Release Date: July 8, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rated: YA 14+
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository ● B&N ● iTunes ● Kobo
Goodreads ● Website
The forest is full of secrets, and no one understands that better than Cade. Foraging, hunting, surviving— that’s all he knows. Alone for years, Cade believes he’s the sole survivor. At least, until he catches a glimpse of a beautiful stranger…
Dara expected to find natural wonders when she set off for a spring break camping trip. Instead, she discovers a primitive boy— he’s stealthy and handsome and he might be following her. Intrigued, Dara seeks him out and sets a catastrophe in motion.
Thrust back into society, Cade struggles with the realization that the life he knew was a lie. But he’s not the only one. Trying to explain life in a normal town leaves Dara questioning it.
As the media swarm and the police close in, Dara and Cade risk everything to get closer. But will the truth about Cade’s past tear them apart?
Dara expected to find natural wonders when she set off for a spring break camping trip. Instead, she discovers a primitive boy— he’s stealthy and handsome and he might be following her. Intrigued, Dara seeks him out and sets a catastrophe in motion.
Thrust back into society, Cade struggles with the realization that the life he knew was a lie. But he’s not the only one. Trying to explain life in a normal town leaves Dara questioning it.
As the media swarm and the police close in, Dara and Cade risk everything to get closer. But will the truth about Cade’s past tear them apart?
It was only when I’d finished reading this book and started writing this review that I found out that Alex Mallory is Saundra Mitchell. I really loved The Vespertine! It was one of the first books that I’d reviewed on the blog, but I unfortunately didn’t manage to continue with the series. I’m glad to say though that Wild was an amazing book. I’ve never heard of a Tarzan retelling in YA, and despite the lack of excellent musical numbers, this one was stellar. I haven’t actually read the original Tarzan of the Apes, so I only have the Disney version of the movie to base the story on. I was thrilled that I got an advanced copy to read, and was even more so when I got the chance to be a part of the blog tour.
I really loved both characters. While the book was presented in third person, it alternated between Cade’s and Dara’s perspectives. I enjoyed the parallel to Tarzan and Jane respectively, and especially liked the interaction between the both of them. Several other characters, such as Sofia and Josh, also have a large role in the book and I liked their characters’ contributions to the plot. The unraveling of the mystery as the characters explore further into Cade’s past was very intriguing and was well-written in terms of incorporating character development into the plot’s progression.
I loved the setting for this – the forest was beautifully described both through Cade and Dara’s eyes, but also the time period was fitting for the retelling. While I’m sure it wouldn’t have been set during the time that Tarzan was, it was cool to see how someone who hasn’t really interacted with today’s world see the world and it’s development with new eyes. I also felt that Mallory (Mitchell) managed to capture the portrayal of media. Especially since Wild depicted how pushy the media can be and the boundaries it’s willing to break, no matter the consequences. It’s a horrifying picture that the author paints, but it’s definitely a realistic one.
The ending was great: I felt that it gave the book closure without making everything conveniently fall into place. While it would have been cool to see this book work as a series, I was glad that it was a standalone so that there was no need to drag it out. It concluded well, leaving room for imagination but still leaving things in place.
While the 440 pages would have first put me off, Wild was a marvelous read, one I couldn’t (and wouldn’t) put down. Mallory’s spellbinding retelling is a powerful story of love, destruction and what makes us human.
If you like this, try...
- If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch ● Goodreads
- Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis ● Goodreads
▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Megan of Harper Collins International for sending a copy for review! ▪ ▪ ▪
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ALEX MALLORY
Alex Mallory is a pen name for YA author Saundra Mitchell. She’s a big fan of reading, history, camping and competitive M&M sorting.
She once crossed a dilapidated train trestle in the middle of the night, 200 feet above the Wabash River, in a futile attempt to prove her love to someone who had no idea she existed.
1) She lived to tell about it. 2) It didn’t work. 3) She doesn’t recommend it.
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Giveaway time!
Enter to win...
A Wild Prize Pack Featuring: a signed, finished copy of WILD, a copy of Edgar Rice Burroughs' TARZAN OF THE APES, a DVD (region 1) of Greystoke: Legend of Tarzan of the Apes, bookmarks, and a stuffed plush flu microbe.
US ONLY
Enter via the Rafflecopter below!
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Click on the button below or on the tour banner at the top of the post to follow the rest of the tour!
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Thank you so much to FFBC Blog Tours for having me along!
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