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Into the Jungle
In this “hypnotic, violent, unsparing” (A.J. Banner, USA TODAY bestselling author) thriller from the author of the “haunting, twisting thrill ride” (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author) The River at Night , a young woman leaves behind everything she knows to take on the Bolivian jungle, but her excursion abroad quickly turns into a fight for her life.
Lily Bushwold thought she’d found the antidote to endless foster care and group a gig teaching English in Cochabamba, Bolivia. As soon as she could steal enough cash for the plane, she was on it.
But the program was a scam. And bonding with other broke, rudderless girls in the local youth hostel wasn’t the answer. Falling crazy in love with Omar, a savvy, handsome local who’d left his life as a hunter in Ayachero—a remote jungle village—to try city this was the last thing Lily could have imagined.
When Omar learns that a jaguar had killed his four-year-old nephew in Ayachero, he gives Lily a stay alone in the unforgiving city, or travel to the last in the ever-more-isolated string of river towns in the jungles of Bolivia. Thirty-foot anacondas? Puppy-sized spiders? Vengeful shamans with unspeakable powers? None of it matters to love-struck Lily. She follows Omar to a ruthless new world of lawless poachers, bullheaded missionaries, and desperate indigenous tribes driven to the brink of extinction. To survive, Lily must navigate the jungle—and all its residents—using only her wits and resilience.
“Gripping, breathtaking, and exquisitely told— Into the Jungle pulls you into another world, returning you forever transformed” (Wendy Walker, USA TODAY bestselling author).
Lily Bushwold thought she’d found the antidote to endless foster care and group a gig teaching English in Cochabamba, Bolivia. As soon as she could steal enough cash for the plane, she was on it.
But the program was a scam. And bonding with other broke, rudderless girls in the local youth hostel wasn’t the answer. Falling crazy in love with Omar, a savvy, handsome local who’d left his life as a hunter in Ayachero—a remote jungle village—to try city this was the last thing Lily could have imagined.
When Omar learns that a jaguar had killed his four-year-old nephew in Ayachero, he gives Lily a stay alone in the unforgiving city, or travel to the last in the ever-more-isolated string of river towns in the jungles of Bolivia. Thirty-foot anacondas? Puppy-sized spiders? Vengeful shamans with unspeakable powers? None of it matters to love-struck Lily. She follows Omar to a ruthless new world of lawless poachers, bullheaded missionaries, and desperate indigenous tribes driven to the brink of extinction. To survive, Lily must navigate the jungle—and all its residents—using only her wits and resilience.
“Gripping, breathtaking, and exquisitely told— Into the Jungle pulls you into another world, returning you forever transformed” (Wendy Walker, USA TODAY bestselling author).
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 28, 2019
456 people are currently reading
15734 people want to read
About the author
Erica Ferencik
7 books965 followersOprah chose Erica Ferencik’s debut novel, The River at Night as a #1 Pick, calling the book “the page-turning novel you’ve been waiting for, a heart-pounding debut.” Entertainment Weekly named it a “Must Read,” and calls the novel “harrowing…a visceral, white knuckle rush.” Miramax has recently optioned the novel for a film.
Her new novel, Into the Jungle, one woman's terrifying journey of survival in the Bolivian Amazon, will be released on May 28, 2019. Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review, calling it: “[A] ferocious fever dream of a thriller…Ferencik delivers an alternately terrifying and exhilarating tale.” Her work has appeared in Salon and The Boston Globe, as well as on National Public Radio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 831 reviews
February 21, 2022
***Ms. Ferencik has a new book coming out in March "The Girl In Ice", but you can read this one now***
Well I am happy to report that this is one book that really delivered! It’s not a thriller in the sense of a psychopath on the loose but I certainly found it thrilling and exciting to follow this young woman into the Bolivian jungle. This was real, true adventure, with thrilling scenes between people and animals and this is the animals home and we are not welcome. All that the indigenous women do every day are the things they need to do to survive, helping prepare the animals after they are killed, washing clothes, tending to many children and waiting for their hunter husbands to return. I think I know a bit more about the jungle than I did before, enough to know that I won’t be visiting it any time soon!
Reading the prologue I was already pulled into the book, unable to really fathom what the author had in store for me. The scene where Lily was being constricted by a python was in part “I couldn’t take my eyes off the grace of her as she coiled her ever thicker body around my knees now, wrapped herself around my thighs, pelvis, groin. Head swinging, unsupported, she opened her mouth . . . . . .and said aahhhhhhhhhhh! And this was just in the prologue.
I really liked this book because of the great characters. Lily Bushwold is a 19 year old young woman who had come to Cochabamba, Bolivia because of the promise of a job. When she gets here there is no job, she has little money and is pretty much stuck in Bolivia until she can make enough money to get out.
She meets a young native Amazonian named Omar and they quickly fall in love. Within a few weeks they are both off for Ayachero the very small town where Omar is from. He was called home because his nephew was killed by a jaguar and they need Omar to help hunt the animal.
After this there is pretty much something going on all of the time, and I mean this in a good way. I really liked that the character of Lily really learned and grew with the story as did Omar. Theirs is described as such a true, all consuming love, I really felt for Lily every time they had to be apart.
She has to learn how to use a blow dart effectively and know where the kind of frog that has the poison for the dart lives and how to prepare and store the darts. There are so many things that can bite, scratch, claw you, poison you or flat out maul you to death, that there is always more that Lily has to learn. Don’t forgot about the infections and diseases that can also kill you in this heavily insect infested jungle (no thanks I can hardly handle mosquitos!)
Other notable characters besides Lily and Omar include two missionaries known as “The Harriets” they do try to teach the Bible but they also love the people there and have come to know them, doctor them and in many ways they help each other, I loved these two!
We also have a telepathic shaman that Lily may or may not be able to communicate with and a river boat captain named “For God’s Sake” and I’ll leave you to find out the origin of that name.
What kept this book from being a solid 5* for me was that I just couldn’t believe it was all plausible, but that’s o.k., this is fiction. I really liked this book, it was well written with characters that I could get into and care about and the research must have been extensive for this book. The author does state that the book is partially based on a friend’s actual experience.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Well I am happy to report that this is one book that really delivered! It’s not a thriller in the sense of a psychopath on the loose but I certainly found it thrilling and exciting to follow this young woman into the Bolivian jungle. This was real, true adventure, with thrilling scenes between people and animals and this is the animals home and we are not welcome. All that the indigenous women do every day are the things they need to do to survive, helping prepare the animals after they are killed, washing clothes, tending to many children and waiting for their hunter husbands to return. I think I know a bit more about the jungle than I did before, enough to know that I won’t be visiting it any time soon!
Reading the prologue I was already pulled into the book, unable to really fathom what the author had in store for me. The scene where Lily was being constricted by a python was in part “I couldn’t take my eyes off the grace of her as she coiled her ever thicker body around my knees now, wrapped herself around my thighs, pelvis, groin. Head swinging, unsupported, she opened her mouth . . . . . .and said aahhhhhhhhhhh! And this was just in the prologue.
I really liked this book because of the great characters. Lily Bushwold is a 19 year old young woman who had come to Cochabamba, Bolivia because of the promise of a job. When she gets here there is no job, she has little money and is pretty much stuck in Bolivia until she can make enough money to get out.
She meets a young native Amazonian named Omar and they quickly fall in love. Within a few weeks they are both off for Ayachero the very small town where Omar is from. He was called home because his nephew was killed by a jaguar and they need Omar to help hunt the animal.
After this there is pretty much something going on all of the time, and I mean this in a good way. I really liked that the character of Lily really learned and grew with the story as did Omar. Theirs is described as such a true, all consuming love, I really felt for Lily every time they had to be apart.
She has to learn how to use a blow dart effectively and know where the kind of frog that has the poison for the dart lives and how to prepare and store the darts. There are so many things that can bite, scratch, claw you, poison you or flat out maul you to death, that there is always more that Lily has to learn. Don’t forgot about the infections and diseases that can also kill you in this heavily insect infested jungle (no thanks I can hardly handle mosquitos!)
Other notable characters besides Lily and Omar include two missionaries known as “The Harriets” they do try to teach the Bible but they also love the people there and have come to know them, doctor them and in many ways they help each other, I loved these two!
We also have a telepathic shaman that Lily may or may not be able to communicate with and a river boat captain named “For God’s Sake” and I’ll leave you to find out the origin of that name.
