The Wild Book Review
4/5 Stars - A sweet and comforting yet epic Christian fantasy.
I had the pleasure of being an ARC reader for M.J. Padgett's The Wild, and I am so excited to share my honest and spoiler-free review.
I've been anticipating The Wild's release ever since I saw the cover, and I do believe it met my expectations. The Wild centers around Wren Aisling, a young woman who wants to marry and have a family, only to be caught up in a war between Fae and humans.
I found Wren to be an interesting character because she is much sweeter than your typical YA female protagonist. Wren does not want to be a warrior. However, she is dragged into a battle between Fae and humans. Throughout the book, Wren remains kind and loving, which is a major shift from the dark and dangerous FMCs that have grown in popularity. Now, don't get me wrong, I love reading books with murderous FMCs. However, it is still refreshing to see a kinder type of strong female character take the lead.
The romance in The Wild can only be described as adorable. I won't go into it to avoid spoiling things, but there are some very cute (and always clean) scenes.
I do think it's important for readers to know that The Wild is a Christian fantasy. As a Christian, I enjoyed seeing characters talk about their faith and acknowledge God's hand in both good and bad things. While I think that this is a wonderful inclusion, I can see it
annoying a lot of people. So, while I don't believe this should stop non-believers from reading The Wild (you can still enjoy the story without being a Christian), I do think readers should be aware that The Wild is unapologetically Christian.
I did feel as though some things were a bit convenient and/or easy (I remember feeling the same way when I read Snow Kissed); however, I believe that this occurrence fits into The Wild's audience. Despite its very real stakes, The Wild strikes me as a comfort read. It is warm and loving and perfect for readers who want an epic fantasy adventure but also want the comfort of knowing that everything will be alright in the end. While that's not my typical genre, I really did enjoy reading The Wild, and I think there is a large audience of readers looking for a book like it.
The Wild is Avaliable Now!