Book Review: The Wild Boys

The Wild Boys, by Travis Heerman

I read an ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy) of this book, and had no backflap, so I wasn’t sure what kind of story I was getting into. It starts out with Mia, a high school girl in Omaha. She has trouble fitting in because for one, she’s new and two, she’s half-Japanese. Her father is mostly absent, and her mother can’t break out of the grief she feels for her lost son. Okay, I thought, so it’s about a young woman fitting in to a new culture. Fish-out-of water. Great.

Just when I got settled into that, she finds the half-eaten body of her friend. Fine, so, it’s a horror novel.  Animals from the zoo have gone missing, a girl from her school disappears and then reappears, horribly ill.  Then Mia has a romance with an attractive and edgy young man from her school. Okay, so it’s…wait, what kind of novel is this?

By the time the werewolves (the wild boys) showed up, I’d decided to just open my mind and read. After a somewhat slow beginning, the action picks up swiftly. Mia, her indefatigable love-interest Dalton, and her stalwart dog rescue one person after another, staying one step ahead of the evil werewolf leader. As if werewolves, cross-cultural romances, and horror aren’t enough, Heerman also throws some spies and government conspiracy into the mix.

I recommend THE WILD BOYS for people who like thrillers, people who like horror, and people who want to read wild chase scenes with plucky heroines (and a dog). There were a few aspects that weren’t flawless (the slow beginning, a couple of continuity errors, and Mia’s treatment of Dalton at the end) but for the most part it’s a solid adventure novel.