Warrior of the Wild

by Tricia Levenseller

How do you kill a god?

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.

To win her way back into her community, she is forced to embark on an impossible quest: she must kill the oppressive god who claims violent tribute from the villages each year - or die trying.

• ISBN10: 1782693750
• ISBN13: 9781782693758
• Publish Date: 13 April 2022 (first published 26 February 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Pushkin Children's Books
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• 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.

[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!