WILDER GIRLS by Rory Power

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've had this weird and wonderful book on my TBR pile for a while, but I'm glad I decided to make it my first read for 2020.

Firstly, I have to comment on the cover because it's beautiful. And eerie and oh-so creepy. Not to mention absolutely perfect for the story.

For eighteen months, the surviving students at Raxter School for Girls have been under quarantine on what's become a dangerous and wild island. The Tox has changed everyone, infected them in a way that has transformed their bodies.

Hetty, Byatt and Reese are close friends who don't always agree on things. But when one of them goes missing, the other two are determined to find her...

Wow. This book is really something special.

I was hooked from the beginning. This story is full of intriguing characters and a savage landscape. These young girls are forced to do some pretty feral things to survive.

Hetty's voice is strong and interesting. She reveals the relevant information at a good pace. Sometimes, we discover new things at the same time. But I really enjoyed getting to know the strange place she's forced to live in, how complicated her connection with her friends is, and learn how she deals with the physical changes that make everything harder.

The horror in this book is awesome. Raw and grisly, awful and beautiful in its parasitic way. The descriptions were done so well that every detail bloomed vividly inside my mind, and I could see everything playing out perfectly.

Even though it's very different, so much about what was going on reminded me of Annihilation. In the best way possible. And just like Annihilation, I loved how some of the answers unfold, eventually revealing themselves. BUT at the same time, many more questions arise and are never answered.

I'll never understand why anyone has any problem with YA horror. Some of the grittiest and best horror I've read has been YA horror.

And I have so many more on my TBR pile... 😈

View all my reviews


ADDITIONAL NOTES:

I LOVE this cover so much I took a bunch of photos of the book the other day.

I'm really glad that I finally read this fantastic book as part of the #LadiesFirst20 Challenge hosted by Ladies Of Horror Fiction. 

It was the best way to start my 2020 Reading. 😊