Warrior of the Wild

4 Stars ARC provided via Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I don’t read a lot of YA, but Tricia Levenseller’s Daughter of the Pirate King duology was so much fun. So when I saw that she her new book was Viking-inspired, I knew I had to read it! Warrior of the Wild is a standalone story loosely inspired by Viking traditions. I do emphasize that this is Viking-inspired. It is not a retelling of Norse mythology nor is it historical fiction. Much the way Daughter of the Pirate King was inspired by the golden age of piracy but not set in our world, so Warrior of the Wild borrows some aspects of Viking lore yet creates its own world. The worldbuilding could have been a little more fleshed out, but it was still easy to picture everything. Warrior of the Wild is the story of eighteen-year-old Rasmira who is banished from her village after someone sabotages her warrior test. To redeem herself, she must complete the impossible task of killing a god. I’d forgotten that Levenseller writes in first person, present tense, which I’m really not fond of. First person is ok, but present tense always feels so awkward to me. Nevertheless, I was quickly sucked into the story. I had no trouble at all finishing the whole thing in one day. Not as witty – didn’t have that snappy dialogue that I loved. The romance was sweet but not swoon-worthy. Not quite as humorous either although it did have its moments. It’s a pretty clean story. There is some violence and romance but overall, it’s a mostly PG story with just enough cheesiness to be cute without being too saccharine. It’s adventurous and exciting with lots of girl power. There were strong messages of self-acceptance and independence. I truly enjoy that Levenseller’s books explore relationship dynamics with strong females rather than damsels in distress! While I did enjoy Warrior of the Wild, it wasn’t quite as delightful as her pirate series. But I would still highly recommend this to anyone who likes adventurous ax-wielding heroines and fun little romps in the wild! RATING FACTORS: Ease of Reading: 5 Stars Writing Style: 4 Stars Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars Level of Captivation: 5 Stars Originality: 4 Stars

It was awesome from start to finish. Easy to understand and still something special. I love the books this author writes and it's just another example of the skills this author possesses

*3.5 Unfortunately it was not my favorite, because it was to romance heavy.

4.5⭐️ I was a bit hesitant at the start of this book... I loved Tricia Levenseller’s other books and I heard some people say that this book doesn’t compare to those. Well I can now say, I totally don’t agree with those people! After a few pages I was immediately sucked into the story, just like her other books! (It was kinda like coming home but I know how cringey that sounds) The female lead was a badass character and I absolutely adored her. Even though i’m not really into vikings and all of there mythology, i still enjoyed that aspect in this book! Tbh, I would totally reread this book in the future!

This was absolutely amazing. I love the determination and girl power of the main character. This is a super quick read, Tricia has yet to disappoint me, another addition to my favorites!

I read this in one sitting! Trigger warning for child abuse, verbal and emotional, as well as domestic abuse, bullying, human trafficking, rape mention, torture mention, and violence with a tiny bit of gore. Rape and torture is never shown, only mentioned.

3.5 stars I had such a fun time! I was really in the mood for some quick easy fantasy, and this was exactly it. Not very original, or the best fantasy I’ve ever read but a great read nonetheless

“A man who finds his masculinity threatened by a powerful woman is no man at all.” I’m proud to say that I have finished 4 out of 5 books by Tricia Levenseller. I just love how she writes such powerful and amazing women. As much as I had high expectations for this book, unfortunately they weren’t met, yet it was a great read. Raz and Soren and Iric were amazing. I loved the plot and I loved the way the story progressed. The life in the wild, the uncovering of secrets were very entertaining. I absolutely adored Soren and his golden retriever energy. And Raz and her personal growth was very amazing to watch. This book had so much potential. If only there was ANY world building and if the writing was a little detailed this book would’ve been so much more. Still I loved reading it !

Another cheap book on Amazon. Saw it was a fantasy standalone and I decided to give it a try. Expectations were low because I have been there done that with cheap shitty Amazon books but this one was a pleasant and unexpected surprised. Utterly enjoyed the elements and aspects of the story, she did good when it comes to world building and characters development in 326 pages. Quick read, fast paced and entertaining.

4,5🌟 I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed it. Will probably buy the physical book so I can read it someday 😊

Definitely my least favorite out of Tricia Levenseller’s novels. I liked the theme and the romance was cute but everything just seemed underdeveloped and the pacing was a bit too fast for my liking. I definitely would have loved more from this story and world. Overall 3 out of 5 stars and like I said definitely my least favorite of her works so far.

This was good and cute and made me cry and I enjoyed it a whole heck of a lot! Thank you Tricia for writing books that I love to devour!

2.8/5

What an enjoyable book! Warrior of the Wild takes bits a pieces from all different fandoms and subtly combines them into a perfect conglomeration, including How to Train Your Dragon, Maze Runner, The Hunger Games, and Divergent. The plot has a fan fiction feel to it, and main character definitely is mostly Astrid-like at the forefront of a conspiracy and court-like intrigue novel (but without the court and set in the woods instead of a palace). Fantasy fans will love this book and even be engrossed by the tangential detective plot line, which kept me reading until the end. My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, for which I give my honest review.

