Source: Bought
Having read a couple of paranormal romance series in which werewolves are dangerous, but still lovable, I decided to try something a little grittier. A werewolf story where a woman is attacked, not seduced, seemed like a refreshing break.
Chey Clarke is on her own in the far north when a flash flood disorients her and destroys her supplies. As she grows increasingly desperate to get to the town that should be due north, she realizes that she's being hunted…by something a large pack of wolves runs from. Sure enough, it's a werewolf, which says hello by trying to yank her out of the tree she climbed and tear her to shreds. Unfortunately, he gets close enough to scratch her, and Chey is just like him, and he lets her into his world (after a bumpy start…involving him chasing her with an ax). However, it seems the predator-prey divide is not as clear as it seems, as Chey's backstory is revealed and people from her old life make an appearance.
I mainly wanted a story that took a different look at werewolves, and this did just that. Powell, the werewolf, lives isolated from all humans because, once changed, his one goal is to kill and destroy anything human. That's part of the curse, that the wolf side hates all things human, which battles his human side. Being a wolf isn't cool, it really sucks-you live longer and are stronger, but there are two sides of you that hate each other, and one would eat the other given the opportunity. Although the cause of the curse was never really explained, the story drew in the myth of the werewolf that was prominent in medieval Europe, which I thought was pretty cool. According to Mr. Wellington's website, this is part of a new series (cool!), so maybe there will be further explanations as they further find out about the curse.
My favorite part of the book was Chey-she was a really strong lead character, and I loved how the way her character changed facilitated the twists and turns of the plot. Powell was also interesting, and I liked how their relationship developed, especially when Chey's previous experience with wolves comes to light. Plus, there's (sort of) romance that doesn't involve sex-which is totally fine, but, seriously, it's not a requirement when a werewolf and a woman meet.
Another strength of the book was Mr. Wellington's description; although the book was not particularly scary, there were a few rather chilling moments, especially given the way it was described-
"She took in its shape in all in an instant, but after she saw them she had trouble looking at anything but its eyes. Those eyes-they were not yellow, like those of the timber wolves, but an icy green, narrow and cold. Intelligence resided in those eyes as well as something else, a deadly anger. She could read it plainly, as well as she could have read the eyes of a human being. This animal didn't want to eat her. It didn't consider her prey. It wanted to kill her."
So even though I was expecting something a little scarier, I did begin to enjoy the story once I realized that this was more gritty adventure than horror. In some cases, the writing style bugged me slightly, but I think it had more to do with the fact that it was just different than I was used to. I plan on trying more of David Wellington's books, particularly his vampire series. I particularly want to see his spin on the traditional vampire lore. I'm also planning to read on with the next book in this series, Overwinter.
Grade: 3.5/5-not my favorite, but definitely something I'll keep up with
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