Fresh, original fantasy. I didn't always understand where the author was going with the "science" behind wildblood but I did enjoy this. The ghosts, memories and jungle inhabitants are the strongest parts of the story.
Thank to the author,publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review the book

This was so good for the first 35% or so. The jungle is such an interesting setting and the dynamics between the characters were fun and engaging. The world building is excellent throughout, but especially in the beginning. We learn about the world as Victoria shares things, there’s never really much infodumping so I appreciate that.

Around the 40% mark was where I started to feel unsure. The instalove is annoying and makes that relationship feel ingenuine. As the story goes on, things that should feel tragic and dramatic feel pretty lame because Victoria moves on so fast.

And the ending!!! No spoilers, but this is one the most frustrating endings I’ve ever read.

3 stars because it’s an interesting premise with a fun cast of characters in an interesting world. The structure and method of storytelling is unique and I think a lot of people will enjoy this. I just wished the end had been as good as the beginning.

My review will be posted on my social media pages 2 weeks before publication.

This was one of those books that felt longer than it was because there were so many layers to the story. I loved the idea of blood magic/science and the sentient jungle full
of untold dangers and I expected suspense and mystery, but I wasn’t prepared for the sheer amount of trauma that Victoria would be faced with. The amount of abuse and betrayal and loss was overwhelming.

I do highly suggest checking the trigger warnings if you are a sensitive reader. Racism, colorism, and colonialism are major themes in the book, as well as misogyny and abuse, including SA. I personally found the circumstances of the SA to be especially hard to read, and I think that greatly affected my feelings about the book.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own!


This was a RIDE. Dark, interesting, sad- and hopeful. I wish there were more character building, more explaining, and more backstory- Lauren has a beautiful writing style and I wouldn’t have minded double the pages!

I appreciated Wildblood for taking me places I don't usually go, with characters I don't often see. I was excited to find a fantasy tale set in an alternate Jamaica. I was delighted by the magical jungle setting, and it came to life powerfully in this tale. Victoria is a main character who has undergone an extreme amount of trauma including kidnapping, forced servitude, and assault yet while these horrors inform her character, she still is very much more than the abuses she has suffered. She is a powerful person capable of making difficult and informed decisions, and this isn't just because she can magically shape blood into weapons.

If (like me) you are "here for the monsters," hang in there. I was getting a bit worried in the first section of the book where we didn't see a lot of magical creatures and the monsters were mostly humans. Happily, as the story goes deeper into the jungle we see more and more supernatural creatures. The ghostly children are memorably creepy in the sections where they appear, pulling the book toward horror in one particular scene. And as someone whose favorite lesser-known fairy tale is "The Black Bull of Norroway" I adored the enormous, powerful bull and was very glad he got more time on the page than I expected from his initial appearance.

There is a lot of complexity going on in this tale. In my view it did a thoughtful job of exploring the ways that shared trauma can bring people together. The story shows how people can support each other and show love and find strength together even in the worst of situations. But it does not shy away from the damage that trauma does and how the bonds built under those circumstances may not be healthiest or the ones we would choose for ourselves in healthier situations. Characters are placed in terrible situations and their responses are at times understandably terrible. The book does a good job of making some of the shocking and hurtful actions undertaken by characters believable while underscoring the fact that understandable does not equal forgivable.

The story showed a great deal of respect for its main character in giving her an ending that she actively chooses (rather than the ending a reader might expect or want). SPOILER While this might make the book a stronger work of art, I personally found it a bit unsatisfying to have Victoria and Thorn end up apart when so much of the book dwelled on their romance. As someone who was reading the tale for the magic and adventure I didn't care as much for the romantic sections, but I did expect a different payoff if I was going to be spending so many pages on flirting and banter. END SPOILER

I also want to mention that exquisite cover and encourage everyone to spend some time just admiring it! I spend a lot of my shelf space collecting illustrated books and that cover made me wish that the whole novel had been illustrated.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a copy of this work in exchange for my honest review.

In this world, Wildbloods are the scum of the earth. The main character Victoria was taken at the age of 6 and forced to work for the Exotic Lands Touring Company. Everyone hates Wildbloods, but rich and curious travelers need their magic to protect them while they traverse through the Jamaican jungle full of monsters.

After being denied a promotion to team leader in favor of her backstabbing ex Dean, Victoria is determined to please the boss by making Dean look good as they protect their new client Thorn so he can obtain the gold deep in the jungle. By doing this, she hopes the boss will follow through with promoting her so she can get her close friend Bunny off the island.

Victoria is the most powerful Wildblood working for the company. Because of this, the other Wildbloods (besides Bunny and Sampson) don’t like her. Both her and Dean are considered rare beauties because they’re light skinned. Despite being pitted against each other since childhood, Victoria and Dean had each others back. Until…Dean allowed the unthinkable to happen to Victoria. From then on, she hated him and Dean treated her horribly.

Desperate to please the boss and become the heir of the tour company, Dean overlooks the dangers of the jungle. He doesn’t heed Victoria’s warnings and well Victoria was right.

