Wildblood is a sharp YA fantasy with a lot to say about social and emotional issues that adds a dash of romance, and then slips and adds the whole bottle, making it a very different story than expected.

The concept of Wildblood takes the stories of ye olde expeditions of the Victorian era and flips them right on their pith-helmeted heads. On top of that, Victoria, our heroine, is a strong and fierce character whose powerful is equal parts intriguing and terrifying. She is comfortable in the embrace of the jungle only because of her own traumatic past, and because within the trees and vines she isn't subjected to the discrimination her race, gender, and power all lay upon her. Her relationships with her friends, and those who have betrayed her, are also fascinating. All of this is the makings of a really rich and interesting novel filled with nuanced characters and moral shades of gray.

Which is why it was so very frustrating to me whenever Thorn, the sexy expedition leader Victoria must protect, came onto the page. Because on top of the intricate scaffolding Blackwood builds for us is a romance as subtle and nuanced as one of those giant stuffed bears holding a glittering heart between his paws. I often found it difficult to focus on the worldbuilding and the peril of Blackwood's really cool plot because of how much of Victoria's focus is on Thorn.

I'll admit I can see the utility of the romance in how Blackwood builds to her ultimately satisfying ending, but it feels like things progressed too hot, too fast for the satisfaction of a slow-burn romance, and there's too much peril for a hot and fast relationship to seem fitting. No matter how much I was drawn to the premise, I think the hard truth is that Wildblood is just not for me. But with a premise as cool as it has, I hope it finds a solid home somewhere.

(A longer version of this review, which includes a brief synopsis of the book, will appear on RingReads at the link provided on 14 February 2023 at 3:29 p.m. MST.)

This book was an instant favorite!

Simmering romantic tensions bring the heat to a jungle where anything from ghosts to butterflies to the river itself may be trying to kill you.

When a group hunting for gold hires the Wildbloods - wielders of blood magic - to protect their journey, Victoria is determined to be the expedition leader, and not just because of the charming investor Thorn. She desperately needs the money to help her brother Bunny escape the cruel life filled with beatings and torture that they are held in by the Boss. But her ex-best friend and rival, Dean, gets himself named expedition leader.

Victoria convinced him to let her help lead the expedition through the haunted, dangerous jungle, where everything’s trying to kill them. They get two warnings to turn back, and the jungle doesn’t normally give a third.

The author has brought an unforgettable, haunting jungle world to life. From the pickney ghosts to the beautiful, venomous butterflies, I wanted to see this world so badly, but from the safety of a movie screen! No way I’d brave the jungle myself.

Victoria’s both fierce and vulnerable. Whether she’s fighting monsters, dealing with her past pain from the Boss’s abuse or falling in love, she’s a heroine to root for. Thorn’s sense of humor is a delight, and Dean’s a great antihero with complicated motives.

Though the ending wasn’t quite what I hoped, it was still perfection. After finishing the book, I didn’t see how it could end any other way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a fantastic book! Lauren Blackwood tells Victoria's story through beautiful visualizations and language. You truly feel immersed in Victoria's world and the story as it unfolds. The jungle ghosts and creatures are very creative. And I love the connection we see between Victoria and the jungle. This is a very captivating story that also deals with how to overcome trauma in your life. We also see different types of love and how relationships affect us. Wildblood is a wonderful book and I will highly recommended it to my friends.

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!

This was a beautiful adventure into a mystifying jungle in Jamaica.

This story takes place around the mid 1800's just to give you an idea of the time period. The tour group that Victoria and the other wildbloods "worked" for (more like slavery with a very small payment to specifically make it not slavery) had a British overlord that was quite cruel and abusive.

Victoria joins her archrival's side to lead the next tour into the jungle. The main concept that I really observed while reading, and what I really appreciated, was Victoria's relationship to this wild jungle as being one of comfort while her relationship with other humans and her job (basically her abusers) was where the real harm came from in this story. The jungle, while having so many dangerous and unknown factors, was more of a safe place for her, especially considering her origin.

