Into the Wilderness

Blood of the Lamb #2

by Mandy Hager

Into the Wilderness First published in New Zealand by Random House New Zealand, 2010.

Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult, Science Fiction

335 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Mandy Hager is a multi-award winning writer of fiction, most often for young adults. She has won the LIANZA Book Awards for Young Adult fiction 3 times (‘Smashed’ 2008, ‘The Nature of Ash’ 2013, ‘Dear Vincent’ 2014), the NZ Post Children’s Book Awards for YA fiction (‘The Crossing’ 2010), an Honour Award in the 1996 AIM Children’s Book Awards (‘Tom’s Story’), Golden Wings Excellence Award (‘Juno Lucina,’ 2002), Golden Wings Award (‘Run For The Trees’, 2003) and 8 Notable Book Awards.
She has also been awarded the 2012 Beatson Fellowship, the 2014 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship and the 2015 Waikato University Writer in Residence.
In 2015 her novel ‘Singing Home the Whale’ was awarded the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year award, and the Best Young Adult fiction Award from the NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. It has also been named a 2016 IBBY Honour Book, an international award. Her historical novel for adults, titled ‘Heloise’, was long-listed for the Ockham Book Awards.
'Gracehopper' was selected for inclusion in The White Ravens international Youth Library in2025, based in Frankfurt, Germany.
She is a trained teacher, with an Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts (Whitireia) and an MA in Creative Writing for Victoria University. She also writes adult fiction, short stories, non-fiction, educational resources, blogs and articles, and tutored the Novel Course for Whitireia’s Creative Writing Programme for 10 years. She is also a past president of the New Zealand Society of Authors.

Reviews

[Holly]

Reviewing this because I just started reading it again;
I think the reason I love these books, and all of Mandy Hager's works, so goddamn much lies in the way they sweep me up into another person's life so completely that I almost feel like a stranger to myself once I close the book. They are no great musings on life and society and don't really contain many lessons or morals to be learnt and appreciated, but the narrative is so engaging and the characters so vivid and real in my minds eye that it feels like waking up from a dream every time I stop reading. Yes I have a knack for getting emotionally invested in fiction but this series takes it to a new level. Perhaps I just love them because for a moment they allow me to look at my own world through a different lens, or because I get to live through heartbreak and joy and passion the likes of I doubt I'll ever truly experience, or because I just like to cry over character deaths, but nevertheless something about Hager's writing sucks me in every time like no other book can.

[Taneka]

Maryam, Joseph, and Ruth have escaped the clutches of the Apostles on a boat built by Joseph's father with one unwanted hijacker, Lazarus. But can they outrun Te Matee Iai long enough until they can find help and sanctuary?

It took me a while to get into this book. The gang end up on Marawa Island, where it appears the inhabitants are all dead. Joseph and Maryam have become close and have confessed their love to one another. It wasn't until they left Marawa Island that things begin to pick up. Here they come in contact with the racist religious zealots of the Confederated Territories, The Confederated Territories for Christian Territorials. Here we have a parallel group of "religious" people, that use people of other races and religious affiliations as they please, just like the Apostles.

Now, they are in a refugee camp with conditions designed to kill both body and spirit. They come face to face with Te Matee Iai, known to the refugees as Sumber Kemusnahan, and there is a cure. But with the treatment of the refugees at the hands of the soldiers, it won't be easy to get.

Ruth's naivety really annoyed me in this installment. On Marawa Island, she was certain that God killed the inhabitants for worshiping another God, but in actuality, they died at the hands of Christians, murdered to insure that they never leave their shores seeking help. In the refugee camp she considered the other occupants heathens because they were of other religions, but Aanjay, a Buddhist, was compassionate and accepting of the newly arrived group and were trying to make things better. She even thought that because they were Christians, that surely the Confederated Territories would be accommodating to them.

I don't know whether Hager meant to cloak white supremacy in Christianity, but she did and she took a history lesson before doing so and it was brilliant. The racism was subtle in book one, but aggressive in book two. Two sides of the same coin. So now the group have to decide between the lesser of two evils: to stay in the Confederated Territories camp or return to Onēwere?

[Danielle J.]

