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alibrareads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This was a beautiful story. Very unique for me, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that so heavily uses the first person plural point of view. Only one of the many girls of the Wild Ones is at all delved into or highlighted; it’s about the collective experience of women who have experienced trauma. The language was very poetic and soft, but also very real and evocative. Yes this book has an overarching plot, but it’s mostly about a collective group of girls just trying to live and exist and heal. And there is a conclusion to the overarching plot, but it also feels very transient. This book is a snapshot in the journey of these girls, and it left me feeling hopeful but also mildly melancholy, though not in a wholly negative way. I suppose I would say this is character-driven, but as I said, it’s not really about the characters as individuals (except the first Wild One, Paheli), it’s more about a collective experience.
This took place all over the world, and was full of beautiful foods and colors and vibes and cities. This whole book was a vibe, honestly. It showed these moments of simple joy and living and companionship with other women, all supporting each other and understanding the shared bonds of pain that we experience.
But the magic was really cool too! It’s woven throughout the book and adds this sparkle and wonder and second layer to everything. I love that the Wild Ones are able to harness their screams, what would once have been a sound of fear or desperation, into something full of power. There is not really any fighting, per-say. These girls aren’t superheroes or anything, but they still have power and fight to protect their own in their own way.
There were a few times while I was reading that I wished there was a bit more action or depth to things, but overall this was a beautiful experience. It’s a book telling us girls that our painful experiences are real and it’s not okay that it happened to us. That it’s okay to hurt and okay to heal in our own time in our own way, and that we aren’t alone. The main thing this book says to me is “I see you and your pain”.
Also the cover art?! So beautiful!! One of the prettiest books I own.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/w0L-m_Rxk7M
This took place all over the world, and was full of beautiful foods and colors and vibes and cities. This whole book was a vibe, honestly. It showed these moments of simple joy and living and companionship with other women, all supporting each other and understanding the shared bonds of pain that we experience.
But the magic was really cool too! It’s woven throughout the book and adds this sparkle and wonder and second layer to everything. I love that the Wild Ones are able to harness their screams, what would once have been a sound of fear or desperation, into something full of power. There is not really any fighting, per-say. These girls aren’t superheroes or anything, but they still have power and fight to protect their own in their own way.
There were a few times while I was reading that I wished there was a bit more action or depth to things, but overall this was a beautiful experience. It’s a book telling us girls that our painful experiences are real and it’s not okay that it happened to us. That it’s okay to hurt and okay to heal in our own time in our own way, and that we aren’t alone. The main thing this book says to me is “I see you and your pain”.
Also the cover art?! So beautiful!! One of the prettiest books I own.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/w0L-m_Rxk7M
luna_rondo's review
2.0
I thought I was going to get magic girls kicking ass. What I got was 70% badly written romance. Might be one I try to read as I could not tell the difference between the narrators during the audiobook.
laylabetweenthelines's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
“Even when the break is in the heart, the body bears evidence of it. You know what we're talking about. Of course you do. Being a girl, a woman, means being fluent in the languages of pain and power. Knowing what hurts and how much and if you have the ability to endure it.”
This beautiful book has been sitting on my TBR for so long. All I knew about it beforehand was that it had a stunning cover and appeared to feature women of color. Say less!
But also, should I say more? I'm kind of glad I had no idea what to expect, so I'll avoid summarizing too much in this review. Know that it feels fragmented but connected at once. There is the real place and what is between. There is a main perspective and another that remains unnamed. The writing is lyrical and emotional and I savored every second of it. I want more of this in books!
This beautiful book has been sitting on my TBR for so long. All I knew about it beforehand was that it had a stunning cover and appeared to feature women of color. Say less!
But also, should I say more? I'm kind of glad I had no idea what to expect, so I'll avoid summarizing too much in this review. Know that it feels fragmented but connected at once. There is the real place and what is between. There is a main perspective and another that remains unnamed. The writing is lyrical and emotional and I savored every second of it. I want more of this in books!
amk13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
siavahda's review against another edition
I don’t like writing negative reviews. I tend not to; I mark a book as DNF or read and then just…keep silent about it. Maybe I put a sentence or two about it in my monthly wrap-up posts, but that’s all.
