User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
I have officially finished the last edits for this book! I’m very proud of how it turned out, and I’d like to clarify a few things. First, this book is Viking-INSPIRED. It is not straight up Viking. For the most part, the world building is entirely made up, but you will see some Viking similarities. I’ve also been asked a lot whether or not there is a romance in this book. There is. I honestly don’t think I could ever write a book without one. Also, this book is a stand-alone. No sequels or spinoffs. I am, however, contracted for another book (a brand new fantasy) that will release in 2020. More on that later, though.
Rating: really liked it
this is your general standard, typically formulaic YA ‘fantasy’ story (i hesitate to call this fantasy because there is no magic/supernatural aspect present - its inspired by vikings).
it has a strong heroine, side love interest, a plot where the girl has to prove herself, fast pacing, simple writing, and a predictable but satisfying ending. i know this isnt enough for some readers, but i like this kind of story. there is a reason this kind of book sells so well.
this is the exact easy-going entertainment that i was looking for and i loved the escapism that it provided. i wish it was a little more heavy on the viking mythology (it focuses more on the viking way of life and customs), but other than that, i had a lot of fun reading this!
also, i love love love that this is a standalone. i will always praise an author who can create a good story without needing more than one book to do it.
â 3.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
Maybe I should just stop reading YA. They're all the fucking same (Obviously not ALL of them. But most of them).
Loads of potential, all wasted on an unnecessary, forced romance and an annoying extremely basic protagonist. Ugh.
Rating: really liked it
Vikings?
Say no more.
Rating: really liked it
"Each scar marks me as a survivor. A Warrior of the Wild." Tricia Levenseller knocks it out of the part for me again. I just adore her writing and her strong, intelligent female characters. She also has her banter game on-point.
It's not secret that I'm a huge fan of Tricia's debut duology Daughter of the Pirate King and when I heard she was writing a viking inspired story, I was pretty excited to say the least. Did it live up to my expectations? Of course it did! Rasmira, our protagonist, is a very likeable character and it's really easy to get on her side and root for her survival and success. She has a lovely relationship with her sister, a complicated one with her father and a nightmare of one with her mother. The story starts off with Rasmira practicing for the trials for joining the warrior ranks. There are some bullies that seem to have it out for Rasmira because she is the daughter of their leader and feels she gets too much special treatment. I won't say much about that but my heart hurts even thinking of what they do to her. The stakes are high right off the bat because we learn that anyone that doesn't pass the trials will be banished from their village to go survive on their own in the wild. The only way they can come back home is if they completely an impossible task (their matugr). She, of course, fails her trial and is banished with the task to kill a God that has been terrorizing the villages forever. Eek!
When she is banished to the wild, it doesn't take that long before she meets a couple of other boys that have been outcasted from their villages, for the same reason, as well. She meets Soren, who is a very sweet and loyal boy that purposely lost his trial so he could go help his friend Iric. Then we have bratty but genius little Iric, who I completely adored. His wit and sarcasm were top notch. He is also gay and desperately missing his boyfriend that he had to leave at his village. He might have been my favorite honestly and I would love a companion novel that featured Iric, his partner and all his crazy inventions. I felt like his character, along with Rasimra's had the most growth.
While in the wild, there are lots of insane creatures which were really fun and very well-detailed. It can get a little gory at times, but nothing that would bother most people I don't think. Just monster gore. The three characters are trying to accomplish their impossible tasks together, so we get lots of action and cool scenes. Rasmira also has to beat a God, which is a lot of fun. I won't say much about any of this though.
Probably my favorite thing about Tricia's writing is that it gives enough character development and world building that you are satisfied but it's also not at all complicated. If you still want to stay in the fantasy realm but need a little palette cleanser from high fantasy, this is perfect for it.
Overall, this was a fun ride and I enjoyed every minute of it. This is a standalone fantasty, so it's not a huge commitment and it reads very fast. I think a lot of people will have a good time with this one.
Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for the physical arc in exchange for my honest review.
Rating: really liked it
I am a warrior of the wild, and I can behave however I damn well please.
I loved the premises of this book, but it ended up being so predictable and bland.
Rating: really liked it
Loved the beginning, and first three halfs of this book. The ending felt a bit rushed and..anticlimactic đ As far as Viking 'inspired' YA books go, this one was entertaining. But it had flaws.
The story follows Rasmira (I dont like her name btw...I called her Mira in my head.đ
). Anyway, Rasmira is a warrior in training, who must participate in a coming of age trial in order to become a full-fledged warrior. In doing so, she can become a woman within her village and gain the freedom to escape her overbearing parents. Essentially, earning her status as an adult. Unfortunately, Rasmira is sabotaged during her trial and is banished to the woods. The only way Rasmira can ever return home would be to complete a, Mattugr. (Mattugrs, are a challenge village leaders bestow on disgraced/exiled warriors.)
