Review #23

Title: Raised by Wolves

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Summary: Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it.  That doesn’t mean that she’s averse to breaking a rule or two.  

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian’s basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents’ murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she’s shaped?

Rating: ****

Review: I think that Barnes did something really unique with the whole werewolf thing in this book. There was a lot more focus on the hierarchy of wolf packs (or in this case werewolf packs) than you usually see in books like this, which was something that I really liked about this book.

The fact that you see the werewolf pack through Bryn’s eyes allows you to relate more to the book, because I for one can’t really relate to someone who is part wolf part super human but I can relate to a teenage girl who feels kind of out of place and left out of the world she lives in. One of my favorite things about this book is the Barnes gave a generous amount of back story for Bryn and the history of the werewolf packs in North America, and having that extra knowledge really helped me get suck into the story. 

A lot of the characters in this book are very quirky and sarcastic which I think is nice because it adds a little humor to a pretty hostile situation. My favorite character is Lake because she is this tough, sarcastic, gun-slinging girl, but you also get to see a little venerability from her throughout various parts of the book.

I also really like the ending to this book. By that I don’t just mean what happened at the end I mean like literally the last page of the book, because after all that happened you get to see the book with Callum and Bryn just being Callum and Bryn 

Overall this was a book that I definitely enjoyed. I plan on picking up the sequel, Trial by Fire, from my library tomorrow.

Recommendation: At points this book reminded me of The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater, so if you read and liked those books you might enjoy this book.