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Reign and Ruin #1
The Wilds
Coming home to New York in summer holidays is nothing short of torturous. Maggie's mother is officially the worst widow ever and her wayward uncle can't see past the heroin or the twisted pictures he paints. Lonely is normal and normal is becoming unbearable.
Plagued by nightmares and left behind to pick up the pieces of a fallen king, an opportunity of escape leads Cirrus to take a dangerous gamble; a gamble that snatches Maggie out of her uncle’s apartment and into a dangerous world of shifting sand and treacherous beauty.
Now Maggie must fight for a nation she never knew existed. But who can she trust when everything around her is melting like paint? Even more, the man she's fighting against is at once the captor and her savior, the villain and her friend. They could be each other's salvation or destruction, the choice is up to them . . .
Plagued by nightmares and left behind to pick up the pieces of a fallen king, an opportunity of escape leads Cirrus to take a dangerous gamble; a gamble that snatches Maggie out of her uncle’s apartment and into a dangerous world of shifting sand and treacherous beauty.
Now Maggie must fight for a nation she never knew existed. But who can she trust when everything around her is melting like paint? Even more, the man she's fighting against is at once the captor and her savior, the villain and her friend. They could be each other's salvation or destruction, the choice is up to them . . .
210 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 2014
13 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Jules Hedger
3 books6 followersOriginally from California, Jules Hedger now lives on a houseboat in London with one husband and one cat. She's been a carny, a macaroni and cheese waitress and currently works in genre fiction publishing. The Reign and Ruin series is her debut.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 15, 2014
*I received and eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoy a good fantasy book. I love being swept away into new, strange worlds, so I was excited to start The Wilds. This book is reminiscent of Alice Adventures in Wonderland. There are not a lot of plot similarities but both worlds are complex and imaginative.
The story begins with the reader meeting Maggie, a 20 something year old returning home from college. After being forced to spend a night at her drug-addicted uncle’s house, he overdoses and dies. Maggie is then informed by her uncle’s “friend,” Marty, that her uncle is the Creator of Palet, another world, and she must go with him and take her rightful place as the descendant to the throne. Maggie is understandably reluctant, but Marty forces her to swallow a marble that transports her to Palet. Thrust into an unknown world, and forced to participate in “The Walk” against Cirrus, a ruthless opponent, Maggie is forced to fight for the throne but she has to survive first.
The different places and people of Palet come to life through the Creator’s paintings. The Creator paints his dreams; therefore the different settings within Palet are often very bizarre. I didn’t really expect anything less from a world made from a man’s dreams but there were times that I felt I didn’t always understand what was going on which caused me to struggle a bit with the world-building in the beginning. I found myself re-reading passages here and there to make sure I was absorbing and comprehending everything. This definitely slowed down my progress for about the first 40%.
Maggie is full of spunk and attitude, so I knew I was going to like her from the get-go. When she found out about her uncle and her role within Palet, she did not immediately say “Oh, okay, let’s go!” She was full of skepticism and I respected that. It was nice to see a heroine who didn’t immediately believe everything she was told. There were definitely moments throughout the book where I thought “What are you doing, Maggie?!” I seemed to always have these thoughts with regards to her relationships with Cirrus and Lucan. She continuously fell all over herself when it came to these two men.
Cirrus was confusing. Sometimes I was convinced he was a villain and other times I felt empathy for him. I couldn’ttell if he was in love with Maggie or just wanted to infiltrate her mind. The scenes from his POV were told in third person which did make it a little more difficult to really understand his motives.
As for Lucan, I did really like what I saw of him. He was gruff and full of sarcasm. He served as Maggie’s protector, confidante, and companion throughout The Walk. As Cirrus’ brother and mortal enemy, I’m interested to see what becomes of him and his dynamic with both his brother and Maggie.
I am very fond of character development within the stories I read. Although I felt there wasn’t a lot of character development in The Wild’s, I do understand that this is the first book in what is most likely going to be a complex story, and therefore the world-building definitely took the front seat. I’m hoping with the next novel the characters are more fleshed out. Where the world of Palet made an impact on me, none of the characters made a huge impact on me and I definitely hope that will change.
