When “creature” journalist Steph Patel stumbles on the story of a young boy killed by a mysterious animal near a secret compound, she flies to Scotland to investigate.

Steph quickly becomes embroiled in eccentric millionaire Kelvin Handle’s experiment which aims to prove that prehistoric mammals could live near human populations.

Unsurprisingly, things go south and Steph and co are left fighting for their lives against ultra large prehistoric mammals and mercenaries alike.

A quick and exhilaring albeit not particularly well written read with an ending which felt too sudden. Personally, I had been hoping for dinosaurs.

For fans of Michael Crichton.

Well this was a bit of a roller coaster. It started of really well, intriguing well paced. And then it just got gruesome. Not my cup of tea and the ending was a bit daft. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. rounded up.

I had a really difficult time engaging with this one, mainly due to the lack of connection I felt with Steph. I didn't find much within her to hold onto, which made the beginning of this novel feel like a slog. Instead of feeling a building interest in the core of "The Rewilding," I mostly felt annoyed. By the time the apex predators were introduced, I'd been annoyed for so long that I didn't really care either way. The premise was exciting, but the execution really failed.

This book is giving Jurassic Park vibes. I wasn’t really a big fan it felt rushed and I couldn’t get into the story.

A creature feature-featuring many creatures.

A young boy has been killed by something in the Scottish countryside. The boys body being discovered by a secret facility that specializes in working on bringing back extinct predators sure is suspicious. Field biologist Steph Patel has caught wind of the story and-with her motivation being money-pursues it. The further she probes into it, the faster things go south, will she be able to survive?

An interesting premise that evolved into a very jurassic park movie-like vibe in that there is a few competent characters, a very rich character who likes extinct creatures enough to try and bring them back, a scientist that will do anything to protect what they have created, many things go wrong, and the creatures hunt the humans. If you like that, you’ll like this book.

The language did feel a bit stiff at times and I had trouble distinguishing who was who with some of the background characters. I would have liked more character development as there wasn’t much substance in the characters. By the end some questions are left unanswered but it was still a fun read.

Rating: C-

Digital ARC provided by NetGalley.

The Rewilding is a confounding book. I thought it would be a tense and frightening story a la Jurassic Park, but instead of is kind of a meandering and unfocused story about a group of people who are part of an experimental park where clones of ancient mammals are cohabitating...with humans.

The book starts very very quickly - a child is killed by some monster in the Scottish wilderness and biologist Steph senses a story building and goes there from America to investigate. Once she enters the park, she runs into some park employees who work for billionaire, Kelvin, who started the project and the one who hires her on to work at the park.

I thought this might be more focused and a high-paced thriller trying to escape or fight the animals, but instead it turns to the human characters more. There was no tension, no real drive for me to finish this book. I didn't feel like any character had personality - it was all just random dialogue and random fighting on top of random animal kills that NO ONE reacted to. I even found the arguments between Martina and Steph ridiculous - it felt almost like two children who hated each other sticking their tongues out across the room. It was all just really lifeless.

I thoroughly disliked this one. Just read Jurassic Park instead.

Thanks to Netgalley and Cranthorpe Millner for the ARC!

3.75 Stars rounded up to 4.

I really liked the first 75% of this book. It’s fast paced, mysterious, and really holds onto your attention. It’s simple in writing, nothing outstanding, but gets the job done if you want a quick adventure thriller jaunt.

I wish that there had been more animals, and more exploration of the science. The ending and wrap up really left a lot to be desired, and while it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the first part of the book, it left me with a lot of questions. I also would have loved to have more character development, as none of the characters stood out to me or really made me attached.

Overall, it’s fun, there was potential, and I’d read more adventures of this MC if we got a little more character development.

The Rewilding - Steph is a field biologist/author who investigates and writes about strange occurrences. She travels to Scotland after she hears about the mysterious death of a boy by an animal and falls in with a rich eccentric's rewilding project. But there are lots of predators, and some of the hybrids, and people, are unpredictable... and dangerous.

