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brookeshelby's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I found this to be a rollercoaster, the parts that grabbed me really did, but I had a hard time getting into the majority.
kandisteiner's review against another edition
5.0
Five magical, feminist, bewitched stars!
I started this book two years ago. TWO. YEARS. I devoured the first half and fell so in love. I was excited every time I opened the book. I couldn't wait to pick it up again.
And then...
I beta read for a friend, and then had to read an ARC to review, and before I knew it, this book was collecting dust on my bedside table and it kept getting pushed off by things I HAD to read.
Jack and I booked a weekend getaway in a cabin in North Georgia for my birthday last week, and I brought this book with me, and once again, I found myself swept away in the story within the first chapter after I picked it back up. I devoured the rest of it hungrily in just a couple of days.
I'll never forget the feeling of reading this all cozied up by the fire after a long day of hiking. <3
But, personal experience aside, this is a must for anyone who loves young adult with a dash of fantasy, mystery, and woman power. I was so intrigued by the concept and I LOVED getting to know all of the female ancestors that made up the entire family. This wasn't just one girl's story -- it was the story of her entire family, of ALL of us, as women. I absolutely loved it.
Five stars and highly recommended! Going on my favorites of 2020 for sure.
I started this book two years ago. TWO. YEARS. I devoured the first half and fell so in love. I was excited every time I opened the book. I couldn't wait to pick it up again.
And then...
I beta read for a friend, and then had to read an ARC to review, and before I knew it, this book was collecting dust on my bedside table and it kept getting pushed off by things I HAD to read.
Jack and I booked a weekend getaway in a cabin in North Georgia for my birthday last week, and I brought this book with me, and once again, I found myself swept away in the story within the first chapter after I picked it back up. I devoured the rest of it hungrily in just a couple of days.
I'll never forget the feeling of reading this all cozied up by the fire after a long day of hiking. <3
But, personal experience aside, this is a must for anyone who loves young adult with a dash of fantasy, mystery, and woman power. I was so intrigued by the concept and I LOVED getting to know all of the female ancestors that made up the entire family. This wasn't just one girl's story -- it was the story of her entire family, of ALL of us, as women. I absolutely loved it.
Five stars and highly recommended! Going on my favorites of 2020 for sure.
ellekeene's review against another edition
1.0
Honestly, one of the worst books I've ever read. None of the flashbacks are full enough to evoke any emotion from the reader. It is impossible to figure out the time and place of the core narrative. The protagonist does not act in any way that is cohesive from one event to the next and is so, so insufferably stupid. That romance? Why? The villain's completely transparent to anyone with half a brain cell and the better choice is dull as dishwater. The protagonist herself is so half-baked and repressed that every sensation she feels is positively orgasmic. Every choice is made with paragraphs and paragraphs of indecision, pouting and navel-gazing. The main conflict? Isn't one. It's a hug. You're welcome.
It wants to be scary, but isn't. It wants to be erotic, but it isn't. I cannot wait to unhaul this.
It wants to be scary, but isn't. It wants to be erotic, but it isn't. I cannot wait to unhaul this.
becxreadz's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Liked
*The first half was interesting, very gothic and morbid
*Maisie's ability to kill or bring things back to life
Disliked
*The last half was lost my interest
*Why is this family cursed
*What's with the weird fixation on boobs
*The audio narration
*Didn't care about the descendants
*The first half was interesting, very gothic and morbid
*Maisie's ability to kill or bring things back to life
Disliked
*The last half was lost my interest
*Why is this family cursed
*What's with the weird fixation on boobs
*The audio narration
*Didn't care about the descendants
manda_ruthie's review against another edition
This book was too dark, too slow, and needlessly sexual. No thank you
morticia_59's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
makbrandt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, and Gore
foxmoon's review against another edition
4.0
three and a half stars.
What Should Be Wild started out as the contemporary gothic fairytale of my dreams. We are transported to a dark world, in which a woman's corpse may be kept alive to incubate an unborn child and where that child's father views her as somewhat of a scientific mystery and keeps her locked away in a mansion to study. This is because Maisie, the child and protagonist of the novel, possesses a sort of super power in which she will kill anything that her skin comes in contact with.
We follow Maisie through her childhood, the peculiar childhood of a captured princess and her overprotective father. The world they inhabit is fascinating, a little bit scary, and shaped by foreboding stories and folklore. The first part of the book which consists of this dreamlike world-building is a delight. Maisie is a precocious but obedient child, and the reader learns along with her, just as eagerly as she does.
It is only when Maisie becomes a young woman and a few new characters are introduced that the novel loses its enchantment. These are the stereotypical love interests (the handsome rogue and the good-hearted nerd), one of whom flattens the wonder in favor of formula. With these new characters, a small voyage of an adventure occurs but its conclusion, and the conclusion of the novel, is underwhelming and doesn't necessarily measure up to the robust lore established in the beginning of the story.
I loved the first part of the book and would have rated it five stars, but it took a turn and never recovered after the halfway mark.
What Should Be Wild started out as the contemporary gothic fairytale of my dreams. We are transported to a dark world, in which a woman's corpse may be kept alive to incubate an unborn child and where that child's father views her as somewhat of a scientific mystery and keeps her locked away in a mansion to study. This is because Maisie, the child and protagonist of the novel, possesses a sort of super power in which she will kill anything that her skin comes in contact with.
We follow Maisie through her childhood, the peculiar childhood of a captured princess and her overprotective father. The world they inhabit is fascinating, a little bit scary, and shaped by foreboding stories and folklore. The first part of the book which consists of this dreamlike world-building is a delight. Maisie is a precocious but obedient child, and the reader learns along with her, just as eagerly as she does.
It is only when Maisie becomes a young woman and a few new characters are introduced that the novel loses its enchantment. These are the stereotypical love interests (the handsome rogue and the good-hearted nerd), one of whom
Spoiler
is very obviously evil andI loved the first part of the book and would have rated it five stars, but it took a turn and never recovered after the halfway mark.