Overall, I enjoyed The Wilds, despite my initial struggle with the world-building. Hedger provides a rich and colorful world that I grew to really revel in. I would recommend it to someone who enjoys fantasy and is willing to invest time in understanding a new world. I am interested to see where Hedger takes Maggie and the world of Palet in the upcoming novels.
I enjoy a good fantasy book. I love being swept away into new, strange worlds, so I was excited to start The Wilds. This book is reminiscent of Alice Adventures in Wonderland. There are not a lot of plot similarities but both worlds are complex and imaginative.
The story begins with the reader meeting Maggie, a 20 something year old returning home from college. After being forced to spend a night at her drug-addicted uncle’s house, he overdoses and dies. Maggie is then informed by her uncle’s “friend,” Marty, that her uncle is the Creator of Palet, another world, and she must go with him and take her rightful place as the descendant to the throne. Maggie is understandably reluctant, but Marty forces her to swallow a marble that transports her to Palet. Thrust into an unknown world, and forced to participate in “The Walk” against Cirrus, a ruthless opponent, Maggie is forced to fight for the throne but she has to survive first.
The different places and people of Palet come to life through the Creator’s paintings. The Creator paints his dreams; therefore the different settings within Palet are often very bizarre. I didn’t really expect anything less from a world made from a man’s dreams but there were times that I felt I didn’t always understand what was going on which caused me to struggle a bit with the world-building in the beginning. I found myself re-reading passages here and there to make sure I was absorbing and comprehending everything. This definitely slowed down my progress for about the first 40%.
Maggie is full of spunk and attitude, so I knew I was going to like her from the get-go. When she found out about her uncle and her role within Palet, she did not immediately say “Oh, okay, let’s go!” She was full of skepticism and I respected that. It was nice to see a heroine who didn’t immediately believe everything she was told. There were definitely moments throughout the book where I thought “What are you doing, Maggie?!” I seemed to always have these thoughts with regards to her relationships with Cirrus and Lucan. She continuously fell all over herself when it came to these two men.
Cirrus was confusing. Sometimes I was convinced he was a villain and other times I felt empathy for him. I couldn’ttell if he was in love with Maggie or just wanted to infiltrate her mind. The scenes from his POV were told in third person which did make it a little more difficult to really understand his motives.
As for Lucan, I did really like what I saw of him. He was gruff and full of sarcasm. He served as Maggie’s protector, confidante, and companion throughout The Walk. As Cirrus’ brother and mortal enemy, I’m interested to see what becomes of him and his dynamic with both his brother and Maggie.
I am very fond of character development within the stories I read. Although I felt there wasn’t a lot of character development in The Wild’s, I do understand that this is the first book in what is most likely going to be a complex story, and therefore the world-building definitely took the front seat. I’m hoping with the next novel the characters are more fleshed out. Where the world of Palet made an impact on me, none of the characters made a huge impact on me and I definitely hope that will change.
Overall, I enjoyed The Wilds, despite my initial struggle with the world-building. Hedger provides a rich and colorful world that I grew to really revel in. I would recommend it to someone who enjoys fantasy and is willing to invest time in understanding a new world. I am interested to see where Hedger takes Maggie and the world of Palet in the upcoming novels.
October 13, 2021
Jules Hedger has such a great imagination that beta reading for her is not just a pure pleasure, but an adventure I claim and wait for with big anticipation. The world she has created, Palet, is incredibly fascinating and so unique that how can I not possibly want to go there every chance I get?
The first time I read The Wilds, I thought it had a sort of The Princess Bride/Stardust vibe and not because of the romance, but the adventure, the challenges and a few ‘peculiar’ characters we encounter during the read. They’re all very entertaining, some fun, some creepy and others cryptic, and everyone just piques your curiosity and makes your mind wonder. The villain then—is he really?—is terribly charming . . . He’s most certainly my personal favourite and, call me crazy, I can see his point and feel his pain. But he, and so Palet, needs to be understood a bit at a time, so put yourself in Maggie’s shoes, start theWalk ride and find out how twists and turns at every corner make this story a winning one.
