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nmrobi's review against another edition
Lost interest. Very repetitive teenage worship of love interest seemed taken out of character and distracted from storytelling
jinmichae's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I loved a lot of things about this book, but the plot felt messy to me. Strong start, compelling main character, and a challenge that seems insurmountable all for me interested from the start.
Unfortunately, for me it got muddled up with the romance factor. I think it would have worked better with a longer "will they/won't they" phase, or if there were more stakes for them to have to consider their feelings. I hate misunderstandings that come from something the characters could just have talked about, but even that would have created more tension:if Thorn thought that Victoria was actually committed to her other "lovers" and was more subtle with his desires.
I wanted to know more about the jungle and the dangers present there, but the feeling of constant present danger wasn't there as the got farther off the trail. They had no Wildbloods watching at night?It was mere coincidence that Victoria noticed the soul eater: if she hadn't been awake, the whole camp could have been killed.
I think mostly this could have done with some tightening up. I felt there were too many scenes basically hashing out the same conversation between Thorn and Victoria, and it killed the tension and pacing. They, and the reader, forget they're in a dangerous jungle.And I hate that Thorn doesn't really agree that the jungle and the gold belong to no one but the jungle. I feel that should have been a bigger sticking point for Victoria.
Finally, the scene in the orchard was quite anticlimactic. Victoria alludes to not knowing what's actually there, why there are "man eaters" if there's no men there. But it's just trees with gold sap? And we only really see it in a glance as she tries to help Thorn. I also didn't understand why she didn't just stay in the jungle: why return to the boss at all? Especially with how it ends?
In some ways this felt like a first draft, which is frustrating because I really enjoyed the writing, the glimpses we saw of the jungle's beauty and danger, and the different characters. I think the plot just got muddied up in the middle, and the tone became less consistent, which lost the danger and immediacy of the early chapters.
All that said, I loved Biggs. I think he was my favorite part of the book. I almost yelled with how happy I was that he loved Victoria just like the rest of the jungle.
Unfortunately, for me it got muddled up with the romance factor. I think it would have worked better with a longer "will they/won't they" phase, or if there were more stakes for them to have to consider their feelings. I hate misunderstandings that come from something the characters could just have talked about, but even that would have created more tension:
I wanted to know more about the jungle and the dangers present there, but the feeling of constant present danger wasn't there as the got farther off the trail. They had no Wildbloods watching at night?
I think mostly this could have done with some tightening up. I felt there were too many scenes basically hashing out the same conversation between Thorn and Victoria, and it killed the tension and pacing. They, and the reader, forget they're in a dangerous jungle.
In some ways this felt like a first draft, which is frustrating because I really enjoyed the writing, the glimpses we saw of the jungle's beauty and danger, and the different characters. I think the plot just got muddied up in the middle, and the tone became less consistent, which lost the danger and immediacy of the early chapters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Colonisation, Grief, Slavery, Trafficking, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Bullying, Murder, Racism, Torture, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual harassment
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
The cover and the synopsis are a great indication of the kind of story you're in for. This book was a whirlwind of an adventure with some of the great worldbuilding. It was so easy to go through and author also did an excellent job at including meaningful details about the setting that made the work immersive and lush. If you love young adult fantasy, this is absolutely a book you’ll want to read.
A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
I really enjoyed this book! i loved the jungle setting and the magic system. the characters were really interesting, and the book somewhat reminded me of Jungle Cruise and Tarzan. The ending, of course left me heartbroken but it was bittersweet.
I really enjoyed this book! i loved the jungle setting and the magic system. the characters were really interesting, and the book somewhat reminded me of Jungle Cruise and Tarzan. The ending, of course left me heartbroken but it was bittersweet.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
3.0
I'm quite a bit bummed as this one let me down in comparison to the debut. However, it was still an absolute delight in regard to the characters...just a bit predictable for my liking
I received an ecopy of this through Netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this through Netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.
ree_anna's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
4.25
annamickreads's review against another edition
3.0
As always, Lauren Blackwood hooks readers in with a fascinating, original premise and high stakes.
In "Wildblood," 18-year-old Victoria is a Wildblood, a magic user that can manipulate blood, which she calls "science." After being scooped up from the jungle and forced into servitude for the Exotic Lands Touring Company at the age of 6, she's desperate to escape the life she's been trapped in. When a high-profile group of American tourists arrives, Victoria wants more than anything to prove herself and insists to go on the mission, despite it being lead by her former-love-turned-villainous-rival, Dean.
I will start by saying that setting this story in the Jamaican jungle and including lots of mythology and folklore native to Jamaica was really cool and creative. Every time the group encountered a new (and deadly) creature it was clear that the author took a lot of time to think about the magical jungle as a concept and frankly, I feel like not many stories are set in that kind of environment so it was just really working for me! Also appreciated the pro-environmentalist overtones, where Victoria argued that just because there was gold in the heart of the jungle that "didn't belong" to anyone didn't mean it should be removed — that the jungle deserves to be left alone, not torn down and paved through.
