Rebecca’s Pick: Wilder Girls by Rory Power

This is one of those books that I judged based on the cover. It was so pretty and intriguing that I had to know what it was about.

Hetty has had the Tox for a year and a half now and is used to the bouts of pain, lack of food, and missing eye that were all part of the aftermath of the virus. Cut off from the rest of the world, save barely sustainable food deliveries via helicopter from the mainland, Hetty, Byatt, Reese and the other girls and remaining teachers that were left alive at Raxter have learned to survive as best as they can.

When Byatt goes missing Hetty risks breaking quarantine to search the surrounding woods of Raxter Island. Sinister revelations of their conditions on the island come to light as Hetty scours the deadly wilderness in search of her best friend.

A little Lord of the Flies, a little typical dystopian YA novel without the intricate world building, this was a quick and entertaining read for me. If you have a light stomach, you may want to steer clear of this one as details about the girl’s infections were gory. If you liked Girls with Sharp Sticks, you’d like this one, too.