Wilder Girls by Rory Power: Book Review

When I think of spooky books to read in October, I usually think of paranormal books full of ghosts and demons. But, some of the scariest parts of our world are the real-life humans and the terrifying diseases that impact our lives. These things are especially terrifying now, when our world is in the middle of a pandemic, with a terrifying virus impacting each and every one of our lives.

Although I do often read for escapism, sometimes it is fun to read about something real, and in this contemporary horror novel, that is exactly what I got. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading Wilder Girls by Rory Power. All I had heard about it was that it was a retelling of Lord of the Flies, a book I had read in high school.

I love retellings of classic stories. Classics are sometimes so difficult to digest, and when I don’t feel like sitting down and analyzing every word I read, retellings are a great way to learn a little bit about the story while also learning the author’s take on it. Plus, I am usually interested in reading the original tale more after I have read the retelling.

So, it was an unexpected journey reading Wilder Girls, but it was an enjoyable one. This will be a spoiler free review!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Content Warnings: Suicidal ideation, vomiting/emetophobia, medical/latrophobia, death of humans and animals, body gore, needles, blood. There is a list on the author’s website with more.

This book was a… ride. Instead of this book being horror in a paranormal sense, we get horror in a very real and very scary way. This is something that could possibly happen, which makes it so prevalent. It is even worse thinking about the virus that is sweeping through our world right now.

This book depicts an authority that would rather kill children than let their mishandling of things get out to the public. Sound familiar? The body horror and gore are not the only horrific things about this book.

I am a huge fan of everything dark. I love anything dark and spooky so of course, I had to pick up this book. I heard so many people talking about it, I was curious to read it for myself, and I am so glad I did. It did not disappoint like some of the other spooky books I have attempted this year (House of Salt and Sorrows).

There are so many questions presented throughout the course of this book, and some of them actually aren’t answered by the end. I finished the book and came directly to Goodreads to see when the sequel was going to be released. There is no sequel. This is so rare in YA because everything is usually wrapped up in a clean package with a bow on top. You don’t get that with Wilder Girls. Honestly, I’m not mad. Let me wonder. Let me make up the rest of the story in my head. I love that, thank you Rory Power. This was so unique and such a nice surprise from all the YA books I have been reading lately.

The only thing that kept this book from 5 stars was the characters. While the plot and setting were immaculate and fleshed out to the core, the characters were not. For me, characterization is one of the most important aspects of the books I read. I need it to support the story, but this was definitely a plot-driven book. Each character felt like the exact same person. The chapters were also way too long. Although some people don’t mind this, if I were reading this physically rather than the audiobook, it would have felt like torture to read.

Other than that, great. Spooky. Interesting. Unique. DARK. Relevant. Beautiful. Gory. I highly recommend to my fellow horror fans out there.

I am definitely interested in reading more from Rory Power. I think the author’s writing is going to be something I really love, so I am interested in reading their other book, Burn Our Bodies Down. I have heard a couple people enjoying that book, and I am curious to see what I would think about it.

Have you read anything from Rory Power? Let me know your thoughts below! Or if you haven’t, what has been your favorite spooky book this month?