The Wilds is adventurous, exciting, captivating and also fun. A fantastic debut novel from an author with a wild imagination that just begs to be discovered. Grab your own copy now not just because it’s FREE, but because you’ll live an adventure like no other and end up wanting this book on your physical shelf as well!
I received a free copy of this book from the Author for an honest review. This does not affect in any way my opinion of the book nor the content of my review—originally posted on Darkest Sins.
The first time I read The Wilds, I thought it had a sort of The Princess Bride/Stardust vibe and not because of the romance, but the adventure, the challenges and a few ‘peculiar’ characters we encounter during the read. They’re all very entertaining, some fun, some creepy and others cryptic, and everyone just piques your curiosity and makes your mind wonder. The villain then—is he really?—is terribly charming . . . He’s most certainly my personal favourite and, call me crazy, I can see his point and feel his pain. But he, and so Palet, needs to be understood a bit at a time, so put yourself in Maggie’s shoes, start the
The Wilds is adventurous, exciting, captivating and also fun. A fantastic debut novel from an author with a wild imagination that just begs to be discovered. Grab your own copy now not just because it’s FREE, but because you’ll live an adventure like no other and end up wanting this book on your physical shelf as well!
I received a free copy of this book from the Author for an honest review. This does not affect in any way my opinion of the book nor the content of my review—originally posted on Darkest Sins.
October 13, 2016
Actual rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
This review, and others can be found on my blog - Journey Through Fiction
The Wilds begins with our narrator, Maggie, returning home from college to visit her mother in New York for the summer holidays. Right away we see that their relationship has never been the strongest, as her mother much prefers to live her own life without her daughters interference. I loved Maggie’s attitude right at the beginning. She has a fun and witty vibe to her character and I loved her quick one-liners.
After her mother informs her that she can’t stay with her, she heads off to her uncles apartment. He is a struggling artist who creates strange and terrifying paintings. He is also a drug addict, but his home has been a sort of safe-haven for her throughout her life. Without giving much away, later that evening Maggie discovers that her uncle is The Painter, who has created an entire new world through his paintings. A certain event that night triggers things to come, and Maggie is whisked away into the other world – Palet – where she discovers that she is the heir to the Palet throne.
The adventure begins when Maggie agrees to take part in The Reign Walk – a contest designed to choose the next ruler of Palet when there is more than one person vying for the throne. Each participant has a token, and the objective is to gather support for their cause over six consecutive days, and to steal the opposing persons token without killing the person in question, with the winner becoming the next ruler of Palet. Unfortunately, things don’t go exactly to plan, and Maggie ends up falling out of the Middle Canvas into The Wilds – which is essentially a desert wasteland that holds forgotten and abandoned dreams and creations.
The story is narrated in both the first person and the third person – Maggie’s POV is in the first person and is the central POV throughout the book, and there are interspersed occasions where we get to see into other characters minds – namely Cirrus and Marty – and those are told in the third person. I really liked this approach, as it added another layer to the story that would have been missing. I will say that I did prefer Maggie’s POV though!
I enjoyed the writing style, and I loved that the descriptions and details didn’t slow down the flow of the plot. Cirrus’s character sort of scared me! I was so relieved when Lucen was introduced into the story, as I connected with him very quickly. There isn’t any romance as such in The Wilds, but there is a sense of attraction between the characters. (Oh, and can I take a moment to yell that yes, I FINALLY found a NA book that doesn’t rely purely on sex to carry a plot! Thank you, thank you, thank you!) I LOVED the interactions between Lucen and Maggie! They have such a natural rapport and entertaining banter that I love seeing between characters.
I will say though, my feelings sort of got lost at one stage during the book. I can’t really put my finger on what exactly happened, but I lost that strong connection I had with Maggie at the beginning of the book. There wasn’t one “aha” moment that I realised I wasn’t identifying with her anymore, but I guess I just slowly drifted away from her character without realising it. It wasn’t until maybe the last third when I began rooting for her again that I realised, hey, why wasn’t I feeling like this a little while ago?
I would have loved to see so much more on the world building front. This kind of reminds me how I felt when I read Cinder by Marissa Meyer – what’s in the book is great, but I want even more! We are told about the Middle Canvas, and I’m really curious about what it’s like and I’d have loved if the characters spent more time there, and explored more. Overall, I really liked and enjoyed The Wilds, and with the ending setting up for the sequel perfectly, I think this could be the beginning of a fantastic new series!
