Content and Trigger 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.

Suicide and suicidal ideation.

Non-consensual medical treatment.

Representation: F/F relationships (main/side); bisexual MC; diverse cast including POC (though unspecified ethnicities)


What I Enjoyed


The scientific threads woven throughout the novel were interesting. Some I wasn't quite sure of, because the girls who were seeing it didn't have all the information either so I had to make guesses based on their perspectives, but there was a lot of stuff going on in the background to pick at as the girls on Raxter Island tried to survive.

The way the mutations developed when the girls contracted the Tox were fascinating. I didn't understand all of them during the reading, but Rory explained some after the fact which was nice.

Watching the way the Tox crept into the story, listening to Hetty and Byatt recall life before it and how it started in the wildlife, the woods and the creatures first, was very cool because it added to the overall horror aspect. There were scenes of body horror to be sure, due to details about what the Tox did to the girls (mutations, their brain chemistry, etc), but the timeline of everything and hearing about those events was whoa.

I picked up the Barnes & Noble edition, which I would highly recommend, because there is an extra chapter from Reese's perspective, who we didn't get to hear from at all in the book. It's a quick little thing, but it's tender and very nice. It added to the relationships that were evidenced in the main novel, the ones that propelled Hetty and Reese and all the others to last as long as they did and to do all they did during Wilder Girls.

I loved that the cast was allowed to have their strengths as individuals and as a whole, that they were allowed to be strong but also messy and vicious and just amazing. I've seen Wilder Girls described as a feminist Lord of the Flies and from what I know of that book, I can say that there are similarities but also it is very interesting to point out the differences. The personality stereotypes that are expected in girls vs boys, the ones that develop despite those, everything that made them able to survive Raxter Island & the Tox. 

A last bit: I can't say much but being a mystery, there are twisty bits that were "whoa" and "huh" and "wtf" that I liked and cried and cringed over. They were fun/sad/omg. :D 


What I Didn't Enjoy


The beginning of the novel was fairly slow. It took some wherewithal to stick with it, though once you get into it I will say the novel is worth it.

The ending as well suffered, I thought, though this for the opposite reason. It felt entirely too quick. I turned the last page and was sincerely confused because it felt like there was something missing, like the writing was cut off in a hurry because...what? Because the author wanted to leave the option open to return to Raxter or the world around the island? As far as I know this is a standalone, but there are so many threads remaining in the book that it really could be at least a duology. 


To Sum It Up


There were strong relationships, eerie scenes, and a lot of interesting moments that played out in Wilder Girls. The beginning was a bit of a letdown because of the time it took to pick up. The ending was definitely a letdown, but overall the novel was satisfactory. I'm be curious to see what Rory Power will write in the future.





I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Quotes included are from an advanced reader copy and may not reflect the finalized copy.