I really loved Nova Ren Suma’s past book, The Walls Around Us, and so I knew I wanted to read this one. Wake the Wild Creatures is lyrical head to toe and also asks us questions about family and sacrifice. Keep reading this book review of Wake the Wild Creatures for my full thoughts.
Summary
Three years ago, Talia lived happily in the ruins of the Neves, a once-grand hotel in the wilds of the Catskill Mountains, with her mother Pola and their community of like-minded women. Some came to the Neves to escape cruel men, others to hide from the law, but all found safety and connection in their haven high above civilization, cloaked by a mysterious mist that kept intruders away. But as their numbers grew, complications followed, and everything came crashing down the night electric lights pierced the forest. Uniformed men arrested Pola, calling her a murderer and a fugitive, and Talia was taken away.
Now sixteen, Talia has been forced to live with family she barely knows and fit into a world scarred by misogyny, capitalism, disconnection from nature . . . everything the women of the Neves stood against. She has one to return to the Neves. But as Talia awaits a signal from her mother, questions arise. Who betrayed her community, and what is she avoiding about her own role in its collapse? Is it truly magic that keeps the hotel so hidden? And what does it mean to embrace being her mother’s daughter? With the help of an unexpected ally, Talia must find her way to answers, face a mother who’s often kept her at arm’s length, and try to reach the refuge she lost—if the mist hasn’t swallowed her path home.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Wake the Wild Creatures is perfect for those who love the idea of fighting to return home. If you liked the plot point in Mad Max where Furiosa is desperate to find her way back home – then this to me felt like a contemporary echo. It very much explores isolation and the pain of love. Belonging, community, and sacrifice in a group. With jumps in timeline, we are able to witness the distance between the past and the present. Between who we were and who we have been shaped to become.
Grown men bleed red, just as I do, and they spook as easily as a pair of fawns when a twig snaps.
While I enjoyed having these time jumps, it was jarring at first. It gives you context to what has happened and gives you a true sense of flashback. But sometimes I felt like it was pulling me out of a moment. As a whole, Wake the Wild Creatures was lyrical. It explores the idea of being saved versus rescuing. And while we may think that the present presents the idea of reunited, it’s not as we think. There’s this thread of isolation and loneliness throughout it all. And reconciliation isn’t always the ending.
Book Links
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218372399
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1616206721/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wake-the-wild-creatures-nova-ren-suma/1146241886
IndieBound: https://bookshop.org/p/books/wake-the-wild-creatures/2660c8e7b38b8c24
About the Author
Nova Ren Suma is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling and #1 Indie Next Pick The Walls Around Us as well as A Room Away from the Wolves, both finalists for an Edgar Award, among other acclaimed novels. She was co-editor of the story & craft anthology FORESHADOW: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading & Writing YA, and her own short stories appear in various anthologies. She is a MacDowell fellow, a Yaddo fellow, and has taught creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and Vermont College of Fine Arts. She grew up in the Hudson Valley and now lives in Philadelphia. Her new novel Wake the Wild Creatures is forthcoming from Little, Brown in May 2025.
Author Links:
Website: https://novaren.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/novaren
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2741432
Tour Schedule
May 5th
Utopia State of Mind – Review, Favorite Quotes
The Clever Reader – Promotional Post
May 6th
The Violet West – Review, Journal Spread
May 7th
Boys’ Mom Reads! – Promotional Post
May 8th
Confessions of a YA Reader – Promotional Post
May 9th
Kim’s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s – Top 5 Reasons to Read Wake the Wild Creatures, Tik Tok
May 10th
wanderingintopages – Review, Mood Board
May 11th
The Book Dutchesses – Promotional Post
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