Tartlets, I literally jumped at the chance to receive an ARC of Wilderness Reform by authors (and brothers) Matt Query and Harrison Query. Their first novel, Old Country, is one of my favorite horror novels ever. I will read anything this duo writes.
While I didn’t love Wilderness Reform quite as much, I really enjoyed the story, especially toward the end. Let’s get into it.
Before you start reading, you should know that Wilderness Reform is NOT Old Country
Let’s get one thing straight: Wilderness Reform is a very different story from Old Country. Before entering the world of Wilderness Reform, please check all your expectations for a ghostie horror novel at the door.
This new release is a completely different type of novel in all the ways – the style of writing, the type of story, and the type of horror. I would classify this new novel as an adventure-based supernatural thriller, whereas Old Country is about haunted land, ghosts, and folklore.
Having Old Country (and my love for that particular type of horror story) in my head really threw me when I first started reading Wilderness Reform. I actually think people who haven’t read Old Country before will have an easier time settling into Wilderness Reform.
What’s Wilderness Reform about?
Wilderness Reform follows main character Ben, a strangely precocious and troubled teenager who gets shipped off to a “wilderness survival” camp for the summer as an alternative to going to juvie. Although Ben enjoys some aspects of the camp, he’s suspicious of the overly friendly and enthusiastic male counselors who all seem to act like the program is more of a brotherhood than a summer job.
The more Ben spies on the counselors, the more it becomes clear that the good-natured vibe of this program isn’t what it seems. Pretty soon, he and his newfound friends are running for their lives before they’re “initiated” into the otherworldly workings of the survival camp.
What I loved about Wilderness Reform
I would totally sign up for a camp like the one in Wilderness Reform if I weren’t terrified of spiders and squeamish about trapping animals. As if learning cool survival skills in the beautiful Rocky Mountains isn’t appealing enough, this camp instills confidence in troubled youth and provides them with caring male remodels, and fosters friendships between people who never would have met otherwise.
That all sounds pretty awesome, right? And a lot of it is. In theory, at least. It would all be perfectly, spectacularly wonderful if someone weren’t taking advantage of the kids and using the program for nefarious means.
Apparently, some news stories have come out about real wilderness youth camps that are, well, disturbing. Not in the supernatural sense. More in the “human beings are awful and disgusting and untrustworthy” sense. It’s these alarming stories that inspired the Query brothers to shed light on the real-life atrocities through the supernatural metaphors in Wilderness Reform.
This story is a slow, slow burn. Hang in there.
It took me about 60 pages before I started to really get into Wilderness Reform. A large part of that is due to the previously mentioned Old Country expectations, but a lot of it is because of the the writing, too.
There’s a lot of telling in Wilderness Reform. You absolutely feel like you’re being told a story instead of experiencing the actions and emotions for yourself. While this storytelling style makes sense from a “gather round the campfire” point of view, the Query brothers took longer than they should have to draw me into the plot.
If you’re not a writer, this reliance on “telling” instead of “showing” probably won’t bother you as much. Overall, the Query brothers are master storytellers, even if the book does take a little while to get where it’s going. The sense of menace begins to build as Ben starts spying on the camp counselors. It’s not long before you get the sense that something old and primal is at work, especially with the head counselor, Reid.
Not to bring up Old Country again, but – the Query brother’s first novel was just hit after hit of in-your-face, supernatural horror. And it was amazing. Wilderness Reform uses a much subtler method of building suspense and fear. Toward the end of the story, the paranormal aspect does emerge in all its glory, and it’s great. Just appreciate it for what it is.
Spoiler Free Content and Trigger Warnings in Wilderness Reform
The abuse experienced in Wilderness Reform isn’t “normal” human abuse. There are no human sexual acts of predation or domestic violence going on. All of the bad things happening are either supernatural in nature or are clearly the result of supernatural influence.
There’s some trapping, hunting, and “dressing” of wild animals in this book. (If you don’t know what “dressing” an animal means, don’t look it up. DO NOT.) It was pretty graphic in some parts, but it was easy enough to breeze through those sections without absorbing details.
However, there’s some gory violence at the end of the book as The Final Battle unfolds. It’s very visceral and involves vivid depictions of human pain and suffering. Ew.
Should you read Wilderness Reform?
You should absolutely read Wilderness Reform is you’re looking for a sharply written, nuanced supernatural thriller. This book was gearing up to receive three stars on Goodreads from me, but the last 10-or-so chapters raised my rating to four stars. There’s so much action, so much tension, and so much eerie reveal that I just raced through the ending. When I finished the book, I was let down that the story was over and I couldn’t live in that world anymore.
Fans of Stranger Things and classic coming-of-age movies like Stand By Me will love the camaraderie between the teenage boys, as well as the adventure aspects throughout the novel.
What’s the book-inspired recipe for this book?
The book-inspired recipe for Wilderness Reform is perfect for any camping or summer activity: Sheet Pan S’mores.
Although I received a complimentary advance copy of Wilderness Reform from Atria Books/Simon and Schuster, all opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I was not compensated in any way for this review or for any other promotion/publicity I’ve done related to this book.