There were some things I thought were too simple. Like a specific love interest for Victoria in the story. Just seemed a little too candy sweet for me to believe it to be genuine. But otherwise, I thought this was a magnificent story about understanding a victim's of abuse relationship to her abuser.

Out February 7, 2023!

I received an ARC of Wildblood from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this book. While I wanted to like it, something was holding me back. It had a lot to do with the writing.

There were a lot of really cool things going on in this book. I thought the characters and setting were interesting, along with the magic system. It reminded me of blood-bending in Avatar: The Last Airbender, one of my all-time favorite shows. The setting was fabulous, mainly because the jungle became a character in and of itself, and I really enjoyed it.

However, I could not get past the writing. It was confusing. I’d think I was in one place and then be somewhere else entirely. And on top of that, there were barely any explanations for anything happening. Like, I still don’t understand precisely how the Wildblood magic works. And much as I liked how the jungle became its own character, I didn’t understand anything about it either. Everything happening inside the jungle was very confusing, especially the supernatural happenings. While I know that magical things aren’t supposed to be totally understandable, it was a little too hard to follow.

I also want to mention that the ending really bothered me. We spent all this time having the characters grow and learn and begin to think for themselves, and it felt like the end negated all of the progress. I’m not sure what I wanted from the ending, but what I got wasn’t it. Let’s not forget about the romance. It was very insta-lovey.

I thought the plot was there, but the execution was lacking.

DNF. I’ve tried to get into this twice now and I just can’t seem to connect with it. And I refuse to make myself read books that I’m not enjoying. This is such a disappointment because I loved Lauren’s debut novel so much.

So I really liked the start of this book. I loved the setting and the world that she created. I don’t know that I liked the characters necessarily, but I liked what the characters were. I did not like the ending of this book, I want it to end differently, can you get what she did but I wanted something different.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

I LOVED Lauren Blackwood's WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS, so I was all too delighted when NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books gave me the opportunity to read and review an e-ARC of WILDBLOOD.

First things first, it should be noted that WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS and WILDBLOOD are drastically different. While the former is a retelling of Bronte's Jane Eyre, Wildblood is an original fantasy. There is a content warning at the beginning of the novel for blood, gore, physical/sexual assault, sexual trauma, and death--for good reason. I really appreciated this.

It took me a while to get settled into WILDBLOOD. Overall, I feel like the story could have used at least one more developmental edit, The premise is original and fascinating, but there was something lacking in the execution. The pacing and development of the story and the info-trickle to get readers settled into the world and the magic system definitely could have been sorted out a bit more. I feel like it took me longer than usual to get oriented to what a wildblood is and what their science is. However, in terms of writing, it was the same atmospheric, lyrical writing we saw in Blackwood's debut. Her writing really is just consistently stunning throughout the story.

In terms of characters, Victoria is a likable, sympathetic heroine. But I did feel a little annoyed about so many male characters being madly in love with her. And I was never really sold on the romance between Victoria and Thorn. It felt very insta-lovey (though, to be fair, both characters acknowledge how quickly and surprisingly they develop feelings for each other) and I wasn't a fan of them calling each other "beloved." That felt a little forced and cheesy.

My favorite parts of the story were definitely the magical elements of the jungle, like River Mumma, the pygmies, the duppies, etc. Blackwood's imagination is incredible. So while WILDBLOOD was not my favorite, I would still be eager to pick up Blackwood's next story and look forward to what she comes up with next.