But I really, really hate this book.
And I hate that I hate it. I’ve been looking forward to this book breathlessly, ever since the publishing deal was announced. It’s magical queer girls of colour!!! With stars and magic diamonds and sparkly clothes! It’s everything I could ask for! When I was approved for an arc, I ran into the study to tell my husband the good news, I was so excited and ecstatic.
Today, I can’t decide whether I want to cry or scream.
There’s nothing wrong with the premise/concept, the plot, or the characters. I didn’t finish the book, but the issues I saw dealt with were not mishandled. It’s nothing like that.
It’s just that the writing is abominably bad.
This is confusing for a number of reasons, not least of which is that this is not Azad’s debut, and that book, The Candle and the Flame, had perfectly pleasant prose. I didn’t enjoy the book, but not because it was bad; it and I just weren’t a good fit.
Whereas The Wild Ones is just…so bad.
The first 50 pages are telling, telling, telling. Nothing is shown to the reader; it’s a never-ending lecture about the Wild Ones and the Between and non-humans and all the rest of it. One loooong info-dump. The writing is blunt and choppy; there are attempts at pretty description, but it’s cringingly clunky, with sentences like this
An editor should have cut the last six words of that sentence and it would have been fine. Look
Done. Much better!
The book is written in first-person; unfortunately, aside from brief excerpts from ‘the book of memories’ which are titled with a character’s name, half the time it’s not at all clear whose head we’re in. Sometimes it’s Paheli, but then in the next chapter someone else seems to be talking – because they’re referring to Paheli in third-person now – but there’s nothing to tell you who the narration has switched to. Whoever they are, they speak like very young, bratty children
A few lines later,
‘Stinky Valentina’? What are you, five??? This from a character who has supposedly lived for over 70 years?
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
But I really, really hate this book.
And I hate that I hate it. I’ve been looking forward to this book breathlessly, ever since the publishing deal was announced. It’s magical queer girls of colour!!! With stars and magic diamonds and sparkly clothes! It’s everything I could ask for! When I was approved for an arc, I ran into the study to tell my husband the good news, I was so excited and ecstatic.
Today, I can’t decide whether I want to cry or scream.
There’s nothing wrong with the premise/concept, the plot, or the characters. I didn’t finish the book, but the issues I saw dealt with were not mishandled. It’s nothing like that.
It’s just that the writing is abominably bad.
This is confusing for a number of reasons, not least of which is that this is not Azad’s debut, and that book, The Candle and the Flame, had perfectly pleasant prose. I didn’t enjoy the book, but not because it was bad; it and I just weren’t a good fit.
Whereas The Wild Ones is just…so bad.
The first 50 pages are telling, telling, telling. Nothing is shown to the reader; it’s a never-ending lecture about the Wild Ones and the Between and non-humans and all the rest of it. One loooong info-dump. The writing is blunt and choppy; there are attempts at pretty description, but it’s cringingly clunky, with sentences like this
sweet, milky treats that taste a little like heaven if the place was a flavor.
An editor should have cut the last six words of that sentence and it would have been fine. Look
sweet, milky treats that taste a little like heaven.
Done. Much better!
The book is written in first-person; unfortunately, aside from brief excerpts from ‘the book of memories’ which are titled with a character’s name, half the time it’s not at all clear whose head we’re in. Sometimes it’s Paheli, but then in the next chapter someone else seems to be talking – because they’re referring to Paheli in third-person now – but there’s nothing to tell you who the narration has switched to. Whoever they are, they speak like very young, bratty children
I glare at Valentina and pretend I have all the answers. I am really good at pretending, in case you’re wondering.
A few lines later,
“We’ll find out more about this person later. All right?” stinky Valentina says, trying to make up for putting her foot in everyone’s mouth earlier.
‘Stinky Valentina’? What are you, five??? This from a character who has supposedly lived for over 70 years?
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
thindbooks's review
4.0
*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
I enjoyed reading this book which is about a group of teenage girls with special powers who try to save a boy that brought the magic. I enjoyed this unique story and the way the plot was structured. This book had a great world-building that was easy to understand and I just enjoyed the new setting. The writing was a little hard for me to get used to. I do have to say that the beginning was a little slow and hard to get into in the beginning but once you get into the flow of the author's writing, the story gets way more interesting. This book also has many different povs so be ready for it.
