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A review by heykellyjensen
Wake the Wild Creatures by Nova Ren Suma
Talia's been forced to live with her aunt's family, including her cousin Lake, with whom Talia has absolutely nothing in common. But through flashbacks, Talia's story slowly begins to unfold, explaining why and how she ended up in this living arrangement–and where and how she plans on escaping.
If you love cult stories, this is going to be your jam. Talia's mom founded a cult atop a mountain in the Catskills, and it was a cult that only invited women to be part of its world. Her mom founded it for good reason–rage, anger, injustice, a desire for a community that cared about women–but the settlement had so much mysterious around it, even for Talia who grew up there.
Suma does a fantastic job of worldbuilding and her settings are lush and evocative. Talia is a complex character, and she's forced to navigate her before atop the mountain community she grew up in with the new life at her aunt's house, stumbling through what it is to be a "typical" high schooler. She's ANGRY but that anger is a necessary driver for her. She uses it to unpack her past in order to build a future. . . and it's one that will involve her cousin Lake, despite their initial hesitations toward one another.
If you've loved Suma's work, you'll love this one. It's a book that will connect with readers who want unique takes on cults, who love stories of angry girls and women, and who love stories where it is women and their stories that are wholly centered. Indeed, that's one of the book's overarching themes. In a world that is constantly dominated by men and women's stories are erased, what happens when they are centered?
In this case, well,it's men who break it apart because they so deeply fear what happens when women empower one another. Fortunately for Talia and Lake, the future looks promising in a way neither could have predicted at the start of their journey together .
If you love cult stories, this is going to be your jam. Talia's mom founded a cult atop a mountain in the Catskills, and it was a cult that only invited women to be part of its world. Her mom founded it for good reason–rage, anger, injustice, a desire for a community that cared about women–but the settlement had so much mysterious around it, even for Talia who grew up there.
Suma does a fantastic job of worldbuilding and her settings are lush and evocative. Talia is a complex character, and she's forced to navigate her before atop the mountain community she grew up in with the new life at her aunt's house, stumbling through what it is to be a "typical" high schooler. She's ANGRY but that anger is a necessary driver for her. She uses it to unpack her past in order to build a future. . . and it's one that will involve her cousin Lake, despite their initial hesitations toward one another.
If you've loved Suma's work, you'll love this one. It's a book that will connect with readers who want unique takes on cults, who love stories of angry girls and women, and who love stories where it is women and their stories that are wholly centered. Indeed, that's one of the book's overarching themes. In a world that is constantly dominated by men and women's stories are erased, what happens when they are centered?
In this case, well,