Review : Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Beware the Wild
Author : Natalie C. Parker
Publication Date : October 21st 2014
Publisher : Harper Teen
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It's an oppressively hot and sticky morning in June when Sterling and her brother, Phin, have an argument that compels him to run into the town swamp -- the one that strikes fear in all the residents of Sticks, Louisiana. Phin doesn't return. Instead, a girl named Lenora May climbs out, and now Sterling is the only person in Sticks who remembers her brother ever existed.

Sterling needs to figure out what the swamp's done with her beloved brother and how Lenora May is connected to his disappearance -- and loner boy Heath Durham might be the only one who can help her.

This debut novel is full of atmosphere, twists and turns, and a swoon-worthy romance.

Personal Thoughts 

I thought for sure that this would be one of my favorite books of the year because of how creepy it sounded, but while the beginning of the book was interesting for me, things started to go awry as I progressed further into the story. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn't this.

I initially started off liking the protagonist, Sterling, but somewhere along the way I started to lose interest in her character. I admired her resilience and the love she had for her missing brother, but she lacked a certain spark that eventually turned her into a flat character, in my opinion. I guess what I'm trying to say was that I wanted to see more layers to her personality for me to become completely invested in her and her quest. It's been about a month or so since I've read Beware the Wild, and I can't remember much about Sterling. While Sterling herself didn't stand out to me, I did enjoy her romance with Heath. They started off on the wrong foot, but once they befriend each other and attempt to save Sterling's brother, Phin, the relationship between them developed beautifully. It was a romance that was built on trust and surprisingly, Sterling and Heath had no obstacles or drama of any sort that they had to face.

As far as the plot went, I was expecting Beware the Wild to be a bit more darker and frightening than it was. I'm a reader who scares rather easily, but with Beware the Wild, I was left feeling very indifferent to the so-called horror scenes. I wanted something more gruesome and chilling. I will admit that Natalie C. Parker did try to make the swamp as atmospheric as possible, but for me something was just missing to make Beware the Wild a truly exceptional and memorable read. The swamp needed to be fleshed out more when it came to the "world building" part of it. Regardless of my feelings for this book in general, I do think Natalie C. Parker has the potential to be a great author with a lovely writing style.

What mainly went wrong for Beware the Wild and me was my preconceived notions of the book. I wanted it to be something it clearly wasn't. While this may not have been the book for me, I have no doubt that many readers will find this read to be thrilling and exciting.

Rating 

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 2/5
Characters : 2/5
Writing : 3/5

**Overall Rating : 2.5/5**

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Teen for the e-ARC of Beware the Wild.