Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genre: Horror, LGBTQ+
Age Group: YA
Review
I would like
to start off by saying a big thank you to TBR Beyond reads, Wednesday Books, and Julia Rubin for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour and for having a chance to read
this new exciting book in advance of its publication.
Primal
Animals is definitely
a book worth reading if you love spooky horrors and exciting creepy twists! This is one to add to your tbr pile
for the spooky season this year. Primal Animals is perfect for readers
if you ever watched Parent Trap but hoped for something with a darker
twist to the summer camp story.
“So, you get what I mean, then? I mean, it’s beautiful here. It’s…almost like paradise. But there’s something off, too. You know? […] I’ve felt that way since my first summer. I remember being so excited, that this place was so cool, and these people were so awesome…but then…things change you. Things I think you can only understand once you’ve spent time here.”
I can see
why there will be many readers that really enjoy this book. Unfortunately, it
just wasn’t for me. This is because the girls and story felt too juvenile to me
in the first half of the book and therefore I lost interest in what would
happen to them and how the story would progress to explore the darker sides of
the summer camp. That is why I gave Primal Animals a two star rating because
I couldn’t regain the intrigue I started off with coming into the story.
That said, I continued
to read the book because I respect the time and efforts it takes an author to
write a book and there was still a part of me that wanted to see how the darker
side played out. The darker theme of this book is definitely when this book
started to get creepy and intriguing again and I became reinvested in the book
for the last half.
Overall, I
would still recommend this book to readers who are looking for a book with
darker themes, as there is plenty in Primal Animals. Also, this book is
LGBTQ+ which for readers who want to read more about stories with diverse sexualities
than this is one to check out. This was also one of the reasons why I would be tempted
to push my rating upwards because I believe diversity in books and reflecting this in our literature is important. Do go and check out Primal Animals
and give some love to this book and its author Julia as it’s a really refreshing
new book which incorporates themes of insectophobia, creepy cults, and summer
romance.
‘For just a moment, there’s a brief, beautiful stillness between us. A comfortable kind of silence you usually only feel between people you’ve known a long time. Outside, the birds chirp and other girls talk and laugh, and I realize that I could just stay here, on this bed with Winnie, in this silence, all damn summer long.’
Synopsis
Content Warning: Blood, gore, mentions of Sexual harassment/assault
Book Links:
Author Information
She is represented by Lauren Spieller of Triada US Literary Agency