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Raised by Wolves #1
Raised by Wolves
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?
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?
432 pages, Hardcover
First published June 8, 2010
About the author
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
52 books60.3k followersJennifer Lynn Barnes (who mostly goes by Jen) was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has been, in turn, a competitive cheerleader, a volleyball player, a dancer, a debutante, a primate cognition researcher, a teen model, a comic book geek, and a lemur aficionado. She's been writing for as long as she can remember, finished her first full book (which she now refers to as a "practice book" and which none of you will ever see) when she was still in high school, and then wrote Golden the summer after her freshman year in college, when she was nineteen.
Jen graduated high school in 2002, and from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought) in May of 2006. She'll be spending the 2006-2007 school year abroad, doing autism research at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
Jen graduated high school in 2002, and from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought) in May of 2006. She'll be spending the 2006-2007 school year abroad, doing autism research at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,779 reviews
November 8, 2010
I actually had a massive struggle to be-star this book in an appropriate manner. I think it's one of the first times I've ever really cursed GoodRead's refusals to allow half stars because whilst this wasn't QUITE a four star read, it was definitely more than a three.
In fact, I really want to give it four stars just on principle.
I might...
But, no, that would compromise my ethics.
And that's like Spiderman deciding to turn intoa giant, flying douche evil. It's just WRONG.
Nobody wants to see that...
Raised by Wolves is rather predictably about a human girl, Bryn who is... raised by wolves.
There's nothing particularly original about the portrayal of werewolf society in this novel. It is highly reminiscent of the Mercy Thompson series and some of the descriptions about pack running reeked of Bitten.
Bryn gets in trouble when a 'bitten' boy shows up and she and he both discover they were attacked by the same rabid werewolf.
OOOOOHHHH! Shit just got real!
So Bryn has been a very bad girl and in pack society, this is the perfect opportunity to exercise their rights to BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF A FIFTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL.
Until she's sorry.
Shit...
Now, Bryn knows that she's deserved this and rightfully brought the anger of the pack down onto her little, barely-pubescent shoulders because in a moment of stress she broke a small, tiny, insignificant agreement she had with a leader.
She totally knows they're justified and was all ready to start telling people she tripped... repeatedly until she suffered cracked ribs, seven contusions, four lacerations, a concussion and passed out for three days.
She knows this is perfectly reasonable.
Unfortunately, her adopted human-yet-married-to-pack mother packs up Bryn and her four month old twins, flips her husband the bird and moves her family as far away as she possibly can.
Now this is where the story really picks up because Bryn starts to take matter into her own hands and I really enjoyed her journey from brainwashed pack member into someone who realizes that maybe it's not okay to beat someone who's not legally allowed to drink - just because she didn't follow every rule perfectly.
So why wasn't this book a four star read?
Well, for starters, Barnes needs to clean up her prose a little. There were times when I felt like she kind of got lost in writing things that didn't make sense. Often, her writing didn't always convey what I think she felt it would and the climatic end needed to be more powerful in its deliverance.
I think Callum gets off really lightly for his actions. I finished the novel really wanting to bash his face in for masking his actions as love. Gross.
This isn't sexy!
It's hard to know what to think about Raised by Wolves. On one hand, I want to read about Bryn when she's much older and no longer easily grounded by everyone within a 10 mile vicinity. I think that would be a more enjoyable story. I think I'd really like to read about her come into her own, but I do need the writing to clear up a little and become smoother and more emotive.
I don't know how interested I am in reading more of teenage Bryn though. Other than that, for a YA paranormal read, this wasn't bad at all.
And if you don't like it - they may just beat you... for your own good of course...
In fact, I really want to give it four stars just on principle.
I might...
But, no, that would compromise my ethics.
And that's like Spiderman deciding to turn into
Nobody wants to see that...
Raised by Wolves is rather predictably about a human girl, Bryn who is... raised by wolves.
There's nothing particularly original about the portrayal of werewolf society in this novel. It is highly reminiscent of the Mercy Thompson series and some of the descriptions about pack running reeked of Bitten.
Bryn gets in trouble when a 'bitten' boy shows up and she and he both discover they were attacked by the same rabid werewolf.
OOOOOHHHH! Shit just got real!
So Bryn has been a very bad girl and in pack society, this is the perfect opportunity to exercise their rights to BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF A FIFTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL.
Until she's sorry.
Shit...
Now, Bryn knows that she's deserved this and rightfully brought the anger of the pack down onto her little, barely-pubescent shoulders because in a moment of stress she broke a small, tiny, insignificant agreement she had with a leader.
She totally knows they're justified and was all ready to start telling people she tripped... repeatedly until she suffered cracked ribs, seven contusions, four lacerations, a concussion and passed out for three days.
She knows this is perfectly reasonable.
Unfortunately, her adopted human-yet-married-to-pack mother packs up Bryn and her four month old twins, flips her husband the bird and moves her family as far away as she possibly can.
Now this is where the story really picks up because Bryn starts to take matter into her own hands and I really enjoyed her journey from brainwashed pack member into someone who realizes that maybe it's not okay to beat someone who's not legally allowed to drink - just because she didn't follow every rule perfectly.
So why wasn't this book a four star read?
Well, for starters, Barnes needs to clean up her prose a little. There were times when I felt like she kind of got lost in writing things that didn't make sense. Often, her writing didn't always convey what I think she felt it would and the climatic end needed to be more powerful in its deliverance.
I think Callum gets off really lightly for his actions. I finished the novel really wanting to bash his face in for masking his actions as love. Gross.
This isn't sexy!
It's hard to know what to think about Raised by Wolves. On one hand, I want to read about Bryn when she's much older and no longer easily grounded by everyone within a 10 mile vicinity. I think that would be a more enjoyable story. I think I'd really like to read about her come into her own, but I do need the writing to clear up a little and become smoother and more emotive.
I don't know how interested I am in reading more of teenage Bryn though. Other than that, for a YA paranormal read, this wasn't bad at all.
And if you don't like it - they may just beat you... for your own good of course...
January 19, 2012
I am going to write this review in the style of this book.
Not Good.
Not Mine.
I read a review of it and someone said it was “evocative”.
No.
Not.
Bryn was adopted by the alpha werewolf as a child after her parents were murdered in front of her by a rogue werewolf.
Rogue.
Whispers.
No.
Although she is human, she was taken in to the pack and raised amongst them. Now, she’s fifteen.
A teenager.
Love. Hate.
Confusion.
She thinks that the alpha is keeping something from her and she discovers she is right when she finds a newly turned werewolf in the alpha’s basement.
New werewolf. Also, a teen.
Rage.
Love.
Mine.
Bryn decides she will stop at nothing to get the answers to her questions about the new werewolf, Chase.
Nothing.
Stop.
No.
So, she embarks on a mission to do so.
So, was that wearying? I may have exaggerated it a tiny bit, but try reading 418 pages of that and then you tell me how you liked it. I disliked the author’s efforts at creating a sense of impending…something. It felt contrived. Also, I found this book to be too full of werewolf politics. If you are a werewolf fanatic, go out immediately and read it because you’ll probably love it. Then, be even happier to know it’s a series: a series that I won’t be reading.
Won’t.
Not Good.
Not Mine.
I read a review of it and someone said it was “evocative”.
No.
Not.
Bryn was adopted by the alpha werewolf as a child after her parents were murdered in front of her by a rogue werewolf.
Rogue.
Whispers.
No.
Although she is human, she was taken in to the pack and raised amongst them. Now, she’s fifteen.
A teenager.
Love. Hate.
Confusion.
She thinks that the alpha is keeping something from her and she discovers she is right when she finds a newly turned werewolf in the alpha’s basement.
New werewolf. Also, a teen.
Rage.
Love.
Mine.
Bryn decides she will stop at nothing to get the answers to her questions about the new werewolf, Chase.
Nothing.
Stop.
No.
So, she embarks on a mission to do so.
So, was that wearying? I may have exaggerated it a tiny bit, but try reading 418 pages of that and then you tell me how you liked it. I disliked the author’s efforts at creating a sense of impending…something. It felt contrived. Also, I found this book to be too full of werewolf politics. If you are a werewolf fanatic, go out immediately and read it because you’ll probably love it. Then, be even happier to know it’s a series: a series that I won’t be reading.
Won’t.
October 13, 2022
Q: Impossibility. These days, it was my strong suit. (c)
Frankly, all the Pack bullshit seems to be way over the top.
Now, isn't Callum a crafty one? Q:“You’re my escort?” (c)
The Marking thing seems to be too angst-inducing… Seriously, werewolves heal like crazy but clawing a puny human?
Q: … once that kid is born, and you’re fine, I’m getting a tattoo, piercing my belly button, and eloping to Mexico with someone you’ve never met. (c) Sounds like a master plan.
Now, that's quite the trauma:
Q: The pack didn’t just want me safe. They wanted to keep me in the dark.
And ever since the night the Big Bad Wolf had come knocking at my parents’ door, I hadn’t been overly fond of the dark. Not metaphorically. (c)
Poor neighbours:
Q: … the good people of Ark Valley had enough reasons to think that those of us who lived in the woods were just a little bit off. (c)
Bryn's the poster child for irresponsibility here. I don't like her attitude, frankly.
Q:
“Callum’s hurt,” I said, thinking of how much I was hurting and how Callum loved Ali the way I did. “He’s really hurt, Marcus.” (c)
Q:
“You are nearly too stupid to live, you foolish, reckless child.” (c) Yes, I totally agree with Sora.
Q:
I tried not to think about the fact that my vow to abstain from stupidity had lasted for all of forty-five seconds…
it didn’t look like the cavalry was going to be stopping me from my endless pursuit of stupidity anytime soon. (c) Like I'm saying, she's so dratty stupid.
