Review of Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
4 Stars. Best enjoyed with a Blackberry Smoothie and a Pine Scented Candle
After reading Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young, I was looking everywhere for another Viking-esque YA fantasy adventure that was similar. I saw WotW was on its way to us and patiently waited with baited breathe. Admittedly I was a little busy around the release date, and read some reviews. A few were a tad discouraging, but as with anything, I had a craving that needed to be fulfilled the best thing in that situation is to have a taste for yourself and see if it satisfies your palette. Fortunately, one taste of this led to a full on feast and I was left fully satisfied.
WotW takes place in an alternative timeline where the trees hide dangerous things and legendary beasts are very real. Rasmira, the youngest daughter of the chieftain of her village, is the next in line for leadership, which obviously doesn’t sit well with her peers. She experiences a deep betrayal that leads to her exile, and the only way to lift it and return home to her sisters–the only people in the world that truly love her–is to kill Peruxolo, the god that has been terrorizing their villages. A seemingly impossible task, yes, but one that she is absolutely determined to take on–or die trying.
One of the things I loved about Rasmira is that these events really did have an impact on the characterization we see throughout the remainder of the book. When she meets up with two other exiles, the mistrust and hesitation she has is palpable and completely understandable given the events that lead her to be stuck in the Wild. The character build is dynamic and realistic–we see her grow throughout not only as a person, but as a leader. Even though she is hurt and betrayed, she also is made to feel human and admits to some of her personal downfalls and grows from those as well, learning to forgive herself. She never seems to wallow in self-pity, despite her circumstances.Some of the auxiliary characters don’t experience as much growth and admittedly they remain somewhat shallow in their characterization. To be fair, I don’t believe they are the main focus.
If you’re looking for a fiery romance, look elsewhere. Although there is a romance, and said romance is sweet and definitely helps the character development, it’s not the center focus of this story. I love a good romance as much as the next person, but to be honest, the more important romance in this book is the one that Rasmira has WITH RASMIRA–having a character that learns to love herself after being treated like she is unloveable is worth its proverbial weight in gold.
This is a tale of personal growth, strength, forgiveness, and determination in the face of great adversity. I think it’s an important story for younger girls and boys who love a good adventure but also need to know that if they put their mind to something, they can be unstoppable–and also for adults who need that reminder.
Always Lost in Words 