What kept this book from being a solid 5* for me was that I just couldn’t believe it was all plausible, but that’s o.k., this is fiction. I really liked this book, it was well written with characters that I could get into and care about and the research must have been extensive for this book. The author does state that the book is partially based on a friend’s actual experience.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.
October 11, 2022
3.5 stars rounded to 4
"Hold on to your little flame of self, because the world wants to blow it out, my beloved son."
This is one of those books that feels difficult to review, because it's heavy on plot progression and action, and those are all the things that I do not want to spoil for you. As in her previous book, Erica Ferencik has brought forth a suspenseful endeavor into nature, one I would never want to take myself, but I feel brave enough to tackle vicariously through the characters in her story. :) The strongest aspect of her two novels to date, in my humble opinion, is how nature is a prominent character throughout the story; she is unyielding and indiscriminating when it comes to who and what she decides to obliterate, which adds an extra level of tension throughout the read.
While this isn't a realistic story by any means, if you can put aside your need for something founded in the natural, I think you'll enjoy the ride that Into the Jungle has to offer. There is a backstory featuring a woman who grew up in the foster care system, followed by an adventure through the Amazon rainforest including, but not limited to, dangerous over-sized wildlife, poachers, missionaries, shamans, etc. Oh, and did I mention one of the most suspenseful birth sequences I've read to date? Wowzers. If you're looking for a fast-paced, exotic adventure from the safety of your home, this is a great book to take your chances on. If you're new to the author, may I also recommend checking out Ferencik's debut novel, The River at Night as well?
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
"Hold on to your little flame of self, because the world wants to blow it out, my beloved son."
This is one of those books that feels difficult to review, because it's heavy on plot progression and action, and those are all the things that I do not want to spoil for you. As in her previous book, Erica Ferencik has brought forth a suspenseful endeavor into nature, one I would never want to take myself, but I feel brave enough to tackle vicariously through the characters in her story. :) The strongest aspect of her two novels to date, in my humble opinion, is how nature is a prominent character throughout the story; she is unyielding and indiscriminating when it comes to who and what she decides to obliterate, which adds an extra level of tension throughout the read.
While this isn't a realistic story by any means, if you can put aside your need for something founded in the natural, I think you'll enjoy the ride that Into the Jungle has to offer. There is a backstory featuring a woman who grew up in the foster care system, followed by an adventure through the Amazon rainforest including, but not limited to, dangerous over-sized wildlife, poachers, missionaries, shamans, etc. Oh, and did I mention one of the most suspenseful birth sequences I've read to date? Wowzers. If you're looking for a fast-paced, exotic adventure from the safety of your home, this is a great book to take your chances on. If you're new to the author, may I also recommend checking out Ferencik's debut novel, The River at Night as well?
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
May 2, 2020
“You know where you are?
You're in the jungle baby
You're gonna die
In the jungle, welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your shun n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n knees, knees” -Guns N' Roses
Absolutely enthralling! Unputdownable!
We’ve all read the same story-lines time after time. You know the one. Young American girl working in a hostile in South America falls in love with an older Bolivian man and follows him back to his village deep within the Amazon jungle.
I mean seriously! How many times have we read that premise?! 💁🏻♀️NOT!🤣
Truly the most unique and thoroughly original books I’ve had the pleasure to read in a long time. Not a thriller. No mind bending twists. How can this be, you ask? Simple…it’s just outstanding, imaginative writing as the author guides you on a colorful adventure into a civilization few have ever witnessed or experienced.
You’re right there side-by-side with Lily as she struggles for acceptance by her lovers’ tribe, all the while fighting to survive the living soul of the dark jungle, which is always looking for a way to kill you.
Truthfully, I wouldn’t last a day. No seriously...not even an hour. Where’s my iced latte?! Just the thought of camping gives me the heebiejeebies! Though I’ve squished a few scorpions 🦂 in my day, the monstrous, dawn-of- time insects in the Amazon jungle would leave me a quivering ball of goo!
You know you’ve just experienced an incredible read when you’re so sorry it has ended!
Should you be looking for a wild adventure, look no further! I highly recommend this book!
Thank you to Simon and Schuster.
You're in the jungle baby
You're gonna die
In the jungle, welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your shun n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n knees, knees” -Guns N' Roses
Absolutely enthralling! Unputdownable!
We’ve all read the same story-lines time after time. You know the one. Young American girl working in a hostile in South America falls in love with an older Bolivian man and follows him back to his village deep within the Amazon jungle.
I mean seriously! How many times have we read that premise?! 💁🏻♀️NOT!🤣
Truly the most unique and thoroughly original books I’ve had the pleasure to read in a long time. Not a thriller. No mind bending twists. How can this be, you ask? Simple…it’s just outstanding, imaginative writing as the author guides you on a colorful adventure into a civilization few have ever witnessed or experienced.
You’re right there side-by-side with Lily as she struggles for acceptance by her lovers’ tribe, all the while fighting to survive the living soul of the dark jungle, which is always looking for a way to kill you.
Truthfully, I wouldn’t last a day. No seriously...not even an hour. Where’s my iced latte?! Just the thought of camping gives me the heebiejeebies! Though I’ve squished a few scorpions 🦂 in my day, the monstrous, dawn-of- time insects in the Amazon jungle would leave me a quivering ball of goo!
You know you’ve just experienced an incredible read when you’re so sorry it has ended!
Should you be looking for a wild adventure, look no further! I highly recommend this book!
Thank you to Simon and Schuster.
January 22, 2020
Down on her luck teenager Lily has had enough of bad foster homes and a system in the USA that's failing her, so the prospect of a job in Bolivia seems just the ticket. After she's stolen the plane fare and arrives in Cochabamba she finds the job has fallen through, so she's lucky to get a job at a hostel. There she meets up with a couple of fellow misfits, who spend their time drifting from bar to bar. Then one night in a bar Lily meets Omar, and her life changes forever.
Omar soon gets notice that his young nephew has been killed by a jaguar in the remote jungle village he comes from, so he must return. Lily, totally infatuated, tags along, wondering how hard could jungle life be?
This is the story of how hard Lily found the jungle to be! Poachers, Shamans, remote tribes, and killer insects, all seem to be out to get Lily, and she soon has to find the will to toughen up if she wants to call the jungle home.
While this book wasn't totally riveting, it was enjoyable. I found the descriptions of the jungle particularly vivid, and the characters well drawn. A good holiday read.
Omar soon gets notice that his young nephew has been killed by a jaguar in the remote jungle village he comes from, so he must return. Lily, totally infatuated, tags along, wondering how hard could jungle life be?
This is the story of how hard Lily found the jungle to be! Poachers, Shamans, remote tribes, and killer insects, all seem to be out to get Lily, and she soon has to find the will to toughen up if she wants to call the jungle home.
While this book wasn't totally riveting, it was enjoyable. I found the descriptions of the jungle particularly vivid, and the characters well drawn. A good holiday read.
April 9, 2019
Verdant, vibrant, pulsing with life and an infinite number of ways to die; this is the Amazon jungle. Merely brushing against a plant may kill you so one must always be hyper-vigilant when within the depths of the jungle. It is easy to become bewitched by the sounds and colors and to lose one’s readiness for the imminent danger concealed within the beauty. The indigenous Tantiga tribe has a word for this: umahtar. A late teenaged foster kid from Boston, through a series of immature decisions, winds up living in the Bolivian jungle. This work of fiction tells the story of her life in the tropical rainforest complete with a prowling jaguar, a shaman, slithering anacondas, howler monkeys, poison dart frogs, four foot capybaras, tapirs, caimans…the list goes on and on. Poachers steal game that provides food for the people and manmade roads leading to valuable mahogany groves threaten the delicate ecological balance. Despite some events that are implausible, this is an exciting trip to an isolated, brutal, and mysterious place on earth.
June 9, 2019
"If you look up into the canopy and see nothing don't believe your eyes, because a thousand things are looking back at you."
Lily Bushwold, all of nineteen and a product of continuous foster care homes, has felt eyes locked on her since she was a child. Scrutinized, criticized, and rebuked for years, Lily decides to flip the switch on a teaching job in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Fending forever for herself, foster care survival taught her to slip essentials into pockets and snatch anything useful for later. Those skills are gonna have a big payoff later.
