Warrior of the Wild

by Tricia Levenseller

Eighteen-year-old Rasmira has always been both praised and scorned for her talents. As her father's chosen heir, she has trained her whole life to become a warrior and lead her village. Fortunately, her long wait is almost over and after she passes her coming-of age trial, she'll finally be able to live on her own and not have to deal with her mother's constant rejection or the jealousy of her peers. Perhaps then she will be able to be both a warrior and a woman.

But when trial day arrives, everything goes terribly wrong. Her test is sabotaged, and by law all those who fail are banished and given an impossible quest to reclaim their honor in death. And Rasmira is given the most difficult quest of them all: She must kill the oppressive deity who claims tribute from her village every year or die in the attempt.

• ISBN10: 1250189942
• ISBN13: 9781250189943
• Publish Date: 1 March 2019 (first published 26 February 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Feiwel and Friends
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kat @ Novels & Waffles]

Things I Liked:
-Easy to get into and fast-paced
-YAY for viking-inspired stories
-A fun, entertaining read; I finished it in a single day

Things I Liked...Less:
-A bit predictable...it's your typical YA Fantasy book. It has stereotypical characters and a plot that's not particularly memorable.

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[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Warrior of the Wild is a Viking-inspired fantasy that takes place in an interestingly compact world, one with seven villages and the surrounding  "wild," which few people brave unless forced to.  The plot is generally predictable, but engaging characters and a swoon-worthy romance make it a strong YA novel that will give fans of the genre exactly the type of stuff they love.

I took a little while to get hooked by the book, getting stopped at Rasmira's coming-of-age trial, which the jacket summary reveals go horribly wrong and which I kind of didn't want to see--both because I didn't want to read about bad things happening to Rasmira and because a failed trial seems so cliche YA in some regards.  Once I made it past this point, however, I was sucked in.  The rest of the novel is still predictable (Rasmira is given a task to complete and, well, she sets out to complete it), but I was interested in seeing how events would play out.  The pleasure was not necessarily in being surprised by the book, but rather in watching the characters' journeys.

And journeys are everywhere.  Rasmira has her task, but she also develops as an individual and she develops her relationships with new people she meets along her way.  She thought she was strong at the start of the book, but she's also stronger at the end, as are many of the side characters.

The romance in Warrior of the Wild is also noteworthy, a little slow-burn and very engaging.   I do think it's a little perfect in some ways; the love interest seems to do and say nearly all the right things at all the right times, and the characters have very open conversations that are unlike anything I've ever heard someone say in real life.  It's all very wonderful and healthy, but it also reads like an ideal.  And while I have no problems reading about ideal romances (everyone loves a bit of a fantasy), it almost felt didactic, a lesson in what teen girls should look for when dating.  However, I did enjoy it, and I also found this perfect relationship refreshing when so many books insert stupid drama into romances to "spice up the book."  So overall I recommend it.

Warrior of the Wild is a strong YA fantasy.  The reason I'm giving it four stars instead of five is because I don't know that there was anything impactful or thematically important about it that's going to stick with me.  (This is often one of my criteria for ratings, by the way; five stars are often given to books that moved me.)  It was well-written, entertaining, and generally very good, but it is something that entertained me more than it make me think about anything in a new light.

[sa090]

Yeah, a nice little break from the Ruin of Kings.... although not being without it’s own issues.

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It’s been a very long time since I read a standalone book, and to be very honest it’s so refreshing to be able to read a story that begins and ends in the same book every once and a while. This is the first time I ever read anything by Tricia Levenseller, who I didn’t know wrote The Daughter of the Pirate King duology, but I don’t think I’ll be reading anything else anytime soon. The book is incredibly easy to read don’t get me wrong, it’s not overly complicated and the writing was a breeze to get through which is something I always appreciate in books I designate as my change-of-pace books.

The plot in itself is not completely original and it doesn’t have to be, the setting is done very well and I really liked the Viking elements that she brought into it. I don’t recall reading a Viking inspired book like this one other than the Magnus Chase series and that one was a complete disaster for me, so I appreciated getting another taste of the culture even when it’s not so overly detailed. The monsters in the world, how the coming of age ceremony happens, gender views, professions and the like were definitely interesting and I honestly wanted to see more about them. There are other villages around and I wouldn’t have minded to see if there were any differences between them. Really enjoyed this part, and I really wished that the world building + exploration took the majority of the book instead of what actually did.