Dealing with her shame. Rasmira is dealt an impossible Mattugr, and is tasked with killing the God, Peruxolo. A god who has single handedly tormented Rasmiras village for decades.
Overall, the story was entertaining. I actually liked it. I enjoyed the survival aspect of this book. Also, I liked the way Rasmira discovered herself during her time in the Wild. The relationships she formed outside of her village were a nice surprise, and helped me enjoy the story more. Soren and Iric. Very nice. Loved them. Liked the romance, but this is a YA so it's a very mild romance. Boo.
Things that I was less thrilled about included the handling of the God, Peruxolo. I felt like more could have been explored with his character. He was such a mystery, and then the last half of the book happened..and nada. Same for Rasmiras parents, give me more backstory.
At times (mostly the end of this book), it felt a bit cheesy, and neatly wrapped up in a bow. Despite this, I still liked the beginning and middle of this book. Yes, the ending felt lackluster, but it still was worth the read. I'm feeling generous with my rating. Trust me, this is my second Tricia Levenseller book, and this one is (cough) better than, The Shadow Between Us. đ..I said what I said.
(4) đđđđ
Rating: really liked it
4 Viking inspired stars! Warrior of the Wild is about Rasmina, a young warrior girl who is sabotaged during her village's test and banished to the wild with an impossible task: kill the local god they pay tribute to and she can come back. While banished Rasmina meets two boys who have been in the wild a year since they were banished from their own village when they failed their tests. Together, the three of them help to defeat their tasks in the hopes of returning home.
I discovered Levenseller when I got her first book in my owlcrate (Daughter of the Pirate King) and she has yet to let me down. This book is her third novel and while it had a slow start, I ended up really enjoying it. Levenseller's gift is creating new worlds with strong female characters. I find myself completely absorbed in the story when I read her books, and that's all I really want from a reading experience: something compelling.
This book is worth a read! It had a quiet release but I am hoping it will gain some popularity.
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Rating: really liked it
I fully did not expect this book to be this bad. Please shoot me now. End my misery. I was unprepared for this travesty. I have loved other Tricia Levenseller books, so this one took me completely by surprise.
Let's do a math problem. Prairie begins with 12 brain cells. She then reads the book titled
Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller. How many brain cells does she have remaining?
The correct answer is zero.
Oh my god. What the fresh frickle frack was this book trying to do? I will give a short retelling of the novel how I read it, but please be warned, if you liked this book, you will probably not like this review.
Spoilers ahead. Let's dive into this masterpiece.
Hi, my name is Rasmira, and my father is the ruler of this village. I am so uber powerful because I am strong and a woman and my father is the ruler of the village. All the warrior boys hate me because I am strong and a woman and my father is the ruler of this village. I get special treatment because my father is the ruler of the village. You, the reader, will never forget that my father is the ruler of this village.
I am going to be the next leader of this village because my father is the current ruler of this village. I am the only woman warrior, but this is okay, because my father is the ruler of this village. I am the youngest of six sisters, and my father is resentful and angry towards my mother because she could not provide him with a male heir. However, now that I am training to be a warrior, he
loves me. And that's all I've ever wanted. To be loved by my father, the ruler of this village.
My mother hates me because now my father does not pay any attention to her. She was unable to provide him with a male heir, and now I am his replacement male heir, so what is the point of my mother? She now spends every waking moment either actively not thinking about me or trying to make my life miserable.
All I've ever wanted is to be loved by my parents. At least I know my father loves me.
Now in order to become a full warrior, I must undergo the trial. I am excited to take the trial to prove myself. I have been training for years to become a warrior. All the other boys hate me and resent me. This is probably because my father is the ruler of this village. There is one boy, though, who used to taunt me but has now realized the error of his ways.
His name is Torrin, and he is probably the love of my life. He used to make fun of me with the other boys, but now wants to be my friend. When he spends time with me, I feel tingles in my loins. My lips smart with the need to touch his. I am horny, and I don't know the word for this feeling so I will use more archaic terminology to describe this.
Torrin cares for me so much. He shows me how much he cares for me by doing absolutely nothing except the bare minimum. I am ready to make out with him at any point. However, we should probably wait until the trial is over. If any of us fail the trial, we will be banished from the village into the wild and will be tasked to complete an impossible challenge.
It's the night before the trial, and Torrin and I are going to go see the Payment. The god Peruxolo demands payment annually from all the villages, and some villages provide him with meat, others provide women, others provide tools. Whatever he asks for. Anyway, here we are, somewhere we are not supposed to be, looking at this god.
