Fairy tales are supposed to have a beginning, a middle and a happily ever after for the heroes and a bad ending for the witches, step-family, and other assorted “evil” characters. And that’s the way it’s always been, and no one’s really thought much about it.

Except for Sarah Beth Durst. The Wild, in her first book, is a living thing, a place where fairy tale characters are caught, trapped, forced, into living their stories over and over again. Until they escape, and Rapunzel becomes the guard of the wild. For five hundred years, everything is fine, and Rapunzel even has a child, Julie. Then one day, someone wishes the Wild free, and it begins taking over their town, trapping the characters (and other people) into endings and beginnings and it’s up to Julie to rescue her mom and save everyone from the Wild.

This was a fabulous book. I think I knew it would be; so many people have absolutely loved it. But it’s hard to convey in a review how wonderfully clever it is, how enjoyable it is to read. Durst takes every single fairy tale character and uses them in new and unexpected ways, making the old stories come alive again. I loved the struggle for free will and how the Wild uses character’s choices; I loved how Julie used the Wild against itself, in order to make it through her story; and I loved how endings and beginnings were used.

And the ending was so perfect. It was both unexpected (though I had an inkling) and made perfect sense.
I can’t wait to read the sequel. I hear it’s just as good (if not better).