The characters come next and this is where things start going downhill for me, none of them are likable, not a single one. Rasmira’s sister might’ve been if we gotten a longer view of her, but that didn’t happen and I’m stuck with this snow flake of a heroine who made me so freakin angry with her stupidity that I just kept reading. This is a first for me where my anger is what fuels me to read, but I did get some enjoyment out of it so all’s well. It, of course, doesn’t deny that Rasmira is a dumbass throughout the majority of the book when it comes to matters of the heart which I will discuss in details in the comments to avoid spoilers.

The majority of my reading has been YA now and I can’t, for the love of god, understand why the majority of these girls who supposedly go through such harsh situations, betrayals and are always disappointed by people, don’t have a shred of common sense when it comes to romance? Some do it better than others of course, but Rasmira I believe remains in a league of her own. Her companions feel somewhat trope-y, they were better than her for sure, but the perfect dude and the sassy dude don’t really give me much to note when everything is so incredibly predictable it’s difficult to get immersed in their actions. I did love the trial part of the book though, these little side quests and the three working together was easily the best part of the book.

The worst part of the book is the romance for me, and it all comes down to Rasmira and how she deals with stuff. She and the others in a lesser degree move between disgustingly thirsty and pathetically desperate, you’d “think” that some form of logical thought process would appear based on previous experiences but being YA, I guess not. Which is a shame really.

I do think that this is a very interesting, very easy to read and what could’ve been a very entertaining book, but there are definite problems with it that makes enjoying it for me in its entirety, completely and utterly impossible.

Final rating: 2.5/5

[limabean74]

Loved it! Such a great story! So unique and different and a wonderful fantasy Viking story. Loved these characters, some really funny moments and lots of fast paced action. Never a dull moment. Highly recommend!

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

Welcome to my stop on the tour for Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller! Today I have a moodboard to share with you, but I also wanted to give you a very short recap about how I felt about the book! Because spoiler, it's awesome. 

Oh hi, this book is awesome. And frankly, I'd feel remiss if I didn't tell you so. Even though this isn't actually a review post, here's some reasons to read this book:

• Badass main character who has to face a lot of inner demons and decide if she can/will change for the better. Unlearning bad lessons is never fun, even if you are a warrior.


• Lots of friendship/family/romance along the way! The other characters are really well done, too.


• Survival, ftw! I love me a good survivin' in the woods story.


• Adventure is blended perfectly with character development.


• I could not put this book down, basically. Easily one of the best books I have read so far this year.

The Moodboard

(With a special shout out to Rashika for helping me search for the right stuff when I was frantically moving and googling "treehouses" at the same time.)

So, does this book sound awesome to you too? Do you love a survival story? 

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

Tricia Levenseller is an author I have heard a ton about but never read before now. Although pirates never really struck my interest, this Viking-inspired book most definitely did! I was intrigued by this female character being tasked to kill the god and couldn't wait to get my hands on this beautiful book!

Rasmira has spent her entire life preparing to lead her village as her father's heir. She's a warrior-in-training and just needs to pass her final trial before being considered a true warrior. When she's betrayed by someone she trusts and her trial is sabotaged, her father has no choice but to banish her and assign an unbeatable task in line with their customs. Banishment is as good as a death sentence because of the dangers of the wilds outside the villages. Unlike many, though, Rasmira doesn't accept that her task isn't one she can complete and sets out fully intending to restore her honor and return to her village.

I. Loved. Rasmira. She was such an incredible, strong heroine and I loved her persistence from the very first page! Although she had moments of doubt, she never let herself be swayed from her goal and always kept fighting. She was fierce and a complete badass and I would love to read a whole series about her adventures!

I also must mention the two incredible side characters of this story, Soren and Iric. Both have managed to survive the wild against all odds and fully intend to live out their lives there, with no plans of attempting their quests. Rasmira befriends them and helps them both to be their best selves and, of course, there's super swoony romance! These three were so wonderful together. Their friendship, even without the romance, was wonderful and refreshing.

But let's talk about the world of this book! I admittedly have not watched Vikings. I don't watch many Viking movies or shows or read many Viking-inspired books, but this absolutely planted me right in the middle of the world and made me feel like I was there. I was especially fascinated by the god's mountain and his lair. I would have perhaps liked to see a little of the wider world. It's true that Warrior of the Wild doesn't span a very large area, but the world we're given is incredible.

This story is unique and action packed and I loved every second of it! There are twists and not all of them are hard to guess, but they're all a lot of fun. Warrior of the Wild has definitely found a spot on my favorites shelf and Tricia Levenseller has made it to my auto buy list. If you're a fan of YA fantasy, badass heroines, and amazing friendships, you don't want to miss this book!