I just finished reading this book, and honestly it's so much better than the first book. There was more depth in the characters, and I got to know them more better. I loved their interactions and conversations, especially Maryam understanding more about Lazareth's life in the Holy City.
I'm gonna say something controversial, I'm sorry, but the book got better after Joseph died. Don't get me wrong, I was sad Joseph died, but I got more absorbed into the book once he did. When he was alive, I was reading it on and off as the plot didn't keep me reading. But when Maryam, Lazareth, and Ruth finally arrived at the camp, their experiences were really interesting and kept me intrigued.
I'm glad I stumbled across a blog post about reading more than one book at a time, because it allowed me to read other books when I wasn't in the mood for The Wilderness. Surprisingly, when I was reading the 5th book of the Gallagher Girls series, I found myself missing The Wilderness! So I went back to reading it and I'm glad it did. Now that I've finished it, I'm excited to go back reading Out Of Sight, Out Of Time, and start reading Saving Francesca.
I'm so happy I've tried the 'reading more than one book' technique because it helped me finish books faster and I'm reading more books than ever, rather than slowly finishing a book one at a time. If you haven't tried the technique, I suggest you give it a go and see if it works out for you.
I really liked this book after halfway through the book, so I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars. I'm definitely going to ask my library if they have the third book in their shelves.

[M.W. Lee]

_Into the Wilderness_ by Mandy Hager receives 4 stars from me. It is interesting that the four stars feels odd to me because I kind of feel I'm inflating the score. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed the first one of the series. This is mostly plot-driven and lacked the thematic development of the first. However, the writing is still solid, so 4 stars is solid.

At times, I felt the plot was a bit contrived. Now that I'm finished, I see that this book's purpose seems to be to set up the next book. This is due to the ending.

This must read as harsh, so let me discuss the features of the book I enjoyed. While not as much, there is the theme of questioning one's faith. I think that this is explored, and with the target reader, this would cause great discussion. However, I could have used more of it. Maryam grows in this book; however, at times she gets a bit repetitive seemingly to stay in the same emotional space. But, she does grow, she does learn, so that's still a high point. Ruth. Dear Ruth. She's stuck in her faith. And while she, being stuck in her faith is annoying, she represents people faced with situations and evidence that call into question her faith. She refuses to hear or disucss it and when forced, she simply ignores it. This can be powerful for student discussion: why is she this way? can she change? should she change?

Recommended: yes, of course. I'd like to teach students at this age and get their thoughts on the book as well. It would be interesting to hear.

[Isabelle | Nine Tale Vixen]

Very distinct feel of the middle book in a trilogy - less defined, very inbetween/transitional, not much to recommend it on its own. I'm not too devastated by all the death and injury; it's all getting a bit old.

[Mary]

I was pretty sick of all the injuries by the end of the book. Seriously, within someone healing from an injury, someone else gets on 5 pages later.

[Ashley]

better than the first book
it still dragged a little bit but honestly had a lot more substance than i was expecting. ready to read the final book!

[Vanessa]

In 2013's THE CROSSING, Maryam discovered she'd been lied to her entire life. That the Apostles weren't who they said they were and that the native women taken to the ship were being treated like slaves. Determined to escape the injustices, Maryam makes a plan, and with the help of her newfound friend Joseph they do--with two unexpected companions in tow.

Now, in INTO THE WILDERNESS, Maryam and Joseph cross the sea in search of a new home, but nothing goes according to plan.

The story continues where it left off in CROSSING, with Joseph, Maryam, Ruth, and Lazarus sailing away from Onwere to find freedom. They don't really know what they're doing, and their basic navigation skills are barely enough to get them to an island, which turns out to be abandoned. Joseph's illness worsens. Maryam and Lazarus don't get along at all. And Ruth's religious zeal hasn't lessened despite her experience among the Apostles.

WILDERNESS follows the natural progression and consequences of the choices the foursome make, Hager doesn't hold back on their challenges and struggles. The entire book was an exhausting, tension-filled progression of events that makes you feel sorry for our cast. They discover that the outside world is as bad as the one where they lived with the Apostles. Each person learns good and bad things about themselves, sometimes initiating changes in behavior and attitude. All of these things make this novel a much more solid story than book 1, CROSSING.

