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Another wonderful book by this amazing author. If you are looking for a book with a bit of whimsy but also a weird-but-kick-ass FMC then let me introduce you to Nova Ren Suma. Now, I usually do not like Magical Realism but these books just draw me in. Her stories might be whimsical but they bite and they bite HARD. Imagine a place safe from men, safe from this cruel world. What would you do to get to that place?

This audiobook is narrated by Helen Laser

•Thank you to @hatchetteaudio & @littlebrownyoungreaders

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What a ride. this story immediately hooked me and kept me hooked the entire time.

it follows Talia, a teenage who grew up in a remote hotel in the Catskills in a cult/commune/community with her mother who was wanted for murder. they formed a community with fellow women who were running from men, the law, or wanted to live off the grid. when Talia's mom is finally arrested when she is 13, Talia is sent to live with her aunt until she is 16, when she goes to visit her mom in prison.

the whole book is told in multiple timelines, one of her life in the Neves, and one with her aunt among civilization.

honestly a very wild read that was inticing until the very end.

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Talia grew up in the ruins of an old hotel called the Neves with her mother and eventually a group of other women intent on escaping past traumas. They lived there for years, separate from the rest of the world, until the day the police came and arrested her mother.

Now, Talia lives with her aunt and cousins in a very normal American home, only Talia wants to return to the Neves and the women who live there and she's sure her mom will send her a sign when it's time to go back. Only her mom has always been more interested in herself than in Talia.

I enjoyed the complex family relations in this book, the whimsical elements added to the harsh living conditions in the ruins of the Neves, and the messages of found family and feminism. I thought the narration on the audiobook was done well. It was easy to distinguish past from present, and it helped create the almost-magical, dreamy quality of the Neaves.

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Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange of an honest review.

This was a slow read, but really intriguing. It's my first book by Nova Ren Suma, so I'm not sure whether this is the usual writing style, but it definitely felt very unique to the main character of the story. She was, as well, pretty unique. It's interesting to see how external trauma, when integrated in your core as part of a group that has been victimized, shows her inner voice and her way to cope. It resembles her own mother's attitude, her "solving-first, surviving first" way to think through what happens to her, to her mom, to her mom's acquaintances and to her own cousin. It's been a while since I've been able to read fiction that delves into abuse themes without feeling immediately triggered, without feeling it's all too graphic. I really enjoyed the narration as well, very clear and fitting to our main character's voice.

As a kids' and teenagers' teacher, I will not be able to include the book in the curriculum because English is their second or even third language, but I would very much enjoy sharing it with some of my friends to discuss how the mother and her circle dealt with wrongdoings and how community and isolation can live together in the same space when dealing with trauma. There's a very nuanced depiction in the book and I need people to share thoughts with. I have looked through some other titles by the author and I'm excited to check them out sometime soon!

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I loved hearing Wake the Wild Creatures, both for the book itself, but also because it was being read so well. The reader was amazing; the tone and rhythm of the reading had this smooth texture to it that made it sound like the reader was talking to me, not just reading. The rise and fall in tone, rhythm, and feeling of the voice brought Talia's adventure so beautifully alive.

The book is raw, real, unflinching. It won't avert its gaze from the muck, the pain, the vulnerability of man. That's what struck me most. It made me see how horribly human we are, how wretchedly we hurt to be heard, to be part of something, to make something home.

Wake the Wild Creatures extends those sentiments of strength and beauty. It's not your typical coming-of-age novel. It's a testament to our shared frailty and strength.

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Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for providing a free arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

For the most part, I enjoyed reading the story. In general, the author does a great job crafting a mystery around the community at the Neves, as well as Paula, Talia's mother. Talia is a strong protagonist, and I love getting to see the world through her eyes. She has a unique voice that is very compelling and realistic for her experiences. It sets up an interesting contrast between freedom and expectations found at the Neves versus that found in modern society. Despite the beautiful prose and the powerful themes that are explored, I wasn't the biggest fan of the long flashbacks to the Neves. I wish more of the story had focused on Talia in the present, working her way back to the Neves. I got the sense that long stretches of time would be in the past, recounting all that happened at the Neves, and it didn't always feel like it was building to the larger plot. The ending also left many unanswered questions, so I ultimately felt like not much changed between the start and end. Excellent idea and build-up, just wish there was more at the end.

*3.5 stars

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Wake the Wild Creatures is a dark, atmospheric tale of found family and sanctuary. This is the kind of feminist novel where men only exist to be problematic. Even so, I enjoyed this story of survival and wilderness of both the soul and environment. Pola was a terrible mother; Rachel was a terrible sister. Lake is the sister her own mother couldn't be, and Talia emerges with strength beyond her own understanding. This prose is well written with depth of character and setting, but the plot itself isn't especially clear, muddled further by a hint of magic that comes and goes. Read if you enjoy YA dark magical realism with a strong feminist edge.
A note about the Audiobook: Helen Laser is one of my favorite audiobook narrators, and her performance here was just as great as always.
Thanks to NetGalley, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Hachette Audio for this ARC!

