This is the second book in the Wild and Ruin series, which is a paranormal coming-of-age romance trilogy filled with Native American folklore and magic. I really enjoyed this light, addictive and intriguing book, even more than the first one. Compared to the first book, there was much more action this time, and less of the guilt and grief for the loss of Ruby’s mother. There was also more focus on the present than the past and the introduction of two important new characters that both answered some questions and certainly raised a lot of new ones!

The story continued where the first book left us, with Ruby and Ezra now being an official couple and trying to settle for a life in La Luna. Which turned out to be easier said than done, with Ruby’s upcoming graduation and a new internship on a nearby archeological dig at the same time as a series of strange events starts to take place, including the disturbing reappearance of Angel’s father. All these events stirred up a lot of questions for many in town, including Ruby, who also had to deal with the way the professor at the archeological dig unexpectedly affected her.

This second book was a wild ride! There was much more action compared to the first one, and the plot was even more well-developed. And the twists! There were so many new revelations both about the past, the present and the future. I really enjoyed the larger focus on the Aztec myths and the mix of historical setting, folklore and magic. And Ezra! I rooted for him already from the beginning of the first book, but he grew on me even more in this one, and made up for a lot of the not-so-great things Ruby did.

I have some mixed feelings about Ruby. In this book she made some really questionable decisions, that I didn’t agree with at all. But I appreciated her inner dialogue about it and how she admitted her own feelings, even the bad ones of jealousy and selfishness when she should be happy for her close ones.

But all in all, I truly enjoyed this book! Even more than the first one in the series. There was so much going on and so many twists that kept you in suspense throughout it all. Seriously, at the end I just didn’t know what to believe any more! To be honest, I didn’t fully understand how they all ended up where they did in the end and the significance of it, or the events leading up to the ending, but I’m sure Jennifer G. Edelson will explain everything in the final installment of this magical trilogy. I sure can’t wait to find out!

Thank you BookSirens for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rating:
4 stars

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​Author info:
Jennifer G. Edelson

Between Wild and Ruin is the first book in a new a paranormal coming-of-age romance trilogy filled with Native American folklore and magic. It was a light, fast-paced and engaging read with an extra layer of grief and guilt that together with the historical lore made it so much more than the ordinary YA fantasy. ​Some parts were a bit over the top though, or not to my liking, to make it as gripping as it could have been. But it was overall a beautifully written and interesting read.

The story follows seventeen-year-old Ruby Brooks as she moves to small-town La Luna, New Mexico, with her aunt after the tragic death of her mother. Even though Ruby just wants to focus on getting her life back on track, she instantly becomes the center of attention of the tiny, gossipy town, and finds herself drawn not only to two of the local boys, but to the ancient ruin in the forest as well.

​Somehow the ruin calls for Ruby and makes her zealously go hiking into the forests despite the warnings she keeps getting to avoid it. One day at the ruin, she encounters the mysterious, incredibly beautiful Leo, who no one in town seems to know about. Intrigued and fascinated by Leo, she can’t stop thinking about him, at the same time as she’s struggling with her feelings for the handsome sheriff’s deputy Angel, and the bitter and lonely Ezra, whose face has been destroyed in an accident. But soon Ruby will find out that surfaces are deceiving and that there are so many more layers to this story than what could ever have been imagined from the start.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of the New Mexico landscape and the mix of historical setting, folklore, magic and multicultural characters. I also really appreciated the questions about what makes life worth living and what truly makes a person beautiful. I really rooted for Ezra from the start, and how strong he was despite having lost his former beauty and being an outcast despised by the whole town. I also really liked his humor and his and Ruby’s bantering. The way Ruby behaved towards Ezra was one of my absolute favorite parts of this story. In a way, this book was a very well executed Beauty and the Beast story, truly showing how beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.

​But there were some parts that were a bit over the top. Especially the love quadrangle and how Ruby behaved towards Angel, keeping him as some kind of backup by playing the friends card. I also had problems with the way she said one thing and then did the complete opposite, and how she treated her friends. She did come across as a little too selfish and immature at times to make me fully root for her. But I liked her independence and strong will.

Some parts of the story were also a bit too unrealistic to fully buy into. And I don’t mean the premise that there are shapeshifters, old lineage curses, inter-dimensional worlds and other paranormal aspects, I’m all for that! I mean things like how Ruby immediately was the love interest for almost all boys in town at once, how she kept going to the ruin even though everyone warned her about it and how everyone could accept her stories so easily. The part that I had most problems with was Leo. I didn’t like or trust him at all and really didn’t ship his and Ruby’s attraction to each other.

But overall, this was an engaging and suspenseful story with a beautiful setting and atmosphere, and a unique mix of Beauty and the Beast and Native American lore. So, 3.5 stars rounding up to 4 for the way this book kept me entertained the whole way through.

Thank you BookSirens for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rating:
3.5 stars rounding up to 4

Get your own copy:
Bookshop.org
Amazon
Book Depository

​Author info:
Jennifer G. Edelson