Cover Image: Wildblood

Wildblood

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Wildblood offers an intriguing premise with moments of interest but ultimately left me feeling underwhelmed and at times confused. The story follows Victoria, a Wildblood tour guide in the Jamaican jungle filled with supernatural dangers. While the character dynamic offers sparks of romance and adventure, the story itself presents many plot points including corporate corruption, magical abilities, and personal struggles. Despite its potential, the story felt overwhelmed by its own complexity, leaving me yearning for a more focused and cohesiveness.

This book is being voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of NetGalley, the Publisher, and Lauren Blackwood.

Was this review helpful?

I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded awesome and I love books that include magic. For the most part I liked the main character, Victoria . I also enjoyed the Jamaican inspired folklore.

I didn’t like the insta-love story between Victoria and Thorn. It happened way too fast and their love story seemed to be the main focal point of the book. The small bit of folklore in the book was great, I just wish there had been more. The ending also felt rushed and anticlimactic.

It’s not a horrible book, but it’s not a favorite for me. I’m not a fan of insta-love so that is probably one of the biggest turn off for me with book.

Was this review helpful?

A gorgeous cover with a story and characters that frustrated me. I liked the beginning - as we're introduce to the jungle and Victoria and we can see how things work. However, just as quickly - the romance interested is introduced and I was just not feeling it. The arguing, the shocking deaths - it felt rushed and forced.

I really wish I'd liked this one more. The ending did wrap up well and I did like it, but what came before was too much for me to enjoy this one.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book

Was this review helpful?

If I didn't have an ARC to review, I would have DNF this book halfway through. This book was all over the place and it just was worse and worse after the 50% mark.

I'm not going to go in too much details but one of the things I hated was the so-called "romance" between our main character Victoria and the gold miner who needed her to find his gold. He was greedy, selfish and the romance was so forced and unnatural it gave me the ick. Her calling him the love of her life after knowing him a few days was so ridiculous to me ! He's the only man who treated her somehow nicely and she fell over heels for him just for being nice ? Ughhh.

The world-building and the magic is still a mystery to me. There wasn't much of an explanation, if any.

This book was so bad I'm actually surprised since the very beginning had me curious but the characters and every interaction ruined the book for me. Also, the writing wasn't the best with all the expressions like "kiss my teeth", "beloved", "my boys" and more used way too many times.

**Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read and review this book even though it wasn't my cup of tea...**

Was this review helpful?

I had been eagerly anticipating this particular book, but to my disappointment, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. Despite my initial excitement, the end result failed to capture my attention or interest.

Was this review helpful?

Very early DNF. i'm very picky with my YA since im out of that age range and I can't really do first person so i dnfed.

Was this review helpful?

The jungle is amazing but I felt the book fell a little short. Thanks so much for the review copy. Some of the writing was repetitive.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this tale. I like the main character and the setting of the jungle. I found the "magic" system a little confusing and wanted a better understanding of it all.

One of the things I liked best was that at the end she does not choose to go off with the boy, even though she is given that option, instead she chooses to go back to the wilds of the jungle. With so many books that end with the couple together, which is great, it was a breath of fresh air to have someone choose their freedom and independence.

Was this review helpful?

I honestly could not get into this one despite expecting to enjoy it based on the author alone.. What I can say is that it has beautifully rendered imagery.

Was this review helpful?

Book is set in an interesting, magical version of Jamaica home to ghosts and spirits. Main character Victoria struggles to use her voice to defend herself partly because of a stutter, partly because she has been taught to accept abuse. She is considered a Wildblood, a magic user who knows the jungle, making her a valuable asset to the Exotic Lands Touring Company. By the time the real action starts, my attention waned a bit. It felt a little incomplete or contradictory, but also was certainly a unique read.

Was this review helpful?

I tried. I did. I should've trusted Zana and just DNF, but here we are. We are done. And is this yet another book to add to our colonizer romances list?

I love supporting women. I especially love supporting BIPOC women. Must there be romance? And within that, must there be romance with white men?

Other things that bothered me include calling the US, America. Only Americans call it that.

This is confusing. I read the entire book and still couldn't tell you what a wildblood is. The magic system, or whatever it is, is not explained clearly.

And neither are the characters fleshed out. One minute, Thorn is thrown in as a womanizing white man, because of course he is. The next minute, Victoria is in love and running away with him. I don't get it.

Was this review helpful?

Victoria was kidnapped at the young age of six. She was trained as a tour guide to use her magic to protect travelers in the Jamaican jungle.
.
Thorn is a new client and sent to Victoria. They hit it off but Victoria is on her guard and she’s not sure focusing on love is even an option. The jungle is full of demons and Victoria must decide what battles are worth fighting.

Thank you #StMartinsPress
and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

I did not like this book at all. The writing is hard to get into and the story is strange. The cover is bright and will catch attention but it looks like a ya fantasy meets rom-com and it doesn't work.