This book has many characters and I have to say that I love how diverse they all were. They each had their own character development and you got to learn more about them from their past life in this book. There wasn't really the main character in this book but that they were all main characters. Mostly for this book I enjoyed how the characters have something they went through and tried to achieve their fears to be stronger. The girls supported each other and I just loved the sisterly bond. There was some romance in this book but it wasn't really the main factor of the story.
The ending was well done and I have to say that this book was an emotional journey. So much happened in this book that it's hard to describe what has happened. It was that great! I did have some minor problems with this book but nothing super major. I recommend reading this book to fans of Blood Like Magic and How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe.
I enjoyed reading this book which is about a group of teenage girls with special powers who try to save a boy that brought the magic. I enjoyed this unique story and the way the plot was structured. This book had a great world-building that was easy to understand and I just enjoyed the new setting. The writing was a little hard for me to get used to. I do have to say that the beginning was a little slow and hard to get into in the beginning but once you get into the flow of the author's writing, the story gets way more interesting. This book also has many different povs so be ready for it.
This book has many characters and I have to say that I love how diverse they all were. They each had their own character development and you got to learn more about them from their past life in this book. There wasn't really the main character in this book but that they were all main characters. Mostly for this book I enjoyed how the characters have something they went through and tried to achieve their fears to be stronger. The girls supported each other and I just loved the sisterly bond. There was some romance in this book but it wasn't really the main factor of the story.
The ending was well done and I have to say that this book was an emotional journey. So much happened in this book that it's hard to describe what has happened. It was that great! I did have some minor problems with this book but nothing super major. I recommend reading this book to fans of Blood Like Magic and How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe.
fuzzyhebrew's review
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a great YA novel and I would recommend it for those readers. The message is really hammered home and not subtle at all, but that is totally ok with me because the book never tried to be subtle. It was shouting from the rooftops that it was about healing sisterhood and trauma, and it gave that 100%. I didn't even hate the romance, I liked both of the characters and felt that they were not toxic to each other.
The reason the rating is not higher is because sometimes I felt the book was holding your hands too much. YA readers are not dumb, and they don't need to be told things that they were just shown moments before. For example, in one scene the sisters are told that to get Taraana his powers he needs to bond with a door, which probably means bleeding on it. So then in the next scene one of the characters says something like "so do you think we should go bleed on a bunch of doors?" I just feel like that discussion didn't need to be in there, the readers know that is what the characters are going to do and it didn't add anything.
I also found the magic council very jarring. It was a piece of the real world politics that didn't really fit with the rest of the middle world. In general the worldbuilding did not hit home for me.
I agree with other readers that making this into a series could be interesting, where we learn more about the other sisters.
The reason the rating is not higher is because sometimes I felt the book was holding your hands too much. YA readers are not dumb, and they don't need to be told things that they were just shown moments before. For example, in one scene the sisters are told that to get Taraana his powers he needs to bond with a door, which probably means bleeding on it. So then in the next scene one of the characters says something like "so do you think we should go bleed on a bunch of doors?" I just feel like that discussion didn't need to be in there, the readers know that is what the characters are going to do and it didn't add anything.
I also found the magic council very jarring. It was a piece of the real world politics that didn't really fit with the rest of the middle world. In general the worldbuilding did not hit home for me.
I agree with other readers that making this into a series could be interesting, where we learn more about the other sisters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Children are often sold and bought in this bookmegan_jessop's review
3.0
“When the break is in the heart, the body bears evidence of it. You know what we're talking about. Of course you do. Being a girl, a woman, means being fluent in the languages of pain and power. Knowing what hurts and how much and if you have the ability to endure it."
The concept was intriguing, the world building was fabulous, and the writing was so beautiful. But I got a bit lost at time at times with reading it and I think that was an issue with pacing as much as it was with the plot… like the two seem to go hand in hand. I found myself asking who the audience was at times because some of the content can be heavy and not sure if younger audiences are suitable… on the other hand, I know YA/Middle Grade audiences are often wiser and more emotionally mature than we give them credit for.