Q:
Love was so much less complicated when I was halfway dead. (c)
So, weres born of a female were are stringer than the ones born of a male were? Interesting world-building bit.
Are they all idiots?
Q:
“Your request has been registered. Define the terms of the permissions you seek.” (c) Come on… that's as boring as hell.
Cutesy twinsey:
Q:
Alex almost always needed to be changed, and Kaitlin, in contrast, needed to be Changed. (c)
Q:
In addition to having superstrength, accelerated healing, awesome senses, and an extended life span, werewolves, I had recently discovered, were also pretty much immune to the horrors of poop. (c) Oh, really.
Fun stuff:
Q:
“THERE ARE BAD PEOPLE IN THE WORLD: MURDERERS and psychopaths and telemarketers who won’t take no for an answer.” (c)
Q:
I felt like I’d run a marathon. Through a vat of cement. With weights on my legs. (c)
Q:
For the first time in my life, I felt like a two-legged, furless, wolf-less werewolf. As if being fifteen didn’t give me enough identity issues. (c)
Q:
She mandated that I spend more time at my studio, kept an irritatingly close watch on my grades as finals closed in, and outrageously threatened to ground me (again) if Devon and I didn’t spend at least one night a week kicking back and watching TV shows on DVD. (c) Now, that's difficult (not!). Ali rules. Bryn's a sorry-ass slacker.
Q:
“Bryn want kill dinosaur,” I said, pantomiming what I thought passed for a decent dinosaur-killing motion.
For the first time in weeks, Ali laughed. “Go on. And if you’re very good, Ali show Bryn big heaping secret. Fiiiiiirrrre. Make tasty warm dinosaur meat.” (c)
Q:
“This just figures,” Casey muttered. “Never had a boyfriend, never wanted one, forgets to even brush her hair unless Ali reminds her, and now, this. There’s just no in-between with you, is there?”
I was minutes away from being on the receiving end of terrifying and unquestionably physical retribution. Was now really the time for Casey to be complaining about my dating habits, or lack thereof? (c)
Q:
“I’D TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN’T STAY MAD AT ME forever, but I have a feeling you’d take that as a challenge.” (c)
Q:
“Some people are fast.
Some people are strong....
Some people are just real easy to talk to.”
I was scrappy. (c)
Q:
… he looked down at the ground and then, as if his shoes had given him the answer … (c)
Q:
This meeting would be like throwing a bunch of champion gladiators into a ring and telling them to talk out their differences over tea. (c)
Q:
The idea of Lake in the Girl Scouts was something else. She’d have earned all of their badges and single-handedly destroyed their reputation within a week. (c)
Q:
Like a sand castle at high tide, I broke, dissolved, and drifted slowly away. (c)
Q:
And b-t-w, if anyone asks you what’s in that box, I’d advise you to say, ‘Feminine supplies.’”
The box was large and heavy, and there was a distinct clanging sound as I carried it. “As in tampons?” (c)
Frankly, all the Pack bullshit seems to be way over the top.
Now, isn't Callum a crafty one? Q:“You’re my escort?” (c)
The Marking thing seems to be too angst-inducing… Seriously, werewolves heal like crazy but clawing a puny human?
Q: … once that kid is born, and you’re fine, I’m getting a tattoo, piercing my belly button, and eloping to Mexico with someone you’ve never met. (c) Sounds like a master plan.
Now, that's quite the trauma:
Q: The pack didn’t just want me safe. They wanted to keep me in the dark.
And ever since the night the Big Bad Wolf had come knocking at my parents’ door, I hadn’t been overly fond of the dark. Not metaphorically. (c)
Poor neighbours:
Q: … the good people of Ark Valley had enough reasons to think that those of us who lived in the woods were just a little bit off. (c)
Bryn's the poster child for irresponsibility here. I don't like her attitude, frankly.
Q:
“Callum’s hurt,” I said, thinking of how much I was hurting and how Callum loved Ali the way I did. “He’s really hurt, Marcus.” (c)
Q:
“You are nearly too stupid to live, you foolish, reckless child.” (c) Yes, I totally agree with Sora.
Q:
I tried not to think about the fact that my vow to abstain from stupidity had lasted for all of forty-five seconds…
it didn’t look like the cavalry was going to be stopping me from my endless pursuit of stupidity anytime soon. (c) Like I'm saying, she's so dratty stupid.
Q:
Love was so much less complicated when I was halfway dead. (c)
So, weres born of a female were are stringer than the ones born of a male were? Interesting world-building bit.
Are they all idiots?
Q:
“Your request has been registered. Define the terms of the permissions you seek.” (c) Come on… that's as boring as hell.
Cutesy twinsey:
Q:
Alex almost always needed to be changed, and Kaitlin, in contrast, needed to be Changed. (c)
Q:
In addition to having superstrength, accelerated healing, awesome senses, and an extended life span, werewolves, I had recently discovered, were also pretty much immune to the horrors of poop. (c) Oh, really.
Fun stuff:
Q:
“THERE ARE BAD PEOPLE IN THE WORLD: MURDERERS and psychopaths and telemarketers who won’t take no for an answer.” (c)
Q:
I felt like I’d run a marathon. Through a vat of cement. With weights on my legs. (c)
Q:
For the first time in my life, I felt like a two-legged, furless, wolf-less werewolf. As if being fifteen didn’t give me enough identity issues. (c)
Q:
She mandated that I spend more time at my studio, kept an irritatingly close watch on my grades as finals closed in, and outrageously threatened to ground me (again) if Devon and I didn’t spend at least one night a week kicking back and watching TV shows on DVD. (c) Now, that's difficult (not!). Ali rules. Bryn's a sorry-ass slacker.
Q:
“Bryn want kill dinosaur,” I said, pantomiming what I thought passed for a decent dinosaur-killing motion.
For the first time in weeks, Ali laughed. “Go on. And if you’re very good, Ali show Bryn big heaping secret. Fiiiiiirrrre. Make tasty warm dinosaur meat.” (c)
Q:
“This just figures,” Casey muttered. “Never had a boyfriend, never wanted one, forgets to even brush her hair unless Ali reminds her, and now, this. There’s just no in-between with you, is there?”
I was minutes away from being on the receiving end of terrifying and unquestionably physical retribution. Was now really the time for Casey to be complaining about my dating habits, or lack thereof? (c)
Q:
“I’D TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN’T STAY MAD AT ME forever, but I have a feeling you’d take that as a challenge.” (c)
Q:
“Some people are fast.
Some people are strong....
Some people are just real easy to talk to.”
I was scrappy. (c)
Q:
… he looked down at the ground and then, as if his shoes had given him the answer … (c)
Q:
This meeting would be like throwing a bunch of champion gladiators into a ring and telling them to talk out their differences over tea. (c)
Q:
The idea of Lake in the Girl Scouts was something else. She’d have earned all of their badges and single-handedly destroyed their reputation within a week. (c)
Q:
Like a sand castle at high tide, I broke, dissolved, and drifted slowly away. (c)
Q:
And b-t-w, if anyone asks you what’s in that box, I’d advise you to say, ‘Feminine supplies.’”
The box was large and heavy, and there was a distinct clanging sound as I carried it. “As in tampons?” (c)
November 3, 2010
Ugh. I really kind of hated this book. I kept asking myself, "WHY am I still reading this? Why do I continue to punish myself with more than 400 pages of this crap?" Then I would remember how the sweet librarian I've become friends with at our library branch recommended the book and had been so sure I'd like it that she put it on hold for me herself. Sigh. I guess I wanted to be able to honestly say that I had finished it. So there's that.
The problem with this book was the sheer ridiculousness of it. And the stupid characters. And the dumb plot. Oh yeah, and the writing. And the entire, revolting theme that centers around characters owning each other. The uber-annoying 15-year-old Bryn refers to herself as "his" in reference to at least three different male characters. Very empowering, eh? Plus, um, did I mention that she's only fifteen?? If the author insisted on placing her protagonist in a creepy co-dependent, soul-mate sort of relationship, couldn't she have made her just a tad older? In fact, everything that happens with and to this character really demands that she be older. I just couldn't ever see her as being only fifteen.
The writing itself was a mix of pretentiousness ("Hey, look at all the really, big words I know!") and a desperate attempt at dramatic flair (which failed, in case you were wondering). Incessant repetition of short phrases and/or words does not a brilliant author make.
Maybe the biggest problem for me was that I just wasn't buying it. Now, I'm all for a great fantasy book that creates a different kind of world. But the concept of that fantasy has to believable within the parameters the author has created. The world of Fablehaven was fantastic; the writing that created The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, #1) was flawless; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was ridiculous and hilarious, but still believable within the world(s) that it was created. While I know that none of those books represent reality, at no point while reading them did I roll my eyes and think, "Yeah, right."
So, now I just have to figure out what to say to my nice librarian friend. Sigh. I may have to resort to a stealthy drive-by to make sure she's not there when I drop this thing off . . .
The problem with this book was the sheer ridiculousness of it. And the stupid characters. And the dumb plot. Oh yeah, and the writing. And the entire, revolting theme that centers around characters owning each other. The uber-annoying 15-year-old Bryn refers to herself as "his" in reference to at least three different male characters. Very empowering, eh? Plus, um, did I mention that she's only fifteen?? If the author insisted on placing her protagonist in a creepy co-dependent, soul-mate sort of relationship, couldn't she have made her just a tad older? In fact, everything that happens with and to this character really demands that she be older. I just couldn't ever see her as being only fifteen.