Oh wow, he is so powerful. He can float. He kills a man with one flick of his wrist. Wow. Now that the Payment has been conducted, I am heading back home with Torrin. Oh no, some of the other boys want to hurt me. But look, there's my father, the ruler of this village! He doles out punishment to the boys: they have to spend a sleepless night before the Trial. Meanwhile, I get to sleep in my bed.
But I am honorable. I too will conduct a sleepless night because I am honorable. Honor is important to me, as well as the fact that my father is the ruler of this village. Now that we've got these important things out of the way, let's head out to my Trial.
Here I am at my Trial, killing all the ziken with Torrin, the love of my life. I am so amazing. Everyone loves me so much. Except my mother. And the one thing I want in life is my parents' love. The only thing I have to avoid is getting bit by a ziken (a creature), but luckily I am
so skilled that this is not a problem. Here we are! Almost at the end. But oh no, what is that??
I GOT BIT BY A ZIKEN?? How?? I was nowhere near one.
Oh would you look at that. The love of my life, Torrin, is actually a backstabbing bitch. I mean, obviously I could have never guessed, seeing as how one day he was making fun of me and being horrible and the next he was confessing his feelings. He grabbed a ziken head and made its teeth cut my skin. Oh no, this is horrible!!
BUT WAIT ONCE AGAIN. My father loves me, right? He will stop this tragedy. But how is he going to know that Torrin did this? Surely someone must have seen him do it. Oh yes, my mother!! She hates me, but she saw Torrin do this horrible deed. She will surely speak up.
She does not.
I am banished. I am so sad. My task is to kill the immortal god, Peruxolo. I am so sad. I guess my father does not love me. He only saw me as his heir. This is too sad. All I ever wanted was to be loved. But everyone betrayed me. My father, my mother, Torrin. Ugh.
I am now in the wild, hoping not to die. Oh look at who I find here! Two boys, Soren and Iric, who were also banished from their village.
Wow, Soren is cute. BUT NO. TORRIN BETRAYED ME. I AM SO HURT. I WILL NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS MAN. Iric is gay, otherwise he would be a contender too, because
of course, any man who gives me attention is someone I will fall in love with.I will now exist with these boys for several chapters, as I help them prepare for their impossible challenges. As I do so, I will realize that I really like being a leader. I will let the reader know by saying things like, "I now finally felt like a leader." or "I understood why I was destined to be a leader." I will leave no room for vague thoughts. Instead, I will exactly write out what I want the reader to know.
Furthermore, I will go on a journey towards self-love. How I will let the reader know is by saying these exact things. I will use the word "acceptance" and "warmth" and similar vocabulary to ensure that the reader knows that I am finding worth in myself. I mean, I still want to be loved by my parents and a man, but that's okay. Because I am using buzzwords.
Time passes, but you won't know how much because I will not tell you. Days, weeks, months? Hahaha, guess you'll never know. Nothing of importance happens, but I magically grow as a human being. I will show little evidence of this, but I will tell you, and that makes it real.
Soren becomes cuter to me. Iric does not because he is gay. I now cannot stop thinking about Soren's lips. They are so full and perfectly-shaped. In fact, I will use the hyphenated word "perfectly-shaped" to describe his lips often.
Somehow, some way, I help Iric complete his challenge. I now am on my way to help Soren with his. We kiss on a mountain. This is my first time kissing, and I am h o r n y. I do not know the word for this, but I will describe it using other words that will ensure you know how horny I am. Kissing is wet. I like it a lot. I use my lips in weird ways, but I am turned on, and an inordinate amount of time will be spent on this. It adds nothing to the story, but I think it's important, so here you are.
I then help Soren complete his challenge. This reaffirms how good of a leader and warrior I am. I only think once or twice about how my father is the ruler of my village.
Lo and behold. I make a sudden discovery. Peruxolo is not the god he claims to be! He is a mortal man using natural phenomena to trick all the villages. No one will believe me if I kill him and then bring his head. Oh no, I must issue a challenge. All the villages will come watch while I kill Peruxolo publicly.
Before I do that, Soren and Iric must return to their village and demonstrate that they have completed their challenges. They go and do this, but I must wait in the wild because I am still banished. They promise me that they will return by nightfall.
They do not return by nightfall.Of course.
This is Torrin all over again. I just want to be loved, okay? That's it. But no one likes me. It's probably because I am strong and a woman and my father is the ruler of the village.
Oh, never mind. They came back. They just took a few days. I kiss Soren dramatically because he is the new love of my life.
Anyway, the day of my challenge is here. I kill Peruxolo dramatically while showing all the villages how he is a mortal man pretending to be a god. My mother suddenly regrets her terrible decisions because she is sick and tries to beg for my forgiveness. My father might not be heartless after all. Soren loves me. This is all so perfect.