My favorite part of this book is Victoria’s connection to the jungle. She was basically a fiercer, Black Snow White with magic.

The jungle creatures are interesting, but I didn’t feel a strong sense of urgency or danger for most of the book. At least not enough to sell the jungle as big, bad, and dangerous. She had time to leisurely swim in the river and have sex with Thorn in a scary jungle? Really?! While on the topic of Thorn, ugggghhh the insta love. Hated it so much! They’re together less than a day with strong feelings for each other and love on the brain. Please no.

The rest of my cons are as follows:

-I’m disappointed by the lack of explanation about the blood magic. We have no idea what determines who gets it or how the fellow Wildbloods got caught.

-We don’t get much of a backstory on Victoria and the parts we do get come so late in the story.

-So many things Dean says and does make no sense. He basically says he’s doing everything for her, but hurts her again and again.

- It really doesn’t make sense why it took the disastrous Thorn tour for Victoria to finally use her magic to get what she wanted from the boss

The only saving grace was at the end when Victoria finally decided to be selfish with her life. The insta love didn’t end all neat and wrapped in a bow. Thank goodness

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC

Rating: 3.5
I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked everything about the jungle and the idea of the story and it was entertaining, but I don't think the world or magic was well explained. I also didn't like the insta-love. I'm not sure how I feel about Dean (not the love-interest). I think he was supposed to be a complex character, but some of the things he did didn't make since with his reasoning. Everything happening seemed pointless just for it to end the way that it did.

Danger comes in all forms, each one deadlier than the last, in a fast-paced read, which doesn't let up until the end.

Victoria has been working for The Exotic Lands Touring Company since she was six, although not by choice. As a Wildblood, her talents gave the company reason enough to kidnap her and have her steer customers safely through the dangers of the jungle. Now eighteen, she hopes to finally get a promotion. When a group shows up, paying to be lead into the depths of the jungle and not along the usual path, Victoria knows death awaits them but also sees this as her chance to finally achieve her goals if she pulls it off. Unfortunately, that also means she'll have to make the group leader, her nemesis, shine. But when his bad decisions lead them from one danger to the next, and she hears the jungles promise of certain death, even she might not be able to steer them through. And maybe, not even herself.

This is a gripping read with one tense situation after the other. It's impossible to predict what they'll be facing next or even how they can overcome the dangers. While the idea of a jungle already means enough danger, this tale amps it up and adds fantastical creatures to the mix along with more than a little paranormal. Blood magic ensures a dark tone right along with greed, revenge, and hate. Violence and murder along with mentioned rape (mentioned without graphic as happening in past) and abuse ensure this is not one for sensitive readers. It also is not overly graphic or inappropriate for older YAers.

The plot does lure in and keep the reader hooked, and there are many mysteries, which do find resolution by the end. I enjoyed Victoria's tenacity and, yet, meek moments, and found many of the characters around her well done with their varying intentions (good and bad) and personalities. It flows together very well and even adds just enough comic relief, here and there, to keep things from weighing down too much. Although it's not a light story. My only criticisms land on the romance, which is instant and doesn't come across natural in the slightest, the missing emotions at some events, and a few logic stumbles. These kept the read from becoming the amazing tale it could have been, but didn't hold it back from being a good read and worth the peek. I had a hard time putting this one down and enjoyed it quite a bit. I received a DRC and found it to be a very good read.

I really wanted to like this book, but honestly I don’t know why I finished it. I’m not a fan of Insta-love, and this was far from believable! And extremely unhealthy, toxic relationships in every way. The only redeeming part was the ghost bull.

I loved this! I've been lucky enough to get ARCs of both of Lauren Blackwood's books, and both have been excellent reads. Wildblood follows Victoria, a girl with "blood science" and a deep connection to a dangerous and beautiful jungle. I loved Victoria's connection to the jungle, her kindness to the deadly creatures within it, and her struggles to protect the people she loves as she comes into her self. The book does have some dark topics and moments (thanks to the author for the content warnings), but overall this felt like a fun adventure. And I am SO happy with the way it ended. Not to mention how gorgeous the cover is!

A few questions I consistently had while reading: 1) I'm pretty sure this was supposed to be historical, but it did not FEEL historical, and I got lost on the time period; 2) I'm not sure why there was an insistence on calling the WIldbloods' power blood science when it was very clearly blood magic and there were other magical elements freely named in the book. Those things notwithstanding, I thoroughly enjoyed this and can't wait for more of Blackwood's books.

Wildblood was a haunting tale of magic and greed. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.

Victoria is a Wildblood. The strongest of the Wildbloods. She’s also been traumatized throughout her life. Kidnapped at the age of 6? Check. Beaten? Check. Used for her ability to navigate the Forrest? Check.

Just when she thinks things are going to finally start working in her favor, she’s put through a “test”. Navigate a party through the Forrest. Then she’ll have more money and ability to save her brother.

I absolutely loved this read. There was that undermining horror factor throughout most of the novel which amped the pace and kept me entertained. What’s going to happen next?!?!