The writing itself was a mix of pretentiousness ("Hey, look at all the really, big words I know!") and a desperate attempt at dramatic flair (which failed, in case you were wondering). Incessant repetition of short phrases and/or words does not a brilliant author make.
Maybe the biggest problem for me was that I just wasn't buying it. Now, I'm all for a great fantasy book that creates a different kind of world. But the concept of that fantasy has to believable within the parameters the author has created. The world of Fablehaven was fantastic; the writing that created The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, #1) was flawless; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was ridiculous and hilarious, but still believable within the world(s) that it was created. While I know that none of those books represent reality, at no point while reading them did I roll my eyes and think, "Yeah, right."
So, now I just have to figure out what to say to my nice librarian friend. Sigh. I may have to resort to a stealthy drive-by to make sure she's not there when I drop this thing off . . .
April 9, 2020
DNF Q&A:
Did you really give Raised by Wolves a chance?
Yes… after saving it for a rainy day for nearly 10 years, I made it to about the 85% mark before setting it aside.
Have you enjoyed other books in the same genre?
Kind of. I’ve certainly read others in the YA Paranormal genre that I thought were better. For the most part though, I tend to lose patience quickly with this type of story, preferring instead adult urban fantasy. These YA books tend to lack grit and are usually more focused on the love story than anything else. That said, they can be fun reads and I’ve read a few I really enjoyed:
Did you have certain expectations before starting it?
JLB is responsible for one of my absolute favorite YA series – The Naturals. I was nervous picking up some of her earlier works, but figured the same basic quality would be there… no comment.
What ultimately made you stop reading?
We all have a few things that drive us absolutely bonkers in books. Two of my most prominent ones are endless dialogue/explanations and characters who make stupid decisions solely for the sake of advancing the plot. This book had those two things in abundance, and they effectively killed any interest I had in the other components. You would think with all the time the character spent explaining to the reader and other characters how things work, she would be bright enough to reason through her own decision-making. But the removal of common sense would put her in danger and, as that’s the only thing the plot relied on, it had to happen or there would be no book. I thought her reasoning behind hunting for the killer felt contrived and didn’t have the proper substance behind it to drive an entire plot.
It also suffered from a consistent lack of forward plot progression. What happened overall could’ve been condensed into a short story (which might have actually been quite good). But instead it was a long, drawn out novel of endless dialogue and info dumps. I think I dropped it around 85%… that’s harsh. It probably would’ve only taken me another 20 minutes to get through it.
I’m not even going to start ranting about the whole “the boy is my everything” trope that was also present because we’ll be here forever.
Was there anything you liked about Raised by Wolves?
Nothing. Usually I can set aside personal tastes and find some silver lining that might make it recommendable to certain types of readers, but not in this case.
Would you read anything else by this author?
An emphatic YES!!! All of the things I’ve criticized about this book were non-existent in her Naturals series. Nowadays, she’s such a proficient writer and so good at creating characters with substance and meaningful motivations that I’ll devour anything else she decides to publish. Every writer worth their ounce of ink improves on their craft with each novel. Quite frankly, the leap from this book to The Naturals is so extreme, I can hardly believe its from the same author. She teaches psychology at Yale (or at least, she did several years ago when I first discovered her), and her later works are always infused with fascinating tidbits from her field of study. It’s awesome.
Notes: this nifty Q&A format is one I borrowed (with permission) from Nikki over at There Were Books Involved – thanks Nikki!
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Did you really give Raised by Wolves a chance?
Yes… after saving it for a rainy day for nearly 10 years, I made it to about the 85% mark before setting it aside.
Have you enjoyed other books in the same genre?
Kind of. I’ve certainly read others in the YA Paranormal genre that I thought were better. For the most part though, I tend to lose patience quickly with this type of story, preferring instead adult urban fantasy. These YA books tend to lack grit and are usually more focused on the love story than anything else. That said, they can be fun reads and I’ve read a few I really enjoyed:
Did you have certain expectations before starting it?
JLB is responsible for one of my absolute favorite YA series – The Naturals. I was nervous picking up some of her earlier works, but figured the same basic quality would be there… no comment.
What ultimately made you stop reading?
We all have a few things that drive us absolutely bonkers in books. Two of my most prominent ones are endless dialogue/explanations and characters who make stupid decisions solely for the sake of advancing the plot. This book had those two things in abundance, and they effectively killed any interest I had in the other components. You would think with all the time the character spent explaining to the reader and other characters how things work, she would be bright enough to reason through her own decision-making. But the removal of common sense would put her in danger and, as that’s the only thing the plot relied on, it had to happen or there would be no book. I thought her reasoning behind hunting for the killer felt contrived and didn’t have the proper substance behind it to drive an entire plot.
It also suffered from a consistent lack of forward plot progression. What happened overall could’ve been condensed into a short story (which might have actually been quite good). But instead it was a long, drawn out novel of endless dialogue and info dumps. I think I dropped it around 85%… that’s harsh. It probably would’ve only taken me another 20 minutes to get through it.
I’m not even going to start ranting about the whole “the boy is my everything” trope that was also present because we’ll be here forever.
Was there anything you liked about Raised by Wolves?
Nothing. Usually I can set aside personal tastes and find some silver lining that might make it recommendable to certain types of readers, but not in this case.
Would you read anything else by this author?
An emphatic YES!!! All of the things I’ve criticized about this book were non-existent in her Naturals series. Nowadays, she’s such a proficient writer and so good at creating characters with substance and meaningful motivations that I’ll devour anything else she decides to publish. Every writer worth their ounce of ink improves on their craft with each novel. Quite frankly, the leap from this book to The Naturals is so extreme, I can hardly believe its from the same author. She teaches psychology at Yale (or at least, she did several years ago when I first discovered her), and her later works are always infused with fascinating tidbits from her field of study. It’s awesome.
Notes: this nifty Q&A format is one I borrowed (with permission) from Nikki over at There Were Books Involved – thanks Nikki!
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
December 18, 2014
Bullet Review:
DNF at 22%/Chapter 8
As Young Adult Urban Fantasy werewolf books go, this is certainly not the worst you could do. It feels like Barnes put a lot of work into imagining how the werewolf pack would act, much like Briggs did for Mercy and Armstrong did for Women of the Otherworld.
But it's like every other freakin' YA UF book out there. Super Speshul Snowflake who is not worthy of knowing why she must be protected because she has ovaries. Way too much time on stupid, boring crap like werewolf puppies and all this intricate werewolf business. A mysterious hawt guy that our SSS is attracted to for no gorram reason. Dead parents. Tragic backstory. Oppressive guardians. Virtually no female characters to speak of and certainly none in any position of power (who aren't evil baddies). And then, once again, we have yet another werewolf mythology where female werewolves are stupidly rare - this time, it's almost WORST because it's a painfully stupid pseudoscience explanation that makes no sense (something attacks female embryos but won't attack them if there is a twin male???).
If you like werewolves, you could do worse, and at least it doesn't seem to have a royal d-bag, oppressive, abusive boyfriend. And like I said, there seems to be some effort to make the werewolf pack its own unique creation, not just some weird humans. But I would probably recommend either Mercy or Women of the Otherworld over this. It's certainly not worth my time to finish it.
And, to make matters worse, the audiobook is awful. Narrator sounds painfully childish and naive and silly.
DNF at 22%/Chapter 8
As Young Adult Urban Fantasy werewolf books go, this is certainly not the worst you could do. It feels like Barnes put a lot of work into imagining how the werewolf pack would act, much like Briggs did for Mercy and Armstrong did for Women of the Otherworld.
But it's like every other freakin' YA UF book out there. Super Speshul Snowflake who is not worthy of knowing why she must be protected because she has ovaries. Way too much time on stupid, boring crap like werewolf puppies and all this intricate werewolf business. A mysterious hawt guy that our SSS is attracted to for no gorram reason. Dead parents. Tragic backstory. Oppressive guardians. Virtually no female characters to speak of and certainly none in any position of power (who aren't evil baddies). And then, once again, we have yet another werewolf mythology where female werewolves are stupidly rare - this time, it's almost WORST because it's a painfully stupid pseudoscience explanation that makes no sense (something attacks female embryos but won't attack them if there is a twin male???).
If you like werewolves, you could do worse, and at least it doesn't seem to have a royal d-bag, oppressive, abusive boyfriend. And like I said, there seems to be some effort to make the werewolf pack its own unique creation, not just some weird humans. But I would probably recommend either Mercy or Women of the Otherworld over this. It's certainly not worth my time to finish it.
And, to make matters worse, the audiobook is awful. Narrator sounds painfully childish and naive and silly.
April 10, 2011
4.5 Stars
Raised by Wolves starts off the story with Bryn, who's parents was murdered by a rabid werewolf when she was only four years old. Callum, the alpha werewolf, rescued, adopted and marked her as his own and gave her to Ali to be raised like a daughter.
Now a fifteen year old Bryn struggles with where she truly belongs, not a wolf, but more then human, not till she meets a new wolf named Chase does she find a link to her past, connecting her to the future....
I've got to say, I'm mighty impressed with this book!
It's fascinating, captivating and kept me entertained and intrigued till the very last page. At first it took a bit to get into since it's described with intimate details of Bryn'a predicaments, but I think it was needed to understand the sway of power that the Pack holds which is needed for the full effect of the storyline.
And believe me when I say they hold power.
But this also lead me to be some what frustrated since I couldn't for the life of me figure out some of the motives behind these characters. Callum was hardest one to understand through out the entire book. I liked him and hated him at the same time. He has such an air of complexity about him that lingers when ever he's in a scene, but in the end I couldn't help but forgive his sins.
