Gentlest of Wild Things

By Sarah Underwood

Reviewed by Lucy Rose

This YA fantasy novel is set amidst the perils of love, danger and most importantly, Desire. In Ancient Greece, the island of Zakynthos has been overcome with the power of Desire, a magical drug that makes its victims fall into a mindless haze of love. The maker, Leandros, is a famous alchemists and descendant of the god Eros. He sells this elixir to the island’s highest bidders, and for months the town’s women have been snatched away by the men who hold the power of Desire. Eirene, grower of plants and herbs, worries over her sickening sister Phoebe, and the hungry eyes Leandros has set upon her. One fateful night he shows up at their door, demanding Phoebe as his bride, and the girls have no chance to obey. But Eirene refuses to watch her sister waste away in the prison of his affection and forges a plan. But the tortured girl in the tower is one thing she didn’t account for. Eirene has always been prepared to die for her sister, and with a blood-hungry monster stalking the night, and Leandros hell-bent on her demise, she might just get a chance to.

Fantasy, I hate to say it, has become somewhat unoriginal in recent years. It’s a tale as old as time, that the defining books of each generation are what shape a genre for years to come. And while I am not one to turn my nose up at cliches, having to re-read the same book over and over and over inevitably becomes tiring. Gentlest of  Wild Things is beautifully written, and in a style that I have recently come to appreciate. Poetic language can be a difficult instrument to master, but when done so properly makes a book that much more enjoyable.

But sadly, this artistic writing was undermined by a tired plot, unlikable characters and a confusing twist. Half the fantasy books I’ve read in the last year have had something to do with a two-sister relationship, in which one is frail and sickly (but somehow also incredibly beautiful) while the other is their valiant savior (yet fails to make critical life decisions.) This novel is no exception. I beg authors to start coming up with their own ideas, instead of patching together plots from famous authors, renaming the people and places, and calling it their own.

It is a heady temptation to prove how forlorn and badly done by one’s characters are, as it’s what allows readers to bond with them. But when the first few sentences are about how sad and terrible a character’s life is, they come off as whiny and unlikable. Was Eirene’s pain valid? Yes. Should it have been explored in depth throughout the story? Absolutely. Do readers want to hear about it in the first chapter? No.

The plot twist, for anyone without an understanding of Ancient Greek mythology (shout out to the Percy Jackson fans) will find it confusing. Mystery, in my opinion, is one of the hardest genres to write even if it’s just a subplot. But, at the same time, if the plot twist is so far-fetched that you can’t see how it occurred, it might need re-thinking.

Two out of five stars. Suggested for readers aged fifteen to seventeen. Warning: contains mention of canabilisim, enslavement and blood.

Electric Monkey 2024

Sarah Underwood