Lily becomes a magnet for young women like herself trying to make it on their own in Cochabamba. When prospects dry up, Lily and her friends take a job cleaning hotel rooms that never look quite clean. On a typical night at a local bar, Lily will meet someone who will forever change her life and her personal attitude long term. Omar is a motorcycle mechanic who spots Lily. He bargains with her to teach him English. Soon they only have eyes for one another.
Omar receives news that his four year old nephew has been killed by a panther in his village of Ayachero. His family needs him. Unable to let go, Lily boards a rickety plane with Omar that almost doesn't make its landing. This is the first knock on the door of life-threatening events that are to follow.
Lily seems to tumble into a bed of hot coals and unacceptance by the other women in the village. She's viewed as Princess America by the others who don't have the time nor the energy to help her acclimate to jungle life. The bottom falls out when Omar must accompany the other men in a hunt for the panther and our Lily must stay behind and somehow survive what's in the village and what's lurking in the jungle.
Now here is where Erica Ferencik sits you down and forces you to stare into that jungle yourself. Giant eels in the water, piranha, poisonous plants, gnawing insects, and creeping spiders the size of tractors await you. And there are howler monkeys who use poop as weapons from high up in the trees. It's all true, folks. I spent a month in the rainforests of Costa Rica on a nature sabbatical with Hercules beetles the size of your fist. Plenty of creep to go around.
Ferencik has done a lot of leg work in her research of the indigenous people and their lifestyles in this area. Her character of Lily will face the crossroads of a brutal present armed with ammo from a brutal past. Ferencik lines this story with a jaw-dropping transformation with such detail that you'll not soon forget Lily after the last page.
Into the Jungle will stretch one's truth and one's capabilities here and there to emphasize the absolute power of the human spirit. And at the core of Into the Jungle is the shiny element that we are more akin to one another in the scheme of things in this convoluted world than we ever thought possible.
Lily Bushwold, all of nineteen and a product of continuous foster care homes, has felt eyes locked on her since she was a child. Scrutinized, criticized, and rebuked for years, Lily decides to flip the switch on a teaching job in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Fending forever for herself, foster care survival taught her to slip essentials into pockets and snatch anything useful for later. Those skills are gonna have a big payoff later.
Lily becomes a magnet for young women like herself trying to make it on their own in Cochabamba. When prospects dry up, Lily and her friends take a job cleaning hotel rooms that never look quite clean. On a typical night at a local bar, Lily will meet someone who will forever change her life and her personal attitude long term. Omar is a motorcycle mechanic who spots Lily. He bargains with her to teach him English. Soon they only have eyes for one another.
Omar receives news that his four year old nephew has been killed by a panther in his village of Ayachero. His family needs him. Unable to let go, Lily boards a rickety plane with Omar that almost doesn't make its landing. This is the first knock on the door of life-threatening events that are to follow.
Lily seems to tumble into a bed of hot coals and unacceptance by the other women in the village. She's viewed as Princess America by the others who don't have the time nor the energy to help her acclimate to jungle life. The bottom falls out when Omar must accompany the other men in a hunt for the panther and our Lily must stay behind and somehow survive what's in the village and what's lurking in the jungle.
Now here is where Erica Ferencik sits you down and forces you to stare into that jungle yourself. Giant eels in the water, piranha, poisonous plants, gnawing insects, and creeping spiders the size of tractors await you. And there are howler monkeys who use poop as weapons from high up in the trees. It's all true, folks. I spent a month in the rainforests of Costa Rica on a nature sabbatical with Hercules beetles the size of your fist. Plenty of creep to go around.
Ferencik has done a lot of leg work in her research of the indigenous people and their lifestyles in this area. Her character of Lily will face the crossroads of a brutal present armed with ammo from a brutal past. Ferencik lines this story with a jaw-dropping transformation with such detail that you'll not soon forget Lily after the last page.
Into the Jungle will stretch one's truth and one's capabilities here and there to emphasize the absolute power of the human spirit. And at the core of Into the Jungle is the shiny element that we are more akin to one another in the scheme of things in this convoluted world than we ever thought possible.
February 18, 2019
Ah the things you learn from reading… with Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik I learned that a trip into the Bolivian jungle will never be put on my bucket list. I’m not one that has a fear of snakes or spiders but when things are bigger than you are and quite hungry I think I’ll go the other way.
Lily Bushwold is an American teenager that has only known the life of bouncing from one foster home to the next. Lily wants nothing more than to escape that kind of life having grown up living out of her backpack so when she hears of a job in Cochabamba, Bolivia she scraps all the cash she can and buys a plane ticket.
Unfortunately for Lily things aren’t much better in Bolivia when her job falls through. Finding a few other girls she goes back to her stealing ways living at the local hostel and wondering where her next meal will come from. The Lily meets Omar, this handsome local wins Lily’s heart and when he is packing up to head deep into the jungle to his remote village Lily decides to go with him.
Into the Jungle is one of those books that is the perfect read for those curious about other countries and like to travel there through the stories they read. Erica Ferencik brought the Bolivian jungle to life to keep the pages turning wondering what hazard would come Lily’s way next and would she survive them all. For somebody like myself used to a McDonald’s or Starbucks at every turn it was fun to read about Lily’s adventure but I sure don’t think I’d ever try it!
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Lily Bushwold is an American teenager that has only known the life of bouncing from one foster home to the next. Lily wants nothing more than to escape that kind of life having grown up living out of her backpack so when she hears of a job in Cochabamba, Bolivia she scraps all the cash she can and buys a plane ticket.
Unfortunately for Lily things aren’t much better in Bolivia when her job falls through. Finding a few other girls she goes back to her stealing ways living at the local hostel and wondering where her next meal will come from. The Lily meets Omar, this handsome local wins Lily’s heart and when he is packing up to head deep into the jungle to his remote village Lily decides to go with him.
Into the Jungle is one of those books that is the perfect read for those curious about other countries and like to travel there through the stories they read. Erica Ferencik brought the Bolivian jungle to life to keep the pages turning wondering what hazard would come Lily’s way next and would she survive them all. For somebody like myself used to a McDonald’s or Starbucks at every turn it was fun to read about Lily’s adventure but I sure don’t think I’d ever try it!
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
April 16, 2019
A unique tale where the chills are provided by the dangerous South American rainforest, the jungle where lives can easily be lost to nature.
Growing up in South America, we would often spend holidays or vacations on the cold and beautiful Andes mountains or the pristine beaches of the Caribbean, a few driving hours would get you out of the city and into these marvelous places. However, the jungle was never an option, it was out of the question, forbidden. To this day, I have never visited it or gone nearby, its reputation would prevent us from going.
That is why when I learned about this book, I was eager to read it. It tells the fictional story of a young, American woman living in the Bolivian jungle. Its dangers, the people, the mysticism around it. It is what I expected, and more.
Overall, I enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
Received ARC from the publisher via Netgalley
Growing up in South America, we would often spend holidays or vacations on the cold and beautiful Andes mountains or the pristine beaches of the Caribbean, a few driving hours would get you out of the city and into these marvelous places. However, the jungle was never an option, it was out of the question, forbidden. To this day, I have never visited it or gone nearby, its reputation would prevent us from going.
That is why when I learned about this book, I was eager to read it. It tells the fictional story of a young, American woman living in the Bolivian jungle. Its dangers, the people, the mysticism around it. It is what I expected, and more.
Overall, I enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
Received ARC from the publisher via Netgalley
May 9, 2019
Jaguars! Snakes! Tarantulas!
INTO THE JUNGLE follows a resilient 19 year old Lily Bushwold from foster home to job opportunity in Cochabamba, Bolivia. There she meets up with a kind, gentle man who turns out to be a badass native Amazonian who leads her....and her heart on a dangerous journey to his homeland in the unforgiving Bolivian jungle.
The four hour flight over on a bush plane is a roller coaster of a nightmare in itself, but nothing compared to what lurks in the jungle at night....and day.
INTO THE JUNGLE has evil and deadly creatures, both animal and human, as well as infectious diseases and horrendous weather....with quite a variety of cool and unusual characters.
While not all situations seem plausible in the storyline, this very entertaining novel is eerily descriptive of jungle life and a journey well worth taking for this reader as it develops into a terrifying fight for survival.
(E.F.'s story inspired by a friend's actual trip to a remote river village in the Bolivian amazon....yikes!)
***Arc provided by Gallery, Pocket Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
June 18, 2019
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
“I’m scared to death of this place.”
