Hi everyone and welcome to my tour stop for Primal Animals by Julie Lynn Rubin hosted through TBR and Beyond Your. I’m so excited to share a full spoiler free review as part of my tour stop.
You can find the full schedule here.
About the Book
Primal Animals by Julia Lynn RubinPublished by Wednesday Books on May 24, 2022
Pages: 304
Goodreads
Protect the girls
Arlee Gold is anxious about spending the summer at the college prep Camp Rockaway—the same camp her mother attended years ago, which her mother insists will help give Arlee a “fresh start” and will “change her life.” Little does Arlee know that, once she steps foot on the manicured grounds, this will prove to be true in horrifying ways.
Even though the girls in her cabin are awesome—and she’s developing a major crush on the girl who sleeps in the bunk above her—the other campers seem to be wary of Arlee, unwilling to talk to her or be near her, which only ramps up her paranoia. When she’s tapped to join a strange secret society, Arlee thinks this will be her shot at fitting in...until her new "sisters" ask her to do the unthinkable, putting her life, and the life of her new crush, in perilous danger.
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58724958-primal-animals
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250757290/
- Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/primal-animals-julia-lynn-rubin/1139985579
- Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Primal-Animals-Julia-Lynn-Rubin/9781250757296
- Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/primal-animals-a-novel/9781250757296-item.html
- IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250757296
Content and Trigger Warnings
For a list of warnings, tropes, and representation for this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com.
About the Author
Julia Lynn Rubin lives the writer’s life in Brooklyn, where she finished an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults at The New School in 2017. For three years she served as a writing mentor for Girls Write Now, New York City’s premiere writing program for high school girls, and she continues to facilitate pre-K literacy programs throughout Brooklyn at libraries and family shelters.Julia has been writing books, poems, and stories since first grade, and loves reading about everything from film analysis (she’s a film nerd) to psychology and philosophy. Her short stories have appeared in publications such as the North American Review, Sierra Nevada Review, and The Lascaux Review, and she has written for a variety of online publications, including BuzzFeed, The Content Strategist, Fatherly, and Wetpaint Entertainment.
Julia is passionate about realism and diversity in teen literature. She hopes to one day own a French bulldog, pug, Boston terrier, or perhaps a mix of all three. She loves indie films, drag shows, and spending as much time as possible at the beach.
She is represented by Lauren Spieller of Triada US Literary Agency
Author Links:
- Website: https://www.julialynnrubin.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/julialynnrubin
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swissbeauty/
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17071577.Julia_Lynn_Rubin
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julialynnrubin/?fref=ts
My Thoughts
At it’s core, Primal Animals is a YA horror novel with thriller elements surrounding a secret society at a summer camp whose purpose is much bigger than their nightly, wooded rituals.
Our main character is Arlee and I absolutely loved her crisp, matter of fact voice. While some find her annoying I found her rather scattered and sporadic through process to be entirely relatable. The cast of characters around her also felt very real, albeit a bit exaggerated at times.
The setting of Camp Rockway gave the book a very Lord of the Flies feel with little to no adult supervision, the co-ed camp was left to run wild, consequences be damned. It didn’t take long for everything to go off the rails and plunge into utter chaos.
The one trigger warning I want to be sure to include is that of animal death and gore. There are some rituals and sacrifices that are quite dark that may disturb more sensitive readers.
I love horror novels with a feminist agenda and Primal Aninals definitely fits the bill as it explores issues of bodily autonomy, sexual trauma, found family, and the dark paths relationships between impulsive and struggling teenagers can take.
Overall, I gave Primal Animals 4.5⭐ and would recommend it to anyone looking for that next great summer camp novel or wants a horror novel with a feminist edge.
What About You?
Have you read Primal Animals? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments!
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