Bryn is an outstanding character and while I'm still not sure about a few things pertaining to her gifts, I think she handled her new role with confidence and fairness.
Her link with Chase was very unusaul and while it was very sweet I'm not sure I'd call it romance, or at least not for this book. It was more like a wave of respect, admiration and affection, but I'm still very puzzled about the why's? Is it because she was the first 'would be victim'? I guess I just don't understand why she has this overwhelming link to him and why she was able to mark him or him to her? Anyone have an answer, please feel free to fill me in, but overall I still enjoyed there dream like interactions and when there in each others minds, that was pretty amazing stuff.
I liked the rest of the characters as well. Devon is a great best friend and I really enjoyed how he cared about Bryn. It felt real and very sweet. Lake was another great role and even the Rabid played evil well.
Basically I loved this book. Jennifer Lynn Barnes pens a great Werewolf story, very different from what I've read in other books. It's gripping and kept me on my toes and she totally nailed the flavor of dominance in a steady pace that will keep readers in suspense from start to finish.
Can't wait to read the sequel and see how thing play out for Bryn and the rest of the Wolves.
A Great Read!
Raised by Wolves starts off the story with Bryn, who's parents was murdered by a rabid werewolf when she was only four years old. Callum, the alpha werewolf, rescued, adopted and marked her as his own and gave her to Ali to be raised like a daughter.
Now a fifteen year old Bryn struggles with where she truly belongs, not a wolf, but more then human, not till she meets a new wolf named Chase does she find a link to her past, connecting her to the future....
I've got to say, I'm mighty impressed with this book!
It's fascinating, captivating and kept me entertained and intrigued till the very last page. At first it took a bit to get into since it's described with intimate details of Bryn'a predicaments, but I think it was needed to understand the sway of power that the Pack holds which is needed for the full effect of the storyline.
And believe me when I say they hold power.
But this also lead me to be some what frustrated since I couldn't for the life of me figure out some of the motives behind these characters. Callum was hardest one to understand through out the entire book. I liked him and hated him at the same time. He has such an air of complexity about him that lingers when ever he's in a scene, but in the end I couldn't help but forgive his sins.
Bryn is an outstanding character and while I'm still not sure about a few things pertaining to her gifts, I think she handled her new role with confidence and fairness.
Her link with Chase was very unusaul and while it was very sweet I'm not sure I'd call it romance, or at least not for this book. It was more like a wave of respect, admiration and affection, but I'm still very puzzled about the why's? Is it because she was the first 'would be victim'? I guess I just don't understand why she has this overwhelming link to him and why she was able to mark him or him to her? Anyone have an answer, please feel free to fill me in, but overall I still enjoyed there dream like interactions and when there in each others minds, that was pretty amazing stuff.
I liked the rest of the characters as well. Devon is a great best friend and I really enjoyed how he cared about Bryn. It felt real and very sweet. Lake was another great role and even the Rabid played evil well.
Basically I loved this book. Jennifer Lynn Barnes pens a great Werewolf story, very different from what I've read in other books. It's gripping and kept me on my toes and she totally nailed the flavor of dominance in a steady pace that will keep readers in suspense from start to finish.
Can't wait to read the sequel and see how thing play out for Bryn and the rest of the Wolves.
A Great Read!
November 20, 2009
Simply put: this is the best werewolf YA I've read. (I stayed up to finish it in one blur.)
October 31, 2011
Really this book is a debatable 3.5 stars for me. I may or may not lower that to a three later.
Okay, lets get this review started. I have never ever disliked the first half of a book as much as I did Raised by Wolves. And that's saying something if anyone has seen some of my other reviews.
First of all, the writing, prose, and flow is downright atrocious. It was like she was leading a one-woman crusade against all long sentences with any kind of flow to them.
Come. My brothers!. It is. Time! *soldiers* Yeaaah.aaaaaahhhh.aaaaahh. Woo.Hoo!
And almost every other freaking page in the first tenth there were one of these:
Blood. Blood-blood-blood-blood-blood...
I got bit.
I got bit.
I got bit.
I understand that the girl is scarred for life because of what happened to her parents, and I get that the blood repetition brings it up as a painful memory and something that she will never get rid of, blah blah blah. I just got insanely tired of it after the first ohhh..... 10 times. The I got bit was even worse. Again, the whole I-can't-get-it-off-my-mind thing is just peachy if she remembers it only sometimes, but it eventually becomes a bore and bother when it started interrupting the flow of the story; Bryn would be thinking about something else and all of the sudden that accursed phrase would come back up interrupt it and just threw me for a bit of a loop. Then, when she re-opens her reconnection with the "pack" all syntax hell breaks loose. Here are a few examples:
Saftey. Warmth. Alpha.
Pack.
Mine.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
Fight. Fight. Fight.
(this one's a doozy)
Fight. Trapped. Blood. SURVIVE.
Three bodyguards.
No more fights.
No more bond.
Again, Barnes, I comprehend the fact that wolves aren't exactly on the same level with us intellectually, but Bryn is HUMAN, so I would have appreciated it if she hadn't gone full cave woman for half of the fucking book. That was honestly the reason why I practically skipped over some parts; I just couldn't stand it.
Then, there was Bryn herself. Maybe it was just the feminist in me, but I totally agreed with her the first forty pages about not wanting to be owned/controlled by anybody, then after such vehemence about the whole thing; all of the sudden didn't matter to her anymore. I felt like Barnes was writing about a totally different character for the next two-hundred pages. And that person I absolutely hated. She all of a sudden turned into a girl who was just exuding and aura of "who cares if I am a person and have my own rights? I'm just going to be controlled by a guy and do whatever he tells me to!" It's not like she was exactly forced into the situation; she chose to do it knowing what would happen. She didn't even question what was right or wrong anymore. Bryn even began using ownership terms; especially with Chase who, may I remind you, she'd only met twice, and it was seriously the worst case of instalove that I've ever seen:
Instalove: the one and only way to fall in love instantly with the first random person you meet for no apparent reason; it's guaranteed!
I think what was the worst about Bryn in the first 200 pages was when she finally, heaven forbid, made her own choice considering her life and what she wants and that repercussions that happened to her afterwards. Even if her choice is about a guy she barely knows, they beat the hell out of her until she has four cracked ribs, a face that's been punched to a pulp, and is unconscious for THREE days. Then if you couldn't imagine it getting any worse, it does . She blames herself for the whole thing, and the cherry on top is that she thinks she deserves being beaten, and doesn't blame Callum for doing it to her when he's been essentially her "father" since she was four. No. Just no. It's not okay to get beaten because you feel like you deserve it, ever, especially if that person is only 15. And to be so brainwashed that someone would think they deserved a beating is actually kind of sad. Technically, she wasn't even a wolf, so to do the same ritual of punishment they do to wolves is another layer of ridiculousness.
Sigh. The first half of the book was just plain painful.
The only character that helped to alleviate this seemingly never-ending pain was Ali. God, was she ever awesome. First, she survives a birth that, apparently, not many human mothers survive, and she lived and had twins. When her husband goes to slap her after defying "the Alpha" *gag* AND he brings back Bryn beaten up and broken after promising that he wouldn't, she locks her husband in a cage, grabs Bryn and the twins and gets the hell out of there without even looking back once. She knew what was important, what's right to do and what's wrong to do (like beat a 15 year old girl into the ground) and stood up for her beliefs, Alpha or no.
I honestly think she's the only reason why I had the will to go on with this book. Oh, and did I mention that Bryn got mad at her because Ali wanted her to live a slight normal and dare I say it, human, life and not hang out with a bunch of sweaty wolves who want to beat her to a pulp? I think this picture will suffice for my feelings:
[image error]
yeaaahhhhhh
Alright, so, if you can get over the first half of the book, it finally begins to pick up the pace and get better. The writing did improve although there was still a lot of those annoying one-word sentences splattered around everywhere. It was actually smooth enough to read.
What I really enjoyed was the plot and character changes, especially with Bryn. She finally becomes the character that I saw the first sixty pages, and really takes charge of her life again-and on her own terms, too (again because of Ali forcing her to leave, that awesome chick) Really, it started feeling like an actual story since the first half didn't have much of a plot, or a real objective. I also really liked the addition of Lake. She was badass with her gun (it was pretty funny how much she was obsessed with weapons) but wasn't just merely bad. She had her own problems and concerns that she had to deal with
And I've got to admit, in the dictionary under the words "creep" and "pervert" his name and face would probably be front and center. To say much about him would kind of ruin the whole suspense, but if you've read or is going to read this book, you'll know what I'm talking about. I kind of like the description or should I say lack of it with how he really looked. I'm going to give Barnes the benefit of the doubt and say that she didn't describe him well on purpose because Bryn couldn't see him as anything other than a monster; to find out he looks like just a normal guy was too much, I mean he killed her parents while she was watching, so she just blanked out his face due to trauma.
I also enjoyed the ending; there was no drastic cliffhanger and everything ended pretty smoothly which made me happy.
So, in the end, I did like this book; it's not my favorite of all time, but it was okay. Pick this one up if you don't mind verryy rocky beginnings.
Okay, lets get this review started. I have never ever disliked the first half of a book as much as I did Raised by Wolves. And that's saying something if anyone has seen some of my other reviews.
First of all, the writing, prose, and flow is downright atrocious. It was like she was leading a one-woman crusade against all long sentences with any kind of flow to them.
Come. My brothers!. It is. Time! *soldiers* Yeaaah.aaaaaahhhh.aaaaahh. Woo.Hoo!
And almost every other freaking page in the first tenth there were one of these:
Blood. Blood-blood-blood-blood-blood...
I got bit.
I got bit.
I got bit.