I struggled through this. I did not care about the main character, Steph, at all. She was inconsistent and had confusing motivations. To be honest, the three other guys working there (Davey, Daniel, Michael) kind of blended together and I couldn't even really tell them apart.
She trespasses, and instead of getting into trouble they just give her a job? And then she spends pretty much zero time doing her job before everything goes down. Also, did they do any research beforehand or have anyone on staff who knew anything before she fell into their lap? Or did they just not care? She comes in and immediately knows that there are way too many predators for the area...

Overall it felt.. rushed, but also like not much happened, and I had a very hard time getting into the story or caring about any of the characters.

I rated it 1.5/5 stars rounded up to 2.
Thank you NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Steph Patel is a field biologist, but not in the way you might think when you hear the job title. Steph investigates wildlife mysteries and writes books that allow readers to draw their own conclusions. Is Bigfoot wandering around Alaska? Steph's not going to say he is, but she's laying out how a large primate could live in the area.

So when Steph hears of the death of a child in Scotland, in a manner not explained by murder, foul play, or any of the common local wildlife, she jumps on the chance to investigate. And near the site of the boy's death, a walled off area with not one but two large fences. None of the locals seem to know what's behind the walls, and Steph is determined to get to the bottom of things.

Sneaking into the fenced off area nets Steph a job with a billionaire formerly in the spotlight but forced to become reclusive after an allegation swayed public opinion against him. His new project is, on the surface, environmentally kind. Reserving a large tract of land for native animals, this billionaire wants to see if humans can live alongside larger animals previously native to the area.

With a clear Crichton-esque feel, Robert Evans brings an action-packed story full of twists and an a pervasive sense of dread. Unsurprisingly, the skeevy billionaire's passion project is not on the up-and-up and Steph is forced into a more dangerous situation than she could have ever expected.

This was a fun read, with a competent main character thrust into an environment where, unsurprisingly, things go poorly after people in their infinite wisdom make a lot of questionable choices, and then make even more in an attempt to fix things. 3.75 stars.

Thanks to author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book had an interesting premise and I'm totally on board with the Jurassic Park vibes and Scotland. This honestly wasn't my favorite book but it was still decent enough.

Honestly, I went for this ARC because of the cover and the title. When I found out it was based in Scotland and had a horror vibe, I was so excited!

This felt like non-stop action and rich with messy and complex characters. I loved the suspense and its Scottish setting, but some parts felt a bit stilted or perhaps not as emotionally invested as it could have been. Overall, a suspenseful read.

Wow! Absolutely loved this book. Great characters, intricate details and a unique jurassic park style world. Definitely going to check out more from this author!

With 'The Rewilding' Robert Evans dabbles in Michael Crichton-y territory, with a tense and dangerous science-y thriller about a self-centered tech billionaire who spends a fortune bringing some long extinct creatures back into nature on a sprawling fenced-in compound in Scotland. What could possibly go wrong, right?

Well, if nothing went wrong this would either be a short book - or a dull one.

Thankfully for readers Evans dials up the intrigue and adventures as an intrepid field biologist/author breaks into the compound to see just what is going on, and from there the reality gets grim. Sure, those beavers are cute, but the over-sized wolves, the cave bear, AND the cave lion can only mean mayhem and death are going to be in high supply. And they are.

Fast-paced and plenty of action. In other words: fun stuff.

Thank you Netgalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In “The Rewilding,” Robert Evans delivers a blood-soaked, adrenaline-charged thriller that fuses climate fiction, eco-horror, and speculative science into a chilling modern parable. Think Jurassic Park—but grittier, gorier, and far more plausible.

The story opens with a mystery: a young boy is found dead in the Scottish wilderness, mauled by a creature no one can identify. Enter Steph Patel, a sharp, morally driven field biologist and bestselling author, who sees both scientific intrigue and career opportunity in the strange case. But what begins as research for a potential book quickly turns into a fight for survival as Steph uncovers the horrifying truth behind a secretive rewilding project hidden deep in the Highlands.

The project, funded by a reclusive billionaire and run by ethically bankrupt geneticists, aims to resurrect extinct apex predators—cave lions, wolves, and monstrous cave bears—using cutting-edge gene manipulation. But the ecosystem they’ve been reintroduced into is nowhere near capable of supporting them. Confined, hungry, and modified to be stronger and more aggressive, these creatures are unleashed in an environment that was never meant to contain them. As the body count rises and the lines between predator and prey blur, it becomes clear: the real threat isn’t nature, but humanity’s arrogance in thinking it can control it.