→ 2.5 stars.

i haven’t read anything by this author before, but i heard great things about their previous book, within these wicked walls, so i was quite excited to pick up wildblood. it definitely did not disappoint, as it was a quick, fun read, but i wasn’t impressed either. overall, it wasn’t a bad read, but i feel like it needed a bit more polishing, as some parts felt a bit rushed. the romance was honestly my least favourite part of the story, as it was insta-love and i truly dislike this trope.

i have to start by saying that the author did an amazing job at creating the setting – the jungle descriptions were vivid and i was awed by how imaginative the different entities that lived in the jungle were. it honestly read a bit like something you’d see in a ghibli movie, especially the bull spirit and the faceless ghosts of children they see at some point. the atmosphere was deliciously creepy and i was constantly amazed at the vibrancy of the forest. another nice touch was the river being sentient and having such a distinct personality, river mumma was such an interesting character and i truly enjoyed learning more about how her magic worked, as we do gen some glimpses into it during the book. the wildblood magic was interesting, but i wished it was explained a bit more in-depth, as i was a tiny bit confused at some point, but i don’t want to spoil anything so i won’t mention what happened exactly.

the romance was the one thing i truly disliked as they fell in love instantly, so their relationship wasn’t developed at all. i did not root for them and i didn’t like how, after constantly being betrayed by most of the guys in her life, she was so open to trusting thorn instantly, without any proof that he did deserve it. thorn himself didn’t feel like a well-developed character and he came across as very sketchy because he was constantly cheery and optimistic, so i was waiting for some sort of plot twist based on that, but nope. this is just how his character was written. i liked victoria’s relationship with samson and bunny and i kinda wished we saw a bit more of them, but alas. dean’s character was kind of inconsistent throughout the book and i’m not sure if it was on purpose or not. the justification of his actions constantly changed and his behavior never align to what he claimed he thought and felt, especially when victoria was involved. kinda sucks that he was forgiven so quickly, because he was an unlikeable character.

the plot itself was alright, albeit a bit lacklustre and poorly developed. the writing, however, wasn’t good at all. some sentences were redundant and repetitive. if i took a shot every single time someone “kissed their teeth”, i would be in an alcohol-induced coma. i genuinely don’t even know what kissing teeth means and i’m not sure i want to know, but all the characters kept doing it, multiple times. i get really liking a phrase, but this one was overused to the point it got annoying. another thing the book struggled with was giving each character a proper motivation for their actions – i feel like, overall, every single character was a tiny bit directionless, with little to no explanation for their choices. so, to move the story forward, the book uses tragedy as a way to switch to another conflict, which didn’t really work. we’re expected to understand how heartbreaking these deaths are for victoria, but she simply moves on in a couple of pages, so it’s not really believable. and yes, i get she’s in a deadly jungle and there’s probably no time to properly mourn, but her actions go against her words. for example, there’s a sex scene that happens right after the death of someone she really cared about, which makes her character very inconsistent.

the ending was so frustrating, to be honest. i feel like the whole book tried to portray victoria as a character that simply wants to run away from the forest and not give in to her nature, just for her to do a 180 at the end. this made the whole insta-love relationship kind of pointless. dean’s character arc was also confusing and i am still not over how easily she moved on from all the things he did.
i truly have mixed feelings about this book, as it was enjoyable and i didn’t fully hate reading it, but i wished it was edited a bit more, just to make everything flow better. i’m probably going to read the author’s other work, as it seems promising. i think others might love this book more than i did, so give it a go if it sounds like something you’d like.

I found this read to be repetitive and redundant at times. The immature writing and slippery plot line make it fal short of what you hope it would be. It could amazing and know the writer will improve with experience and growth.