My biggest complaint about CROSSING was my suspension of belief surrounding the cult-like following of the Church of the Lamb. Since in WILDERNESS our protagonists leave Onwere, that story is put on backburner and instead they have to respond to events and make hard choices. I did have some trouble with the set-up of the colonies they find later (especially the prisons), but that's more to do with my personal preferences than it actually being a problem with the plot/story. You see, Hager addresses themes of race and survival that are disturbing, and I admit they made me squirm. Another complaint from CROSSING that improves in WILDERNESS is the too-flowery prose. Hager scales it back a bit here, and the flow is much easier to read as a result, Maryam's PoV narration felt more realistic--even if she sometimes has over-the-top reactions to things, which I suppose I should attribute to her being a teenager. Compared to another recent YA dystopia book I read (EBR review of WASTELAND), this series is not only more realistic, but the characters behave consistently and in understandable ways.

Since most of the book is spent with the foursome on a boat in the ocean, readers won't feel solidly grounded for the setting (especially the colonies and why they are the way they are) and situation in which they find themselves. For sure you'll want to read CROSSING before reading WILDERNESS, because it would be difficult to understand where Maryam and the others are coming from, even if Hager does a good job of bridging the two books, reminding readers of what came before. Another problem with it being set in a boat was the pacing was sometimes slow. Certain events must happen before they reach their destination, and Hager takes her time in the telling, despite knowing the change of pace arrival will cause. This makes it feel like a two-part book, and is a little awkward in the pacing as a result.

In all, WILDERNESS is a better book than CROSSING. It's definitely a series for YA dystopia fans out there.

Recommended Age: 14+
Language: Very little
Violence: Not much
Sex: Teenage hormones and a description of a past rape

***Find this and other reviews at Elitistbookreviews.com***

[Michelle]

Into the Wilderness, book two in Blood of the Lamb series by Mandy Hager, brings Maryam and her cohorts out to sea as they escape the cult clutches of the Apostles. Their only guides are ancient maps, star charts, a compass, and the knowledge that a dreadful apocalypse has destroyed the world as it was known before the Apostles isolated their home island. While the mystery of the apocalypse overshadows Maryam and her friends, they must battle the impartial sea and make land fall before Joseph succumbs to the fatal plague of the Te Matee Iai.
This dystopian thriller is admirably compact and complex, packing in sexual tension, deadly threats, and deep soul searching on top of the mystery and urgency that drive the plot. Mandy Hager paints the characters’ doubts and inter-group conflict so clearly that even the reader wonders where they will decide to go next and what they will find. Into the Wilderness is a compelling mix of hope and despair and how four teenagers deal with it, with even mother nature seemingly pit against them.

I have only one complaint about the book and that is its religious message. Although I enjoyed the book, I was disappointed that Maryam decides to reject faith completely. I would call the text pro-atheist but not necessarily anti-religion. There is plenty of reason for Maryam to have this reaction based on her circumstances and I definitely have sympathy for the character. Any religious message in a book is a delicate matter and Mandy Hager handles hers well. She emphasizes Maryam’s inner strength, her internal locus of control, and thus forges an already strong female character to be even stronger. Maryam does not take her personal decision as a criticism against others, even her religious friend, Ruth. If the atheist leanings do not bother you then you will certainly be able to appreciate Maryam’s determination and strength of character.

Into the Wilderness is a riveting sequel and I expect that book three, Resurrection, will pack an even bigger punch.

Original review appears at:
http://bryanthomasschmidt.net/sffwrtc...

[Katt Hansen]

OK, I was surprised.

A book two in a trilogy of dystopic proportions can be somewhat of a letdown. Usually they feel more like a bridge to the stirring conclusion than a story strong enough to stand on their own. Here we see something that has enough ooomph to keep my interested and eager to pick up book three, with enough development of character and plot to really engage the reader.

In other words, the journey doesn't end in a place that you expect it to. Or with the conclusion that you would expect it to.

With all the pathos of Luke Skywalker discovering his father and losing his hand, we have Maryam gain her own sense of purpose, but having had to grow painfully to get there. The woman she's becoming, the quest she's set to undertake at the end of this book strikes at your heart with a sense of "This really can't possibly end well."