“It’s just life, Lily. You can’t be afraid of life.”
“Sure I can.”
Lily isn’t like most 19-year old travelers. She had no silver spoon in her mouth or bottomless trust fund available for her to backpack around Europe. However, she still had a wanderer’s heart so when an opportunity to teach in Bolivia appeared she was all over it. When the job fell through, she holed up in the cheapest youth hostel she could find and ended up falling for a local named Omar who will show her the Amazon most people only read about.
Expecting something picturesque like this . . . .
Lily quickly discovers life in Ayachero is more like this . . . .
Is surprised to find this . . . .
And even more surprised by others like this . . . .
Who have been trying to find a mahogany grove for ages which will lead to deforestation and obliteration of the Tatinga tribe.
I loved The River at Night by this author and loved this one just as much. I don’t care if it was farfetched or unrealistic or whatever else naysayers want to point out. All I know is that Ferencik’s storytelling is hypnotizing, I enjoyed the undertones regarding conservation and the fragility of the Amazonian ecosystem without being beaten over the head by an eco-warrior (looking at YOU, Barbara Kingsolver), and I am now pretty much ready to poison myself with insect repellant every time I go in my backyard after reading about what bug bites could potentially do to my body. That equals a high rating and a two-for-two author who I will definitely continue to read.
“I’m scared to death of this place.”
“It’s just life, Lily. You can’t be afraid of life.”
“Sure I can.”
Lily isn’t like most 19-year old travelers. She had no silver spoon in her mouth or bottomless trust fund available for her to backpack around Europe. However, she still had a wanderer’s heart so when an opportunity to teach in Bolivia appeared she was all over it. When the job fell through, she holed up in the cheapest youth hostel she could find and ended up falling for a local named Omar who will show her the Amazon most people only read about.
Expecting something picturesque like this . . . .
Lily quickly discovers life in Ayachero is more like this . . . .
Is surprised to find this . . . .
And even more surprised by others like this . . . .
Who have been trying to find a mahogany grove for ages which will lead to deforestation and obliteration of the Tatinga tribe.
I loved The River at Night by this author and loved this one just as much. I don’t care if it was farfetched or unrealistic or whatever else naysayers want to point out. All I know is that Ferencik’s storytelling is hypnotizing, I enjoyed the undertones regarding conservation and the fragility of the Amazonian ecosystem without being beaten over the head by an eco-warrior (looking at YOU, Barbara Kingsolver), and I am now pretty much ready to poison myself with insect repellant every time I go in my backyard after reading about what bug bites could potentially do to my body. That equals a high rating and a two-for-two author who I will definitely continue to read.
June 9, 2019
Unputdownable! You'll want to put a Do Not Disturb sign on the door before you start reading this Heart-stopping, Powerful, Terrifying, 5★ thriller!
Love the cover, too!!
"Something silky slid across my ankles, followed by a heavy, heated weight over my toes. Solid warmth oozed under my calves. Still half-asleep, I got to my elbows and looked down my body at the wide, trapezoidal head of an anaconda, neon green with flecks of yellow around her cleft mouth. As if suspended by some mad puppet maker, she hovered at eye level, swaying hypnotically. My eyes followed hers back and forth, my head doing this little dip along with her. I didn’t scream because even as I watched, I wasn’t sure what I was seeing.
I couldn’t tell if she was real.
She encircled my ankles. Pellet eyes locked on mine, her head made its way up the length of my body as she languidly wreathed herself around my legs and oh dear God—why, I don’t know—but I didn’t feel like struggling. She had me. I could feel her eggs, solid lumps just under the satin of her white belly. The meat of her was soft and blood warm; I couldn’t take my eyes off the grace of her as she coiled her ever thicker body around my knees now, wrapped herself around my thighs, pelvis, groin. Head swinging, unsupported, she opened her mouth. Her vermilion tongue snapped out, forked end flickering. She blew her sultry breath on me and said aahhhhhhhhh."
******
Let me just start out but stating the obvious.... I am definitely not cut out for living in the jungle! No way. No how.
I don't suppose it helps to have a phobia of monkeys, either! Nevertheless, I had a strong sense of the heebie jeebies throughout the majority of this novel! This is nothing like anything I've ever read. And I loved it!
Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik had me absolutely transfixed from the very beginning all the way to the exciting conclusion! The scenery is depicted so vividly that I felt the jungle bearing down on me in every direction! The dizzying sights, the overwhelming sounds, the oppressive heat and humidity glistening on my skin, thick and hot in my lungs.
The heebie jeebies became much more relative the closer and closer I got to the conclusion, transforming rapidly into pure, unadulterated terror! I'm fairly certain that my heart stopped on more than one occasion, never mind remembering to breathe!
Electric eels, giant tarantulas, enormous anacondas, foot-long bamboo rats, aggressive monkeys, poisonous everything...... Yikes!
One of the best books I've read this year!!
With thanks and appreciation to NetGalley, Gallery/Scout Press, and Erica Ferencik for this advanced digital copy for me to read and review.
Love the cover, too!!
"Something silky slid across my ankles, followed by a heavy, heated weight over my toes. Solid warmth oozed under my calves. Still half-asleep, I got to my elbows and looked down my body at the wide, trapezoidal head of an anaconda, neon green with flecks of yellow around her cleft mouth. As if suspended by some mad puppet maker, she hovered at eye level, swaying hypnotically. My eyes followed hers back and forth, my head doing this little dip along with her. I didn’t scream because even as I watched, I wasn’t sure what I was seeing.
I couldn’t tell if she was real.
She encircled my ankles. Pellet eyes locked on mine, her head made its way up the length of my body as she languidly wreathed herself around my legs and oh dear God—why, I don’t know—but I didn’t feel like struggling. She had me. I could feel her eggs, solid lumps just under the satin of her white belly. The meat of her was soft and blood warm; I couldn’t take my eyes off the grace of her as she coiled her ever thicker body around my knees now, wrapped herself around my thighs, pelvis, groin. Head swinging, unsupported, she opened her mouth. Her vermilion tongue snapped out, forked end flickering. She blew her sultry breath on me and said aahhhhhhhhh."
******
Let me just start out but stating the obvious.... I am definitely not cut out for living in the jungle! No way. No how.
I don't suppose it helps to have a phobia of monkeys, either! Nevertheless, I had a strong sense of the heebie jeebies throughout the majority of this novel! This is nothing like anything I've ever read. And I loved it!
Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik had me absolutely transfixed from the very beginning all the way to the exciting conclusion! The scenery is depicted so vividly that I felt the jungle bearing down on me in every direction! The dizzying sights, the overwhelming sounds, the oppressive heat and humidity glistening on my skin, thick and hot in my lungs.
The heebie jeebies became much more relative the closer and closer I got to the conclusion, transforming rapidly into pure, unadulterated terror! I'm fairly certain that my heart stopped on more than one occasion, never mind remembering to breathe!
Electric eels, giant tarantulas, enormous anacondas, foot-long bamboo rats, aggressive monkeys, poisonous everything...... Yikes!
One of the best books I've read this year!!
With thanks and appreciation to NetGalley, Gallery/Scout Press, and Erica Ferencik for this advanced digital copy for me to read and review.
May 29, 2019
The author, Erica Ferencik, writes vivid, vibrant descriptions about nature, both in the Maine forests (first book) and now in the Amazon jungle setting. I loved her first book, The River at Night, which I rated a rare 5 stars. I preordered Into the Jungle as soon as I learned about it, having always enjoyed books with a jungle setting.
Having had brief visits to a number of isolated settlements along the Amazon, I felt her descriptions of the places was authentic, as well as her writing of the steamy, verdant jungle, the vegetation, the river, the fearsome snakes, huge spiders, parasites, disease-inducing insects, as well as jaguars, tapirs, wild pigs, capybaras, howling monkeys, and hunting dogs. The fate of some of the animals was disturbing, although the hunt was essential to provide food for survival.
The story centres around Lily, formerly in foster care. She has become a ‘wild child’, a thief, a liar, and a discontented whiner who is a seeker of excitement. I found her obstinate and immature, and it was difficult to warm up to her character. At age 19 she has stolen enough money for a flight from Boston to Bolivia believing she has a job teaching English. On arrival, she finds the job to be non-existent. She joins two other young female backpackers and works in town as housekeepers, at a cheap, dilapidated hotel. Free time is spent drinking, shoplifting, and feeling bored.