I understand that the girl is scarred for life because of what happened to her parents, and I get that the blood repetition brings it up as a painful memory and something that she will never get rid of, blah blah blah. I just got insanely tired of it after the first ohhh..... 10 times. The I got bit was even worse. Again, the whole I-can't-get-it-off-my-mind thing is just peachy if she remembers it only sometimes, but it eventually becomes a bore and bother when it started interrupting the flow of the story; Bryn would be thinking about something else and all of the sudden that accursed phrase would come back up interrupt it and just threw me for a bit of a loop. Then, when she re-opens her reconnection with the "pack" all syntax hell breaks loose. Here are a few examples:
Saftey. Warmth. Alpha.
Pack.
Mine.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
Fight. Fight. Fight.
(this one's a doozy)
Fight. Trapped. Blood. SURVIVE.
Three bodyguards.
No more fights.
No more bond.
Again, Barnes, I comprehend the fact that wolves aren't exactly on the same level with us intellectually, but Bryn is HUMAN, so I would have appreciated it if she hadn't gone full cave woman for half of the fucking book. That was honestly the reason why I practically skipped over some parts; I just couldn't stand it.
Then, there was Bryn herself. Maybe it was just the feminist in me, but I totally agreed with her the first forty pages about not wanting to be owned/controlled by anybody, then after such vehemence about the whole thing; all of the sudden didn't matter to her anymore. I felt like Barnes was writing about a totally different character for the next two-hundred pages. And that person I absolutely hated. She all of a sudden turned into a girl who was just exuding and aura of "who cares if I am a person and have my own rights? I'm just going to be controlled by a guy and do whatever he tells me to!" It's not like she was exactly forced into the situation; she chose to do it knowing what would happen. She didn't even question what was right or wrong anymore. Bryn even began using ownership terms; especially with Chase who, may I remind you, she'd only met twice, and it was seriously the worst case of instalove that I've ever seen:
Instalove: the one and only way to fall in love instantly with the first random person you meet for no apparent reason; it's guaranteed!
I think what was the worst about Bryn in the first 200 pages was when she finally, heaven forbid, made her own choice considering her life and what she wants and that repercussions that happened to her afterwards. Even if her choice is about a guy she barely knows, they beat the hell out of her until she has four cracked ribs, a face that's been punched to a pulp, and is unconscious for THREE days. Then if you couldn't imagine it getting any worse, it does . She blames herself for the whole thing, and the cherry on top is that she thinks she deserves being beaten, and doesn't blame Callum for doing it to her when he's been essentially her "father" since she was four. No. Just no. It's not okay to get beaten because you feel like you deserve it, ever, especially if that person is only 15. And to be so brainwashed that someone would think they deserved a beating is actually kind of sad. Technically, she wasn't even a wolf, so to do the same ritual of punishment they do to wolves is another layer of ridiculousness.
Sigh. The first half of the book was just plain painful.
The only character that helped to alleviate this seemingly never-ending pain was Ali. God, was she ever awesome. First, she survives a birth that, apparently, not many human mothers survive, and she lived and had twins. When her husband goes to slap her after defying "the Alpha" *gag* AND he brings back Bryn beaten up and broken after promising that he wouldn't, she locks her husband in a cage, grabs Bryn and the twins and gets the hell out of there without even looking back once. She knew what was important, what's right to do and what's wrong to do (like beat a 15 year old girl into the ground) and stood up for her beliefs, Alpha or no.
I honestly think she's the only reason why I had the will to go on with this book. Oh, and did I mention that Bryn got mad at her because Ali wanted her to live a slight normal and dare I say it, human, life and not hang out with a bunch of sweaty wolves who want to beat her to a pulp? I think this picture will suffice for my feelings:
[image error]
yeaaahhhhhh
Alright, so, if you can get over the first half of the book, it finally begins to pick up the pace and get better. The writing did improve although there was still a lot of those annoying one-word sentences splattered around everywhere. It was actually smooth enough to read.
What I really enjoyed was the plot and character changes, especially with Bryn. She finally becomes the character that I saw the first sixty pages, and really takes charge of her life again-and on her own terms, too (again because of Ali forcing her to leave, that awesome chick) Really, it started feeling like an actual story since the first half didn't have much of a plot, or a real objective. I also really liked the addition of Lake. She was badass with her gun (it was pretty funny how much she was obsessed with weapons) but wasn't just merely bad. She had her own problems and concerns that she had to deal with
And I've got to admit, in the dictionary under the words "creep" and "pervert" his name and face would probably be front and center. To say much about him would kind of ruin the whole suspense, but if you've read or is going to read this book, you'll know what I'm talking about. I kind of like the description or should I say lack of it with how he really looked. I'm going to give Barnes the benefit of the doubt and say that she didn't describe him well on purpose because Bryn couldn't see him as anything other than a monster; to find out he looks like just a normal guy was too much, I mean he killed her parents while she was watching, so she just blanked out his face due to trauma.
I also enjoyed the ending; there was no drastic cliffhanger and everything ended pretty smoothly which made me happy.
So, in the end, I did like this book; it's not my favorite of all time, but it was okay. Pick this one up if you don't mind verryy rocky beginnings.
March 3, 2020
Time for a re-read. And it STILL gets 5 stars.
This was a fantastic book and the best book that I've read in awhile-one of those that you don't put down until finished and where you've got this excited feeling in the middle of your chest.
Written in the first person by a 15-yr old, it has a maturity that is not common in today's youth, but nevertheless believable.
While I consider it to be a self-contained story, by the end of the book, there are indications that it could be the 1st in a series. I really, really, hope so because Bryn's voice and story have the potential to become an awesome UF series.
Many female protagonists in today's UF series really irritate me. Despite her age, Bryn displays a maturity, clear and intelligent thought process and subtle, but very clear bad-assedness that a lot of other UF protagonists lack. She is sarcastic, knows her own mind, and her actions remain true to her character throughout the book.
In a glut of UF books that are starting to seem cookie-cutter, this book is a welcome (and VERY good) breath of fresh air.
This was a fantastic book and the best book that I've read in awhile-one of those that you don't put down until finished and where you've got this excited feeling in the middle of your chest.
Written in the first person by a 15-yr old, it has a maturity that is not common in today's youth, but nevertheless believable.
While I consider it to be a self-contained story, by the end of the book, there are indications that it could be the 1st in a series. I really, really, hope so because Bryn's voice and story have the potential to become an awesome UF series.
Many female protagonists in today's UF series really irritate me. Despite her age, Bryn displays a maturity, clear and intelligent thought process and subtle, but very clear bad-assedness that a lot of other UF protagonists lack. She is sarcastic, knows her own mind, and her actions remain true to her character throughout the book.
In a glut of UF books that are starting to seem cookie-cutter, this book is a welcome (and VERY good) breath of fresh air.
August 12, 2010
Books about wolves are kind of my "thing", I know a lot more about the werewolf genre than I feel comfortable admitting. Like the famous words from Jerry Maguire "you had me at hello" well, thats what these books are to me, but obviously replacing the words hello, with wolves. So, I think its safe to say that I was more than a little bit excited to get my hands on a copy of this book.
Bryn is 15 years old and is quite literally being raised by a pack of wolves. This is as shoddy as it sounds, because being the only human in a pack full of wolves means that restrictions and rules are aplenty. Her guardian Callum is overly protective and Bryn hates the fact that just because she's human, she's seen as the weakest link. And then Chase comes onto the scene and it's like lighting a firework, you know it's going to explode, you just don't know when.
I loved that Barnes decided to write the book from Bryns perspective because we get a lot of insight of how she copes with pack life, how she manages to deal with the constant power struggles and feelings of inadequacy. It was through Bryn that we get to see the inner workings of pack life, and how she has come to view and respect members of her family that harbour deep resentment at Callum for bringing Bryn into their misdt. I honestly couldn't turn the pages fast enough once Bryn realised that her pack and leader were keeping secrets from her, and I knew she wouldn't give in until she uncovered the truth.
Wow, Barnes writes in such a captivating and electrifying way that keeps you on your toes, always second guessing any speculations you may have about the plot line and outcome of the book. The way the characters interacted with each other was endearing and sincere, especially the interactions between Callum and Bryn. At first I resented Callum for the boundries he set Bryn and not letting her have space and freedom, but once you get to know him, I sympathised with his situation and his insistent need to keep Bryn safe no matter the cost or the conseqences of his actions.
Bryn, OH BRYN!!! I frackin loved this girl something rotten. She's one of those girls that just doesn't really give a crap about what other people think. She's that girl everyone wants to play truth or dare with because they just know she'd take whatever was thrown at her and give as good as she got. Bryn was fiesty, kick ass and sneaky, but most of all, she was mature, smart AND fierce. She understood why Callum was more strict with her than other members of the pack, but just because she understood it, it didn't mean she was going to keep quiet and let him get away with it. Boy, I love my characters when they have some sass and take no shit. Makes me want to pull out the fist pumping.
Raised by Wolves is one of the best books about wolves I ever had the pleasure of reading. It was fast paced, action packed and most importantly, it had one of the most well thought out protagonists to tell us the story. Addictive and engaging, if you don't read this book, then more fool you, because you are seriously missing out. Am I reading the sequel? You bet your ASS I AM!!!
Bryn is 15 years old and is quite literally being raised by a pack of wolves. This is as shoddy as it sounds, because being the only human in a pack full of wolves means that restrictions and rules are aplenty. Her guardian Callum is overly protective and Bryn hates the fact that just because she's human, she's seen as the weakest link. And then Chase comes onto the scene and it's like lighting a firework, you know it's going to explode, you just don't know when.
