Title : Wild
Author : Alex Mallory
Pages : 448
Published : July 8th 2014
Publisher : HarperTeen
Source : Edelweiss
Cade, a teen raised alone in the wilderness, is thrust into civilization in this modern retelling of Tarzan.
No one knows the forest better than Cade, who has spent his entire life there, foraging, hunting, and surviving. Raised to believe no one else is left in the world, he is shocked when he encounters Dara, a modern girl on a camping trip in his woods. And when an accident forces him back into society with her, he begins to question his entire life. Together, Cade and Dara attempt to handle their newfound celebrity as the media closes in. But the truth of Cade's past might be too much for either of them.
Alex Mallory's action-packed and romantic tale is told from both Cade's and Dara's point of view and is perfect for fans of contemporary and dystopian YA as well as classic survival stories such as Hatchet, Lord of the Flies, and Tarzan.
My Thoughts :
When Dara and her boyfriend, Josh, decide to spend spring break on a camping trip instead of the beach, they get more than they bargained for. Dara loves photography and goes off by herself to take pictures. On one of these trips she thinks she hears laughter but when she tells Josh, he dismisses it as another camper. Dara doesn't think so though, she keeps getting the feeling someones watching her.
She gets lucky and manages to see a strange boy in the stream. He is wearing furs and looks almost feral. He leaves and Dara goes back to camp. Soon after Dara and Josh go for a walk and when they arrive back to their camp they find a bear there. The bear lunges for Dara but Dara feels herself flying. The boy had saved her but got hurt in the process. His chest is badly hurt and Dara has no choice but to bring him to the hospital. Who is this boy and why was he here?
When I heard that this as a retelling of Tarzan I immediately knew Id read it. Whats better than a modern tale of Tarzan!!
There was a lot to love about this retelling. Cade was written to perfection. His whole life his parents told him that the outside world was gone. That everyone was dead because of a pandemic and all that's left are soldiers. He sees these soldiers every so often patrolling the park and when he does he knows its time to move to a different part of the forest. His parents die and Cade is left to fend for himself. He is shocked to see Dara and her boyfriend and thinks that maybe there are a few immune people left. He watches them from afar and feels drawn to the beautiful girl with her tickity box.
I loved his reaction to the outside world. He is amazed but also upset that he was lied to. Why did his parents lie to him his whole life? Everything is a novelty to him. From an automatic door to a phone, his pleasure with the small things was awesome. He was a lovable character.
Dara for the most part was another likable character though at times I found her a little annoying. Her total disregard for Josh and his feelings when she sees Cade was horrible. I know they drifted apart but she could of talked to him instead of being all about Cade. She was also very stubborn. When she got something into her mind she did it no matter the consequences.
I loved seeing Cade and Daras relationship progress. We don't see much till near the end but the build up was really sweet. Cade is just such a sweetheart and its hard not to love him!
Overall I really enjoyed Wild. Its a beautiful and compelling love story but also a story of survival. The author did a great job of making us believe why his parents brought him to the forest and making us fall in love with Cade. He was the highlight of the book and I loved his character. While the pacing was very slow, its a book that simmers and makes you want to savour it. I for one will be checking out more from this author.
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