October 9, 2014
This was… weird. I really don’t know how I should rate this book. I mean, it wasn’t bad, but somehow I feel I didn’t quite get it.
We are meeting Maggie, a twenty-something girl, kind of rebellious, whose entire world collapses in the middle of a night, while sleeping at her uncle’s, an alcoholic junkie. She wakes up to find him dead, and then her uncle’s friend announces her that he was the Painter, creator of a world called Palet, and as his niece, she is needed in this world. Against her will, she’s taken to a world she’d never heard anything about and forced to compete in a game called ‘The March’, which will determine who’s the next leader of Palet.
What makes the weirdness of this book definitely is the world of Palet. This world has been created by Maggie’s uncle who painted his dreams to make them come to life. So Palet is based on dreams and as everyone knows, dreams don’t always have any logic. That’s something you can really feel. In some way, it reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. Well, there is more logic in The Wilds than in Lewis Caroll’s story but it has the same kind of absurdness sometimes. I don’t really know if I liked it or not. On one hand, it is consistent with the whole ‘world made of dreams’ thing and this definitely is an original idea, yet on the other hand some parts are REALLY weird and I often had to re-read them because my first reaction only was “what the hell?!?”. Therefore, it took me really long to get into the story. I think that’s only around 75% of the book that I finally managed to get what The Walk was about. So yeah, I spent the first three quarters reading something I didn’t understand. That is long. Very long.
I also had big troubles with Cirrus’ character. I just never got him. Was he a villain? One moment I thought he was one, with seconds something happened that made me change my mind and think of him as an ally. Until the next twist which made me view him as the villain again. That was really confusing, and even the parts from his point of view didn’t help. Also, I never could make up my mind on whether he’s in love with Maggie or not.
Actually, no characters in this book made a great impression on me. Even Maggie, who’s the main character, didn’t leave me that many memories. I remember thinking that she didn’t sound much involved in her own story and in The March going on but it took me extremely long to get into The March too so I can understand.
One thing that particularly annoyed me isn’t about the content but rather about the form: this book really, and I mean REALLY lacks corrections. There are spelling mistakes, sometimes missing words, and the worst: almost all apostrophes are missing (e.g. it’s is written its, I’m is written Im, etc). I will blame it on the fact that I was reading an early copy and hope these mistakes will be fixed in the final version, but still I think it is unacceptable to find this in a book, even an ARC. I mean, when you are writing a book, even the first draft, you don’t write it the same way you’d write a text message! I already had troubles getting into the story and the bad spelling didn’t help.
In short, I really didn’t think the book was bad although my review may sound quite critical. The idea is good but it is really weird, so it’s either you love it or hate it. I was unfortunately closer to the “hate” edge, even though I did enjoy my reading a bit.
I recommend this book to you if: I definitely encourage you to give it a try if the blurb sounds appealing to you. It seems that I am the first to write a review about it (at least there isn’t any on Goodreads yet), so I can’t say if my feelings of weirdness about this story are shared or not. So, do try and make your own opinion. Especially if you like Alice in Wonderland, there’s a chance you enjoy The Wilds too.
We are meeting Maggie, a twenty-something girl, kind of rebellious, whose entire world collapses in the middle of a night, while sleeping at her uncle’s, an alcoholic junkie. She wakes up to find him dead, and then her uncle’s friend announces her that he was the Painter, creator of a world called Palet, and as his niece, she is needed in this world. Against her will, she’s taken to a world she’d never heard anything about and forced to compete in a game called ‘The March’, which will determine who’s the next leader of Palet.
What makes the weirdness of this book definitely is the world of Palet. This world has been created by Maggie’s uncle who painted his dreams to make them come to life. So Palet is based on dreams and as everyone knows, dreams don’t always have any logic. That’s something you can really feel. In some way, it reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. Well, there is more logic in The Wilds than in Lewis Caroll’s story but it has the same kind of absurdness sometimes. I don’t really know if I liked it or not. On one hand, it is consistent with the whole ‘world made of dreams’ thing and this definitely is an original idea, yet on the other hand some parts are REALLY weird and I often had to re-read them because my first reaction only was “what the hell?!?”. Therefore, it took me really long to get into the story. I think that’s only around 75% of the book that I finally managed to get what The Walk was about. So yeah, I spent the first three quarters reading something I didn’t understand. That is long. Very long.
