Back of Book: 

It's been eighteen months since the 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 and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and 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. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.

But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there's more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Horror |Science Fiction | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟 

After discovering "Wilder Girls" at my library a few weeks back, I realized that this book actually had quite a bit of hype surrounding it. Unfortunately, this one was quite a letdown for me. I've heard it compared to books such as "House of Hollow" by Krystal Sutherland (which I love). These novels include many of the same ingredients such as the body horror, the fantastical elements, strong female leads, and the mysterious factor of what the heck is going on to these girls. I think for me, the flaws that were present in "Wilder Girls" just outweighed the positives for me, which made me like it less than I did "House of Hollow."

This book centers around three girls named Hetty, Byatt, and Reese, who were all members of Raxter School for Girls until the island was hit by an infectious disease that instantly killed off many of the teachers and older girls and left the remaining students as twisted versions of themselves. The stories center around the girls struggling to survive as the entire island goes to hell.

In the beginning, I was very intrigued to see what sort of ailment these girls were suffering from, but at a certain point I just stopped caring. The writing didn't feel urgent to me, and in a book that needed to thrill the reader every step of the way to fulfill its purpose, that was a major let down. I also didn't find any of the main three girls likeable, which made me not care about any of them one iota. Every time someone died, I barely reacted. The only time this book truly made me feel anything was when they were describing disgusting things, like girls throwing up hearts and cutting or stabbing themselves.

Overall, "Wilder Girls" still wasn't a horrible read, but by no way did it astonish or astound me, like I initially thought it was going to. I completely understand why some people are enthralled by this book (see reasons listed in paragraph one), but I couldn't bring myself to care enough to actively be involved in the story.

Back of Book: 

"What We Did While You Were Gone" is a 26-page short story featuring Hetty, Reese, and Byatt from Wilder Girls and set early in their friendship, prior to the events of the book.

Book Number: Prequel Short Story 

Genre: Young Adult | Horror |Science Fiction | LGBTQIA+ | Short Story

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 

I think I got more personality out of these characters in twenty-six pages than I did in the entirety of "Wilder Girls." It was blatantly obvious from the get-go of this story that Byatt was a manipulative monster, something that took me a long time to realize in "Wilder Girls." I also loved how this story was in Reese's perspective and we really got to learn some of the dirt of her past. During "Wilder Girls," you can tell that she has been through some serious stuff, but nothing was truly revealed, so I really appreciate the lore drop on Reese. The fact that I feel like I finally understand Hetty, Byatt, and Reese as characters because I read this short story even though I endured through the entire novel is a bit sad, but I'm glad this story exists to clear things up.

Overall, this short was an enjoyable read that showed a slice of these girl's lives before their bodies were claimed by a deadly disease and their world's turned into a living hell.

(Note: This story can be viewed at this link: "What We Did When You Were Gone" or can be purchased for free (or for a donation) and downloaded as a PDF or am EPUB  using this link: Rory Power's Website