Book Review :: Warrior of the Wild, by Tricia Levenseller

Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
ISBN: 1250189942
Published by Feiwel & Friends
on 2019-02-26
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 329
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How do you kill a god?

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 honor, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year—or die trying.

Last updated on 10 November 2021

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A quick overview of Warrior of the Wild

When I first saw that Tricia Levenseller’s book, Warrior of the Wild, was Vikings inspired, I was well excited. While I knew it wasn’t going to be super Viking-themed, the idea that it was based on that kind of vibe was something I was looking forward to.

Warrior of the Wild follows Rasmira Bendrauggo as she’s banished from her village into the wild. She needs to complete an impossible task if she wants to go back her to village: to kill the god, Peruxolo, who has plagued the villages for as long as anyone can remember. As Rasmira heads out into the wild, she meets two boys, Soren and Irik, who were banished from homes the tear before and have their own impossible tasks to complete.

As the story goes on, Rasmira decides that the only way they’re going to complete their challenges and be able to go home is if they help each other out. Irik must kill a water-based monster and he can’t swim, and Soren must take the feather from a (potentially mythical) bird who lives up a mountain and he’s afraid of heights.

As you can imagine, the story follows an expected course: the meet, the ‘let’s help each other out’, the preparation and training, the boys’ challenges, and finally Rasmira’s challenge of killing the god. And there’s a little romance along the way because it wouldn’t be a Leveneseller book without it.

“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.”

 My thoughts on Warrior of the Wild

It was a bit slow to begin with, but the story eventually picked up. While the promise of Viking-inspired lingered in my mind, it wasn’t as Viking-esque as I thought it would be. Rasmira wields an epic axe and she really is this kick-ass warrior woman, but that’s about as far as the Viking similarity went. I would have prefered more Viking-themes but once I realised that it wasn’t quite the tale I was expecting, I accepted it for what it was and ended up quite enjoying it.

The character development is always spot on in Levenselelr’s books. In her duology, Daughter of the Pirate King, the main character Alosa is wonderful, and Rasmira was just as well thought out and brought to life. I didn’t really like Soren, though; he was a bit too all over the place and, well, all over Rasmira when she first arrives at their camp. I get that he hasn’t seen anyone but Irik for a year, but buddy … calm down.

The plot, while predictable, was a good read, and the setting was creative and intricate.

Warrior of the Wild is a stand-alone book, so if you’re into shortish Young Adult books that are Viking inspired, kick-ass women with axes, and deadly monsters that need dealing with, then pick this book up!

Have you read Warrior of the Wild? What did you think?