I also had big troubles with Cirrus’ character. I just never got him. Was he a villain? One moment I thought he was one, with seconds something happened that made me change my mind and think of him as an ally. Until the next twist which made me view him as the villain again. That was really confusing, and even the parts from his point of view didn’t help. Also, I never could make up my mind on whether he’s in love with Maggie or not.
Actually, no characters in this book made a great impression on me. Even Maggie, who’s the main character, didn’t leave me that many memories. I remember thinking that she didn’t sound much involved in her own story and in The March going on but it took me extremely long to get into The March too so I can understand.
One thing that particularly annoyed me isn’t about the content but rather about the form: this book really, and I mean REALLY lacks corrections. There are spelling mistakes, sometimes missing words, and the worst: almost all apostrophes are missing (e.g. it’s is written its, I’m is written Im, etc). I will blame it on the fact that I was reading an early copy and hope these mistakes will be fixed in the final version, but still I think it is unacceptable to find this in a book, even an ARC. I mean, when you are writing a book, even the first draft, you don’t write it the same way you’d write a text message! I already had troubles getting into the story and the bad spelling didn’t help.
In short, I really didn’t think the book was bad although my review may sound quite critical. The idea is good but it is really weird, so it’s either you love it or hate it. I was unfortunately closer to the “hate” edge, even though I did enjoy my reading a bit.
I recommend this book to you if: I definitely encourage you to give it a try if the blurb sounds appealing to you. It seems that I am the first to write a review about it (at least there isn’t any on Goodreads yet), so I can’t say if my feelings of weirdness about this story are shared or not. So, do try and make your own opinion. Especially if you like Alice in Wonderland, there’s a chance you enjoy The Wilds too.
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February 7, 2016
A very weird book, at least at first. It wasn't easy to get accostumed to this, because dreams are strange things, and just like protagonist Maggie, I was a little overwhelmed in the beginning. However, once you manage to wrap your head around all the crazy workings, the world of Palet becomes actually pretty awesome.
Just like it took a while to get into the story, it also took a while to get used to Maggie. The up and down of her emotions as she was on the run was a bit of strain, because at first she was actually handling it all way too well for my tastes, did what she had to do to save herself and others, then she finally had a very reasonable freak out, and then... well, she was back on her feet like nothing happened. No, she didn't really feel real which is why I didn't like her too much -- until Cassandra said toward the end that she really had fire, and just after a very nice scene with big grumpy Lucan. Guess that put her into the right light for me, just like it made me like Cassandra.
Oh, Lucan... *purr* Not just big and grumpy, but also ice and fire, that guy. Plus, he's kinda an angel. I really, really liked him, because he was the first male lead who was neither all gloom and all powerful, nor all melt-your-panties charm and too cute to be true. He kinda bitched his way into Maggie's heart, if you so will. He didn't have an all too cocky attitude to go with his fierce protectivenes, plus his big heart just in the right place, and he was protective of what Maggie symbolizes long before he got to know her as a person. I can't remember if I ever read a (YA) paranormal romance with that first base.
Cirrus was... well, not the perfect villain, but definitively close. Totally crazy, that one. Even being cured at the end, which will most definitively do wonders for his manners, I don't see Maggie ever being stupid enough to fall for anything he would say or do, because she's already seen his true colors. At that point, I really cannot imagine the good guy I assume he once was, before his nightmares tore away his sanity bit by bit. I would really love to learn more about his relationship with Lucan, especially in connection with that painting!
It's hard to grasp a world made up of dreams, some more perament then others, somehow, even I still don't get it. But what I did get was that every dream has a central, fundamental piece that holds it all together, and it seems only the Painter and his bloodline have the ability to create or shatter those kinds of pieces. That's why Maggie is so powerful. And while I got that, I still don't get why it is so significant that she doesn't dream. There's a catch to it, I know it, and I'm looking forward to finding that out later.
