Wilder by Penny Chrimes
Apr. 16th, 2023 10:50 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
”The child came out of the wild-ness, out of the sparse bleak mark where few dared to go and none came back. And though the villagers grew used to her, they did not forget from where she came.”
When the child walks out of the marsh, the villagers are wary. She is odd - half wild, with an unnatural bond to the falcon, who is always circling above her. Only the Wise Woman is kind to her, taking her in and naming her Rhodd.
Over the years, the deadly marshland grows and grows and brings with it a fatal sickness to the village. To save the creatures and the people she loves, Rhodd must return to the dark place she once fled and find out what has really happened to the wild.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Penny Chrimes’s fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ is a character-driven affair that draws on British folklore and the detrimental impact that greed and industry has on nature. Rhodd is a well drawn character, but there isn’t a lot of plot here and I also wanted more of a sense of place and period (there are hints that it’s late Victorian and in the west of England but it’s never explicit). It’s not that this is bad, it just didn’t gel for me.
WILDER was released in the United Kingdom on 16th February 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
When the child walks out of the marsh, the villagers are wary. She is odd - half wild, with an unnatural bond to the falcon, who is always circling above her. Only the Wise Woman is kind to her, taking her in and naming her Rhodd.
Over the years, the deadly marshland grows and grows and brings with it a fatal sickness to the village. To save the creatures and the people she loves, Rhodd must return to the dark place she once fled and find out what has really happened to the wild.
The Verdict:
Penny Chrimes’s fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ is a character-driven affair that draws on British folklore and the detrimental impact that greed and industry has on nature. Rhodd is a well drawn character, but there isn’t a lot of plot here and I also wanted more of a sense of place and period (there are hints that it’s late Victorian and in the west of England but it’s never explicit). It’s not that this is bad, it just didn’t gel for me.
WILDER was released in the United Kingdom on 16th February 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.