The book begins with an extremely creepy and disturbing scene where an anaconda coils around her body as she lies in bed. I have never cared for scenes where an author introduces a sequence which turns out to be a dream. But is it? Later we learn that it may have been a manifestation of the mysticism inherent in native spiritualism which she experienced.
Lily’s boredom with the drudgery of her work and life in the small Bolivian city comes to an end when she meets Omar, a motorcycle mechanic. Omar is from a small jungle village, Ayachero, where he was a skilled hunter. On learning that his small nephew was killed by a jaguar, he is determined to return home to hunt for the animal. Lily and Omar have fallen in love. Lily insists in accompanying him to his home village. He warns her that she has no experience with jungle life and will find it dangerous. He will protect her but she must follow his directions.
After a harrowing flight in a small plane, they reach Ayachero, and Lily is disturbed by a number of scary events. The author focuses on some of the many problems in the area. Missionaries are causing natives to lose their spiritual beliefs, which are making them sad and confused. Deforestation is driving Indigenous tribes further back into the jungle, as well as being a threat to wildlife. Because of ruthless poachers, hunting for food is becoming more difficult.
Lily is reluctant to help with the demanding chores of the village women, but as she starts to cooperate she becomes accepted by the community. She is often lonely, as Omar and the men must journey further away to hunt and so are absent longer. Lily meets an old, outcast woman who is a shaman and believes they can communicate telepathically.
Towards the end, there is a too rapid change in Lily, where she shows great resourcefulness, cunning, bravery, and heroism. There are a series of propulsive scenes of action and high tension. I found this section melodramatic and unbelievable. Where I should have been feeling thrills and chills, it was just too incredible and over- the- top dramatic for my taste * 2.5 * stars.
Having had brief visits to a number of isolated settlements along the Amazon, I felt her descriptions of the places was authentic, as well as her writing of the steamy, verdant jungle, the vegetation, the river, the fearsome snakes, huge spiders, parasites, disease-inducing insects, as well as jaguars, tapirs, wild pigs, capybaras, howling monkeys, and hunting dogs. The fate of some of the animals was disturbing, although the hunt was essential to provide food for survival.
The story centres around Lily, formerly in foster care. She has become a ‘wild child’, a thief, a liar, and a discontented whiner who is a seeker of excitement. I found her obstinate and immature, and it was difficult to warm up to her character. At age 19 she has stolen enough money for a flight from Boston to Bolivia believing she has a job teaching English. On arrival, she finds the job to be non-existent. She joins two other young female backpackers and works in town as housekeepers, at a cheap, dilapidated hotel. Free time is spent drinking, shoplifting, and feeling bored.
The book begins with an extremely creepy and disturbing scene where an anaconda coils around her body as she lies in bed. I have never cared for scenes where an author introduces a sequence which turns out to be a dream. But is it? Later we learn that it may have been a manifestation of the mysticism inherent in native spiritualism which she experienced.
Lily’s boredom with the drudgery of her work and life in the small Bolivian city comes to an end when she meets Omar, a motorcycle mechanic. Omar is from a small jungle village, Ayachero, where he was a skilled hunter. On learning that his small nephew was killed by a jaguar, he is determined to return home to hunt for the animal. Lily and Omar have fallen in love. Lily insists in accompanying him to his home village. He warns her that she has no experience with jungle life and will find it dangerous. He will protect her but she must follow his directions.
After a harrowing flight in a small plane, they reach Ayachero, and Lily is disturbed by a number of scary events. The author focuses on some of the many problems in the area. Missionaries are causing natives to lose their spiritual beliefs, which are making them sad and confused. Deforestation is driving Indigenous tribes further back into the jungle, as well as being a threat to wildlife. Because of ruthless poachers, hunting for food is becoming more difficult.
Lily is reluctant to help with the demanding chores of the village women, but as she starts to cooperate she becomes accepted by the community. She is often lonely, as Omar and the men must journey further away to hunt and so are absent longer. Lily meets an old, outcast woman who is a shaman and believes they can communicate telepathically.
Towards the end, there is a too rapid change in Lily, where she shows great resourcefulness, cunning, bravery, and heroism. There are a series of propulsive scenes of action and high tension. I found this section melodramatic and unbelievable. Where I should have been feeling thrills and chills, it was just too incredible and over- the- top dramatic for my taste * 2.5 * stars.
June 19, 2019
I LOVED this book so much!! Even though I am still pretty angry with you, Erica Ferencik, for what you did at the end of the book (unforgivable!!😣) I must say you are a master in writing beautiful and truly captivating descriptions of the jungle and its people. BRAVO 👏🏻 !! I was so utterly addicted and captivated by the writing that nothing else existed for me while reading this novel (yeah, I’ve neglected few things but no worries, I still fed my loved ones, 😉). I was “literally” transported to the Amazon jungle and I lived the life of the ingenious people, while holding my breath in anticipation of what is going to happen next in this beautiful, but oh so dangerous, part of the world. I just could not put this book down!!
March 16, 2024
Lily is a young woman who moves to Bolivia to escape her not-so-great life in the US. When her work plans in Bolivia fall through, she decides to stay anyway. She makes some friends, has fun, and meets Omar. She falls hard for Omar, a local man from a remote jungle village. Omar learns that his nephew was killed by a jaguar, so he plans to return to the village. He asks Lily to travel into the jungle with him. She is in love, and follows Omar to live in a jungle village that no one has ever heard of. Lily is unprepared for what meets her.
Since Lily is young and in love, she agrees to travel to a remote village without really knowing anything about the jungle. Really, Lily seems aimless, but she has one thing going for her. She’s determined. Jungle life turns out to be much more challenging than she anticipated, but she works to find her place in the community.
This starts as a slow-paced novel, but gets more thrilling toward the end. It also gets more unrealistic as the story progresses. In addition to the adventure story, there are also moments of magical realism. I wasn’t expecting the magical realism element, but found it enjoyable. For the most part, I liked the story and was rooting for Lily to find her place in the jungle village.
An enjoyable read that combines adventure, thriller, women’s fiction, and magical realism. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the jungle. Exciting, mysterious, and wild.
Since Lily is young and in love, she agrees to travel to a remote village without really knowing anything about the jungle. Really, Lily seems aimless, but she has one thing going for her. She’s determined. Jungle life turns out to be much more challenging than she anticipated, but she works to find her place in the community.
This starts as a slow-paced novel, but gets more thrilling toward the end. It also gets more unrealistic as the story progresses. In addition to the adventure story, there are also moments of magical realism. I wasn’t expecting the magical realism element, but found it enjoyable. For the most part, I liked the story and was rooting for Lily to find her place in the jungle village.
An enjoyable read that combines adventure, thriller, women’s fiction, and magical realism. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the jungle. Exciting, mysterious, and wild.
April 10, 2019
So, this is not the typical thriller you're used to where there's a killer on the rampage, or a person missing, etc. This one is the journey of Lily... who has no family and is just traveling along, doing enough to get by but (almost) perfectly content with it... as she's known nothing different. Then she meets Omar and in a very short time, he becomes her family so when he has to go to the Jungle to help his people, she gladly goes along. She just didn't know what she was getting into. But her life with the Ayachero and Omar brings more to her than she would have ever imagined... once she can get past the giant spiders, scorpions, eels, snakes, mosquitoes, howler monkeys and more!
You guys... when I was young I used to flip through my uncle's National Geographic magazines and would make up stories by the pictures and weirdly this book felt like these imaginations came to life (ish)... BUT BETTER! The lush descriptions really made me feel like I was in the jungle.... which may be a nice place to visit but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't survive there.
I laughed, I cried... oh lord, Erica - what did you DO TO ME?! One scene in particular just pierced my heart and I'm still recovering from it. Maybe it's because I don't run across this type of book very often but it just really hit home for me and I highly suggest you all pick this one up. Add it to your TBR. Pre-order it. I wish I could say one character was my favorite but several, even secondary and tertiary characters, were absolutely delightful in their own ways.
Looks like I'm going to have to take The River at Night off my shelf to read sooner rather than later because I've heard it's just as good, if not better.
Please read this. For God's Sake. Over.
Thanks to Scout Press/Gallery Books for this copy.
