The one word that comes to mind when I think about Wilder Girls is…weird. It took me awhile to finish this book and I’m not sure if that’s because it was so strange for me or because I was in such a mood when I started reading it, but Wilder Girls just didn’t resonate with me like I thought it would.

Wilder Girls drops us directly into what can only be described as chaos. The young ladies of Raxter have been living on this island, trapped and transforming into something they don’t even fully understand. Every time a girl has a flare up, something new happens; an eye is fused shut, gills are sprouted, second spines arrive and it all comes with a wave of pain. As if that weren’t enough, the government has quarantined them until they find a cure. That means no parents, no friends back home, and no contact with the outside world. The only contact with the outside world that they have is the supply drop offs that they receive from Camp Nash, which barely help with anything. Medical supplies have long stopped and the food they get isn’t enough to feed even a fraction of them. Hetty and her friends, Byatt and Reese, are doing what is necessary for them to survive. They all have their own secrets, but they need one another if they’re going to make it through life here. After one of Byatt’s flare ups, things begin to spiral out of control and suddenly life at Raxter is more dangerous than ever.

Rory does an amazing job of describing life on Raxter. It feels like you’re actually in the middle of the crisis on Baxter. I could actually feel the character’s desperation, their tragedy and heir pain. Despite the fact that the story was a little confusing to follow and that it was beyond weird, Rory managed to craft a tale that, for better or for worse, certainly managed to draw me in.

There are two points of view in the book, Hetty and Byatt. Hetty serves as the main point of view for the majority of the story, but Byatt’s chapters offer up a unique version that her friends aren’t quite privy to once she becomes separated from them after her flare-up. I will say that the writing style is different in Byatt’s chapter and she certainly is a sneaky little thing, but by the end of the book I was very sympathetic with her, even if I didn’t completely understand her.

Besides some of the confusing writing, the one thing that I wish is that we would’ve gotten Reese’s point of view as well. We only see Reese through Hetty’s POV and while it does give us a bit of insight to her, being able to see her view would’ve been even better. I just feel like something was missing because we never got a full understanding of how Reese was dealing with life at Raxter without her parents and especially her father. It seems like the book’s ending sets itself up for a possible sequel and if so, maybe we’ll get a look inside of her head then.

Overall, I just wish I had enjoyed the story more, but I do still think that it was worth the read.

This review can also be found on my blog: https://bookswhitme.wordpress.com/2019/08/22/book-review-wilder-girls-by-rory-power/

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. First off, definite trigger warning on this one. Child molestation, murder, staged suicide, sex, blood, gore. They didn’t pull any punches with this one. It was a very dark and it got there very quickly. It was a bit confusing and I’m still not entirely sure of the full reasoning or endgame involved in the story, but it was a hell of a read and a quick one at that.

I loved the illustrations in this and everything felt so gritty and raw. POC and LGBTQ characters were included and didn’t feel like they were there just to be props, which I loved. Overall, it was....interesting and not in a bad way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was similar to the movie in all the right ways, while also giving me a few new elements, such as a deeper look into the neighbors that Coraline had, hilarious lines from the black cat, and the extra creepy factor from the Other Mother. What I didn’t expect was for everything to move so quickly in the book. In the movie, Coraline visited the Other Mother’s home several times before things went left. In the book, it only takes 1 visit for her to realize that the Other Mother wasn’t what she seemed and had ill intentions. That didn’t turn me off at all and it made sense once I remembered that the book wasn’t that long.

Overall, I loved the description of the world and everything that was occurring. I’m excited that I was able to read it and it actually made me want to watch the movie again soon. I would say if you’re looking for a quick creepy read, don’t be afraid to pick this up.

Not at all what I was expecting. This was dark and twisted in a way that I hadn’t imagined and the ride that it takes you on isn’t one you can easily forget. On the surface, Jack And Grace Angel seem to have the picture perfect newlywed life. To all of their friends, their life is charming and the fact that Grace’s sister Millie, who has Down Syndrome, will be moving in with them soon, only proves just how caring they are,especially Jack. So what if Grade doesn’t have a cell phone or her own email? Who cares if she’s always mysteriously ill and never seen without her husband.

No one seems to understand that sinister doesn’t even begin to describe what’s going on in the Angel home or that a desperate fight is unraveling right before their eyes.

The biggest TW for this book, in my opinion is abuse and Gaslighting. It’s full of it and is part of the basis for the entire plot. What I will say is that the abuse you may be thinking of or picturing doesn’t even scratch the surface of the real story here.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel drops you right into the middle of 3 adopted siblings who go to Mexico to visit their grandmother and end up in the adventure of their lives. The hotel their grandmother runs is actually connected to other magical worlds. When each sibling finds themselves in another world, they must fight and work together to figure out what exactly is going on and how to get back together in one piece to make their family whole again.

In all honesty, the story was a little all over the place and I didn’t completely understand everything that was going on. Even so, it was a quick read and the illustrations were GORGEOUS. I really enjoyed the message of family being the people who love you, even if they’re not blood and not letting your pain and anger isolate you from that family. Very cute.

Definitely had to knock the rating down after this re-read given some of the problematic content. I honestly forgot how judgmental the characters were or maybe I just didn’t notice the first time around when I read this in high school. Either way it may not have been as great as I remember, but still good enough where I want to keep going. Zoey herself is irritating, but the story being told is worth a try.

Lets talk about how annoying Mia Thermopolis and the rest of her crew are completely irritating