The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad (ARC Review)

Title: The Wild Ones
Author: Nafiza Azad
Type: Fiction
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Date published: August 3, 2021

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Meet the Wild Ones: girls who have been hurt, abandoned, and betrayed all their lives. It all began with Paheli, who was once betrayed by her mother and sold to a man in exchange for a favor. When Paheli escapes, she runs headlong into a boy with stars in his eyes. This boy, as battered as she is, tosses Paheli a box of stars before disappearing.

With the stars, Paheli gains access to the Between, a place of pure magic and mystery. Now, Paheli collects girls like herself and these Wild Ones use their magic to travel the world, helping the hopeless and saving others from the fates they suffered.

Then Paheli and the Wild Ones learn that the boy who gave them the stars, Taraana, is in danger. He’s on the run from powerful forces within the world of magic. But if Taraana is no longer safe and free, neither are the Wild Ones. And that…is a fate the Wild Ones refuse to accept. Ever again.

⤖ My Review ⬻

Reading Nafiza Azad’s The Wild Ones was truly a wonderful and unique experience. This book is so special! It was beautifully written as well as effectively—I was able to follow Paheli (the leader of the group) and the others along quite easily, seeing what they were seeing, smelling what they were smelling, etc.

The characters were all quite memorable, and while some months now after reading The Wild Ones, I don’t remember all of their names exactly, I can still bring their essence to mind quite easily. I really felt for all of them too, especially the girls (as we were meant to) and found it interesting that Azad touched on serious subjects while keeping the YA lens.

Taraana, the boy who joined the group of girls was interesting to read about because he did not present typically male characteristics. All of the characters, including Taraana, felt very real, like individuals you could pass on the street—especially if you didn’t know about their connection to magic.

Speaking of magic, I found the fantasy aspects of The Wild Ones to be unique as well. I’ve read other books that approach magic similarly (trying to avoid spoilers here, please excuse my vagueness), but the way Azad wrote it made it feel different somehow. All in all, a wonderful and important book!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Nafiza Azad is a self-identified island girl. She has hurricanes in her blood and dreams of a time she can exist solely on mangoes and pineapple. Born in Lautoka, Fiji, she currently resides in BC, Canada where she reads too many books, watches too many Kdramas and writes stories about girls taking over the world. Her debut YA fantasy, THE CANDLE AND THE FLAME, was released by Scholastic in 2019.