Area Scan: Flow: 3/5 -- Vocab: 3/5 -- Plot: 4/5 -- Heroes: 4/5 -- Sidekicks: 4/5 -- Villains: 4/5 -- Romance: 3.5/5 -- Drama: 4/5 -- Action: 5/5 -- Suspense: 3.5/5 -- Idea: 5/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Just like it took a while to get into the story, it also took a while to get used to Maggie. The up and down of her emotions as she was on the run was a bit of strain, because at first she was actually handling it all way too well for my tastes, did what she had to do to save herself and others, then she finally had a very reasonable freak out, and then... well, she was back on her feet like nothing happened. No, she didn't really feel real which is why I didn't like her too much -- until Cassandra said toward the end that she really had fire, and just after a very nice scene with big grumpy Lucan. Guess that put her into the right light for me, just like it made me like Cassandra.
Oh, Lucan... *purr* Not just big and grumpy, but also ice and fire, that guy. Plus, he's kinda an angel. I really, really liked him, because he was the first male lead who was neither all gloom and all powerful, nor all melt-your-panties charm and too cute to be true. He kinda bitched his way into Maggie's heart, if you so will. He didn't have an all too cocky attitude to go with his fierce protectivenes, plus his big heart just in the right place, and he was protective of what Maggie symbolizes long before he got to know her as a person. I can't remember if I ever read a (YA) paranormal romance with that first base.
Cirrus was... well, not the perfect villain, but definitively close. Totally crazy, that one. Even being cured at the end, which will most definitively do wonders for his manners, I don't see Maggie ever being stupid enough to fall for anything he would say or do, because she's already seen his true colors. At that point, I really cannot imagine the good guy I assume he once was, before his nightmares tore away his sanity bit by bit. I would really love to learn more about his relationship with Lucan, especially in connection with that painting!
It's hard to grasp a world made up of dreams, some more perament then others, somehow, even I still don't get it. But what I did get was that every dream has a central, fundamental piece that holds it all together, and it seems only the Painter and his bloodline have the ability to create or shatter those kinds of pieces. That's why Maggie is so powerful. And while I got that, I still don't get why it is so significant that she doesn't dream. There's a catch to it, I know it, and I'm looking forward to finding that out later.
Area Scan: Flow: 3/5 -- Vocab: 3/5 -- Plot: 4/5 -- Heroes: 4/5 -- Sidekicks: 4/5 -- Villains: 4/5 -- Romance: 3.5/5 -- Drama: 4/5 -- Action: 5/5 -- Suspense: 3.5/5 -- Idea: 5/5
Overall: 3.5/5
November 26, 2014
One of my favorite things about starting a new series is getting to know the world the author created. And I love it even more when said world is unique and fascinating and overly colorful. I bet you can imagine my thrill when I found out that the world in The Wilds, named Palet, met these criteria perfectly. I was drawn into its beauty and complexity, and I just wish I could jump inside the pages and explore every inch of this ever-growing world made out of dreams, of endless possibilities.
Setting this awesome world aside for a bit, I have to point out that when I started reading The Wilds, I struggled to care about the main character, Maggie, and to understand on where the story was heading to. It’s an abrupt start since we barely get to meet Maggie as she’s heading to her uncle’s place to stay for the night, and next thing you know, her uncle dies and she’s swept into Palet to take her rightful place as ruler (being the niece of the creator and all), or at least, to fight for the crown in the Reign Walk. And, that’s when everything clears up and the story sets into action.
Despite my initial thoughts about Maggie, I did come to like her character as the story progressed. Her journey is a tough one and confusing as hell, and since many secrets are being kept from her, specially on how the world works, I think she does a fine job of taking care of the situation regardless of the outcome.
The other characters of this book are weirdly interesting, like Cirrus who’s the main antagonist of the book. He is the one going against Maggie for the crown and wants to have her to share their minds and relieve him from his nightmares. Yup, he’s mad, but there’s also something about him that calls you in. My feelings for him are exactly like Maggie’s, I feel like wanting Maggie to be near him, but I also want him thousands of miles away. Confusing, I know.
