Rating: 8/10
Synopsis
As her father’s chosen heir, eighteen-year-old Rasmira has trained her whole life to become a warrior and lead her village. But when her coming-of-age trial is sabotaged and she fails the test, her father banishes her to the monster-filled wilderness with an impossible quest: To win back her honor, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year—or die trying.
Review
Warrior of the Wild is an interesting story about a failed warrior who is sent to kill a god in order to earn her place back into her village and her family. It is a compelling read all the way through, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Reader be warned, there is a scene where a father gives his unwilling daughter to the God as “payment”, and a few mentions of rape.
Let me start of my saying this book is very YA. This was an I-love-the-cover super impulse buy without doing any legwork on the book. There are lots of YA-ish tropes, and both the writing and story are very simple. I do not say that in a negative way; I am telling you because I did not know that fact coming into the book. I just want you to be aware.
I did really like the book. I mentioned how compelling the story is, and I found that to be quite true. One of the biggest tests of a book for me is whether I find myself constantly intrigued by how it is going to end, and I felt that with Warrior of the Wild. I could not help but think about it the whole time I was reading, because of the way the author set up the story. The narrative starts in a really interesting way and it continues to be intriguing until the end. And while the story is in no way epic, and there are not a whole lot of surprises, I thought it was smartly-written. Rasmira’s interactions and battle with the God were well-done, and even the events leading up to the climax of the story were interesting.
That brings me to talk about the characters, because they are a big part of the book. Rasmira was a great protagonist. Sometimes brave and smart, other times insecure and unsure, her personality was very realistic. It was good to see her grow during the story, as that was a main theme of the book. Soren and Iric are the two other protagonists, and they exist so the author has someone to play off Rasmira. Initially, she is irritated by the two men and does not trust them. But her relationship with them evolves as the story goes on, and it turns out to be a fun aspect of the story. The God character is actually really fascinating, too, as this is not a normal omnipotent God situation. It is very different, and I enjoyed Levenseller’s take on it.
As fantasy stories go the world building was not expansive. And that is fine, but what I did enjoy was the details the author put into the little slice of this world we do get to see. There are exotic animals and plants, and the reader gets a glimpse into their differing uses. The existing villages and their cultures and beliefs come into play, which I think is a really underrated aspect of the story. The ways of life of the various groups of people is the jumping off point for the main conflict in the book, and so I think it is important to give props to that piece.
Warrior of the Wild was an interesting read. It is smartly written with a compelling story and intriguing characters. This book is not going to blow your mind, but if you are looking for an easy, interesting, in-between-epic-fantasy read, I recommend it.
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