A review by nicolenikonetz
Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker
3.0
This wasn't a bad book by any means, and there are a lot of good qualities to it, yet when I start to write my review I feel like the negatives are popping up and making it seem worse than it was. When reading it, I found Beware the Wild to be an enjoyable light read, while in the critical sense there were a number of things that could have been done better.
Let's start with the positives; I loved the southern twang and culture and both were delivered just the right amount without being over the top. The same with the setting; I could practically feel the mugginess of the air and the storms blowing in, very well done.
I also enjoyed the characters; they didn't make me pull out my hair with frustration over any TSTL tendencies, although there are a couple eye-roll worthy moments. Overall though, I enjoyed Sterling as a protagonist and her transition from weakness to strength, and the support Heath gave while obviously still working through some personal demons of his own. My favourite character though is probably the best friend, Candy. I loved her no-bullshit attitude and the fierceness with which she looks out for her friends. It would have been easy to make her the naggy non-believer but she felt really well rounded and I always liked the scenes she was in.
The main thing that I found detracted from the quality of the book was the plot: it was relatively straightforward and I had figured out all the twists and breakthroughs before the characters did, which took away some of the suspense. In relation to that, the antagonist (I won't give it away for those who haven't read it yet) kind of felt like a one-trick pony. They were supposed to be oh-so powerful and unstoppable, but every scene that Sterling faces off with them felt remarkably similar and didn't incite any fear in me. It's always "oh watch out or I'll turn you into a gatorboy/girl" over and over.
Also, the exact nature of how Phin and Lenora May switched places was pretty damn vague, and the magical peaches that were going to solve all of the problems seemed way too easy and kind of like a cop out since it was basically handed to them.
Aside from that, I found it to be an enjoyable well-paced read, even if the plot was a little lacking.
Let's start with the positives; I loved the southern twang and culture and both were delivered just the right amount without being over the top. The same with the setting; I could practically feel the mugginess of the air and the storms blowing in, very well done.
I also enjoyed the characters; they didn't make me pull out my hair with frustration over any TSTL tendencies, although there are a couple eye-roll worthy moments. Overall though, I enjoyed Sterling as a protagonist and her transition from weakness to strength, and the support Heath gave while obviously still working through some personal demons of his own. My favourite character though is probably the best friend, Candy. I loved her no-bullshit attitude and the fierceness with which she looks out for her friends. It would have been easy to make her the naggy non-believer but she felt really well rounded and I always liked the scenes she was in.
The main thing that I found detracted from the quality of the book was the plot: it was relatively straightforward and I had figured out all the twists and breakthroughs before the characters did, which took away some of the suspense. In relation to that, the antagonist (I won't give it away for those who haven't read it yet) kind of felt like a one-trick pony. They were supposed to be oh-so powerful and unstoppable, but every scene that Sterling faces off with them felt remarkably similar and didn't incite any fear in me. It's always "oh watch out or I'll turn you into a gatorboy/girl" over and over.
Also, the exact nature of how Phin and Lenora May switched places was pretty damn vague, and the magical peaches that were going to solve all of the problems seemed way too easy and kind of like a cop out since it was basically handed to them.
Aside from that, I found it to be an enjoyable well-paced read, even if the plot was a little lacking.