I felt like this book was sort of similar to Body of Stars but different in the sense that BOS has more of a darker/dystopian feel and Wild Ones has more of a dark/whimsy/fantasy vibe… almost like a more mature Wrinkle in Time. I truly did love the writing style and liked this better than Body of Stars but just didn’t quite fall in love with the book as a whole.
The concept was intriguing, the world building was fabulous, and the writing was so beautiful. But I got a bit lost at time at times with reading it and I think that was an issue with pacing as much as it was with the plot… like the two seem to go hand in hand. I found myself asking who the audience was at times because some of the content can be heavy and not sure if younger audiences are suitable… on the other hand, I know YA/Middle Grade audiences are often wiser and more emotionally mature than we give them credit for.
I felt like this book was sort of similar to Body of Stars but different in the sense that BOS has more of a darker/dystopian feel and Wild Ones has more of a dark/whimsy/fantasy vibe… almost like a more mature Wrinkle in Time. I truly did love the writing style and liked this better than Body of Stars but just didn’t quite fall in love with the book as a whole.
rgibbons's review
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Waaaay too many characters to keep track of. I gave up on trying to distinguish the girls about a third of the way in.
charlotekerstenauthor's review
So What’s It About?
Meet the Wild Ones: girls who have been hurt, abandoned, and betrayed all their lives. It all began with Paheli, who was once betrayed by her mother and sold to a man in exchange for a favor. When Paheli escapes, she runs headlong into a boy with stars in his eyes. This boy, as battered as she is, tosses Paheli a box of stars before disappearing.
With the stars, Paheli gains access to the Between, a place of pure magic and mystery. Now, Paheli collects girls like herself and these Wild Ones use their magic to travel the world, helping the hopeless and saving others from the fates they suffered.
Then Paheli and the Wild Ones learn that the boy who gave them the stars, Taraana, is in danger. He’s on the run from powerful forces within the world of magic. But if Taraana is no longer safe and free, neither are the Wild Ones. And that…is a fate the Wild Ones refuse to accept. Ever again.
What I Thought
While this book’s premise is very unique and a lot of things about it are imaginative and vibrant, there are a lot of things about it that just didn’t work for me. To a certain extent, I think part of the problem might very well be that I am just not the target demographic. The fact that The Wild Ones is YA is very apparent, especially in how it goes about delivering its feminist messages. I found its attempts to be shallow, especially when it came to the short segments of the book that were devoted solely to such messages: ladies, did you ever notice that our body parts are slurs? That when men argue with us, they insult our sex lives? Have you heard the phrase “rape is a four letter word” before? And the snippet about kintsugi is very similar to a popular post floating around on Tumblr. So I might just say that the exploration of themes is just a little too simplistic for an adult reader. On the other hand, though, I’ve read other YA books on similar difficult topics that engage with them in ways that I found to be deep, nuanced and challenging.
While I adore the idea of a Magical Girl Squad, a found family of girl survivors of color, I also think that the premise could have been executed much more strongly. A central problem is that there are a LOT of Wild Ones and most of them don’t get any characterization at all. The only two girls who truly get any amount of characterization and play a meaningful role in the story are Valentina and Paheli. There are also little poem snapshots of each Wild One’s past life in their Book of Memories. As a whole, these poems did not strike me as very successful either. I hope that my meaning comes across when I describe them as being either too Rupi Kaur-y for my tastes or too impenetrably flowery for me to actually be sure what the intended message is.
The plot is very repetitive as well. The Wild Ones travel to a new city, exchange diamonds for money, get food and then track down a person who infodumps at them about the Between. My final big critique is that a great deal of the story’s focus is on the developing romance between Paheli and Taraana, which I was initially on board with but ended up feeling far too instalove-y for me. I also feel like the focus on romance takes away a lot of time that could have been focused on fleshing out the Wild Ones and their relationships.
That being said, I’m still walking away from this book feeling quite charmed. I’ve seen complaints about the writing style, but I found it to be pretty fun and quirky overall, at least when it wasn’t trying to be poetic in an overwrought way. There are lots of fourth wall breaks and banter between the teenage characters that feel sort of silly and immature, but for me, at least, the overall effect was endearing.
