The Wilder Girls by Rory Power

“I think I’d been looking for it all my life,

a storm in my body to match the one in my head”

– Rory Power

Specifics:

Book: Wilder Girls

Author: Rory Power

Published: 9^th July’19

Genre: Suspense, YA Fiction

Publisher: Delacorte Press (Penguin Random House)

Pages: 353

My rating: 3/5

Blurb:

It’s been eighteen months since Raxter School for girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty’s life out from under her.

It started slow. First the teachers died, one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange. Left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don’t dare wander outside the school’s fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. As it seeps into everything, they wait for the cure they were promised.

But when her best friend Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her – even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie outside. And when she does, Hetty learns that there’s more to their story, to the Tox and their life at Raxter, than she ever thought possible.

“We don’t get to choose what hurts us”

– Rory Power

Review:

I am writing this review as we are living through what might be the real life incarnation of Wilder Girls. Well, we are at least on a path to destruction where we might end up being the girls in the book.

Two words I would use to describe the book would be ‘Surreal’ and ‘Incomplete’. Surreal because of the outstanding creation of a fictional world so close to reality with an introduction of plant/body horror and incomplete because we deserve to know more than what we got. The book gives us a lot of STRANGER THINGS and AURORA RISING vibes.

I have never read anything of this sort. Plant/ Body horror is really new to me and it came off as a pleasant surprise. Gore is my guilty pleasure. (American horror story fan here!!) This kind of gore was completely untapped by my brain but as they say, ‘better late than never’.

The story telling is good and smooth. It isn’t really innovative but I like the flow. The premise is well set and keeps us hooked. At a point, it kind of feels dragged on and low-key boring but the author almost revived herself with the last chapters. I say almost because we are left with a lot of unanswered questions.

If this book was not a standalone and the next part was to be released, I probably would have rated it with more than 4 stars. Can we sign a petition requesting the Ms Rory Power to do that? Please!!!

Given that the girls are on a lock-down, we aren’t introduced to many characters but among the ones that are introduced, the author managed to showcase grown-up teenagers (given the situation) in a really powerful way.

The plot is also made stronger with subtle mentions of politics, relationships and military experiments. The only thing that is bothering me that a lot of threads have been left hanging and I am unable to shake off the feeling of being kept in the dark.

I rate the book, 3 out of 5 stars.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

I kept mentioning that there are unanswered questions. The most pressing ones are the following:

1. Was this a natural disease or an experiment?
2. If this was natural, why were the girls and their families lied to?
3. Why was the headmistress less affected and had more information?
4. If what Ms Welch claims is true, why was the food tampered with?
5. Why did the Tox affect different people differently?
6. If this was an experiment, by whom and why?
7. Did the girls escape out alive and what happened next?

I have a ton more questions but needless to say, we can totally get a book 2.

Coming to my favourite parts of the story… I had quite a few parts I liked. The friendship between the girls was amazing, the love and longing Reese had for her father, Ms Welch secretly looking out for the girls in her own little way, the Tox being a worm that crawls and takes control of your body, the Tox being more tolerated by women (biased feminism, I know) and I love the details about the Raxter blue’s and the Raxter Irises. My most favourite parts were the once involving Byatt. They were mysterious and Sci-fi and I really enjoyed them.

“And I’ve wanted boys, and I’ve wanted girls, but I’ve never wanted anyone enough to miss them”

– Rory [Power

Characters:

Hetty:  Hetty is a strong willed girl with questionable choices but she is a teenager and that is definitely allowed. She loves her friends, especially Byatt and will go to any extremes to protect them or make their day. She is in love with Reese with whom she has a complicated relationship. She is good at shooting and she is a tad bit impulsive. I liked her. The Tox shut her eye close.

Byatt: My favourite character from the book! She is intelligent, quirky and also a good friend. I love her interactions with Paretta. Her parts of the story were my favourite. I really needed more of her.  The best part is when she picks up a scalpel and cuts through to get to the Tox and yank it out of her body. I feel like she is brave and I love her. The Tox gave her a second back bone.

Reese: Dealing with her own personal problems while trying to fit into the friendship between Hetty and Byatt, Reese initially comes off as a selfish teen. Eventually we discover how the Tox destroyed her father and she has an encounter with him. With more insights into her life, it is clear that she isn’t as arrogant as she wants us (Hetty) to believe. Losing your father twice can take a deadly toll on you.

Ms Welch: The kind Ms Welch! I feel terrible for all that she has to deal with. While acting to be a part of the management, she tries her best to protect as many girls as possible. It is a hard choice and a dangerous one too, but she does it. The way she gets herself killed when she realizes that she cannot do anything else is heart-wrenching.

That was a good book and I would love to read more of this genre. Shout-out to M from @dragon_not_a_worm for being a miraculously talented editor and an amazing virtual valentine with whom I shared the pleasure of reading the book.

Reasons to read the book:

1. A unique and powerful writing style
2. Unique concept of Plant/ Body horror (Aurora rising and stranger things vibes)
3. LGBTQ plus literature
4. Fast read
5. Depicts a strong friendship

Cons:

1. Feels incomplete (there are a lot of lose threads and unanswered questions)
2. There is a lot of anticipation but it’s just anticipation which does not really lead up to anything
3. Body horror/Plant horror can be triggering
4. Needs a sequel or your life will feel incomplete like mine

“They told us to wait and stay alive and we thought it would be easy.”

– Rory Power