A review by pewter
Wilder Girls by Rory Power

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

3.7? This is a difficult book to review. I really enjoyed the flaws of the characters. I found the environment well painted; writing was crisp, visual, and visceral. However, I did have trouble understanding the motivations/relating to the characters from a personal level. I would argue that, despite some exciting story arcs and well-written action, very little real development occurred from the start to the finish (both plot development, but also personal development). Do I believe that the girls are suffering gruesome illnesses? Yes, earnestly. Do I believe in their reactions or emotional coping, or their interactions? A little less so. The lack of answers is by design, but without excellent character arcs to offset the mystery, a bit unsatisfying. 

I'd read another book by this author, but I might not have a reason to revisit this particular story. 

[as an aside, there are many excellent descriptions of gruesome body horror, but the most horrifying scene in this book, closer to the end, was not related to the illness whatsoever. I found a specific act

girls locked into a gas chamber 

deeply unsettling not because of it's uncanny-ness but because of it's historical and real-world context.]