Warrior of the Wild

by Tricia Levenseller

[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.