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Unfortunately this was archived before I could finish it, but what I did manage to listen to from it was amazing, so I'm giving it a good rating and will have to just purchase it instead. Keep up the good work !!

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“Once a myth is formed, it takes over the truth.”

Wake the Wild Creatures is a book impossible to put in just one box. I discovered the story through both its ebook and audio version and the immersive experience was just unbelievable as the narrator did an incredible job.
This book is extraordinary by its almost dreamy violence (yes, I know), by how captivating it is. It’s complicated to pay the story the respect it deserves without spoiling, though. Indeed, we discover –and understand– Talia’s childhood at the same time she does, as she remembers episodes from different timelines. We wander –and wonder– by her sides, in the mist, and try to sort out what is real, a dream and something mystical in between. There isn’t a strict moral compass here, and that was particularly interesting to build my own idea, as we understand that it’s always the same who have to suffer, and to be condemned.

The story is carried by a magnificent prose that links us to nature as it explains Talia’s genesis. The mix between the timelines is particularly interesting because it’s quite disturbing, it blurs the lines even more and brings questions and several illuminations about the situation, without giving a black and white answer. What is right or wrong? Who are the true predators? Where is the danger? Talia walks through all these questions, and her determination grows even taller than it was during the prologue.
This is a book about women, girls, sorority and mothers. All the patterns mix between each others, especially between Talia and Pola. Talia (and the reader) is thrown out of balance, manipulated, but always has some kind of free will and think, even though it’s uncertain and wobbly.
I truly adored getting lost into that mystic and protective forest full of fog, letting the book haunt me, lingering in my mind like an alarm and a comforting presence all at once. For now, one of my favorite reads of the year.

Thank you to the author, TBR tours, Little Brown Books and Hachette audio for the ALC and eARC. My opinions are my own.

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Wow! what a haunting and lyrical exploration of girlhood, freedom, and inherited rage.

The setting against the misty backdrop of a hidden mountaintop refuge was so vivid to me and I truly felt so immersed into the story.

Talia’s journey back to the Neves is full of aching questions, buried secrets, and the fierce pull of a mother/daughter bond shaped by survival.

Whimsical… yet grounded in raw emotion. Very atmospheric.

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I didn’t enjoy the dual timeline, but the main character makes this book a lot better for me. I also don’t think I enjoyed the audiobook as much as I had hoped for so I will read a copy once it’s published.

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Though it's been three years since she left the Neves, the abandoned mountaintop hotel where she had lived with her mother and a group of abused women escaping the world, Talia still finds it difficult to navigate in society. Living with her aunt and cousins, she feels disconnected from nature and hates dealing with sexism and capitalism. After visiting her mother in prison, she makes a plan to get back to her mountaintop home.

The flashbacks to Talia's life at the Neves were a bit confusing at times, especially in the beginning, and it never became clear to me what was the point where Talia decided to make the journey back or what exactly her mother had done. Only about halfway did it start to become clear what was going on at the Neves. The resolution with Talia's mother didn't quite feel complete to me, and the ending left a lot open. I'm not sure if this is meant to be a series or not. It seemed structured like a thriller but didn't have high enough stakes to keep me riveted.

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Talia has only known the Neves, the abandoned hidden hotel in wilderness of the Catskills. Her mother, Pola, brought her there when she was an infant and raised her off the grid, hiding from the outside world where she is wanted for murder. Pola slowly builds a small community in the woods of like minded women hiding from men, violence, and the law. But they've been discovered and Pola is taken into custody and Talia is experiencing the world for the first time at 13, forced to live with an aunt, uncle, and cousin she's never met. She longs to escape back to the Neves.

This book was a thought provoking read on mother/daughter relationships, community, family, capitalism, and violence. It was interesting and hard to put down once I got into it! I'm planning on recommending it to teens and adults.

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This is incredible! I loved every single moment of it. I loved the narration. This was just a wonderful book in a million different ways. Our protagonist is almost a feral child. She has grown up in an old abandoned motel hidden deep in the mountains, at first with only her mother, and later with only women and children. But now she is living with her aunt in the suburbs,
I love the slight elements of the paranormal and the bonds the girls form.
It was beautiful.

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This was unlike anything I've read recently! Split timeline and almost a split POV, this story follows Talia from the community up on a mountain her mother founded to the real world where she is forced to grapple with the harsh realities of life & continually staying true to herself and trying to get home. Even this little synopsis doesn't do it justice!