Of course now I have to grab book three (and I'm so thankful I had it on standby) so that I can see what happens next.

What makes this book so unique and interesting is the spiritual component. We see the Christian church warped into a cult in book one. In book two we see the discussion of other faiths, and what it means to believe. Such richness and depth I hadn't expected from teen dystopic fiction.

But even more - the message in this book that left me really thinking is that of the political - that feels so current that this book MUST be read today as we argue just what should happen to refugees and how they should be treated.

Overall, I'm very impressed. On to the third book!

[So I just type my name here eh ? And my last name here ?]

Excuse me for sounding like a possessed fan girl, but I'm in love with this book.

Into the Wilderness is amazing. It's the second installment in the 'Blood of Lamb' series, and the fact I hadn't read the first made me skeptical as to how well I'd understand the second. But alas there was a nifty little explanation of the first in the front of the book which helped me get my bearings.

I instantly felt as though I knew the characters. They had depth and personality, Maryam, strong willed and determined, Ruth, timid, but gentle and kind as a lamb, Joseph, full of unconditional love and forgiveness, and Lazarus, misunderstood and easily influenced in the world of evil they live in. I felt as though they have a past and future rather than just being what they are, characters. I was, and still am, greatly attached to them all.

The plot is equally amazing and tackles racism, religion, sexism, and a great number of other topics. It did have a tendency to become a tad predictable and dreary which left me bored at some stages, but my love for the characters kept me reading.

Lately young adult novels have been all about teenage vampire love triangles, and don't get me wrong.. They're fun... But I'm enjoying the post apocalyptic ones that have been popping up a a LOT more.

[Emily W]

Another great book by Mandy Hager!
In the second instalment of the Blood of the lamb trilogy, Maryam And her companions reach new land for the first time. It was exciting to see the way they engage with their new environments, as the try to understand both the island's history and their own.

This book delved more heavily into the themes of colonialism and racism, as the four face far harsher treatment than ever before.

Hager does a great job especially in describing the new and unfamiliar surroundings so that the reader both knows what she is referring to while still viewing the surroundings through the new and unfamiliar lens of Maryam.

I look forward to reading the final book in the trilogy.

[Mrs Mac McKenzie]

This is the sequel to The Crossing which I absolutely loved, and was looking forward to reading this instalment. This book does not move as fast as the Crossing, however it has some interesting twists in it that make the reader reflect on current events with refugees across the world. The character development and plot development are deep with things now starting to be connected. I will read the third book as I am intrigued how it the story will end.

To understand the events in this instalment, you must read The Crossing, it is definately a series to be read in order.

A New Zealand author with a great story to tell.

[Lawrence]

I've been enjoying this Polynesian post-apocalyptic dystopian series -- even though they could have been parsed out at a more convenient rate from the U.S. publisher, since they were issued in New Zealand years ago. The major themes are race, religion and class, which have only become more severe and stratified in this imagined future. Add a deadly plague and a racist totalitarian state based in Australia and you have the backdrop for the personal dramas which are really the heart beat of the novels, whose main focus is a feisty teenage aboriginal girl who fights the status quo.

[Annie Easton]

This book took a dark turn and I'm not convinced that its young adult intended audience would enjoy it as much as the first. The first book was original and a riveting read. Into the Wilderness was mainly set in a futuristic camp for refugees, much like Christmas Island. I think it veered away from a really good story into a grim political commentary.I would be interested in other peoples thoughts on this.

[Nova]

currently reading

[Mel]

Pacific islands
New Zealand author
Fleeing lands to find a better place

[Petra]

I must say... Wow! Mandy hager has captured the essence of hope, loss, fear and hope once more. I had trouble putting this book down for the best part of it :D 100% praise

[Romy]

It's odd. It really is great but....it's cruel, in a way that intrigues and irritates slightly. But in a good way.

[Rocky]

Absolutely spectacular. Best book I've read this year.

[Jane M]

I really like the complexity and growth shown in the pacific teenage female protagonist. An authentic action read.

[Dee brown]

On to book 3!