I loved that Barnes decided to write the book from Bryns perspective because we get a lot of insight of how she copes with pack life, how she manages to deal with the constant power struggles and feelings of inadequacy. It was through Bryn that we get to see the inner workings of pack life, and how she has come to view and respect members of her family that harbour deep resentment at Callum for bringing Bryn into their misdt. I honestly couldn't turn the pages fast enough once Bryn realised that her pack and leader were keeping secrets from her, and I knew she wouldn't give in until she uncovered the truth.
Wow, Barnes writes in such a captivating and electrifying way that keeps you on your toes, always second guessing any speculations you may have about the plot line and outcome of the book. The way the characters interacted with each other was endearing and sincere, especially the interactions between Callum and Bryn. At first I resented Callum for the boundries he set Bryn and not letting her have space and freedom, but once you get to know him, I sympathised with his situation and his insistent need to keep Bryn safe no matter the cost or the conseqences of his actions.
Bryn, OH BRYN!!! I frackin loved this girl something rotten. She's one of those girls that just doesn't really give a crap about what other people think. She's that girl everyone wants to play truth or dare with because they just know she'd take whatever was thrown at her and give as good as she got. Bryn was fiesty, kick ass and sneaky, but most of all, she was mature, smart AND fierce. She understood why Callum was more strict with her than other members of the pack, but just because she understood it, it didn't mean she was going to keep quiet and let him get away with it. Boy, I love my characters when they have some sass and take no shit. Makes me want to pull out the fist pumping.
Raised by Wolves is one of the best books about wolves I ever had the pleasure of reading. It was fast paced, action packed and most importantly, it had one of the most well thought out protagonists to tell us the story. Addictive and engaging, if you don't read this book, then more fool you, because you are seriously missing out. Am I reading the sequel? You bet your ASS I AM!!!
November 6, 2011
Why did I wait so long to read this!?! Someone tell me! I love literature about werewolves... or wolves or any other variation thereof. That being said... this novel isn't told from the perspective of a wolf.. or werewolf, or whatever you want to call them, it's told from the perspective from a girl, a human girl. That was indeed as the title implies... raised by wolves. And I loved that about this book. I think being on the outside as Bryn was, was even more insightful than had it been from the pov of one of the wolf pack members.
As a character, I adored Bryn. I loved her stubbornness and her outlook. It was easy to become fully engrossed in this story and vested in its characters because of Bryn. She leaps of the page. Her relationship with Callum, with Ali, Devon... I guess with everyone, was wonderfully written, these characters are so very well fleshed out. As a reader you feel like you are there with Bryn, experiencing what she does. I love books that do that!
This story is jammed pack with action... with questions that Bryn wants answered. I can honestly say that I had no idea the ride that Barnes had in store for us, but I'm glad that grabbed a seat!
This was a great start to a series which I know I will be devouring. I can't wait to read more about Bryn, and Devon.. and CHASE! This might just be my new favorite werewolf series!
As a character, I adored Bryn. I loved her stubbornness and her outlook. It was easy to become fully engrossed in this story and vested in its characters because of Bryn. She leaps of the page. Her relationship with Callum, with Ali, Devon... I guess with everyone, was wonderfully written, these characters are so very well fleshed out. As a reader you feel like you are there with Bryn, experiencing what she does. I love books that do that!
This story is jammed pack with action... with questions that Bryn wants answered. I can honestly say that I had no idea the ride that Barnes had in store for us, but I'm glad that grabbed a seat!
This was a great start to a series which I know I will be devouring. I can't wait to read more about Bryn, and Devon.. and CHASE! This might just be my new favorite werewolf series!
June 7, 2011
For anyone who picks up Raised by Wolves and is tempted to put it down because of the slow-paced beginning, please keep reading! The novel's heroine fleshes out into a single-minded and determined narrator; Ali, her adoptive mother, an awesome 'mama bear', and the storyline so realistically developed that it is one of the most authentic werewolf novels I have yet to read. Jennifer Lynn Barnes style reminds me of Rachel Vincent and her Shifter series, giving this YA book a harder, more adult edge than others in its genre. After the first 100 pages the pace picks up, the plot unravels fast and Barnes dishes out some refreshingly original surprises, like Bryn's 'gift'. A very cool addition to the genre. Cannot wait to read Trial by Fire. Off to do so now...
February 24, 2013
I gave up after 10 pages.
Until This day my hate for Ya werewolves stories never decreases. I just hate werewolves. Alot.
This isn't even a review.
This is just about one just significant thing about me.
I goddamm hate werewolf books.
Die! Die!
Until This day my hate for Ya werewolves stories never decreases. I just hate werewolves. Alot.
This isn't even a review.
This is just about one just significant thing about me.
I goddamm hate werewolf books.
Die! Die!
September 13, 2010
When Bryn was just four years old her family was attacked by a rabid werewolf, she only survived because of the arrival of Callum and his pack but they weren't in time to save her parents. Despite the fact that Bryn is human Callum adopted her and marked her as a member of the pack for her protection. She has been brought up as one of just a few humans living amongst the werewolves and has never quite felt she belonged. When Bryn finds Chase - a newly turned werewolf - locked in Callum's basement she begins to realise that the pack has been keeping secrets. She is determined to uncover the truth and needs to work with Chase to do that.
I'm a huge fan of paranormal stories so have read a lot of books in this genre both adult and YA. I was really looking forward to reading Raised by Wolves but was expecting the story to be similar to others I've read before. I thought I'd seen pretty much everything that could be seen when it came to werewolves but Jennifer Lynn Barnes pulled out all the stops and created a story that had me hooked from the very first page. She has created a captivating story with a first class heroine and plenty of twists that took me completely by surprise. If you're a fan of paranormal stories then this is a must read book, one that I would highly recommend - I'd rate it right up there with Shiver, in fact I think I liked Raised by Wolves even more!
Bryn is a fantastic character, as one of the only humans in the pack she is used to being physically weaker than everyone around her. That doesn't mean Bryn is a pushover though - she is a rebel through & through and is constantly pushing the boundaries of the pack rules. She needs to know about her past and about how Chase became a werewolf and will do whatever it takes - including breaking Callum's rules, which will have severe consequences if she is caught - to find out more.
Alongside Bryn there is a host of likable and fun characters. I loved Bryn's adopted mother Ali, another human amongst the wolves she is someone else who is prepared to stand up for what she believes in no matter what the cost to herself. She wants to keep Bryn safe and only joined the pack to be able to protect her. I also loved Bryn's friends Devon and Lake, Devon has been Bryn's best friend since she first joined the pack, he is the strongest of the younger werewolves and an alpha in the making. Lake is one of a very few female werewolves and has been brought up by her father away from the rest of the pack, she is very independent and knows how to protect herself. Alongside Devon, Lake looks out for Bryn and wants to help her dig into her past and solve the mystery of where both Bryn and Chase came from.
The story is fast paced and has plenty of action and Jennifer Lynn Barnes has created an interesting world with an unusual twist to the werewolf mythology. The story sucks you in and takes you along a roller coaster journey until the very last page. Although the story ended well things have definitely been left open for the next book Trial by Fire and I can't wait to get my hands on it. I'm very much looking forward to reading more of this series and will definitely be looking up some of the author's other books in the meantime. This is definitely a book I would recommend to urban fantasy / paranormal fans.
I'm a huge fan of paranormal stories so have read a lot of books in this genre both adult and YA. I was really looking forward to reading Raised by Wolves but was expecting the story to be similar to others I've read before. I thought I'd seen pretty much everything that could be seen when it came to werewolves but Jennifer Lynn Barnes pulled out all the stops and created a story that had me hooked from the very first page. She has created a captivating story with a first class heroine and plenty of twists that took me completely by surprise. If you're a fan of paranormal stories then this is a must read book, one that I would highly recommend - I'd rate it right up there with Shiver, in fact I think I liked Raised by Wolves even more!
Bryn is a fantastic character, as one of the only humans in the pack she is used to being physically weaker than everyone around her. That doesn't mean Bryn is a pushover though - she is a rebel through & through and is constantly pushing the boundaries of the pack rules. She needs to know about her past and about how Chase became a werewolf and will do whatever it takes - including breaking Callum's rules, which will have severe consequences if she is caught - to find out more.
Alongside Bryn there is a host of likable and fun characters. I loved Bryn's adopted mother Ali, another human amongst the wolves she is someone else who is prepared to stand up for what she believes in no matter what the cost to herself. She wants to keep Bryn safe and only joined the pack to be able to protect her. I also loved Bryn's friends Devon and Lake, Devon has been Bryn's best friend since she first joined the pack, he is the strongest of the younger werewolves and an alpha in the making. Lake is one of a very few female werewolves and has been brought up by her father away from the rest of the pack, she is very independent and knows how to protect herself. Alongside Devon, Lake looks out for Bryn and wants to help her dig into her past and solve the mystery of where both Bryn and Chase came from.
The story is fast paced and has plenty of action and Jennifer Lynn Barnes has created an interesting world with an unusual twist to the werewolf mythology. The story sucks you in and takes you along a roller coaster journey until the very last page. Although the story ended well things have definitely been left open for the next book Trial by Fire and I can't wait to get my hands on it. I'm very much looking forward to reading more of this series and will definitely be looking up some of the author's other books in the meantime. This is definitely a book I would recommend to urban fantasy / paranormal fans.
January 29, 2011
I purchased this book in September and began reading it the same day. I put it down and it took me four months to pick it back up. I was never really interested in it. The first few chapters contained so many wince-worthy things that it automatically felt like one of those books I would have to just endure in order to finish. It improved marginally about a third of the way in and got much better in the last third, but it felt like a lot of time to invest in something that really only evened out in the end.
