Is Warrior of the Wild A series?

As her father's chosen heir, eighteen-year-old Rasmira has trained her whole life to become a warrior and lead her village. But when her coming-of-age trial is sabotaged and she fails the test, her father banishes her to the monster-filled wilderness with an impossible quest: to win back her honour, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year or die trying.

Book Details

Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
Sale Date: February 26, 2019 by Feiwel & Friends
Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Epic
Hardcover, 336 pages
Source: ARC from NetGalley
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Other Books by Author

My Thoughts on Warrior of the Wild

WARRIOR OF THE WILD is about eighteen-year-old warrior Rasmira who fails her coming-of-age trial after being betrayed. Banished from her village by her father, the chieftain, she accepts an impossible task in order to redeem her honor: kill a god and survive the monster-riddled wilderness it lives in. Tricia Levenseller packs this Viking-inspired YA standalone fantasy with dangerous quests, foul creatures, friendship, and romance.

I've been a fan of Tricia Levenselle’s writing since reading her debut, Daughter of the Pirate King. I knew that I wanted to read her newest YA fantasy, and this time it is in a Viking flavored setting with the focus on our heroine’s coming-of-age trial, a betrayal, and her survival in a monster-filled wilderness where she must hunt down an enemy god.

Readers can lose themselves in the story with the wilderness setting filled with dangerous, mythic-styled creatures. I also enjoyed the three quests (the action-filled and stabby kind) our heroine ends up completing, along with her fellow warrior-friends, which really made for an adventuress read. I thought the vivid setting and descriptions were terrific, adding just the right amount of fantasy to the story. The fantastic-beasts and the details describing them were spectacular.

Rasmira is an easy protagonist to like with the right balance of a fierce, warrior-daughter with vulnerabilities. She has a wonderful kinship with her beloved sisters who love and look up to her, a troubled one with her mother who dislikes (and may be just a bit jealous) of her warrior-ways, and a complicated one with her father who has trouble seeing her beyond his future heir as a woman and daughter.

Trained all her life to be a warrior first-and-always, Rasmira has trouble expressing her emotions, something she worries will influence her skills as a warrior and future leader of her father’ clan. I loved seeing the growth and changes that occur in her characterization throughout the story, especially her interactions with Soren and Iric, two warriors also banished from their village, whom she must work with in order to survive and complete her quest.

Readers will want to root for Rasmira’s success and enjoy the sweet friendship she begins to build with both warriors. As a fan of romance, I did enjoy the sweet interactions between Soren and Rasmira. His admiration for her as a skilled warrior and her leadership skill are obvious and I thought his determination to win her over cute while being the perfect balance to lighten the more seriousness of the dangers they stilled faced.

In the End

WARRIOR OF THE WILD is an exciting read with a Viking inspired setting filled with fantastical-beasts, quests, friendship, and romance. Tricia Levenseller swept me away and did not disappoint in this YA standalone. If you are a fan of the Daughter of the Pirate King series or Viking flavored reads, then you just might want to grab this one up.

Book ReviewsKimFebruary 25, 2019Warrior of the Wild, Tricia Levenseller, Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic, Epic Fantasy, Feiwel & Friends, Macmillan, ARC, NetGalley, 2019

“‘A man who finds his masculinity threatened by a powerful woman is no man at all,’ he says. ‘You want someone who lifts you up, not tries to bring you down.’”

// Content Warning: Violence, Death, Abuse, Assault, Rape Mention (very brief), Human Sacrifice (brief)//

“Surely an immortal cannot be killed.”

– Premise –

Warrior of the Wild follows Rasmira, the daughter of the Seravin village leader. On the day of her trial to become a warrior, she is betrayed by someone she trusted and banished from her village. However, she may return if she completes her mattugr. Except, mattugrs are designed to be impossible, and a suicide mission at best, and hers is no exception. She is tasked with killing the god that has been threatening her village for centuries or die trying.

“My soul has worth, and I won’t let it depart this world just yet.”

– Writing & Setting-

Tricia Levenseller’s writing style was good. It was straightforward and compelling, but it did lack some of the magic that her first series had. I wasn’t as drawn in as I was with Daughter of the Pirate King. That said, this was still very well-written. Meanwhile, the setting in this book was really interesting. Despite being a fantasy novel, the worldbuilding never felt heavy and hard to wade through, yet still vivid and compelling. I also loved the differences between each of the villages and the Viking inspiration behind it all. Tricia Levenseller has a gift in making me want to read more in the worlds she creates, because of how vast and unique she makes them.

“It’s not about giving in to the first boy who ever acted interested. It’s about being interested in the boy who is finally worth it.”

– Plot –

The pacing was fast, almost to a fault, where the ending felt a little rushed. If you want some somewhat-spoilery specifics, check out my goodreads review where I hid it in a spoiler tag. The plot was interesting, with plenty of action and a somewhat-surprising yet believable twist. I admit, I did see the twist coming, but it was so satisfying to see it play out! The romance was also predictable but the author made its inevitability funny and called it out, so it was easy to forgive (gotta love lampshading).

“‘I just think it should be pointed out that you’re a fierce warrior woman and I’m a fierce warrior man, so we should spend some time together.’
I cocked my head to the side. ‘I found you broken and bleeding on the ground.’
‘I was… having an off day.’”

– Characters – 

The characters were all interesting and well-rounded, something Tricia Levenseller is amazing at. Rasmira was a strong female protagonist, who defies gender roles even at the expense of losing her relationship with her mother. Her dynamic with her family and her personal growth were both parts of the book I really enjoyed. Sorren was a great love interest (which, like I said, isn’t a spoiler because oh my god its so obvious that even the characters mention it when they first meet), loyal to a fault and I loved how annoying yet endearing he was. He was honestly just so precious. Iric was another great character. His sass made every scene 10 times better, and he added so much humor to the book. Also, yay LGBTQ+ rep! 

Is there a sequel to Warrior of the Wild?

Is there romance in Warrior of the Wild?

Is the shadows between us a series?

What order should I read Tricia Levenseller books in?