However, I cannot forgive my mother or Torrin. I give them punishments. Soren stays in this village for me. I am now in line to become the next leader of this village. This is, of course, because my father is the ruler of this village.
The end.Nothing happens in the book. The plot is stupid. The romance is stupid. The characters are stupid. I disliked this immensely. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed reading this review, and it could bring some joy to your day.
And I'm out.
Rating: really liked it
“A man who finds his masculinity threatened by a powerful woman is no man at all," he says. "You want someone who lifts you up, not tries to bring you down.”
Synopsis:How do you kill a god?As her father's chosen heir, eighteen-year-old Rasmira has trained her whole life to become a warrior and lead her village. But when her coming-of-age trial is sabotaged and she fails the test, her father banishes her to the monster-filled wilderness with an impossible quest: To win back her honor, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year—or die trying.
Tricia Levenseller:I love the work of Tricia Levenseller! I've read The Shadows Between Us and absolutely loved it! Her writing is so unique and heartfelt. I can't wait to read Daughter of the Pirate King duology.
Reviewing about some characters! Rasmira:I really loved Rasmira.
The woman of the century, all hail the GOD KILLER!
The warrior who is underestimated.
The eighteen-year-old who is treated unfairly because of her gender.
Yeah, she's that girl.
Soren:I loved Soren.
He's passionate.
He's lonely.
He was popular and is still cocky.
He's arrogant and stubborn.
He's strong and doesn't give up.
Yeah, he's that boy.
Iric:Iric's okay.
He's gay.
He's grumpy.
He's a smithy.
He wants to give up.
He's scared of water.
He can't swim.
He's that boy.
The three make such a great team.
Thanks for reading this review, have a great day!
Your Depressed Cloud
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review to come after my break from Goodreads!
Rating: really liked it
4 stars!! đđđđ
From the author who brought us Daughter of the Pirate King- Warrior of the Wild has a well thought out plot and non-stop action from the very first page. With twists and turns, almost from the very start, I could not help but be captivated by this Viking-type story.
We follow MC Rasmira, youngest of 6 girls, all born to the village leader. Her father has raised her to be a warrior- and to be the one to take his place as ruler in the future. She is good at everything she does- and for that, has made some enemies in her village. Something happens and she is forced out of her village to act as tribute and is given the impossible task of killing the god that threatens their lands.
I really enjoyed the easy flow of this book, the pace was just fantastic. The world building was really well written. There is a slow burn romance, but also a good bit of blood and guts as well as many action scenes. The creatures in the Wild are fierce and unique. To me this book reminded me at times of The Hunger Games- and The Maze Runner. Being a fan of both- I was captivated and drawn into this story. Rasmiras character growth, along with some other characters in the book, was refreshing. Warrior of the Wild had a great overall message and I totally recommend it if you're looking for an engrossing, addictive, fast paced read.
Thank you to Netgalley for generously providing this Arc in return for an honest review!
Rating: really liked it
â
2 starsâ
You may know what is best for you, but you have no right to say what is best for someone else. I spent most of the book being annoyed at the main characters. I found them childish and I couldn't connect with them at all. Which is sad because I was looking forward to a Viking story but if the characters don't do it for me then nothing will.
Thank god for mean Iric and the few moments of joy he gave me.
Rating: really liked it
Loved it!
Rating: really liked it
As her father's chosen heir, eighteen-year-old Rasmira has trained her whole life to become a warrior and lead her village. But when her coming-of-age trial is sabotaged and she fails the test, her father banishes her to the monster-filled wilderness with an impossible quest: To win back her honor, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year or die trying
I have been wanting to read something suspenseful because the synopsis makes it look like an impossible mission about a girl trying to kill a God to reclaim her honor. I was very much drawn to the story in that regard but all I got was a girl trying to get over a guy who wronged her.
Making her not wanting to trust any boy ever again, but then on her journey she has to team up with two other handsome boys upon helping one of them from a deadly attack. She then learns that those two were also banished. So the story is pretty much her struggle to adjust with them while trying not to fall for their charm mostly because of her past. The story is more on the fluffy side and it felt like it was inspired by
"how to train your dragon" cause while reading I could see some parallels to both. I also didn't see any connection for it being Viking inspired other then our main character using axe and her father being the toughest head member of the village. There wasn't enough world building that could suggest otherwise. The atmosphere just wasn't there to being with and the constant confusing inner monologue that Rasmira had were quite boring. But still if you are looking for an easy read then it's actually a good book although some parts were very repetitive.
2.5â stars
Rating: really liked it
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