"Something". The unique first word/sentence of this novel certainly sums up the book. It certainly was "something". A great something at that.
I congratulate Power on her first novel being so, well, powerful. Love all the girl power, strong friendships, and especially the LGBT+ representation. I also enjoyed the uniqueness of the Tox and world in which we are thrown immediately into. Right from the start, the Tox had already been around for a while and we see the girls living the only life they now know how. Just people trying to survive.
I love how brutal this whole book can be, and I'm not just talking about the Tox. The girls of Raxter held together so well, but when all hell breaks loose, humanity's dark side rears its ugly head and shows us how we really are in the wake of a situation such as this. (Such as murders and secrets and the likes).
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
I also applaud Power for her writing style, especially during Byatt's POV. The way it was written, like a person in and out of consciousness and out of their mind, really made me feel like I was in Byatt's head. And I love how Hetty's POV is also written just like someone's thoughts. Short sentences, repeated words. It just all worked so well.
These characters have been through so much before the book even started. And then to have everything happen in a week or so is insane. I just wish we knew the true fate of Hetty, Byatt, and Reese. I'm sure Power's left it open for interpretation on purpose but I'm someone who just wants all the answers. I just hope they are okay and are able to survive. They all had incredibly hard choices to get to where the book ended and I just hope it all worked out for them. A bittersweet ending indeed.
All in all, I could barely put this book down. The Tox is such an interesting thing to read about and I loved seeing how the characters reacted to it. Had me on the edge of my seat (couch) the whole time. I highly recommend it.
