The Wilderness Within - Emma Castle

A Wilderness Within by Emma Castle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For some reason, I've read quite a few the world is falling apart, dystopian future novels recently. This one is a little different, as society hasn't broken down simply because we're all greedy and evil and politicians are corrupt, but instead, an awful virus has wiped out a huge amount of people.
Our two heroes, Caroline and Lincoln, are survivors. Naturally immune to this hideous sickness and trying desperately to survive. While Lincoln has years of military training to fall back on and keep him alive, Caroline seems to have managed with little more than hope and the desire to stay alive. Once they meet, she gives Lincoln a reason to want to live and survive. She becomes his reason for keeping going.
While this is a romance in some ways it isn't a traditional romance. I don't think that is entirely down to the setting, although that plays a part. What makes a difference here is that it doesn't follow the well-trodden path of two people meet, something pulls them apart (often a misunderstanding) and then they get back together and live happily ever after. That's not to say that if romance is your thing you won't find plenty here to put a smile on your face, but rather that it's a refreshing change to have a romance where the love element is a major part of the story, but it isn't all to it. The relationship between the couple in many ways seems more natural and less contrived as can often happen in this kind of books.
I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was gripping and exciting as we followed Caroline and Lincoln in their attempts to survive and find their way to other survivors. While this is a book that tells the story of fear, the worst of human behaviour, loss and destruction it is also a book about hope, love and the best in humankind.

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