Eighteen-year-old Victoria is a Wildblood. Since she was kidnapped at the age of six and manipulated by the Exotic Lands Touring Company, she’s worked as a tour guide ever since with a team of fellow Wildbloods who take turns using their magic to protect travelers in a Jamaican jungle teeming with ghostly monsters.
Plot
While the book summary is usually a great help in figuring out what to expect with a book, the summary for Wilfblood barely scratches the surface of this complex story. Much like her debut novel, Within These Wicked Walls, the author beautifully weaves a gripping, tension-filled story with a complex romantic subplot and the protagonist’s inner struggle between what she wants and what is right. Despite the length of the book, the attention-grabbing plot makes for a quick read for any lover of fantasy.
Characters
The main character, Victoria, is an excellent narrator throughout the book. She’s strong, but not without flaws, and even though she’s met with one daunting obstacle after another, she remains grounded in her beliefs and confident in her abilities as a wildblood. The author does a great job at doling out pieces of backstory slowly so the reader has to pay attention to subtle hints before the full extent of her trauma is revealed. The supporting characters, including Victoria’s love interest, the rich and powerful Mr. Thorn, are all complex and multi-dimensional, making for some intriguing interactions and development as the story progresses.
Setting
One of the things I loved most about Within These Wicked Walls was the richly developed world and the haunting creates that reside in it. And while I’ve never been one for horror, Wildblood accomplishes this goal even better by introducing some terrifying spirits to haunt the jungle and chilling backstories that will stay lodged in the reader’s mind long after the book closes. Beyond the spirits, the author has done an amazing job incorporating real-world elements from early 1900’s American and Jamaican culture with the magical settling to create something very unique and exciting to explore.
My Recommendation
Last year, I had the pleasure of reviewing Within These Wicked Walls, Lauren Blackwood’s debut novel. And I’m excited to report that Blackwood’s sophomore novel exceeded the expectations she set with her first. I absolutely loved the protagonist, Victoria, who is simultaneously tough and compassionate, eager to find moments of love in her otherwise bleak life. The story was compelling and I read through the story within a matter of days without realizing it. But the thing that shined through the most for me, was the richly developed world, with unique monsters, real-world elements, and poignant social commentary. I highly recommend this book to any fans of dark YA Fantasy.