The character of Victoria is ridiculously easy to empathize with. You can see from the very first chapter she's been abused and manipulated her entire life, so her understated personality is a literal trauma response from trying to keep her head down and out of the way.
I don't have problems with Insta-love especially in a YA, but as other reviewers have pointed out, it seemed to me like her romance with Thorn, who readers know from the start is only in the jungle for gold and will return to America, was somehow pointless by the end due to Victoria's choice to even when she says for most of the book that Thorn could help be a new life for her. I do however REALLY appreciate Victoria feeling safe and comfortable enough to talk with Thorn about her sexual trauma and have him validate her experience.
Tiny note: because the time period and setting other than "Jamaica" is pretty unclear, I was surprised at all the overt references to Christianity, especially in a book where non-Western folklore takes precedence. It could be that was just the author's way of differentiating the two worlds (Thorn and the jungle) as Victoria's loves but to quote another reviewer: "If the author wants to write Christian romance, that’s totally valid and should be an avenue for her to look toward because it feels like that’s what she wanted to focus on the most."
The author herself has described her books as "romance heavy fantasy" so I shouldn't have been surprised when that took over the plot, but I was hoping we'd get more explanation about Wildbloods — how they exist, where do their powers originate from, that sort of thing. Especially considering Victoria is the most self-proclaimed powerful Wildblood in the group, is there a reason for that??
Another tiny thing: I will say I didn't necessarily believe there needed to be a stated, hard time period, but with the lack of cellphones and the use of carriages, plus the descriptions of the attire the group was wearing, I was under the impression "Wildblood" was set in an alternative mid-late 1800s. Despite this, the dialogue would occasionally use very modern anachronisms that had me scratching my head at the tonal switch. "What, like it's hard?" was a cute reference but also threw me for a loop.
And finally, the villains in this book are pretty 2-D, especially Dean, who pretty quickly, without time for the readers to wrap their heads around what's going on (). I understand that because of the circumstances, Dean and Victoria were manipulated into being pitted against one another for survival, but I don't think that absolves Dean of the shitty things he did in the meantime.
TL;DR I think this book had a really wonderful premise and setup but the execution was not what I expected.
In "Wildblood," 18-year-old Victoria is a Wildblood, a magic user that can manipulate blood, which she calls "science." After being scooped up from the jungle and forced into servitude for the Exotic Lands Touring Company at the age of 6, she's desperate to escape the life she's been trapped in. When a high-profile group of American tourists arrives, Victoria wants more than anything to prove herself and insists to go on the mission, despite it being lead by her former-love-turned-villainous-rival, Dean.
I will start by saying that setting this story in the Jamaican jungle and including lots of mythology and folklore native to Jamaica was really cool and creative. Every time the group encountered a new (and deadly) creature it was clear that the author took a lot of time to think about the magical jungle as a concept and frankly, I feel like not many stories are set in that kind of environment so it was just really working for me! Also appreciated the pro-environmentalist overtones, where Victoria argued that just because there was gold in the heart of the jungle that "didn't belong" to anyone didn't mean it should be removed — that the jungle deserves to be left alone, not torn down and paved through.
The character of Victoria is ridiculously easy to empathize with. You can see from the very first chapter she's been abused and manipulated her entire life, so her understated personality is a literal trauma response from trying to keep her head down and out of the way.
I don't have problems with Insta-love especially in a YA, but as other reviewers have pointed out, it seemed to me like her romance with Thorn, who readers know from the start is only in the jungle for gold and will return to America, was somehow pointless by the end due to Victoria's choice to
Spoiler
return to the jungle after allTiny note: because the time period and setting other than "Jamaica" is pretty unclear, I was surprised at all the overt references to Christianity, especially in a book where non-Western folklore takes precedence. It could be that was just the author's way of differentiating the two worlds (Thorn and the jungle) as Victoria's loves but to quote another reviewer: "If the author wants to write Christian romance, that’s totally valid and should be an avenue for her to look toward because it feels like that’s what she wanted to focus on the most."
The author herself has described her books as "romance heavy fantasy" so I shouldn't have been surprised when that took over the plot, but I was hoping we'd get more explanation about Wildbloods — how they exist, where do their powers originate from, that sort of thing. Especially considering Victoria is the most self-proclaimed powerful Wildblood in the group, is there a reason for that??
Another tiny thing: I will say I didn't necessarily believe there needed to be a stated, hard time period, but with the lack of cellphones and the use of carriages, plus the descriptions of the attire the group was wearing, I was under the impression "Wildblood" was set in an alternative mid-late 1800s. Despite this, the dialogue would occasionally use very modern anachronisms that had me scratching my head at the tonal switch. "What, like it's hard?" was a cute reference but also threw me for a loop.
And finally, the villains in this book are pretty 2-D, especially Dean, who
Spoiler
kills off the only two people in Victoria's support systemSpoiler
or, frankly, be happy when Samuel is resurrected by the jungle.TL;DR I think this book had a really wonderful premise and setup but the execution was not what I expected.
aggressive_nostalgia's review against another edition
The prose is on the pedestrian side – too much telling instead of showing – and the narration feels way too modern for a historical-inspired setting. I can't get immersed at all.