You guys... when I was young I used to flip through my uncle's National Geographic magazines and would make up stories by the pictures and weirdly this book felt like these imaginations came to life (ish)... BUT BETTER! The lush descriptions really made me feel like I was in the jungle.... which may be a nice place to visit but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't survive there.
I laughed, I cried... oh lord, Erica - what did you DO TO ME?! One scene in particular just pierced my heart and I'm still recovering from it. Maybe it's because I don't run across this type of book very often but it just really hit home for me and I highly suggest you all pick this one up. Add it to your TBR. Pre-order it. I wish I could say one character was my favorite but several, even secondary and tertiary characters, were absolutely delightful in their own ways.
Looks like I'm going to have to take The River at Night off my shelf to read sooner rather than later because I've heard it's just as good, if not better.
Please read this. For God's Sake. Over.
Thanks to Scout Press/Gallery Books for this copy.
July 27, 2019
Oh how I wish there were more writers like Erica Ferencik out there! Fast paced and addictive adventure & survival thrillers featuring wild and remote places and plucky women protagonists are so hard to come by, and Ferencik has really perfected the art. I loved THE RIVER AT NIGHT, and although this one was completely different, I devoured it just as greedily.
I was intrigued to read that the author loosely based this story on a real-life account of one of her friend’s experiences living in the Amazon jungle. It really added depth and meaning to the story and made the character of Lily come even more to life for me. Lily was a wonderful character – as an orphan growing up in the foster home system, she is both troubled as well as tough. She is a survivor who will fight to the very end. She is feisty and driven, and made for the perfect lead role in this story of survival against the odds. I loved her gradual coming of age as she forms relationships and matures into a woman and wife, embracing her new life’s challenges. She definitely is a character you cannot help but root for all the way.
And that setting – have I said that I looooove wild and remote settings? Only a 100 times or so? Well, let me say it again. It doesn’t get much better than this: a small village in the middle of the jungle cut off from civilisation and surrounded by a harsh and hostile environment. There was wildlife galore, including some of your worst nightmares, like giant snakes and hairy spiders as big as dinner plates, man-eating jaguars, poison ants, razor toothed piranhas and parasites that eat you alive from the inside out. Who wouldn’t want to live there? So here we have Lily Bushwold, a nineteen year old American girl who may know how to survive in an urban jungle but has never had to hunt for food, wash clothes in a river, sleep in a spider infested hut or live off food gathered in the jungle. But when she falls in love with Omar, a young man from a remote tribe in the Bolivian forest, she will soon experience a life she could have never dreamed of.
My nineteen-year-old self may have found Lily’s story terribly romantic and signed up for the trip. But even living in the land of Oz, were apparently every creature is set to kill you, I could not envisage surviving long in those conditions – and at my age I prefer my own creature comforts too much to envy Lily her great adventure. With good reason, as you will find out when you read this book.
Apart from Lily, the story is brimming with interesting and eclectic characters, from For God’s Sake, the crippled riverboat driver, to the “Frannies”, the two missionaries who have settled in the jungle in an effort of converting the tribes to Christianity. There is also Baya, a shaman living alone in the bush and shunned by the villagers, who has a strange affinity to Lily. And because every good adventure story needs some baddies, there are the poachers, out to rape and pillage and strip the jungle of its treasures. In all this, Omar and Lily’s love endures.
Yes, there may have been a few scenes that stretched the boundaries of believability a bit, but never too far to spoil my enjoyment. And what good adventure tale is not prone to some slight exaggeration? You know that every good fishing story has a bit of journalistic license thrown in. I loved the way Ferencik built the tension to the action packed finale, where Lily really must prove her worth.
If you love a good action thriller featuring a plucky female heroine, then this one should definitely be on your TBR pile. It certainly made for a great armchair adventure! Apparently Erica Ferencik is planning another action packed book, this time somewhere “very cold”. Alaska? Antarctica? Greenland? Wherever, I am certain it will be another fantastic adventure and I can’t wait to read it!
4.5 stars
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I was intrigued to read that the author loosely based this story on a real-life account of one of her friend’s experiences living in the Amazon jungle. It really added depth and meaning to the story and made the character of Lily come even more to life for me. Lily was a wonderful character – as an orphan growing up in the foster home system, she is both troubled as well as tough. She is a survivor who will fight to the very end. She is feisty and driven, and made for the perfect lead role in this story of survival against the odds. I loved her gradual coming of age as she forms relationships and matures into a woman and wife, embracing her new life’s challenges. She definitely is a character you cannot help but root for all the way.
And that setting – have I said that I looooove wild and remote settings? Only a 100 times or so? Well, let me say it again. It doesn’t get much better than this: a small village in the middle of the jungle cut off from civilisation and surrounded by a harsh and hostile environment. There was wildlife galore, including some of your worst nightmares, like giant snakes and hairy spiders as big as dinner plates, man-eating jaguars, poison ants, razor toothed piranhas and parasites that eat you alive from the inside out. Who wouldn’t want to live there? So here we have Lily Bushwold, a nineteen year old American girl who may know how to survive in an urban jungle but has never had to hunt for food, wash clothes in a river, sleep in a spider infested hut or live off food gathered in the jungle. But when she falls in love with Omar, a young man from a remote tribe in the Bolivian forest, she will soon experience a life she could have never dreamed of.
My nineteen-year-old self may have found Lily’s story terribly romantic and signed up for the trip. But even living in the land of Oz, were apparently every creature is set to kill you, I could not envisage surviving long in those conditions – and at my age I prefer my own creature comforts too much to envy Lily her great adventure. With good reason, as you will find out when you read this book.
Apart from Lily, the story is brimming with interesting and eclectic characters, from For God’s Sake, the crippled riverboat driver, to the “Frannies”, the two missionaries who have settled in the jungle in an effort of converting the tribes to Christianity. There is also Baya, a shaman living alone in the bush and shunned by the villagers, who has a strange affinity to Lily. And because every good adventure story needs some baddies, there are the poachers, out to rape and pillage and strip the jungle of its treasures. In all this, Omar and Lily’s love endures.
Yes, there may have been a few scenes that stretched the boundaries of believability a bit, but never too far to spoil my enjoyment. And what good adventure tale is not prone to some slight exaggeration? You know that every good fishing story has a bit of journalistic license thrown in. I loved the way Ferencik built the tension to the action packed finale, where Lily really must prove her worth.
If you love a good action thriller featuring a plucky female heroine, then this one should definitely be on your TBR pile. It certainly made for a great armchair adventure! Apparently Erica Ferencik is planning another action packed book, this time somewhere “very cold”. Alaska? Antarctica? Greenland? Wherever, I am certain it will be another fantastic adventure and I can’t wait to read it!
4.5 stars
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June 29, 2019
4+ stars - Erica Ferencik delivers another beautifully written dramatic adventure tale, but this one is set in the Amazon. As in Ferencik’s last novel, ‘The River at Night’ survival against incredible odds is the greatest challenge, but there the similarities end. At least in plotline. Ferencik’s writing, which I thoroughly enjoyed in her last novel may be even sharper, more descriptive, and emotive in this one. Lily Bushwold has lived out of her backpack since she was thirteen years old. Her favorite foster mother died when Lily was twelve. Since then it’s been a series of group homes; nothing permanent, nothing lasting. By stealing money, she manages to save enough to travel to Bolivia, fulfilling an obsession she has with Spanish speaking countries. In Cochabamba, Bolivia, nineteen year old Lily, along with a couple of other girls are eking out a living cleaning hotel rooms, supplemented with whatever they can steal. At a bar one night, Lily meets Omar Alvarez, a darkly handsome Bolivian man with “Clark Kent” glasses. When Omar chooses her to speak to, out of the three girls, Lily feels special, chosen. When he asks her out on a picnic and shows up as promised at the designated time, he earns Lily’s trust. A strong, muscular individual, Omar exudes self confidence and an almost magical allure. This is the beginning of Lily falling in love.
When Omar gets word that a Jaguar has killed his four year old nephew, and he has to go home to Ayachero, in the jungle, to help hunt it, Lily asks to come with him. He tells her she won’t last a week. Lily will not be deterred, despite the fact that Ayachero lies deep within the jungle, days away from a town, despite Omar’s warnings about deadly snakes, tarantulas, the heavy work that has to be done by women, and the fact that he will be gone for weeks at a time with the village men to hunt for food. And Lily is a vegetarian. Definitely interesting.