Victoria is a Wildwood, she was kidnapped at the age of six and manipulated by the Exotic Lands Touring Company... she is now 18 and a tour guide. She is forced to use her magic to protect travelers in a Jamaican jungle teeming with ghostly monsters and spirits. Victoria thinks this is finally her time to get the promotion of team leader but her backstabbing ex receives it instead, and despite her having the strongest magic on the team... she is not the image the boss wants to send to their new client, Thorn, a handsome renowned goldminer who wants the gold in the jungle. Victoria is barely just trying to get by ever since the incident in which she was sexually assaulted by the boss, she lives ib fear, for not only herself but those she cares about... so she stays quiet, never voicing her opinion, and just doing whatever the boss asks... but she wants this promotion to help her family... and to maybe escape. She is instead made to work with the new client and work under Dean, her ex who betrayed her in ways she can barely process. Thorn is charming, kind, confident, and handsome... and he just happens to fall for her. Yet in the expedition into a dangerous jungle along with scheming people and traitors in the group does not make a safe trip. While they fight to survive the jungle they must also survive each other. Victoria will have to ask herself if she is ready to unleash all her power and finally speak up against everything that has happened to her. The story deals with sexual assault, trauma, abuse, slavery, and colonization, definitely read the trigger warnings before you go into it. Unfortunately this one didn’t work for me, it started off rocky and ended eh. I guess it kind of just fell flat for me despite what the story was trying to do. I was initially interested in the book summary and definitely felt like it could be for me, but it just didnt. Despite that, do give it a go if you loved the author’s previous book!

*Spoiler: in the end she does not take up a life with Thorn despite them being in love, she spends one day in society and knows its not for her. Instead she goes into the jungle and when Thorn offers to go with her and live with her she declines and tells him to go back to his life and thats it. yup. *

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A fan of Lauren Blackwood's debut Within These Wicked Walls, I went into this not knowing what to expect and was happily surprised at the unique story and characters that had me on the edge of my sofa! The nature, the magic, as well as the storyline made for one mysterious yet thrilling story. I loved Victoria and Thorns characters. And Sam was such a sweet soul. Blackwood gives you a strong dose of reality while presenting it with magic and nature in a way that is truly captivating. A great read that did not disappoint!

Venture into the jungle and you will surely die, unless you are protected by a Wildblood. But even a Wildblood can find death in a jungle full of ghostly monsters, unless you are Victoria. Like all the Wildbloods, she was kidnapped as a child and forced into near-slavery. Unlike the others, the jungle calls to her like one of its own. When she is assigned to protect the handsome, charming Laertes Thorn on an unprecedented journey she is forced to face her own truths, however painful, and discover how powerful she can be. I loved "Within These Wicked Walls," and Blackwood's second novel does not disapoint!

WILDBLOOD was a breath of fresh air! I've been drowning in YA fantasies centered around assassins, kings, queens, chosen ones, fae, etc, so it was so nice to have a unique book to curl up with at night.

The things I loved:

Victoria and Dean's relationship reminded me so much of Georiga and Nico in MY LIFE IN RUINS (movie) but without the humor. They have a history and are both vying to be on top. Their dynamic is so complicated and so interesting.

The sentient jungle. If you asked me what I want most in life it's: dogs, lots of them, a cottage, and a sentient jungle. Some of the creatures (especially the ghosts) gave me Miyazaki vibes, never-mind the bull ( that part tugged at my heartstrings)

Victoria. She is a girl who knows what she wants but is restricted by prejudices and her low position. Despite all that, she is brave and cunning.

The author has a way of writing romance. In WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS, the romance between the two protagonists was just as complicated as in WILDBLOOD. I admit part of me was waiting for the rug to be pulled from beneath me.

Note: to touch on the romance, that is probably my least favorite part. I couldn't feel Thorn and I had major mistrust for him from the get-go. I won't tell you if my gut feelings were right but :D

The ending: both heartbreaking and necessary.

Overall, this was a 360 from WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS, but I loved just about every second of it.

Thank you to Books Forward and Macmillian for the e-arc. I cannot wait to own a physical copy!