The one character I DO want near Maggie is Lucen, Cirrus’ brother. He’s a strong, brooding character who’s out to help Maggie during the Reign Walk and he’s peeeerfect. Okay, not really, but I like him, secrets and all.
There’s so much room to explore in this world, in this story, making me super anxious to read the sequel. I want to piece together every hint and dream and see the series come into full bloom. I want more from Maggie, more from Lucen, more from the Painter and heck, even more from Cirrus. I won’t rest until I discover the true intentions behind every character and see how important they are for the world of Palet. I need to know!
*Thanks so much to the author for the review copy in exchange of an honest review. You can also read this review at Kate Tilton, Connecting Autors & Readers.*
Setting this awesome world aside for a bit, I have to point out that when I started reading The Wilds, I struggled to care about the main character, Maggie, and to understand on where the story was heading to. It’s an abrupt start since we barely get to meet Maggie as she’s heading to her uncle’s place to stay for the night, and next thing you know, her uncle dies and she’s swept into Palet to take her rightful place as ruler (being the niece of the creator and all), or at least, to fight for the crown in the Reign Walk. And, that’s when everything clears up and the story sets into action.
Despite my initial thoughts about Maggie, I did come to like her character as the story progressed. Her journey is a tough one and confusing as hell, and since many secrets are being kept from her, specially on how the world works, I think she does a fine job of taking care of the situation regardless of the outcome.
The other characters of this book are weirdly interesting, like Cirrus who’s the main antagonist of the book. He is the one going against Maggie for the crown and wants to have her to share their minds and relieve him from his nightmares. Yup, he’s mad, but there’s also something about him that calls you in. My feelings for him are exactly like Maggie’s, I feel like wanting Maggie to be near him, but I also want him thousands of miles away. Confusing, I know.
The one character I DO want near Maggie is Lucen, Cirrus’ brother. He’s a strong, brooding character who’s out to help Maggie during the Reign Walk and he’s peeeerfect. Okay, not really, but I like him, secrets and all.
There’s so much room to explore in this world, in this story, making me super anxious to read the sequel. I want to piece together every hint and dream and see the series come into full bloom. I want more from Maggie, more from Lucen, more from the Painter and heck, even more from Cirrus. I won’t rest until I discover the true intentions behind every character and see how important they are for the world of Palet. I need to know!
*Thanks so much to the author for the review copy in exchange of an honest review. You can also read this review at Kate Tilton, Connecting Autors & Readers.*
January 6, 2015
A fantasy world, a place where dreams are real but nothing is what it seems, this is The Wilds. Hedger has managed to create a magical world full of mysterious things and surprises, making the whole story very exciting to read.
Palet is the creation of one mind, and not always it was easy to understand, but that was the beauty of it. Trying the hardest to make the best out of it made it even more enticing, and Palet is nothing but fascinating. It was not always unicorns and rainbows, though, some parts were quite scary and gave life to a lot of new emotions.
The characters were enthralling as well, and I have to admit I was not that indifferent to Lucan. I know, right? Cirrus, on the other hand... I haven't figured him out yet, but it is clear that there is so much more to him than just what we are shown. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Undoubtedly, I'll go check out The Calm Before, the "prequel" novella in this series, and I can't definitely wait to pick up where The Wilds has left off!!
Palet is the creation of one mind, and not always it was easy to understand, but that was the beauty of it. Trying the hardest to make the best out of it made it even more enticing, and Palet is nothing but fascinating. It was not always unicorns and rainbows, though, some parts were quite scary and gave life to a lot of new emotions.
The characters were enthralling as well, and I have to admit I was not that indifferent to Lucan. I know, right? Cirrus, on the other hand... I haven't figured him out yet, but it is clear that there is so much more to him than just what we are shown. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Undoubtedly, I'll go check out The Calm Before, the "prequel" novella in this series, and I can't definitely wait to pick up where The Wilds has left off!!
November 3, 2014
A little....confusing
First off I give it a 4.5. I would give it a 5 but the beginning was rushed and so confusing I had to read it twice. Pay close attention!
First off I give it a 4.5. I would give it a 5 but the beginning was rushed and so confusing I had to read it twice. Pay close attention!
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