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bookalong's review
5.0
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
For this lovely book! This was so much different from anything I've ever read! Geni has done a wonderful job. I loved the writing, the characters and the story! The way she wrote of humans and wildlife in such a thrilling way. Siblings and the bonds they share. Loved it I can't wait to read more from this author.
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For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
For this lovely book! This was so much different from anything I've ever read! Geni has done a wonderful job. I loved the writing, the characters and the story! The way she wrote of humans and wildlife in such a thrilling way. Siblings and the bonds they share. Loved it I can't wait to read more from this author.
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For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
kmmi_booklover's review
5.0
I can’t say enough about this novel. It blends a unique and exciting plot with wonderful fully developed characters. Abby Geni has an amazing way of being descriptive, particularly bringing animals and nature to life in a way that I could visualize them. She does this seamlessly without slowing the story down at all. I loved this novel so much than I immediately purchased her prior novel, The Lightkeepers.
karenika's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
I loved the beginning and the ending of this book. I know you can always read the blurbs so I am loath to regurgitate the plot here, but in just a few words this book is about 4 siblings who survive but are orphaned after a category 5 tornado. (Their mom had already passed away at childbirth.) Three girls and a boy. The brother soon disappears and comes back after an eco-terrorism bombing. He comes back to take the youngest sibling and the story splits between the two on the run and the two that stay behind.
I loved both Darlene and Cora who are definitely the most developed characters in the story. I struggled a bit more with Vincent and I feel Jane was quite under-devopled though I liked the little bits of her we got.
I love the way the story wrapped up. I loved that it was real and not a Hollywood version of life. I also loved the writing, it was so visual, so poetic. A joy to read.
I loved the beginning and the ending of this book. I know you can always read the blurbs so I am loath to regurgitate the plot here, but in just a few words this book is about 4 siblings who survive but are orphaned after a category 5 tornado. (Their mom had already passed away at childbirth.) Three girls and a boy. The brother soon disappears and comes back after an eco-terrorism bombing. He comes back to take the youngest sibling and the story splits between the two on the run and the two that stay behind.
I loved both Darlene and Cora who are definitely the most developed characters in the story. I struggled a bit more with Vincent and I feel Jane was quite under-devopled though I liked the little bits of her we got.
I love the way the story wrapped up. I loved that it was real and not a Hollywood version of life. I also loved the writing, it was so visual, so poetic. A joy to read.
alltheradreads's review
4.0
This book was unlike anything I’ve ever read and I loved it for that reason! I loved her book The Lightkeepers and had high hopes for this one and was not at ALL disappointed. It’s intriguing and bizarre and mystifying and suspenseful and twisty and will make you think and keep you guessing... it’s truly a wild story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. This author has quickly become a favorite! Can’t wait to see what she does next.
chick's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
This was a mystery box book from my friends at Chapters in Nebraska. It’s about four orphaned siblings and how one decides he knows best and how his choices impact his three sisters. It’s a bit of a dark adventure. Upsetting, but in the way that makes you thankful for the choices you’ve made.
It is a B+ from me. (It would’ve been an A, but there was about 50 pages of Tucker that I could’ve done without.)
It is a B+ from me. (It would’ve been an A, but there was about 50 pages of Tucker that I could’ve done without.)
eseide's review
4.0
Four orphans living in a trailer in Oklahoma are just trying to scrape by after a tornado destroyed their home and family. Tucker, the only brother, runs off, and Darlene, the eldest, takes on the responsibility of caring for her two younger sisters, forgoing her dream of going to college. They manage to eke out a living until one day when Tucker returns. He’s been on a rampage with an extreme animal rights group, and now he wants to take his activism to the next level. He kidnaps his youngest sister, Cora, and goes on a spree to save animals and avenge their mistreatment. Darlene is left behind with her sister Jane, torn in different directions to keep her family afloat and rescue Cora.
The Wildlands addresses some relevant issues: the media’s responsibility in reporting tragedy, filial duty, and responsible vs extreme activism. This story kept me on my toes, wondering what Tucker would do next and how 9-year-old Cora would cope with her predicament of remaining devoted to her brother while his actions and behavior become increasingly dangerous.
Many thanks to Edelweiss and Counterpoint Press for the advance copy in exchange for my review.
The Wildlands addresses some relevant issues: the media’s responsibility in reporting tragedy, filial duty, and responsible vs extreme activism. This story kept me on my toes, wondering what Tucker would do next and how 9-year-old Cora would cope with her predicament of remaining devoted to her brother while his actions and behavior become increasingly dangerous.
Many thanks to Edelweiss and Counterpoint Press for the advance copy in exchange for my review.
stptacek's review
4.0
Withholding rating until after my book club meeting. Let's just say I'm torn between this being too disturbing/graphic for my fair book club friends...or a really great conversation starter. TBD.
aberhey's review
3.0
3.5 stars because this book tackles important questions, sometimes in incredibly moving ways, but also has many flaws.
It's not every day you read a novel about animal ethics and trauma. This book has a very strong beginning, I'm not sure I like the ending. What the author managed to do is to display different way in which people react to trauma, and discuss the problem inherent in animal ethics at length, in short: The lions are hungry.
I think Cora was very well-handled as a character. Darlene, Roy (Mr. Nice Guy) and Jane were a bit pale, they didn't come to life for me, but okay overall and had some good moments. Tucker, however, was inconsistently characterised. First he's an animal rights activist, then he eats eggs and complains that there's no bacon, then he's been a vegetarian for ages. Cora, in the beginning, describes him as not talking down to her, always asking her questions, treating her as an equal. Yet we never see him ask a single question. He talks like a robot, giving out commands, preaching. You can't do this if you're trying to show a development in a character. I felt like the author was afraid to show this kind side of Tucker, relying only on Cora's word for it. But that's not enough. Also, how is he not a vegan - an extreme animal rights activist in 2017/18??? Another reviewer mentioned some errors concerning geography and local plants, that shouldn't happen. All in all, this book was certainly worth the read, and I'll be thinking about it a lot. I'm just not sure I like it.
It's not every day you read a novel about animal ethics and trauma. This book has a very strong beginning, I'm not sure I like the ending
Spoiler
both the zoo disaster and the epilogue. I find it hard to believe that nobody but Tucker died when so many carnivores were released into a city. The ideas the epilogue brought forth were interesting I guess, but the writing was cringe-worthy, trying to resolve a situation (the one that finally drives Tucker to complete madness) to which there is no resolve.I think Cora was very well-handled as a character. Darlene, Roy (Mr. Nice Guy) and Jane were a bit pale, they didn't come to life for me, but okay overall and had some good moments. Tucker, however, was inconsistently characterised. First he's an animal rights activist, then he eats eggs and complains that there's no bacon, then he's been a vegetarian for ages. Cora, in the beginning
Spoiler
of their road tripmc_readsalot's review
3.0
This was my second Abby Geni book, and just like with The Lightkeepers, the writing was glorious. What I struggled with was the story – it was fine, but it left me wanting more.