Holy shit.
This is probably the first true feminist horror I've read, and the first truly good YA horror, too.
I will say, if you are the SLIGHTEST bit squeamish, this book won't really be for you. This is full of body horror, so. Keep that in mind.
I love how the girls' sexuality isn't at the forefront of the story. There's casual mentions of girls having to "put their girlfriends down" due to the Tox taking over their minds. Hetty's inner dialogue alludes to bisexuality, but either way. It's so refreshing.
No one knows how or why the Tox took over the island, but it infects EVERYTHING. The landscape pretty much becomes something out of Annihilation. The girls become something...so otherworldly but also strangely beautiful? Byatt develops a second spine; Reese's hair glows and she has a silver hand; and Hetty...she has something in her eye.
The mystery isn't really why the Tox exists or where it came from. It's why is the government trying to kill us even though we're isolated? There are shipments of food, but almost everything is tampered with or spoiled.
Then, something goes wrong with Byatt's flare up. Every girl has flare ups, but some come out stronger, while others collapse. It's almost akin to a period, honestly. Anyway. Byatt's flare up is vastly different than usual. Then she goes missing. Hetty needs her back.
While some elements of the story were a little predictable, it's still the most beautiful horror story I've ever read. I give Wilder Girls 4.5 out of 5 Raxter Blues.
This is probably the first true feminist horror I've read, and the first truly good YA horror, too.
I will say, if you are the SLIGHTEST bit squeamish, this book won't really be for you. This is full of body horror, so. Keep that in mind.
I love how the girls' sexuality isn't at the forefront of the story. There's casual mentions of girls having to "put their girlfriends down" due to the Tox taking over their minds. Hetty's inner dialogue alludes to bisexuality, but either way. It's so refreshing.
No one knows how or why the Tox took over the island, but it infects EVERYTHING. The landscape pretty much becomes something out of Annihilation. The girls become something...so otherworldly but also strangely beautiful? Byatt develops a second spine; Reese's hair glows and she has a silver hand; and Hetty...she has something in her eye.
The mystery isn't really why the Tox exists or where it came from. It's why is the government trying to kill us even though we're isolated? There are shipments of food, but almost everything is tampered with or spoiled.
Then, something goes wrong with Byatt's flare up. Every girl has flare ups, but some come out stronger, while others collapse. It's almost akin to a period, honestly. Anyway. Byatt's flare up is vastly different than usual. Then she goes missing. Hetty needs her back.
While some elements of the story were a little predictable, it's still the most beautiful horror story I've ever read. I give Wilder Girls 4.5 out of 5 Raxter Blues.