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whit2ney's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking
mandysbookcollection's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
This book has a content warning at the beginning. It advised that the work contains themes of sexual and Physical violence.foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was incredible.
Rep: Indian female MC (aro-spec coded), French BIPOC trans female sapphic side character, Korean female side character, Indonesian female side character, Filipina female side character, West African female side character (wears a head scarf), Pakistani female side character, Fijian female side character, Turkish female side character, Muslim Iraqi female side character, Japanese female side character. Unsure who is queer but at least half are not attracted to men.
CWs: Abandonment, blood, confinement, death, emotional abuse, grief, homophobia, injury/injury detail, infidelity, kidnapping, lesbophobia, misogyny, murder, physical abuse, sexism, torture, trafficking, prostitution, violence. Moderate: child abuse, child death, pregnancy, mention of attempted abortion, rape, sexual assault, sexual violence, suicide by running into traffic, bullying.
Rep: Indian female MC (aro-spec coded), French BIPOC trans female sapphic side character, Korean female side character, Indonesian female side character, Filipina female side character, West African female side character (wears a head scarf), Pakistani female side character, Fijian female side character, Turkish female side character, Muslim Iraqi female side character, Japanese female side character. Unsure who is queer but at least half are not attracted to men.
CWs: Abandonment, blood, confinement, death, emotional abuse, grief, homophobia, injury/injury detail, infidelity, kidnapping, lesbophobia, misogyny, murder, physical abuse, sexism, torture, trafficking, prostitution, violence. Moderate: child abuse, child death, pregnancy, mention of attempted abortion, rape, sexual assault, sexual violence, suicide by running into traffic, bullying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Bullying
nytephoenyx's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The amount you enjoy The Wild Ones will be directly correlated to the amount you enjoy poetry and flowery language. Azad’s writing reminded me of Nikita Gill and Rupi Kaur. As such, this book was very much not my cup of tea, but it’s not a bad book! Just not a fit for my tastes.
The make up of The Wild Ones is wonderful. It’s the story of a group of girls who come from traumatic, sorrowful backgrounds. They became part of the middle world when Paheli gifts them the stars they press into their palms, a gift given to her so long ago. The girls stay until they are ready to move on. The journey they take as a Wild One feels like a metaphor for processing trauma. So much of this book feels like a series of metaphors, and it makes you think, reread, reconsider.
The Wild Ones are Black girls, brown girls. They are a sisterhood of strength and recklessness and fearlessness. They rescue other girls who are in the same pain they were (are) in. When their creator, the Keeper of the Between, seeks them out, they protect him too. It’s altogether an interesting book, and I DO recommend it to the right reader. It’s extremely stylised, so it requires the right reader to appreciate it fully, but I believe to the right reader, this will be an amazing five star novel. I liked the diversity, I liked the world, but the pace and writing style lost me.
Because of the linguistic choices that Azad made in telling this story, I found the pacing lagged and my attention waned, leading to a lot of rereading. I cannot emphasise enough that this is entirely due to my own reading preferences and for others, this could be a non-issue. The style made the writing (to me) feel vague and scattered. There were single paragraphs and single scenes that I found lovely, but as a reader I felt like I was constantly chasing cohesiveness in the novel.
It’s a good book, but it wasn’t a good book for me. I think others will like it, but before diving into it, do note the prose-like writing style and go in prepared to navigate it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Torture, Rape, Suicide, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent
thetealdeal's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Misogyny
ahenkel's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The theme of this book, women using their power to protect and avenge other victims of men, is very powerful and well-written. The overall story is just kind of slow and not that interesting. It also gets difficult to keep track of who characters are as the POV jumps around.
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall 3.75 stars
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall 3.75 stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Trafficking, Pedophilia, and Suicide
pandasama16's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book has a great premise but fails to take advantage of it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
emmysreading's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence
2treads's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
#thewildones is a narrative centering girls and women in all their expressions and complexities; the horrors that they face and the strength that they can find to carry on and band together, creating a loving, supportive, and protective found family.
Azad has used historical settings, food, and friendship to connect us all while weaving this fantastical and magical world. What I also enjoyed and appreciated is her portrayal of the particular magic that exists and permeates a specific city.
She draws upon the complex intricacies of girlhood and womanhood to explore how we come into our femininity or lack thereof; how we form relationships, platonic and romantic; how we grow within the confines or freedom of said relationships; and the beauty, cruelty or futility that can reside within them as well.
She tells a story of what makes us leave the place where we should be safest and most loved: home.
But as with all things magical, there are persons who wish to harness and steal what is special to twist to their evil intentions and it is here that the Wild Ones must truly count on their bond and trust to face what is hunting them.
The choice to switch between memory, first person narration, and a conversational style of prose really aided in engaging and capturing the reader's attention.
But what really made me enjoy this read, besides the strong bond of sisterhood, is the love our MC has for mangoes and food in general. This book had me salivating. Every new city was a new experience with the food of that region, and I loved it.
Azad has used historical settings, food, and friendship to connect us all while weaving this fantastical and magical world. What I also enjoyed and appreciated is her portrayal of the particular magic that exists and permeates a specific city.
She draws upon the complex intricacies of girlhood and womanhood to explore how we come into our femininity or lack thereof; how we form relationships, platonic and romantic; how we grow within the confines or freedom of said relationships; and the beauty, cruelty or futility that can reside within them as well.
She tells a story of what makes us leave the place where we should be safest and most loved: home.
But as with all things magical, there are persons who wish to harness and steal what is special to twist to their evil intentions and it is here that the Wild Ones must truly count on their bond and trust to face what is hunting them.
The choice to switch between memory, first person narration, and a conversational style of prose really aided in engaging and capturing the reader's attention.
But what really made me enjoy this read, besides the strong bond of sisterhood, is the love our MC has for mangoes and food in general. This book had me salivating. Every new city was a new experience with the food of that region, and I loved it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, Kidnapping, and Suicide
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