Evans does a fantastic job creating a claustrophobic atmosphere soaked in dread and punctuated with scenes of raw, animal terror. The pacing is relentless, and while the scientific plausibility toes the line of speculative, the world-building feels disturbingly close to real. The book’s ecological undertones ring loud and clear—this is a cautionary tale about playing god, about tampering with nature for profit, and about the monstrous consequences of unchecked human ego.

What elevates “The Rewilding” beyond a simple creature-feature is its characters. Steph is a compelling lead—observant, principled, and thrown into a situation where reason and science quickly give way to instinct and survival. Around her, a cast of shadowy billionaire and cold-blooded researchers flesh out a world in which humans are the true chaos agents. In the end, it’s not just about beasts with teeth—it’s about the wildness we carry inside ourselves.

There are moments where you wish the story had spent more time delving into the inner lives of the animals themselves, especially given their central role. And the final revelations—while satisfying—leave a few threads dangling. But the story sticks the landing, with a conclusion that is both bleak and deservedly cathartic. The animals may win, but the victory feels like a grim eulogy for the hubris of modern civilization.

Overall, “The Rewilding” is a visceral, high-stakes thriller that doesn’t just ask what if we brought back extinct predators?—it asks what would drive us to do it in the first place? With sharp commentary on climate collapse, corporate greed, and the dangers of unchecked science, Robert Evans crafts a horror-tinged survival story that’s as smart as it is savage.

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
Came for the Jurassic Park-esque vibes, stayed for the non-stop action.
I’m known for choosing my books, not always for the cover (guilty), but sometimes even for some words in the synopsis. In this case: young boy killed, Scotland, bring back once-extinct predators.
I must admit I was also intrigued by the totally B movie phrase in the cover: When curiosity doesn’t kill the cat… The cat might just kill you. Round of applauses, please.
So I was expecting a Jurassic Park type of story, Park or not Park still a mystery, where everything goes badly after reviving something similar to a prehistoric cat and there is a child who has just been killed by that same creature. Sometimes a girl does not anything else.
And I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the rhythm. Once our main character was in the secret location, it was non-stop action, everyone was in danger, predators were almost supernaturally everywhere and there were also some twists and turns.
Was it the best book ever? No, but again, sometimes that is not what you want.

The Rewilding isn’t just a novel—it’s a gut punch disguised as a survival story. I went into it expecting dystopian fiction with a climate edge, but what I got was something far more visceral, urgent, and emotionally unsettling. Robert Evans doesn’t pull punches. He drops you into a world unraveling at the seams and dares you to look away. Spoiler: you won’t.

The premise is terrifyingly plausible: climate collapse, societal breakdown, and the rise of eco-terrorism as both rebellion and survival. But what really gripped me wasn’t the big picture—it was the people. The characters in The Rewilding feel like real survivors: damaged, messy, fiercely alive. Watching them navigate the ruins of the old world and the brutal logic of the new one was both thrilling and heartbreaking.

Steph Patel is a field biologist and best selling author specializing in the extraordinary so she is intrigued when she reads about the unexplained violent death of a young boy in Scotland. The boy was killed by a large, unknown animal that does not seem to be native to the Scottish forests. Soon Steph is on her way to Scotland to research her newest book idea. She discovers that a double layer of electrified fencing is protecting something hidden deep in the woods. The local villagers are guarded but tell her the land is owned by a reclusive billionaire. Naturally she can’t wait to discover who - or what - is hidden. What is hidden is the crazed idea that extinct predators can be brought back to life and introduced into the current animal population. This is, of course, not a good idea. Steph is hired by an eccentric group of genetic researchers led by Kelvin Handle, who funds the operation. There are many problems, the least being that the animals are always hungry and not selective about their prey. Survival, not writing a book, becomes Steph’s priority.

The Rewinding is an action packed thriller full of mystery and gore. Although there are some unanswered questions, the characters are well described, the animals are terrifying and every person and animal is just one page away from death. Just what you look for in a horror novel! 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Cranthorpe Millner Publishers and Robert Evans for the ARC.