Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: February 7th, 2023
Pages: 336
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis:
At six years old, Victoria was kidnapped and forced to work for a company as a tour guide in the jungles of Jamaica. She is a Wildblood, someone who can use their blood science like magic. Wildbloods are both feared and shunned by others. Victoria wants nothing more than to protect the ones she loves and see them free from their virtual slavery. She is the most powerful among her kind and even those like her are afraid to get close. She is paired up with Dean, her ex that gravely betrayed her, to lead a large group into the heart of the jungle in search of gold. The tour company’s client, Thorn, is a renowned gold miner, and not at all what Victoria expects. But the wilds are more than they seem, teeming with monsters and creatures of legend. There’s a reason no one has ever made it back alive. The wild jungle protects itself and none of them may make it back from this perilous expedition.
Review:
The lush atmosphere of the story sweeps you up into its humid, unforgiving climate. The trees and rivers of the jungle have their own sentience and will for the security and safety of all the ones who reside within it.
The mythical and fascinating creatures will capture your heart. It’s an imaginative creation of setting and world-building that embraces nature. It is a hauntingly beautiful story world.
Victoria’s isolated life has led her to be distrusting of people, but Thorn’s respectful, generous, and affectionate manner warms her to him. I love her respect, reverence, and connection with nature.
I love that Thorn is not the usual fantasy protagonist (broody, alpha male) but rather most remarkable because of his kindness, honesty, and gentleness. It is a refreshing love interest within this genre and a nice departure from the norm.
The story is rife with the injustices and exploitations of colonization. It speaks to themes of preservation of wildlife and habitats, which I believe is an incredibly important topic in today’s society and not one I see often used in fantasy books.
This book touches on darker moments as well, such as recovery from abuse and learning forgiveness and understanding. The trauma is emotional and the journey to healing inspiring.
This book encourages us to consider the ways that love can be a tumultuous, confusing, and often irrational experience. It’s about loving people despite, or even especially, for the flaws that make them undeniably and uniquely them.
It’s about having the courage to stand up for what is right and good, even when everything you believe in is difficult to uphold.
It’s a story about finding your own path in life, even if that means making hard choices and sacrificing for it. And it all leads to a conclusion that is heart-breaking and yet wonderfully liberating and I can’t imagine it happening any other way.
I highly recommend this book! I truly enjoyed reading it and the author is one I will definitely be watching for their next book.
Disclaimers:
Huge thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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