A feminist Lord of the Flies about three best friends living in quarantine at their island boarding school and the lengths they go to uncover the truth of their confinement when one disappears, this fresh new debut is a mind-bending novel unlike anything you’ve read before.
It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine, since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty’s life out from under her.
It started slow. First the teachers died, one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don’t dare wander outside the school’s fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.
But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there’s more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.
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“Narrators Eileen Stevens and Jesse Vilinsky tap into the current of desperation that runs throughout Rory Power’s stunning debut—part thriller, part queer romance, and part horror…Stevens and Vilinsky masterfully handle the complexities of the story, communicating the girls’ determination to survive in gritty voices. Tentative steps into new romance are tenderly conveyed, while encounters with nightmarish creatures are perfectly paced and gruesome. This fast-paced, utterly compelling audio will keep listeners riveted all the way to its exhilarating ending. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
“Wilder Girls is so sharp and packs so much emotion in such wise ways. I’m convinced we’re about to witness the emergence of a major new literary star.”
— Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times bestselling author“Wilder Girls is the bold, imaginative, emotionally wrenching horror novel of my dreams—one that celebrates the resilience of girls and the earthshaking power of their friendships.”
— Claire LeGrand, New York Times bestselling author“This thrilling saga…is sure to be one of the season’s most talked-about books.”
— Entertainment Weekly“Combines creeping, corrupting body horror with the intense bonds between teenage girls…A post-apocalypse story that’s fresh, horrible and beautiful.”
— NPR“The perfect kind of story for our current era.”
— Hypable“This powerful debut novel…explores female empowerment, friendship and survival with tenacity and brilliance.”
— Shelf Awareness (starred review)“Part survival thriller, part post-apocalyptic romance, and part ecocritical feminist manifesto, a staggering gut punch of a book.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Dark, surreal, and intense, this feminist-themed title will appeal to fans of science fiction, speculative fiction, and horror.”
— School Library Journal“Power’s evocative, haunting, and occasionally gruesome debut will challenge readers to ignore its bewitching presence.”
— Booklist“Brutal and beautiful, raw and unflinching. I adored this book.”
— Emily Suvada, author of This Mortal CoilBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Rory Power grew up in the Boston area, where she lives and works as a crime fiction editor and story consultant for television adaptation. She received a master’s degree in prose fiction from the University of East Anglia, and thinks fondly of her time there, partly because she learned a lot, but mostly because there were a ton of bunnies on campus.
Eileen Stevens is a voice-over actress whose voice can be heard on cartoons, promos, programs for English-language learners, and audiobooks. An Earphones Award–winning narrator, she is also an audiobook director and producer.
Jesse Vilinsky is a classically trained actress and voice actor, having graduated from the USC School of Dramatic Arts and BADA in London. She has lent her voice to numerous film and television projects and has worked on various video games, animation, and commercial projects as well. As a narrator, Jesse has garnered recognition in AudioFile magazine for her expertly voiced characters and ability to bring forth the strength and truth of their stories.