Review - Mistress of the Wild by Rorrey Lynch

Title: Mistress of the Wild

Author: Rorrey Lynch

Publisher: Red Rose

Buy Mistress of the Wild Here!


Rating: You Could Read


Reviewed By: Janelle


Phoebe, the Mistress of the Wild, protector of untamed beasts, orphans and society's cast-offs, quickly falls under the enchantments of Africa's magical Okavango Delta and a black wilderness guide named Peter. But the timeless magic is quickly overshadowed by her tormented visions . . . visions of betrayal and danger.

Peter is sure that the prophecies of the Wise Ones are coming true. Suddenly confronted with rogue elephants, problem leopards, venomous snakes and bush fires, Peter, who knows the Delta like the back of his hand, believes that the darkest threats are those that invade his dreams. Though irresistibly beautiful, Phoebe, the white huntress, might be the very demon of the prophecies of the Wise Ones . . . the woman who will end his life.

Into the darkness, Phoebe and Peter will be drawn into the clutches of her father's treacherous enemy.

Cornered by supernatural soldiers of evil and the echoes of betrayal that enslaved her people thousands of years ago, can they defy the prophecies and forge a powerful union that will change the world?

At the very core, this story lacks focus. It bounces about between two mythologies that are never really explained, information heavy paragraphs that have no bearing to the story, a great deal of prose about how beautiful everything is, and a romance that is at best unconvincing.

It opens with a Goddess from the Tuatha-de-Danann pantheon named Flidais. While I like mythology, this one threw me for a loop. But while using obscure mythological characters is fine, this story lacked the contextual clues that allowed me to move forward with the story despite my lacking knowledge.

This brings us to the character herself, who comes off as remarkably unsuited as a Goddess of the Hunt. She often reacts to the stories of predatory creature with fear, and even refers to them as evil, deformed, and depraved. Which I find terribly hypocritical. She also seems to forget she is a Goddess and has powers – going so far as to fight a brush fire by hand for several hours before deciding to just make it rain.

Finally, this story sounds like it was written back when “The Dark Continent” was still a mysterious and largely unknown place to be feared; which is in stark contrast to the modern tourist camp that makes up the bulk of the setting.

I honestly can’t recommend this story. It’s too erratic and too bland.