The main character's name made me want to kill puppies. Bronwyn Clare, plus I believe one too many middle names that got emphasized way too often. It's like Jennifer Barnes never heard of a Mary Sue test and didn't know that the test would have gone off like a firecracker with the sheer crap of the name.
Aside from being name-special Bronwyn is one of very few humans allowed to live in a pack of werewolves. Her parents were made snacky-snack by a rabid wolf. (Another pet peeve was the misuse of the word rabid. Just say rogue. The wolf in question did not have rabies, although I suppose it sounds more 'intimidating' than rogue.) Bronwyn was the only survivor of the attack that killed her parents and possibly siblings. Um yeah. She questions whether or not she had siblings when her mother and father died and believes she did, but does nothing to find out for sure or really to reconnect with her past in the slightest. We hear a lot about 'what was done' to her, but she doesn't seem to be grieved by it or haunted even if it was the motivation for 90% of the plot. It was less than impressive as back stories go. You know why Luke Skywalker's motivation for leaving home was powerful to the audience? Because we got to see the abrupt violence of it.
A new wolf comes in and through elaborate measures Bronwyn finds out he was attacked by a rabid. We never really learn too much about the new wolf. His name is Chase and he is hot. After three very short meetings, two of which are heavily supervised, Bronwyn does some mystical werewolf bonding to him that makes them just short of mated for life. AWESOME. Seriously, three very short meetings and she risks her life to um touch him because that was important... except it wasn't at all.
I didn't like the best friend character. He made poorly dated references to movies and musicals. The voices were annoying. Don't buy the audio version because they were a thousand times worse on there. I alternated between book and audio and the physical reading of the character was slightly easier to bear.
Anyway, the book does a lot of meandering around in circles, kind of like a legitimately rabid little woodland creature although nothing as intimidating as a wolf. A rabid chipmunk. The book wanders in circles like a rabid chipmunk. A lot of the circling is pointless and all of Bronwyn's extra big helping of special gets old after a point.
I don't recommend it unless you're a hardcore YA Werewolf lover. For all the talk of the author's numerous degrees in the field, much of it felt false and repetitive. Even with my opinions, however, I can see how someone else might like it. There are moments were the writing is pretty good and the plot moves at a clip, but I'm inclined to believe that's an editor more than the author.
The main character's name made me want to kill puppies. Bronwyn Clare, plus I believe one too many middle names that got emphasized way too often. It's like Jennifer Barnes never heard of a Mary Sue test and didn't know that the test would have gone off like a firecracker with the sheer crap of the name.
Aside from being name-special Bronwyn is one of very few humans allowed to live in a pack of werewolves. Her parents were made snacky-snack by a rabid wolf. (Another pet peeve was the misuse of the word rabid. Just say rogue. The wolf in question did not have rabies, although I suppose it sounds more 'intimidating' than rogue.) Bronwyn was the only survivor of the attack that killed her parents and possibly siblings. Um yeah. She questions whether or not she had siblings when her mother and father died and believes she did, but does nothing to find out for sure or really to reconnect with her past in the slightest. We hear a lot about 'what was done' to her, but she doesn't seem to be grieved by it or haunted even if it was the motivation for 90% of the plot. It was less than impressive as back stories go. You know why Luke Skywalker's motivation for leaving home was powerful to the audience? Because we got to see the abrupt violence of it.
A new wolf comes in and through elaborate measures Bronwyn finds out he was attacked by a rabid. We never really learn too much about the new wolf. His name is Chase and he is hot. After three very short meetings, two of which are heavily supervised, Bronwyn does some mystical werewolf bonding to him that makes them just short of mated for life. AWESOME. Seriously, three very short meetings and she risks her life to um touch him because that was important... except it wasn't at all.
I didn't like the best friend character. He made poorly dated references to movies and musicals. The voices were annoying. Don't buy the audio version because they were a thousand times worse on there. I alternated between book and audio and the physical reading of the character was slightly easier to bear.
Anyway, the book does a lot of meandering around in circles, kind of like a legitimately rabid little woodland creature although nothing as intimidating as a wolf. A rabid chipmunk. The book wanders in circles like a rabid chipmunk. A lot of the circling is pointless and all of Bronwyn's extra big helping of special gets old after a point.
I don't recommend it unless you're a hardcore YA Werewolf lover. For all the talk of the author's numerous degrees in the field, much of it felt false and repetitive. Even with my opinions, however, I can see how someone else might like it. There are moments were the writing is pretty good and the plot moves at a clip, but I'm inclined to believe that's an editor more than the author.
July 18, 2010
WOW!!
Have any of you looked at the reviews for this book? Apparently everyone is really REALLY into this book.
Children.... this book.... ugs... this book.... sigh.... this book was hard to get through. Seriously. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to put it down, throw it against the wall, or have a bad feeling that if I rolled my eyes up into my head one more time they would stick up in my skull.
Okey dokey... Where to start?
How about the writing? Well, the main character's name is Bryn and she is 15 years old. THe writer on the author hand is some whipper snapper who is going to Yale. -- so, with that being said.... The 15 year old at times sounds like a 35 year old.
OH! And what is up with writer's now-a-days using the world 'palpable'? It seems to be popping up alll over the place in this book... and in every other book I read lately. Wow... I remember back in 2000-2002 when the word of the year was "Jaded" lolz. But curious.... what 15 year old USES that word? I never used it back then. COme to think of it... I never EVER use that word today.
When the author had our 15 year old (Bryn) talk all like 'totally!' and 'Yeah!' she chose some words that were just downright eye-rolly. Let's see... my least favorite was the word CHUNKY CHUNKS when she talked about fake vomit. UGS! and then there was the word MIND BUNNIES when I guess she needed some Focus Factor or something. I just didn't dig it.
- The Characters -
Bryn - She's the main character. Her Mommy and Daddy were killed by a rabid werewolf and she was taken in by the head honcho of a werewolf pack and ummm... raised by wolves. She's all Rough and tough and wants to be her own person and ummm... she bored me. I can't stand it when people go all "The Crow" on things and act like they are a bad ass and then fold into the person they are soooo in love with. UGS!! 15 year olds!! They don't act like that. AND!! I think you would kill today's teenager if you made her run 10 miles everyday. LOLZ. I'm just saying :)
Devon - Hmms... I hated this character most of all because the author didn't do one little thing... BRING HIM OUT OF THE CLOSET!! Ok... this big bad wolf (15 years old) is into Show Tunes, Belting out Broadway numbers, Quoting Dirty Dancing, Fashion, Plucking his eyebrows, jazz hands, I'm sure if they had cable he'd watch Glee, and Armani. Come on!! Seriously? Really? And they want us to believe that he's straight? Ummms..... hmmms..... Now, I'm not saying that if he's not straight - that that's a bad thing. NOES!! That would be awesome! But bring him out of the closet!! I got sooo sick and tired of having to try to believe that a boy werewolf would trim his eyebrows. Pa-lease!!
Lake - She a rough and tough, rootin tootin, gun-toting, mountain living girl werewolf. Ok... there ya go... There's my eyeroll.
Callum - Alpha Wolf - I really liked his character. I have to give the author some credit. She did him right ;)
Chase - This is how we got the story. HE is what the back cover is about. Chase got bit (as a human) by a rabid and now he's the mysterious stranger in the pack and Bryn is just going ga ga over him. He was also a good character. I especially lovered his wolf (see!! I'm not all negative nancy about this lolz)
- Story Line -
The plot for this could have gone quicker. Actually, I would have cut like 100 pages out of this. Crazy man!! IT just seemed to drag. I will admit that once you hit Page 200 you'll be glued no matter how many times you eye roll. The mystery of the story (cuz there has to be a mystery) is a good one. And the answer to it is interesting.
I just didn't see what all the hype was about. I had a hard time BELIEVING in the characters.
LOLZ... but with that being said - after I told my hubz this problem he said - But you don't have a problem in believing in werewolves? -
HAHS! Well, of course not!! Everyone knows that werewolves and supes are just as natural as bunnies and foxes in the woods ;)
So, kids... I don't recommend this book. I only recommend it if you want to know what all the hype is about. I enjoyed this book about as much as FALLEN. But I would be quite interested in knowing what a 15 year old teeny bopper thinks of this book.
I guess I'm still on my search for an awesome girl werewolf story ;)
-nothing to howl at -
Have any of you looked at the reviews for this book? Apparently everyone is really REALLY into this book.
Children.... this book.... ugs... this book.... sigh.... this book was hard to get through. Seriously. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to put it down, throw it against the wall, or have a bad feeling that if I rolled my eyes up into my head one more time they would stick up in my skull.
Okey dokey... Where to start?
How about the writing? Well, the main character's name is Bryn and she is 15 years old. THe writer on the author hand is some whipper snapper who is going to Yale. -- so, with that being said.... The 15 year old at times sounds like a 35 year old.
OH! And what is up with writer's now-a-days using the world 'palpable'? It seems to be popping up alll over the place in this book... and in every other book I read lately. Wow... I remember back in 2000-2002 when the word of the year was "Jaded" lolz. But curious.... what 15 year old USES that word? I never used it back then. COme to think of it... I never EVER use that word today.
When the author had our 15 year old (Bryn) talk all like 'totally!' and 'Yeah!' she chose some words that were just downright eye-rolly. Let's see... my least favorite was the word CHUNKY CHUNKS when she talked about fake vomit. UGS! and then there was the word MIND BUNNIES when I guess she needed some Focus Factor or something. I just didn't dig it.
