Eighteen months ago, a secluded island, home to the Raxter School for Girls, was put under quarantine due to an infection called the Tox. It slowly infected teachers and students and would change their bodies horrifically beyond recognition. Some grew second spies, others grew claws, and all anomalies flared up as the seasons changed. In order to protect themselves, the school’s fence is fortified and only certain people are authorized to pass through it. The girls are supposed to be comforted with the knowledge that the teachers will keep them safe and a cure will soon come, but as figures of authority are killed off and months pass without a word from the scientists searching for the cure, the girls begin to lose their faith in adults and each other. Mistrust brews on the island, disrupting the system. The main character, Hetty, is especially rebellious, even deciding to break protocol when her sister and closest friend, Byatt, goes missing. She has no idea what monsters are waiting for her beyond the fence, but she’s ready to brave those horrors to save Byatt. But how long until Byatt has been infected by the Tox, too? How long until Hetty is?

Wilder Girls was a horror movie on paper. Each scene was layered with creepy undertones, keeping me guessing whether or not the characters were actually safe. The writing perfectly matched the situation, with erratic moments and slowly paced ones that had me holding my breath. Descriptions were drawn out right before jumpscares, like a movie would. Additionally, there were plenty of cinematic action sequences. The book did not skip over the gory details about the Tox’s mutations and how they affected the people. It was interesting to read about how claws and second spines would affect day-to-day life, and the author described it in a way that made it feel realistic. Characters grew into them as they aged and sometimes would turn anomalies like these into advantages. Finally, each character had a different, nuanced personality and I liked reading about how they evolved. However, I didn’t enjoy the relationships the characters had with one another. Hetty, Byatt, and another girl named Reese are said to be best friends, but there’s a lot of tension between them. None of them actually listened to each other and they fought often. It was surprising to hear that they had been best friends for years because they disagree about nearly everything. Hetty and Reese’s romance feels forced and unnecessary. They have one promising cute scene, then return to being rude to each other almost immediately. Maybe it’s part of their dynamic, but overall, it’s just annoying to read. 

Finally, the ending was lazy. There were too many unexplained loose ends. I would have hoped for more background around the origin or the scientific aspects of the Tox, but it ended up not playing a role in the ending, despite being the main conflict of the entire book. Characters’ internal conflicts weren’t fixed either. It felt like an abrupt ending to a book that could have done with one or two more chapters. Out of ten, I would give Wilder Girls an 8.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a horrific, gore-filled, sapphic, feminist, science fiction novel. 

Check out Wilder Girls from NBPL!