Lily had her fairy tale notions about what life in the jungle would be like, even though Omar did his best to dispel them. I love the way Ferencik writes about the jungle and its web of life, a balance of things eating and being eaten. Everything she writes feels credible. Some people may have qualms about a telepathic communication between some of the characters known as ‘shine’ but for me, it fit right into the story. A major character in this novel, the jungle never plays favorites. Omar tells Lily “you stay alive here because you paid attention.” And sometimes even that isn’t enough.
A major theme in this novel is living with nature as opposed to despoiling nature, plundering the jungle and ignoring its intrinsic essence. Jungle tribes are pushed away from familiar hunting sites due to poachers. Their way of life as well as the jungle itself is threatened by the onslaught of encroaching civilization. Ferencik’s marvelous characters inhabit a world very foreign from anything that I know, just one of many reasons I found this one so intriguing.
When Omar gets word that a Jaguar has killed his four year old nephew, and he has to go home to Ayachero, in the jungle, to help hunt it, Lily asks to come with him. He tells her she won’t last a week. Lily will not be deterred, despite the fact that Ayachero lies deep within the jungle, days away from a town, despite Omar’s warnings about deadly snakes, tarantulas, the heavy work that has to be done by women, and the fact that he will be gone for weeks at a time with the village men to hunt for food. And Lily is a vegetarian. Definitely interesting.
Lily had her fairy tale notions about what life in the jungle would be like, even though Omar did his best to dispel them. I love the way Ferencik writes about the jungle and its web of life, a balance of things eating and being eaten. Everything she writes feels credible. Some people may have qualms about a telepathic communication between some of the characters known as ‘shine’ but for me, it fit right into the story. A major character in this novel, the jungle never plays favorites. Omar tells Lily “you stay alive here because you paid attention.” And sometimes even that isn’t enough.
A major theme in this novel is living with nature as opposed to despoiling nature, plundering the jungle and ignoring its intrinsic essence. Jungle tribes are pushed away from familiar hunting sites due to poachers. Their way of life as well as the jungle itself is threatened by the onslaught of encroaching civilization. Ferencik’s marvelous characters inhabit a world very foreign from anything that I know, just one of many reasons I found this one so intriguing.
December 31, 2024
Nine years later, I wish I could wrap my arms around my younger, stupider self and tell her to hold on tight, because flying to Bolivia on a scam was the least in a series of bad decisions I was about to make.
And that pretty much sums up the entire book: a series of bad decisions made by a nineteen-year-old who grew up in the U.S. foster care system. Used to stealing and doing whatever else it takes to survive, Lily resorts to working in a run-down hotel in Cochabamba, Bolivia, running with other troubled girls from the U.S. and Europe. Then she falls in insta-love with Omar, a mechanic in his mid-twenties, who grew up in a remote jungle village. After two months, she follows him to his village (because his nephew was killed by a jaguar and only he can avenge the death) and tries to assimilate. Kind of. Really, she just whines about how unfriendly all the women are, while she basically moons around, having sex with her boyfriend. For the first 3/4 of the book, the most exciting thing that happens is that she realizes she's pregnant in the middle of the jungle, hundreds of miles from civilization as she knows it. (This is not a spoiler, because it's revealed in the prologue, which doesn't even fit with the version of events that occur later in the book.) All of this is described in excruciating detail through overwrought prose.
And then, in the last quarter of the book, shit gets real. (Real ridiculous.)
This novel is being marketed as a thriller, which it is not. Despite occasional heavy-handed foreshadowing, there's no real suspense, other than wondering what stupid decision Lily is going to make next. I'm really surprised this isn't this author's first novel.
And that pretty much sums up the entire book: a series of bad decisions made by a nineteen-year-old who grew up in the U.S. foster care system. Used to stealing and doing whatever else it takes to survive, Lily resorts to working in a run-down hotel in Cochabamba, Bolivia, running with other troubled girls from the U.S. and Europe. Then she falls in insta-love with Omar, a mechanic in his mid-twenties, who grew up in a remote jungle village. After two months, she follows him to his village (because his nephew was killed by a jaguar and only he can avenge the death) and tries to assimilate. Kind of. Really, she just whines about how unfriendly all the women are, while she basically moons around, having sex with her boyfriend. For the first 3/4 of the book, the most exciting thing that happens is that she realizes she's pregnant in the middle of the jungle, hundreds of miles from civilization as she knows it. (This is not a spoiler, because it's revealed in the prologue, which doesn't even fit with the version of events that occur later in the book.) All of this is described in excruciating detail through overwrought prose.
And then, in the last quarter of the book, shit gets real. (Real ridiculous.)
This novel is being marketed as a thriller, which it is not. Despite occasional heavy-handed foreshadowing, there's no real suspense, other than wondering what stupid decision Lily is going to make next. I'm really surprised this isn't this author's first novel.
July 31, 2019
3.5 Stars rounded up. I expected this to be a little bit different than what it actually was but none the less I had to give it as high a rating as I did due to the incredible writing and world building, if you will. I was captivated by the detailing of the jungle, the tribes and sometimes hard to read hunting local animals. Reading this definitely made me realize there's a whole other world out there! I loved the little bit of a love story and bittersweet ending this novel had. Certain parts of this definitely ran similar to that of her first novel, River at Night, and I suppose that's why I went into this book with different types of expectations, but this novel, for sure, shows the diversity of this great writer!
April 14, 2019
Into the Jungle was such a fascinating book! Who knew so many things went on in the Bolivian Amazon jungle???? This is a true story of someone who actually lived in the jungle and encountered all these animals, etc and the author did such a great job at describing everything, I felt like I was in the jungle with them. Lily meets Omar and shortly after meeting him, she follows him to live in the jungle. I thought is she crazy? All the surprises that follow were a 30 foot anaconda, puppy sized spiders, huge jaguars, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, .. no thank you! I wouldn’t last 5 minutes!! Lol Very well written and it was nice to take a break from all the psychological thrillers I’ve been reading lately.
July 19, 2019
Lily Bushwold never thought that one day she would follow a man she hardly knew into the jungle, to the village he was born. But love can change a lot in a person's life. Lily grew up in group homes and when she got a teaching job in Cochabamba, Bolivia, she took the chance for a change. The problem is that there was no teaching job and now she's stuck in Cochabamba showing off her thieving skills to some new girlfriends. But, when Omar enters her life is it like being hit by a train; she has met the man of her dreams. So, of course, Lily goes with him when he must return to his home village in the middle of the jungle after his brother's child has been killed by a jaguar. However, she soon learns that much in the jungle can kill...
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
February 1, 2020
This book started off a bit rocky for me but it really hit its stride in the second half and made me fall in love with it! The reason I had trouble with the first half is that I was terribly annoyed with the main character. She’s bratty and naive and it truly got on my nerves. But then she starts to grow up and come into herself and turns into such an amazing, strong woman that I was swayed to the side of loving her by the end! The setting was just absolutely fabulous and all the ins and outs of living with the tribes in the jungle truly fascinated me. Ferencik does a beautiful job of describing the lush and terrifying but beautiful jungle and really makes you feel like you’re there with the characters. This is definitely not your typical thriller, it’s actually unlike ANY thriller I’ve ever read before and that’s saying a lot because I’ve read a shit ton of thrillers. Do yourself a favour and read this stunning book!
April 7, 2019
In a word: Yikes.
Trigger warning: Animal cruelty, Pet murder, and...bad writing.
I liked Ferencik's first book well enough, despite the pathetic, obnoxious narrator and the hokum plot. I ended up reading The River at Night as campy (which I don't think it was intended to be, but it worked for me).
This book, unfortunately, has all of the same problems plus a few dozen more, and can't be read as campy fun no matter how hard you try.
Ferencik is clearly intending to demonstrate the harshness of living in the jungle, but the narrative mostly comes off as grotesque and off-puttingly gratuitous. I'm not a fan of nastiness for nastiness' sake, and unfortunately Ferencik seemed to delight in it here. I could have done without the creepy fixation on genitalia as well.
I probably could have (grudgingly) accepted all of the above if this had been a better story, but the plot misses at almost every turn, going from slow to obnoxious to improbable. In all, an irritating disappointment of a book.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Trigger warning: Animal cruelty, Pet murder, and...bad writing.
I liked Ferencik's first book well enough, despite the pathetic, obnoxious narrator and the hokum plot. I ended up reading The River at Night as campy (which I don't think it was intended to be, but it worked for me).
