends who are living in a boarding school where everyone has contracted some sort of contagion. They fight for food, they fight against the wilds of the island, and they fight the disease in hopes that the Navy will soon be bringing them a cure. People have compared this to Lord of the Files but with girls, I do see that, but this really felt like the story that comes before any zombie apocalypse book, movie or show. When the government thinks it knows what it’s doing when it doesn’t know anything, this is the book before it all falls apart.

I am very impressed that this is a debut book. I thought the actual writing was quite good. I think this author shows a ton of promise. I had some trouble with some of the execution and story choices, but it’s obvious Rory Power has a lot of potential.

What needed to be worked on more is character development. While this is about three friends you are only in 2 POV’s. The one character I wanted to know more about is the one we never get close enough to. I don’t really know what makes her tick, in fact only one character do we really know much about. We see her though another character eyes, than we see what she is really like and she ends up being the least likeable. All three characters have major flaws so in truth all of them are not the easiest to like.

There is a light wlw romance. It’s light for even YA in my opinion. Considering what these characters go through daily, that relationship could have been really special. It could have been the heart of the book instead it seemed more of an afterthought.

A lot of people are talking about the ending. It’s not a bad ending, but it is an ending that you are not sure if there is more to come or not. Again the ending reminded of almost every zombie apocalypse type movie I have seen, so I expected it and just figured it was the end. But many readers are speculating about a sequel so I’m just not sure.

This is a hard one to recommend or not. There is not much out there to compare this book to. I think people will have some mixed reactions to this. If you are looking for something super gay and super scary, I think you will be disappointed. On the other hand I thought the writing was good and I was entertained by the plot. If Power does write a book 2, I will read it.

It's been eighteen months since Hetty and her friends have been quarantined at the Raxter School for Girls. A deadly virus, the Tox, has infected them and the staff. They are left to fend for themselves while those around them either die a grisly death or are transformed into something terrible. Hetty though knows that there's more going on than the authorities are letting on. When her friend goes missing, she searches for the truth. Only she finds there's much more to their story and fate.

What worked: Think futuristic twist of LORD OF THE FLIES set in a quarantined girl's school. Add climate change to the mix and you have one mesmerizing, chilling survivalist tale.

Hetty and her classmates transformation after being infected by the Tox is shown in sometimes gruesome images. Hetty is strong and even though the virus has affected her sight(the description of what she feels is very chilling), she struggles with feeling deep down that the headmaster and authorities aren't being totally honest with them. Most of the adults at the school have died and those who did survive have changed in their own gruesome ways.

There is a Sci-fi element throughout this story, though it could be based on something that could very well happen in the near future with the consequences of climate change. Not only are the girls affected, but all life on the island.

Provocative, haunting story that is guaranteed to keep you turning the pages until the early hours.

This book was a lot different than I realized. It was well written, and a unique read. I will look out for more from Rory Power.

I thought after all the praise this has been getting that I’d enjoy it more. The setting and the female friendships/relationships are richly and gorgeously described, but everything else felt so haphazard or not fully realized. I enjoyed it and I hope there’s some sort of continuation, as the ending leaves room for it, but I can’t help but be a little disappointed after the hype it’s been receiving. This is a good readalike for Sawkill Girls and Annihilation though.

Gorgeous prose. Creepy/Disturbing imagery that drives the plot forward. Though, I wanted a little more from the characters in terms of individual development and relationships so that I felt the horrors the girls faced more intensely as a reader.

Posting to all links 7/2
Discussing the content of Rory Power's debut novel Wilder Girls is going to be very difficult without ruining the totality of what makes it without any doubt, in my mind, the best of the year to date. Having said that, I will do my best.

Before that exercise in futility, there is plenty to discuss about Power’s writing craft that can be discussed. And it has as much a hand in the brilliance of Wilder Girls as the content. Powers exudes influence of Jack Kerouac.

For those that might not be familiar with his style and don’t need a full course from the linked website, here is a brief rundown of the specific – not all- parts of his “spontaneous style” I found in parts- again, not all (mostly during Byatt’s point of view) - of Kerouac’s style. (very brief and by no means meant to be critically commented on or attacked, I beg of you).

