Reviews

The Beautiful and the Wild by Peggy Townsend

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aetataureate's review

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dark 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

lynguy1's review

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3.0

The Beautiful and Wild by Peggy Townsend shows that despite the natural dangers in rural Alaska, sometimes it’s humans that are the most dangerous. Readers know immediately that Liv Russo is being held prisoner in a shipping container that is now a storage shed. She can see thick forest, mountains, and a dilapidated cabin from her prison. With secrets of her own, her focus is on protecting her young son Xander who is living in the cabin with its residents. She realizes she must do whatever it takes and lie so she can get out of her prison. While most of the book is set in rural Alaska, 50 miles from the nearest town of Cohut, part of the story is set in California.

Liv had an abusive childhood and craves attention. She likes bringing order to chaos and can be hard-headed. However, she is also insecure. Does she have what it takes to survive and protect Xander?

This book goes back and forth in time, which is not my favorite writing style. Additionally, there is some unneeded repetition. This is more of a survival story than a mystery or thriller. However, there are some action scenes towards the end of the novel. Difficult living conditions, fearful for her life and that of her son, and some unexpected resilience make for an interesting story, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations from the synopsis. However, it is gripping and compelling at times and I wanted to know how it would end. Grief, fear, anger, trust, betrayal, secrets, lies, survival, and much more are themes that run throughout the story line.

Overall, I am glad I read this novel, which kept me turning the pages despite the format and the lack of action throughout most of the book.

Berkley Publishing Group and Peggy Townsend provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for November 07, 2023.
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My 3.12 rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.

vadams17's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

marieintheraw's review

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2.0

Some Alaskan wilderness thrillers are a hit and some are a miss. It really did not feel like the location was important as the story led you to believe which was weird given Alaska's climate.

I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.

mansonmichelle12's review

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

audiobookingwithleah's review

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adventurous challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Try this if you like…

one man's delusional utopian mindset
slow-burn reflections of the past
equal parts contemporary, mystery, thriller, & suspense
the complexities of relationships
Alaska setting

This was a spur-of-the-moment read for me. I was randomly looking up audio’s that were available now and this was the one I went with…I thought it would be more of a survival story…but it was much more reflective than surviving the wilds of Alaska. The ending was its saving grace and made the slow-ish pace of the rest of the book, mostly worthwhile.