This book, unfortunately, has all of the same problems plus a few dozen more, and can't be read as campy fun no matter how hard you try.
Ferencik is clearly intending to demonstrate the harshness of living in the jungle, but the narrative mostly comes off as grotesque and off-puttingly gratuitous. I'm not a fan of nastiness for nastiness' sake, and unfortunately Ferencik seemed to delight in it here. I could have done without the creepy fixation on genitalia as well.
I probably could have (grudgingly) accepted all of the above if this had been a better story, but the plot misses at almost every turn, going from slow to obnoxious to improbable. In all, an irritating disappointment of a book.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
July 7, 2019
Goodreads sent me this book ----- because I won it. lol
If you ever want to feel like you are there while reading a story --- this is the one.
You can hear and smell the jungle atmosphere. This is one of those books.
Not really a mystery or a whodunit setting but definitely a wild ride in the Deep DEEP Jungle.
A fascinating story is why I'm giving this unique story a 5.
If you ever want to feel like you are there while reading a story --- this is the one.
You can hear and smell the jungle atmosphere. This is one of those books.
Not really a mystery or a whodunit setting but definitely a wild ride in the Deep DEEP Jungle.
A fascinating story is why I'm giving this unique story a 5.
August 26, 2019
I was introduced to Erica Ferencik’s writing when I read The River at Night and loved it, so I was excited to read her newest release!
Into the Jungle was such an atmospheric ride literally through the Bolivian jungle, and once again I was entranced by Ferencik’s knack for storytelling. While I initially thought it would be all suspense and thrills, it also included a sort of coming of age story, as Lily has to learn to survive in the wilderness. Anacondas, tarantulas, ferocious man eating jaguars?? No thank you!
It was a fast read and made me realize what a wimp I am! I used to love watching Naked and Afraid and imagining what it would be like to be a survivalist. This book definitely gives you a glimpse of what that might be like, but from the comforts of your own home.
.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars!
*Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own
Into the Jungle was such an atmospheric ride literally through the Bolivian jungle, and once again I was entranced by Ferencik’s knack for storytelling. While I initially thought it would be all suspense and thrills, it also included a sort of coming of age story, as Lily has to learn to survive in the wilderness. Anacondas, tarantulas, ferocious man eating jaguars?? No thank you!
It was a fast read and made me realize what a wimp I am! I used to love watching Naked and Afraid and imagining what it would be like to be a survivalist. This book definitely gives you a glimpse of what that might be like, but from the comforts of your own home.
.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars!
*Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own
April 16, 2020
HAHAHA WTF did I just read?!
This is what happens when a friend challenges you to not DNF (do not finish) for the next 3 months... you force yourself through a book about an INSANELY WHINY girl who has ZERO survival skills or common sense and decides that wandering through the deep jungle whilst EXTREMELY PREGNANT is a good idea!?
The only good things that came from this experience are:
A. I now know how to wrestle an anaconda
B. NEVER ignore infected insect bites (gross)
C. Frog venom is not a sleep aid for babies
D. I did you ALL A FAVOR in being the martyr for this one. 🤷🏻♀️
It’s a no for me, dawg.
Sigh. Yerp. Hard pass.
This is what happens when a friend challenges you to not DNF (do not finish) for the next 3 months... you force yourself through a book about an INSANELY WHINY girl who has ZERO survival skills or common sense and decides that wandering through the deep jungle whilst EXTREMELY PREGNANT is a good idea!?
The only good things that came from this experience are:
A. I now know how to wrestle an anaconda
B. NEVER ignore infected insect bites (gross)
C. Frog venom is not a sleep aid for babies
D. I did you ALL A FAVOR in being the martyr for this one. 🤷🏻♀️
It’s a no for me, dawg.
Sigh. Yerp. Hard pass.
March 29, 2019
I didn't LOVE this book. Her previous novel was amazing and I was obsessed. In this one, I had to force myself to finish it. I loved the descriptions of the jungle, and the life of the tribes people, but Lily the main character was annoying and her "husband" Omar was equally obnoxious. I just didn't care about what happened to them. I was more interested in the peripheral characters that she describes in the jungle. I need more of their stories.
June 9, 2019
4+ stars
What an adventure.
I crawled amongst the flora and fauna.
I felt the heat and humidity.
I listened to the howling, screaming, buzzing, of the jungle.
I was bitten by the hundreds.
I was: Stabbed. Pierced. Kicked. Tortured.
I was devastated.
What an adventure.
I crawled amongst the flora and fauna.
I felt the heat and humidity.
I listened to the howling, screaming, buzzing, of the jungle.
I was bitten by the hundreds.
I was: Stabbed. Pierced. Kicked. Tortured.
I was devastated.
September 9, 2019
DNF. I loved Erica's description of the jungle but I couldn't get attached to Lily nor Omar. They seemed to have zero chemistry and no personality. I stopped reading after
May 5, 2019
Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik is a thrilling, action-packed novel set in the wild jungle of Bolivia. Lily Bushwold is still a teenager when she decides to leave her foster home behind and travel to Bolivia to teach English. After stealing the money to get her a plane ticket to Bolivia, she arrives and discovers that the teaching job has fallen through. She finds herself working at a hostel but knows that this is not what she wants. She soon encounters Omar, a former hunter who is trying to make it in the city, and they quickly fall in love. When Omar's nephew is killed by a jaguar in his home village of Ayachero, he asks Lily to go home with him. Only thinking about how much she loves Omar, Lily agrees. Soon Lily encounters a world like nothing she has ever experienced, a jungle that is both overwhelmingly beautiful and dangerous at the same time. Completely out of her depth, Lily must find strength within to survive in the jungle.
Into the Jungle is not a traditional thriller, in that there are no psychopaths running around murdering people in the dark of night. However, Erica Ferencik's novel is just as thrilling but in a totally different way. It is the jungle that presents so many thrills: it is beautiful but at the same time, can completely destroy a person. The animals and plants that Ferencik describes are fascinating in that they have a duality of being beautiful and dangerous. The author completely immerses the reader in the Bolivian jungle, in that I felt like I was there with Lily. Ferencik clearly did her research so that she could create an accurate and complete depiction of the jungle. Some readers may find the descriptions of the jungle and its inhabitants to be long-winded but I enjoyed learning about animals and plants that I knew nothing about before reading this book. Nature becomes a character in this book and it is a character that is absolutely enthralling.
I thought that Ferencik's other characters were also very strong and that they came alive off the pages. Lily's personal growth throughout the book was compelling to read and the other characters really brought the story to life. There were definitely moments that were not realistic or were over-dramatized but if you suspend belief while reading, those moments made for a great story. And that birth scene? It was suspenseful and my heart was pounding the whole time!
This book won't work for everyone because it is different from other thrillers and it is heavy on descriptive details. However, I enjoyed that it was unique and took me to a place I had never been before. While I know that I would never survive through what Lily experienced, I am glad that I was able to feel like I was beside Lily as she learned to survive and become a part of the jungle.
4 stars!
Into the Jungle is not a traditional thriller, in that there are no psychopaths running around murdering people in the dark of night. However, Erica Ferencik's novel is just as thrilling but in a totally different way. It is the jungle that presents so many thrills: it is beautiful but at the same time, can completely destroy a person. The animals and plants that Ferencik describes are fascinating in that they have a duality of being beautiful and dangerous. The author completely immerses the reader in the Bolivian jungle, in that I felt like I was there with Lily. Ferencik clearly did her research so that she could create an accurate and complete depiction of the jungle. Some readers may find the descriptions of the jungle and its inhabitants to be long-winded but I enjoyed learning about animals and plants that I knew nothing about before reading this book. Nature becomes a character in this book and it is a character that is absolutely enthralling.
I thought that Ferencik's other characters were also very strong and that they came alive off the pages. Lily's personal growth throughout the book was compelling to read and the other characters really brought the story to life. There were definitely moments that were not realistic or were over-dramatized but if you suspend belief while reading, those moments made for a great story. And that birth scene? It was suspenseful and my heart was pounding the whole time!
This book won't work for everyone because it is different from other thrillers and it is heavy on descriptive details. However, I enjoyed that it was unique and took me to a place I had never been before. While I know that I would never survive through what Lily experienced, I am glad that I was able to feel like I was beside Lily as she learned to survive and become a part of the jungle.
4 stars!
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