Wildblood is a gripping horror story with romantic elements that will blow you away with its fierce heroine, Victoria, who has a blood-born magic that allows her to guide greedy treasure-seekers through the magical wilds of Jamaica. Only Victoria and other wildbloods can lead the ill-fated party through the haunted jungle with killer trees, rivers, monsters, and ghosts. The story quickly ratchets up as Victoria falls in love with one of the adventurers, fights to protect her fellow wildbloods, feuds with her nemesis, an ex- and current leader of the expedition, while fighting for her freedom and truth. Lauren Blackwood is an author who creates masterful and immersive horror stories, and this is no exception. A must read!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

The sophomore slump definitely doesn't hit Lauren Blackwood. Wildblood is unique, engrossing and a true testament to staying true to yourself, even when you feel like you shouldn't. Victoria's story is so compelling and I love the idea behind the story. At points, it did feel a little rushed with the romance and the dynamic of the love triangle. I wanted to know the story between Dean and Victoria a bit quicker, to feel a little more attached to Dean and their long standing relationship. But, overall, it was very well done.

The idea of the tour company, the blood science and the forest being alive in ways only those with the science can understand was compelling. I didn't want to put it down. I loved the way it unfolded and learning more and more about the blood science and the powers that come with the blood science. It was incredible. I think Blackwood does such a great job with incorporating her faith and the influence it could have on people. I'm not religious, but I don't think that deterred my enjoyment of the story. I understood why it was included and it made sense to the story. Whether you're religious or not, I think anyone would enjoy this story! While I would definitely be wary of the gore that comes within in, it's a fantastic book and I enjoyed it!

Wildblood’s premise and setting are what interested me in this book, and they ultimately were the highlights. The vivid descriptions of the jungle and river created a lush, beautiful backdrop for this story and emphasized Victoria’s relationship with the jungle. The plot was quickly paced and consistently interesting.

Unfortunately, the characterization and romance were not for me. Aside from Victoria, most of the characters were barely explored (Samson) or inconsistently written (Thorn). Dean’s character was interesting, but genuine exploration of his character was hampered by the romance subplot of the story.

The romance aspect was not for me. I generally hate instant love tropes, which this story definitely fits into. I thought that Victoria’s view of Thorn was consistent with how she approached romance given past trauma, but I also thought this seriously limited deeper exploration of her and Dean’s dynamic. I am by no means saying I wanted her and Dean to get back together (I absolutely do not), but my point is rather that Thorn acting as a crutch for Victoria prevented the story from delving into more interesting questions about how Victoria and Dean have respectively dealt with the trauma of their shared childhood. I also did not read much chemistry between Thorn and Victoria in general, again, especially because of the insta-love romance.

Overall, I enjoyed this book but think that it had the potential to do much more with the characters and themes.

The concept was interesting, but unfortunately this book didn't work for me. The romance wasthe main focus of the story, and I feel like that was a big mistake. It was insta-love and not really developed well at all. I honestly wasn't vibing with the romance at all. Took away from a potentially great story.

What a unique book! Wildblood is an engrossing adventure story that grabs you and takes you to unexpected places.
I loved the protagonist Victoria and found her to be incredibly interesting and balanced. She was hardened in some ways by her brutal circumstances, but soft and almost naive in others. Her antagonistic relationship with her former love Dean was deep and complicated, and I like that it wasn't easy to navigate or fall into tropes.
The jungle setting was fascinating, and the elements of fantasy were nicely woven in without heavy exposition. I was really interested in the spiritual aspect and the protagonist's deep connection to the jungle. I was surprised by how horrific some of the inhabitants were, including invisible monsters, soul eaters, and ghost children.
I do wish that it committed to an unknown fantasy setting. It was referenced that this island was Jamaica, which brought up a lot of unnecessary, unanswered questions for me. Is this in the future? What happened to make Jamaica's jungle magical?
It was refreshing to read a fantasy story with predominantly black characters. I hesitated to fully trust the love story, which kept me from enjoying it.
Trigger warning for rape - this past event is brought up many many times and rape trauma is a cornerstone of the protagonist's journey.

Premise was too intriguing to pass up; but the world building and overall essence of the story didn't quite live up to the enthusiasm I had for the concept. The story needed be smoothed around the edges, edited for some repetitiveness and given breathing room for the world it's in to take shape. I'll still look for more from this author but this wasn't a book that gripped me the way I had hoped. 2.5 stars