Was this review helpful?

"Wild Blood" by Lauren Blackwood is a spellbinding fantasy that follows Victoria, a powerful Wildblood, as she navigates a treacherous jungle filled with magic and monsters. Denied a promotion, she embarks on a mission with Thorn, a kind-hearted goldminer, leading to a captivating tale of adventure, romance, and self-discovery. A must-read for fantasy enthusiasts seeking an enchanting world of mystery and growth.

Was this review helpful?

I was really excited for this book because it was a diverse read. However, there was a lot of violence that made it hard for me to like. I also found the world-building to be very confusing. Thus, this book was really a struggle to get through! Nevertheless, I recommend this for fans of The Continent!

Was this review helpful?

Victoria is a daughter of the jungle, and her mother is unforgiving. When tasked with helping a group of explorers find the jungles hidden gold deposits safely, Victoria tries to make it clear: the jungle will only offer you three warnings to leave. Will she be able to convince the party that the gold cannot be reached unless the jungle wills it so? Or will no one make it out alive?

Let me begin by saying this as simply as I can: this book just wasn't for me. However my review shouldn't dissuade anytime from giving it a shot as it's overall a well put together story. I prefer more magic and fancy interwoven into the characters themselves, but there is plenty of magic in this novel. The magic system was very intriguing to me when it was used, and I wish we had more time with the blood thirsty butterflies from the beginning. Certain developments in plot came so fast you almost felt swept away in a mudslide while other non-critical parts had me slowly sinking and even losing interest. The author has a great concept to what makes a novel great, and once they have the pacing part figured out they will truly be a force in young adult fiction.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Recommended for those who prefer magics/gifts to be secondary to story rather than rely on them. Age recommended for readers 14+ due to mature content off page. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Book Summary:

Victoria is a tour guide for the Exotic Lands Touring Company. This is not a job she signed on for – she was literally kidnapped for the role. Her magic is considered necessary to protect travelers through the jungle. After all, how else will they keep the ghostly monsters away?

Despite her powerful magic, this organization still does not take Victoria very seriously. That sounds about right, doesn't it? So Victoria must deal with an imposing organization and a vengeful ex while keeping her clients safe in the jungle.

My Review:

I'll be honest; I went into Wildblood with zero expectations. Why? I may have skipped reading even the description – sometimes I like going in without any idea what is to come, you know? So I was pleasantly surprised by most of what I found and blindsided by a couple of different elements (see description above and TW below).

Wildblood is an incredibly immersive read. Lauren Blackwood has a way with words, as her story came to life on the pages. I love it when an author can make you feel like you are there (for better or worse, depending on the scene!). It was masterfully done here.

Overall, I really enjoyed Wildblood. The core concept is fascinating, and I would give just about anything to explore it further. I didn't enjoy all of the writing choices, but I can't regret the time I spent reading Wildblood.

Highlights:
YA Fantasy
Magic
Magical Tour Guide

Trigger Warnings:
Rape/Sexual Assault
Blood/Gore
Animal Attack

Was this review helpful?

This book was unlike anything I've read before. It was a genuinely unique experience. That said, when I was nearing the end I realized that the payoff wasn't going to be what I'd been hoping for. I was disappointed to find the plot took a back seat to the romance. I say this as someone who loves romance and found the love interest in this book to be pretty swoonworthy, but it felt like the plot was completely dropped in favor of the lovey-dovey stuff and that left me completely unsatisfied. Thorn was adamant throughout the entire expedition that even if people were dying for his greed, he was going to get his gold. And then he wordlessly gave up? The few survivors of the jungle terrors just headed home without even a discussion about it? I felt like a scene had to be missing.

The "big showdown" at the end was over so quickly and the villain was really nothing to be concerned about. It's hard to believe the main character and her friends didn't leave long ago, when they clearly had the power to do so at any time. I have to be honest, the lackluster climax did make me wonder, what was the point of this story? Also, I did love the characters but I thought their relationships and hardships were well-defined as-is, and throwing a sexual assault into the storyline was completely unnecessary. The villain was already kidnapping children and forcing them into slavery. He was already clearly defined as evil. Victoria had been through enough without torturing her like that, too.

The worldbuilding was fantastic, the best element of the book, but the magic system never played as huge a role as I anticipated. The wildbloods' limitations and abilities were never clearly defined, and I kept expecting that a book called Wildblood would go into a lot more detail about who and what these people are, but it's just left to the imagination in the end.

I did anticipate the way this book would end. It was inevitable, but thereby perhaps predictable. I just wish everything had played out a bit differently, more explosively. And I am just absolutely crushed that the whole cast was killed all for the sake of finding a gold mine, and in the end we never even see it!

I could have easily given this book five stars for the worldbuilding alone, and the fantastic characters and the trials they go through and the ends they meet. But the way it just kind of petered out and felt like crucial scenes were missing left me feeling disappointed.

Was this review helpful?