Warrior of the Wild is a book you don't want to put down once you start! Tricia Levenseller has a way with words that keeps you wanting more. We start out with Rasmira, who wants to become a warrior. In their village, everybody does a trial for the profession they want to work in. It's clear that there is a group who will be testing with Rasmira, who are intimidated by her. There is a big case of betrayal and she is banned from her village. Rasmira can only return if she kills the god who has been torturing the villages. Rasmira has an interesting relationship with her family. So it's hard for her to leave, but it also makes her want to prove that she can do what they ask of her. I loved how determined Rasmira is. You would expect most to just give up after being thrown out. Nothing is going to stop her from killing the god. Rasmira is strong and determined and those are my favorite kind of characters in these types of books. It's not long after she is banished that she runs in to two others who have been banished as well. Before Rasmira is banished, we hear how awful it will be once banished, but these two have created a home for themselves. The characters we meet are very interesting. Soren was banished because he actually let himself fail, so he could be with his friend who failed the trial. He felt like it was his fault. Iric is an interesting one and is great at creating things they need to survive. Even after being banished, he stil keeps in touch with his boyfriend by writing letters. I thought that was so sweet. They loved each other so much, not even being banished would stop them from communicating. Once all three get together, things start rolling. I loved the banter and teasing, but also seeing these characters learn to trust each other. All of them want to go home, so they decide to help each other complete their tasks. I think that was my favorite part of this book. Seeing Rasmira, Soren and Iric start training and preparing. While doing these they start dealing with what has happened. I loved seeing how strong their friendship becomes. Besides the strong friendship, we get a bit of romance. At first I was kind of disappointed that romance was added to this story, but as it developed, it fit the story a bit better. At least it's the kind that makes you smile, haha. Once they start preparing and going after the task of completing their tasks, we meet a lot of interesting creatures along the way. Warrior of the Wild gives us an unique world and I don't think I've ever read anything like this. Reading about the tasks is really interesting, but I don't want to give away too much. It's more fun when you read it for yourself. At times I felt things maybe went a bit fast or easy, but I suppose that happens faster in a standalone. In the end I really enjoyed Warrior of the Wild. For a standalone, this author gives us the perfect balance of worldbuilding and character development. I felt I knew and read enough to be able to understand what has been going on! The writing was amazing and I didn't want to put it down. I can be at peace with this being a standalone, but after growing to love the characters I definitely want more. I can think of a few things I wouldn't mind having a companion novel about!

I really enjoyed it, but nothing super earth-shattering.

** spoiler alert ** Warrior of the Wild was a book I really enjoyed. I loved the unique viking world, and love Rasmina and Soren. I got sucked in and read it in one sitting.. I definitely recommend this book to other that like YA fantasy.. Rasmina is a warrior in training in line to lead the village as her father's heir. However on the day of the test that if she passes will become a warrior in truth. However right before the test ends she is betrayed by someone she thought she cared for and who cared for her. Because she fails she is banished to the wild where she will most likely die, and the only way to get home is to finish a quest. After she is banished she meets Soren and his friend who both had been banished from their village the year before.. the story is of the 3 coming together to finish their quests so they can all return home.

* I got this book for review from the publisher* I thought this was such a fun action packed adventure read. I really loved the setting of this book and how this book was structure. I really loved the topics that were addressed in this novel. I loved the dynamics between the characters so much. This book reminded a lot of the books like the hunger games but especially The tiger queen. I found this book to fun read. I thought the second half of the book had some pacing issues. But I am dying to read her next read soon!

4.5

I think „Warrior of the Wild“ was a solid YA standalone. Nothing super exciting but it was a fun quick read. A cute romance, a few fight scenes and a nicely wrapped up ending. And it was a little bit queer as well. What more do one want? Although I would not reread it again, I am glad I picked it up after it stood on my shelf for over a year now 😁

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own. Rating: 5/5 Publication Date: February Genre: YA Fantasy Recommended Age: 14+ (gore, monsters, gods, Vikings, axe throwing, and badass girl power) Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Pages: 336 Amazon Link 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 honour, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year or die trying. Review: Holy crap! Let’s talk about this amazing book. It was fast paced and fun. It was easy to follow and easy to melt into. This book had amazing character growth for more than one person and this book spoke volumes about a lot of issues, like discrimination and not taking things at face value. The book is utterly fantastic in every way. The only issue I had was that I felt that the book was a bit too fast paced for some people. A lot of things happened in this standalone and while it was perfect for me, it might not be for some people. Verdict: READ THIS BOOK! Disclaimer: I bought this book! Support your authors. Book: Warrior of the Wild Author: Tricia Levenseller Book Series: Standalone Rating: 5/5 Publication Date: February Genre: YA Fantasy Recommended Age: 14+ (gore, monsters, gods, Vikings, axe throwing, and badass girl power) Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Pages: 336 Amazon Link 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 honour, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year or die trying. Review: I reread this book because a friend requested I do so for my twelve friends twelve months challenge. I don’t have much more to say outside of what I did in my original review. The book is still absolutely fascinating to me, how Tricia was able to weave all of these details to the final boss battle. The book is a marvel, is full of well developed characters and moments, and awesome world building. Still one of my all time faves. My only issue is still the fast pacing. It’s great if you’re running on a treadmill like I did the first time I read this book, but if you like slower books then you’ll be left in this ones dust. Verdict: Vikings still get me excited.

** spoiler alert ** This was unfortunately a disappointing read for me. I can’t decide if this is a 2 star or a 3 star read.It felt a little boring to me. I like that she got revenge on Torrin & Harvard. That was probably my one favorite moment out of this book. This was my least favorite book out of Tricia Levenseller books.

This book just proved to me that Levenseller is one of my new favorite authors. It had the right amount of action, romance, and girl power that I love in a book. I’m sad this only a stand-alone, but can’t wait for her next book!!