Wilder Girls

Really 3.5 stars, but rounding up because I did compulsively read it over 2 days, and THAT COVER!This definitely owes a lot to Annihilation - both the book and the movie adaptation. It also has a few echoes of Lord of the Flies, a bit of the feel of Hunger Games (though really no plot similarities), and of course plenty of tropes from body horror / plague narratives. The one that leaps to mind is the TV show Helix.For most of its duration, the story deftly balances secrets and disclosure - learning about the tox but wondering what The Authorities are keeping hidden kept me fully engaged. However, I felt like this balance was lost toward the end, with the rather ham-fisted expedient of the Navy doctors running away, and the two adults at the school excused from any explanations of their actions, knowledge, or motivations by one killing herself and the other losing her mind. The upshot is there isn't much pay-off to the mysteries. There are a couple developments that lead to guessed-at explanations, but I didn't find it satisfying. Meanwhile, the mystery/horror/adventure story was woven with interpersonal mechanics that were mostly reasonable character development, though sometimes had me rolling my eyes at the adolescent drama (I acknowledge that I'm not the target age bracket by a mile!). Then towards the end, the driving issue for me (the mystery) was relegated and the interpersonal drama became the point of the exercise. I can see the potential in that approach, but the execution fell flat for me. (For a much better example, check out [b:My Best Friend's Exorcism 41015038 My Best Friend's Exorcism Grady Hendrix https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533059241l/41015038.SY75.jpg 46065002].)This is definitely worth picking up at the library and bingeing your way through. Not only is the mystery and horror compelling, it was also lovely to see such a female-centered story, and very matter-of-fact LGBTQ+ representation! Just know that the ending may not deliver everything one might hope.(A note about the audio book: I'm glad I got it because I needed to know what happened next, and it really helped me get more reading in. However, I didn't much care for the Hetty reader, and the Byatt reader annoyed me like hell. Also, I don't think you can hear Byatt in the Audible sample. So caveat emptor.)