• No periods separating sentence
• Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition
• …and trying to eliminate the period, he created a writing style all is own to go with the rhythm of the Beat generation.
• Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition

Powers uses these literary devices to provoke emotions from readers in reaction to a deep psychological understanding of character’s thoughts, circumstances and situational contexts. It is the first time I have seen it utilized in prose. I have previously seen it utilized in poetry such as Jason Reynolds Long Way Down I have also seen structure shattered in a unique and brutally impactful way in Tiffany Jackson’s Monday’s Not Coming.

However, this is the first time I’ve seen sentence structure played with within a novel written in prose that becomes a character, itself. It is used sparingly as to not overtake or overburden the reader, when it will provide the most impact and when the character’s surroundings and condition most benefit from conveying a level of understanding that drags the reader not just into that point in time but into the character’s body, both mentally and physically.

“But they slip in and out of my head, and I’m not I’m not I’m not as hear as I thought I was.”

“Light my eyes tearing up they always do they’re too sensitive I could never get my pupils dilated when I went to the eye doctor and somebody bending down over me blinking and sharpening”

Structurally there is also a patience to Powers style not often seen in a debut novel. When I recommended, on twitter, to M.R. Carey (the author of The Girl with All the Gifts- originator of the phrase “books that make reading a contact sport”) that he read Wilder Girls, there was a reason. I would never do such a thing lightly.

There is a patience to this book akin to The Girl with All the Gifts. It is an unraveling of what is happening to the Raxter Girls that builds up a tightness in your chest, an inability to breathe and a turning of your stomach. It doesn’t rush. It doesn’t move at your pace. The narrative will not be bullied into doing what to do or how to do it. It will make you squeamish. It will make you plead. It will make people who care about you beg you to stop reading it. But you won’t. You can’t.

You will find out what you want to know only when Power is good and ready to tell you. That is to say, you will know only when the Raxter girls know.The book unfolds itself in real time. And as situations happen to them, they will grab you by the gut, by the jugular and psychologically and not let go. As information reveals itself to the girls (perceived, misunderstood and then the truth), it will be revealed to you.

The unknowing of how and why of what is happening while bearing witness to what is happening, from survival to the growing plague and threats (obvious and not so much) to the girls that makes Wilder Girls a complete Mind bend.

Yes, Power is descriptive in the horrific and gruesome brutality of the sickness taking over the Raxter girls. But I would argue that it is the psychological games that Power weaves throughout Wilder Girls that is the fiercest part of the content.

I am afraid there isn’t much more I can say about Wilder Girls. If this isn’t enough? Ask a question in the comment section and I will see if I can answer it sans spoilers.

Otherwise?

GO READ THE BOOK



Here’s the thing. While Wilder Girls would have been a remarkable novel without the intrinsic writing craft Powers holds, it is these pieces that throw it over the top.

Wilder Girls started out super slow for me, but then it picked up a bit. Then, it fell very, very flat again.
I felt like there were a lot of holes in the story that needed to be addressed. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and just felt like it didn’t live up to its hype.

" 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."

Raw. Gory. Suspenseful. The Raxter School for Girls has been under quarantine for almost a year and a half due to a strange viral outbreak the girls refer to as the "Tox." Under the direction of the headmistress and Ms. Welch, the only two teachers left alive, the girls of Raxter struggle to stay alive. All communication from civilization has been severed - no phones, Internet, nothing. The only contact from the outside world is the periodic ration deliveries from the Navy, and then the Boat Shift risks their lives to venture outside the school walls to retrieve the supplies.

"Reese and Byatt, they're mine and I'm theirs. It's them I pray for when I pass the bulletin board and brush two fingers against the note from the Navy, still pinned there with edges fraying. A talisman, a reminder of the promise they made. The cure is coming, as long as we stay alive."

Hetty, Byatt, and Reese look out for each other. So when Byatt has a "flare up," she gets carted off to the infirmary, but ends up missing. Hetty and Reese, determined to find Byatt, stumble upon a much deeper, darker secret.

This is one of those books that is action driven and hard to put down. I read it so quickly trying to figure out what was going on that I feel as if I missed something. The story is not straightforward - you get the history of the Tox and the island in bits and pieces - which is great for driving the plot. However, I would have liked more character development to feel more connected to Hetty, Reese, and Byatt - there are too many facts that seem to drop from nowhere making the story feel a bit disjointed. But, maybe that's the author's intent.