Wilder Girls

by Rory Power

𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠

𝙄’𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚

—𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙.

SYNOPSIS

It came slowly, almost patiently, gradually making changes to their bodies—an additional heart, scaled arms, double spines—taking away those who could not withstand the transformation, altering the world they’ve known, until everything is strange & wild.

For the students at Raxter School for Girls, life has been torn to threads ever since the Tox struck, leaving in its wake an endless quarantine sentence on a lone island, food barely enough to keep hunger at bay & numerous dead or mutated bodies they no longer recognize.

When one girl goes missing, two other venture forth into the unknown in search of their friend. But beyond the school fence, past the dark morbid woods, there are secrets held at bay & the discovery may prove to be something worse than the Tox.

REVIEW

A brilliant debut of feminist dystopia & YA horror, with bone-chilling descriptions just on the edge of trepidation, a captivating air of suspense that keeps you deeply intrigued & a thrilling storyline built on the dread of a contagious disease unexplainably fatal. It is eccentric, horribly bloody & violent, but overall a great horror debut to enjoy.

However, I felt somehow detached from the storyline. It was lacking in certain details, making the horror fall abruptly short due to the incompleteness. I was also unable to connect with the characters. We have our young heroines, braving a quest to rescue their friend, brimming with determination & courage, but their character & backstory were so deprived of concrete construction that I wasn’t able to thoroughly connect.

I did love the idea of the story, especially the details given on the horrific traits of those infected with the Tox. I do hope there will be—maybe—a sequel for deeper explanation on the disease itself, or a follow-up to the ending that felt even more frustrating to me than a cliff-hanger.