4.5/ 5 stars — social and environmental commentary woven through a gripping story

Wilder Girls is a story about mutation, ecological apocalypse on a miniature scale, and the monstrous and incredible capabilities of teenage girls. It falls into the category of "books I'd like to give my younger self" and also "books I'm going to recommend to the point of obnoxiousness to every reader I meet."

The novel is told from the viewpoints of Hetty and Byatt, two sixteen-year-old students at the Raxter School for Girls. A third student, Reese, is the final member of their tightly knit group. All three suffer from the Tox, an unknown virus that causes sudden bodily transformations and occasional violent outbursts. Because of the Tox, their isolated island in the northeastern U.S. is quarantined, receiving no outside contact besides supplies delivered by a Navy ship whose crew wears hazmat suits. The students and two remaining faculty members can only cling to survival and wait for a cure.

The story ranges from survival horror to romance, and Rory Power explores friendship dynamics with incisive realism. My perspective is that of someone a decade older, but to the best of my memory, this is one of the most accurate portrayals of older teens who are mature by necessity but behave and speak like young adults. I enjoyed the characterization and the atmosphere, and I thought the themes of romance and friendship were handled brilliantly. My one critique was the pacing, which felt a bit rushed, but that didn't diminish the impact of the book or my enjoyment of it.

The true miracle of this novel? In a book where characters dropped like flies, Power managed not to kill her (major) gay characters.

I recommend Wilder Girls to fans of Seanan McGuire's books, and to any reader who enjoys survival horror and can handle the accompanying gore.