book review: The Wild City: Collide by Dan Cuoco
details
Format: Ebook — Length: 441 pages
A fast-paced YA dystopia that bridges technology and nature, The Wild City: Collide brings together a diverse cast of young adults who learn that nothing is black-and-white, people are not always who you expect them to be, and you must decide on your own truths.
summary
Knowing what she must do to protect her unborn daughter, Serena escapes from the City, a modern utopia representing the only liveable space on earth, or so they think. When Serena crashes in the wild beyond the city, a kind stranger adopts her daughter. Years later, Shiloh is one of the best hunters in the small community of Waysett. In the City, Reid enters the military to follow in his father’s footsteps. The military’s primary goal is to go into the Wild, make contact with the “savs,” and build them water treatment facilities that will clean their dangerous water in exchange for sending 10% back to the City. The next village to be converted is Waysett, putting Shiloh and Reid on a collision course.
thoughts
This story does not waste a single page. There is so much happening from the first chapter. By the time I got half way through, I couldn’t stop reading. The characters are the best part, each of them strong and dynamic with relationships that build up slowly and have lots of room to grow in later books. It’s a larger cast than I’m used to, with about five main characters, but they all have a unique, memorable personality that makes them essential to the story. Perspective changes between Reid and Shiloh are handled well for YA fiction, switching each chapter. The twists are foreshadowed with perfect subtlety, and I kept having moments where I would figure the reveal out either just before or at the same time as the characters. The ending of the book feels rushed and somewhat abrupt, with many of the characters’ problems seeming to resolve themselves rather than them facing a climactic conflict. Hopefully this will be resolved when I have another book to read.
This book gave me the same vibes as The Giver and The City of Ember series with similar elements in the dystopia and twists that you should have seen coming, but never do. Those who like YA adventure or dystopian will enjoy this. It didn’t end on a cliffhanger (thankfully), but there are definitely more questions to be answered, so I will read the next books in the series when they’re released.
The Wild City: Collide by Dan Cuoco
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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