The “feelings” triangle was a hot mess and left me not knowing what was going on. That kept my heart in the book! romance? I think yes!

There was a few sayings that I felt were too frequently repeated. They were actions of the characters so I felt the author could have used different words to explain what the characters were doing. It was one of those little earwigs that just keep burrowing the longer you let it pester.

An exceptional tale of magic and mayhem brought to you by The Exotic Lands Touring Company.

I wanted to love this book but I struggled a bit getting through it. I was initially interested in the idea of an expedition through a sentient jungle and a protagonist that wielded blood magic. The jungle as a setting and a character is a definite highlight. It felt dangerous and mystical in a way that felt unique, from the elements of the whispering jungle to the deadly creatures.
My biggest issues arose in the writing and the romance. The writing at times was confusing and left a bit unexplained, especially in the description of blood science and Wildblood powers. It felt like I didn't have a complete understanding of the parameters of Victoria's power throughout the book.
The romance is also very insta-love, which I can usually stand if there is a build in depth over the course of the book. However, the relationship between Victoria and Thorn didn't feel believable.
In all, I think this book succeeds in its world building the best, and I think others would enjoy it from that aspect alone.

Wildblood hits the perfect balance of atmospheric, creepy, and fantastical all in one. From the start, the world is dark and foreboding, filled with secrets and tantalizing mystery. The adventure, heart, and complex relationships in this book make it an instant favorite.

This book was super cool conceptually but the actual execution fell flat. I loved the magical jungle, I loved that it was about work, but none of the characters really resonated with me, unfortunately.

Please check the trigger warnings for this book. Among them are racism, rape, and physical abuse. The book's content is more suitable for older readers.

Sometimes you read a book and feel like it was just made for you, which is exactly what I experienced while reading Wildblood.

Our main character, Victoria, has been abused since she was six. Originally living in the jungle, protected by forest spirits and the whispering trees, she is kidnapped and forced to work for a touring company as protection for the rich foreigners who visit. Like all the tour guides, she is a Wildblood, which means she can manipulate her own and others' blood into weapons and such. When she is forced to work with her ex-best friend on a large tour looking for gold, Victoria is forced to confront her past and question just what she wants for her future.

This book is incredibly character driven. Victoria has had so much trauma in her life, and on the journey, we see flashbacks to her past and how they had shaped her into who she is. My heart ached for her and all that she had gone through. The fact that this is written in first-person made it even more relatable and heartbreaking. As things go terribly wrong on the trip, we see firsthand what grief does to her, and how she overcomes it.

Blackwood did a wonderful job of portraying toxic relationships. Vic is forced to work with her ex, Dean, who she used to rely on until he betrayed her in the most horrible way possible. On the tour, we see how broken both of them are by their abusive boss, and how that affected the way they act. Blackwood handles this tricky dynamic in a realistic way. There is no instant forgiveness or even hatred, just two children who were forced to grow up in a world of horror, and the consequences of that.

The character development is so strong, that the world-building is neglected somewhat. It is still beautiful, with Jamaican-inspired lore, but we never take a deep look at what makes a Wildblood, and if there is magic in the rest of the world. The plot line did feel weak, but since I am more character-driven, this did not bug me. However, if you read books more for the adventures than the characters, then this one might not be for you.

Literally ADDICTED to this author's work. I was hooked when her first novel came out, and when I saw that I was approved for this one, I just about jumped for joy. Ms. Blackwood has a way with words, and character arcs. Thank you so much to the publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC to be able to review. Review will be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and IG.

This book is filled with grief, love, sacrifices, and the lengths we will go to protect ourselves from our traumas, external and internal. A great, poignant story of hope, tragedy, and the blood between them both.

Replacing the enchanted forest for a deadly jungle, Wildblood pulls the reader into its clutches after that first page. This story is incredible for many specific things. Simply put, Victoria is a reliable and realistic narrator. She is human...well, sort of. She is fallible, but also hauntingly honest with herself. This story is a celebration of empowered African women, completely comfortable in their skin and learning to defend their very lives. This type of positive feminine energy is desperately needed and will provide a lesser seen community with representation. In the hopes of not spoiling the ending too much; I cannot thank Lauren Blackwood enough for fighting against the stereotypical 'happy ending'. The ending was bittersweet. It was informed and it was ultimately the best way to stay true to Victoria's soul.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC! It was one of the best reads I've had this year.

I was really excited to read this based on the synopsis, but it didn't end up delivering for me. I loved the description of the jungle and Victoria's past adventures there. However, everything else felt a bit repetitive and monotonous. I also still don't feel like I really understand the whole blood magic aspect. I think there's a good story buried in here but it needs some more editing and polishing. Speaking of, can we get rid of about five of the times people kissed their teeth because that got annoying very quickly.

2.5 stars, rounded up

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The concept of this novel was so cool. A sentient jungle? The setting alone had me captivated throughout the entire story. The villains were a bit underdeveloped and sometimes, the prose was repetitive. I really enjoyed the world Blackwood built and that alone made this a wonderful read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.