Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst

Julie Marchen is a girl of many secrets, most of them not entirely her own. Firstly, her mother is Rapunzel; yes, the fairytale woman with the incredibly long and beautiful hair who lives in a tower, although now she wears her hair in a short bob and resides in Northboro, Massachusetts. Also, Julie’s brother is Puss-in-Boots and her grandmother is a real witch (the spell-casting kind). And the worst part? Although Rapunzel escaped from and defeated the Wild long ago, it still exists, and it’s under Julie’s bed. Forget monsters under the bed; the Wild is more real and much worse. But no one except for a select few people who escaped from the Wild long ago as Rapunzel had understand the extent of the threat that the Wild poses, that is, until it somehow escapes from Julie’s room and takes over Northboro. Now, with all the people Julie loves trapped within the Wild’s never-ending tales, Julie is going to have to journey into that deep and dangerous forest and outwit the Wild in order to save her family and the town of Northboro.

Into the Wild is an incredibly unique and well-written story that I fell in love with. I am a big fan of fairytales, and the incorporation of this into present day, what we normally call “real life,” was just a fantastic idea, and one that worked amazingly well. Into the Wild succeeded as a novel on so many levels. Firstly, the characters were well-developed and interesting; even though we’ve seen most of them in classic fairytale stories, characters such as Cinderella and Goldilocks have been altered to be more human and realistic, making them seem interesting and new. The storyline was so creative, especially with the incorporation of fantasy and reality; the reader can understand Julie’s everyday problems such as her yearning for her father and awkwardness at school and then there’s all the drama that being the offspring of a fairytale character creates. The plot is fresh, fun, action-filled, and never dull, so I was disappointed when I realized that the story was over.

Into the Wild was definitely one of the best and most unique books I have read recently, and one that I most recommend, especially for fans of fairytales or just fast and fun stories. I can’t wait to start reading the sequel, Out of the Wild to see the continuation of Julie’s story.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from personal collection