While the globe-trotting made for a repetitive plot, I really enjoyed hearing about each city and its culture and history. And the food descriptions were amazing!! Azad definitely shines when it comes to lush, vibrant details and descriptions like these. Finally, while I do think that the themes and characterization could have been a lot stronger, I still fundamentally love the idea of magic that helps girls find a safe place to stay while they heal and gives them limitless resources that they can use to explore and help others. There’s a one-off mention of them using their diamonds to fund shelters and counseling programs for girls all over the world and I love this - I just wish that such elements had more focus and were explored in-depth throughout.
Meet the Wild Ones: girls who have been hurt, abandoned, and betrayed all their lives. It all began with Paheli, who was once betrayed by her mother and sold to a man in exchange for a favor. When Paheli escapes, she runs headlong into a boy with stars in his eyes. This boy, as battered as she is, tosses Paheli a box of stars before disappearing.
With the stars, Paheli gains access to the Between, a place of pure magic and mystery. Now, Paheli collects girls like herself and these Wild Ones use their magic to travel the world, helping the hopeless and saving others from the fates they suffered.
Then Paheli and the Wild Ones learn that the boy who gave them the stars, Taraana, is in danger. He’s on the run from powerful forces within the world of magic. But if Taraana is no longer safe and free, neither are the Wild Ones. And that…is a fate the Wild Ones refuse to accept. Ever again.
What I Thought
While this book’s premise is very unique and a lot of things about it are imaginative and vibrant, there are a lot of things about it that just didn’t work for me. To a certain extent, I think part of the problem might very well be that I am just not the target demographic. The fact that The Wild Ones is YA is very apparent, especially in how it goes about delivering its feminist messages. I found its attempts to be shallow, especially when it came to the short segments of the book that were devoted solely to such messages: ladies, did you ever notice that our body parts are slurs? That when men argue with us, they insult our sex lives? Have you heard the phrase “rape is a four letter word” before? And the snippet about kintsugi is very similar to a popular post floating around on Tumblr. So I might just say that the exploration of themes is just a little too simplistic for an adult reader. On the other hand, though, I’ve read other YA books on similar difficult topics that engage with them in ways that I found to be deep, nuanced and challenging.
While I adore the idea of a Magical Girl Squad, a found family of girl survivors of color, I also think that the premise could have been executed much more strongly. A central problem is that there are a LOT of Wild Ones and most of them don’t get any characterization at all. The only two girls who truly get any amount of characterization and play a meaningful role in the story are Valentina and Paheli. There are also little poem snapshots of each Wild One’s past life in their Book of Memories. As a whole, these poems did not strike me as very successful either. I hope that my meaning comes across when I describe them as being either too Rupi Kaur-y for my tastes or too impenetrably flowery for me to actually be sure what the intended message is.
The plot is very repetitive as well. The Wild Ones travel to a new city, exchange diamonds for money, get food and then track down a person who infodumps at them about the Between. My final big critique is that a great deal of the story’s focus is on the developing romance between Paheli and Taraana, which I was initially on board with but ended up feeling far too instalove-y for me. I also feel like the focus on romance takes away a lot of time that could have been focused on fleshing out the Wild Ones and their relationships.
That being said, I’m still walking away from this book feeling quite charmed. I’ve seen complaints about the writing style, but I found it to be pretty fun and quirky overall, at least when it wasn’t trying to be poetic in an overwrought way. There are lots of fourth wall breaks and banter between the teenage characters that feel sort of silly and immature, but for me, at least, the overall effect was endearing.
While the globe-trotting made for a repetitive plot, I really enjoyed hearing about each city and its culture and history. And the food descriptions were amazing!! Azad definitely shines when it comes to lush, vibrant details and descriptions like these. Finally, while I do think that the themes and characterization could have been a lot stronger, I still fundamentally love the idea of magic that helps girls find a safe place to stay while they heal and gives them limitless resources that they can use to explore and help others. There’s a one-off mention of them using their diamonds to fund shelters and counseling programs for girls all over the world and I love this - I just wish that such elements had more focus and were explored in-depth throughout.