Don't Let the Dog on the Cover Fool You!

TITLE: The Wild Inside
AUTHOR: Jamey Bradbury
PUBLISHER: William Morrow
PUBLISHING DATE: March 20, 2018

FROM GOODREADS: A promising talent makes her electrifying debut with this unforgettable novel, set in the Alaskan wilderness, that is a fusion of psychological thriller and coming-of-age tale in the vein of Jennifer McMahon, Chris Bohjalian, and Mary Kubica.

A natural born trapper and hunter raised in the Alaskan wilderness, Tracy Petrikoff spends her days tracking animals and running with her dogs in the remote forests surrounding her family’s home. Though she feels safe in this untamed land, Tracy still follows her late mother’s rules: Never Lose Sight of the House. Never Come Home with Dirty Hands. And, above all else, Never Make a Person Bleed.

But these precautions aren’t enough to protect Tracy when a stranger attacks her in the woods and knocks her unconscious. The next day, she glimpses an eerily familiar man emerge from the tree line, gravely injured from a vicious knife wound—a wound from a hunting knife similar to the one she carries in her pocket. Was this the man who attacked her and did she almost kill him? With her memories of the events jumbled, Tracy can’t be sure.

Helping her father cope with her mother’s death and prepare for the approaching Iditarod, she doesn’t have time to think about what she may have done. Then a mysterious wanderer appears, looking for a job. Tracy senses that Jesse Goodwin is hiding something, but she can’t warn her father without explaining about the attack—or why she’s kept it to herself.

It soon becomes clear that something dangerous is going on . . . the way Jesse has wormed his way into the family . . . the threatening face of the stranger in a crowd . . . the boot-prints she finds at the forest’s edge.

Her family is in trouble. Will uncovering the truth protect them—or is the threat closer than Tracy suspects?

MY THOUGHTS:  I finished this book just last night and if I don't write the review soon, I fear I may never do so.  I like books that are strange and odd but even this one had me going at times.  First let's talk about the things I liked in the book.  I really enjoyed the family dynamics.  Tracy's mother died a few years back when she was tragically hit by a car (or I think she was, now I'm not sure) and it's interesting to see how Tracy, her brother Scott and her father pick up the pieces following the tragedy.  They don't always get along and the struggle to put everything back into its proper place is very believable.  I also enjoyed the dog aspect of the book, as I knew I would.  The whole family, minus Scott, is active in the "mushing" lifestyle.  They raise dogs and while it would be impossible for me to do so because I'd have the WHOLE TEAM inside with me, the dogs added a very enjoyable aspect to "The Wild Inside."  I also liked that Bradbury created a very diverse character and wove them into the plot without shouting "LOOK AT THE DIVERSE CHARACTER!" if that make sense.

Now for some things that didn't work for me.  And I'm going to be honest - there was a lot.  Having finished the book, I still don't know what the heck happened. The author makes no secret that Tracy possesses something others don't.  She is able to drink blood of animals, which she needs for strength, and experience what they have went through.  She is able to do the same thing with people, but her mother told her not to do so.  Does she listen - NO.  And it causes all kinds of problems, but not the ones you'd suspect.  Tracy becomes weak when she tries to stop this disturbing habit, so she is unable to do so for long.  But not once in the book is it explained why Tracy can do this.  I don't think she's a shifter, but is she a vamp?  Probably not because she doesn't shy away from sunlight.  Is she mentally ill - probably but it brings about the chicken and the egg controversy.  I didn't really care for many of the characters, especially Tracy and Jesse, but I didn't hate them either.  

Finally, I have to add this.  This book kind of grossed me out which is hard to do.  Tracy needs blood to stay strong.  But when it isn't available, she is at least able to remedy the problem once a month.  You see where I'm going right? Because I refuse to spell it out.  

I requested my library order "The Wild Inside" when it came out and they complied.  I really did want to read it and despite my rating, I never once considered DNF'ing it.  I mean, I wanted answers.  But I didn't get them.  And oh, there might be ghosts.

I won't say there is animal cruelty because the dogs are well cared for in the novel but there is a lot of hunting...and blood drinking...and oh, a cat dies which I found extremely sad and vicious.  So if any of that bothers you, stay away from this book.  But if anything sounds uniquely intriguing, then give this book a try.  The immediately afterwards hit me up on Goodreads and feel free to explain it to me.

RATING: 2 PAWS