Trigger warning for rape/sexual assault would be helpful -- although it's not very explicit.

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4.5 ⭐️

The beautiful cover of this book is what captured my attention, but the story, characters and underlying messages are what kept my attention, and completely blew me away. The writing is rich and vibrant while still being easy to read. I really liked a lot of the characters, and felt I could relate to them throughout their journeys. A wonderful read, that I couldn’t put down!

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I enjoyed the story of Talia and the environment she lived in. I would definitely rate this book as Fantasy, due to its mystical and magical points. The story was well told, but also there was room left to wonder what happens in the future. You don't get a clear idea as to what happens to Talia's mother....or perhaps I didn't understand the explanation.

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Wake the Wild Creatures is a unique and gripping YA audiobook. The cover is stunning and the story will hook readers immediately! Recommended for all YA collections!

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Floored.

I saw Nina LaCour recommend WAKE THE WILD CREATURES and was beyond excited when I was approved for the audiobook ARC.
And damn, this book DELIVERED.
I won't spoil anything, so this review is gonna be mostly vibes. And let me tell you, the vibes were excellent. A captivating tale of eeriness, a raging teen, community, pains of being AFAB. (Definitely check out the content warnings for this book, though!)
As a nature lover, I particularly enjoyed Talia's connection with/respect for the wilderness. The story is filled with messy, complicated characters. I found the relationship between Talia and her cousin super compelling, realistic, beautiful, nuanced. Incredible storytelling all around. I couldn't stop listening. The narration by Helen Laser was perfect.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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First and foremost, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! I really, really enjoyed this book, and I'm thrilled to have had the chance to read and review it.

Now, onto the actual review. (Mild to medium spoilers ahead. You have been warned.)

This was my first Nova Ren Suma book. I was not familiar with the author and requested this book based on the plot description alone. It did not disappoint. "Wake the Wild Creatures" is a beautiful, haunting story of a teenager taken from the only life she's ever known (in what outsiders would call a "cult" situation) and thrust into "the real world."

The story is told in two waves -- present day and flashbacks of the character's childhood.

It's a little bit YA (according to the description -- it doesn't necessarily READ like a YA book), a little bit mystery/suspense, and a little bit urban fantasy. The primary themes are female empowerment, survival, and how our pasts shape and determine our futures. There's also a strong prevailing dance with the idea of captivity vs. sanctuary -- what defines each? can the lines ever be blurred? is it captivity if the whole world says it is but it feels like home instead?

In short, it's a very complex story for something marketed as "YA."

A little background info:

Our MC, Talia, spent her entire childhood living wild in the Catskill Mountains with her mother and other women trying to escape the horrors of the outside world. They live in an abandoned hotel that doesn't appear on any maps or show up on aerial searches. Many of the women who live there, including Talia's mother, are -- by definition -- criminals. But they're criminals who murdered rapists, child abusers, and other not-so-great people. Others aren't criminals but ARE escaping those same situations in their own private lives.

When Talia turns 13 (the book's opening), outsiders find her, and her mother (a murderer) surrenders herself rather than let Talia be taken into the system. In turn, she arranges for Talia to live with her sister (Talia's aunt) in the outside world.

Growing up wild in a place that she believes to be magical has not necessarily equipped Talia for the modern world of money, high school dances, and other modern conveniences. It's also left her with an understandably skewed view of "men." She fears and distrusts them but is also incredibly naive about their motivations and actions.

The flashback scenes are incredible -- almost enchanting -- and allow the story of Talia's past to unfold at just the right pace. The modern-day scenes are heartbreaking and emotional. Talia's only goal is to get back to the Neves (the hotel), but along the way, she becomes close with someone in "the real world," too.

The events that unfold leave Talia with more questions than answers. Was it her fault that her mother was taken? Is her community in the Neves still there? Did someone betray them? Was "the magic" real? Or was it just a lie she and the other women told themselves to feel safe?

As far as plot goes, that's as much as I will say.

What I WILL explain is why I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5, and that was due to the "magical" elements. (The medium spoilers happen here, so read on at your own risk.)

For 90-95% of the book, the reader is led to believe that there is no real magic. It's just a story created to make the community feel more secure and self-contained. However, at the end, things happen that can only be explained through the use of actual magic. Coming so late in the book, it didn't seem realistic, nor did it seem to fit with the rest of the story.

I didn't hate it, and I understand why it had to happen the way it did. But I felt like it took some of the story's credibility away.

Still, it was a great book with absolutely gorgeous prose, and the hotel was so vividly and beautifully described as to become a character in and of itself -- and one I'd very much love to visit.

Despite my irritations with the magical elements, I'd still highly recommend this to readers of all ages.

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