- The Characters -
Bryn - She's the main character. Her Mommy and Daddy were killed by a rabid werewolf and she was taken in by the head honcho of a werewolf pack and ummm... raised by wolves. She's all Rough and tough and wants to be her own person and ummm... she bored me. I can't stand it when people go all "The Crow" on things and act like they are a bad ass and then fold into the person they are soooo in love with. UGS!! 15 year olds!! They don't act like that. AND!! I think you would kill today's teenager if you made her run 10 miles everyday. LOLZ. I'm just saying :)
Devon - Hmms... I hated this character most of all because the author didn't do one little thing... BRING HIM OUT OF THE CLOSET!! Ok... this big bad wolf (15 years old) is into Show Tunes, Belting out Broadway numbers, Quoting Dirty Dancing, Fashion, Plucking his eyebrows, jazz hands, I'm sure if they had cable he'd watch Glee, and Armani. Come on!! Seriously? Really? And they want us to believe that he's straight? Ummms..... hmmms..... Now, I'm not saying that if he's not straight - that that's a bad thing. NOES!! That would be awesome! But bring him out of the closet!! I got sooo sick and tired of having to try to believe that a boy werewolf would trim his eyebrows. Pa-lease!!
Lake - She a rough and tough, rootin tootin, gun-toting, mountain living girl werewolf. Ok... there ya go... There's my eyeroll.
Callum - Alpha Wolf - I really liked his character. I have to give the author some credit. She did him right ;)
Chase - This is how we got the story. HE is what the back cover is about. Chase got bit (as a human) by a rabid and now he's the mysterious stranger in the pack and Bryn is just going ga ga over him. He was also a good character. I especially lovered his wolf (see!! I'm not all negative nancy about this lolz)
- Story Line -
The plot for this could have gone quicker. Actually, I would have cut like 100 pages out of this. Crazy man!! IT just seemed to drag. I will admit that once you hit Page 200 you'll be glued no matter how many times you eye roll. The mystery of the story (cuz there has to be a mystery) is a good one. And the answer to it is interesting.
I just didn't see what all the hype was about. I had a hard time BELIEVING in the characters.
LOLZ... but with that being said - after I told my hubz this problem he said - But you don't have a problem in believing in werewolves? -
HAHS! Well, of course not!! Everyone knows that werewolves and supes are just as natural as bunnies and foxes in the woods ;)
So, kids... I don't recommend this book. I only recommend it if you want to know what all the hype is about. I enjoyed this book about as much as FALLEN. But I would be quite interested in knowing what a 15 year old teeny bopper thinks of this book.
I guess I'm still on my search for an awesome girl werewolf story ;)
-nothing to howl at -
August 4, 2010
I’m of two minds about Raised by Wolves. It features a suspenseful plot (especially in the second half) and one really good message, but also includes, possibly by accident, a couple of disturbing messages.
Bronwyn “Bryn” Clare is a human girl being raised by werewolves. As a little girl, she and her parents were attacked by a feral werewolf, a “Rabid.” A pack of “good” werewolves burst into the house and rescued Bryn but were too late to save her parents. Bryn is now fifteen, and like many teenagers, is chafing at the restrictions placed on her by her adoptive family. This only intensifies when she meets Chase, a cute boy who was Changed by a Rabid and is now in pack custody. Bryn is drawn to him and to the idea that he might be able to tell her more about the attack she survived all those years ago.
At about the halfway point of the book, Bryn breaks pack law and is badly abused for it. It was here that I nearly gave up on Raised by Wolves. The problem is not that there’s abuse in the book (though this scene is hard to read); bad things happen to people in real life and in fiction. The problem is that Bryn seems to think it’s a just punishment for her actions. Her human adoptive mother, Ali, uses this as a reason to leave the Pack and take Bryn far away, and I’m in total agreement with Ali:
"The fact that you don’t hate him for this breaks my heart. And if we weren’t leaving because of what they’d done to you, we’d be leaving because the pack has twisted you enough to make you think that it’s okay for someone to treat you that way."
I did persevere with the book and I’m glad I did. Bryn learns that something horrible is going on and that the werewolf Senate wants to sit by and let it happen. She gathers a few friends — Chase, plus “metrosexual werewolf” Devon and weapon-obsessed Lake — and hatches a plan to stop the atrocity. Bryn really comes into her strength here, and it seemed the book had redeemed itself and that Bryn had realized her abuser wasn’t worthy of the pass she was giving him. I can’t say I like the answer to why some people live when bitten by werewolves and others die; it smacks a little of blaming the victims if they don’t survive. But other than that, the second half is great.
Until we get to the ending, and Bryn’s abuser shows up and explains his reasons. It was all part of a master plan, you see. So it’s okay. Yuck.
So, Raised by Wolves is, on the one hand, a story about how an underdog becomes a leader and a hero. On the other hand, at times it seems like a story about how abuse is sometimes justified and how anyone who dies in a violent assault is somehow "lacking."
The romance aspect doesn’t really work either; we don’t get to know Chase well enough for that. There is literally nothing between Bryn and Chase besides mutual stubbornness and their supernatural bond. Friendships are well-drawn, though; Bryn’s relationships with Devon and Lake are beautiful. I also loved Ali and her kids. Especially Kaitlin. How adorable!
Overall, Raised by Wolves isn’t quite up to the level of Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver or Jackson Pearce’s Sisters Red, but you might enjoy it if you liked those books. Just be prepared for some seriously dysfunctional werewolves.
Bronwyn “Bryn” Clare is a human girl being raised by werewolves. As a little girl, she and her parents were attacked by a feral werewolf, a “Rabid.” A pack of “good” werewolves burst into the house and rescued Bryn but were too late to save her parents. Bryn is now fifteen, and like many teenagers, is chafing at the restrictions placed on her by her adoptive family. This only intensifies when she meets Chase, a cute boy who was Changed by a Rabid and is now in pack custody. Bryn is drawn to him and to the idea that he might be able to tell her more about the attack she survived all those years ago.
At about the halfway point of the book, Bryn breaks pack law and is badly abused for it. It was here that I nearly gave up on Raised by Wolves. The problem is not that there’s abuse in the book (though this scene is hard to read); bad things happen to people in real life and in fiction. The problem is that Bryn seems to think it’s a just punishment for her actions. Her human adoptive mother, Ali, uses this as a reason to leave the Pack and take Bryn far away, and I’m in total agreement with Ali:
"The fact that you don’t hate him for this breaks my heart. And if we weren’t leaving because of what they’d done to you, we’d be leaving because the pack has twisted you enough to make you think that it’s okay for someone to treat you that way."
I did persevere with the book and I’m glad I did. Bryn learns that something horrible is going on and that the werewolf Senate wants to sit by and let it happen. She gathers a few friends — Chase, plus “metrosexual werewolf” Devon and weapon-obsessed Lake — and hatches a plan to stop the atrocity. Bryn really comes into her strength here, and it seemed the book had redeemed itself and that Bryn had realized her abuser wasn’t worthy of the pass she was giving him. I can’t say I like the answer to why some people live when bitten by werewolves and others die; it smacks a little of blaming the victims if they don’t survive. But other than that, the second half is great.
Until we get to the ending, and Bryn’s abuser shows up and explains his reasons. It was all part of a master plan, you see. So it’s okay. Yuck.
So, Raised by Wolves is, on the one hand, a story about how an underdog becomes a leader and a hero. On the other hand, at times it seems like a story about how abuse is sometimes justified and how anyone who dies in a violent assault is somehow "lacking."
The romance aspect doesn’t really work either; we don’t get to know Chase well enough for that. There is literally nothing between Bryn and Chase besides mutual stubbornness and their supernatural bond. Friendships are well-drawn, though; Bryn’s relationships with Devon and Lake are beautiful. I also loved Ali and her kids. Especially Kaitlin. How adorable!
Overall, Raised by Wolves isn’t quite up to the level of Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver or Jackson Pearce’s Sisters Red, but you might enjoy it if you liked those books. Just be prepared for some seriously dysfunctional werewolves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2010
A few years ago, I remember watching a cartoon show on the Cartoon Network where the animals are in a trance, and over and over, they repeat "pretty, pretty, shiny, shiny" while staring at anything that has major bling to it. At the time, I thought it was pretty funny until I had those four words in my head all day long. It is kind of like when you have a verse from a song in your head and you can't stop singing it.
Fast forward to today,
"Survive", "Kill", "Mine", (I could list about 20 words from the book that were repeated over and over again).
Initially the one word sentences were creative. I guess if you want to convey the way a wolf pack thinks, cavemanish (yes I know that is not a word) language is the way to go. But come on, the entire book was like this. After a period time, I felt like I was watching the cartoon show again.
I haven't even started on the characters; the main character Bryn was as annoying as her one word sentences. There is no depth to her. The entire first half of the book is about Bryn and what she wants and how she'll go about getting it regardless of the costs and risks to her people. We can't forget about Chase, he's Bryn's instant "bite me" boyfriend. I wonder if more teenage guys were bitten in the same manner as Chase (can't tell you that manner or it would be a spoiler), would Bryn have the same weird instant bond? Who knows?
I did finish the book and I do admit, the last few chapters were interesting enough that it moved it from a one star to a two star.
October 11, 2010
It's the story of an idiotic girl who does idiotic things for reasons that make no sense.
February 24, 2020
I've always loved all of Jenn's books from the very first that I read, The Naturals, but for some reason had been sleeping on this series, but when I saw that my local library had copies of books 1 and 2, I decided to give them a go. Bryn was rescued by the Alpha of her pack, Callum, when her parents were murdered in front of her as a small child. A human, she's well aware of her limitations when it comes to the rest of her pack, but's she not above pushing the boundaries when it suits her. When a new wolf appears in their territory: her age, and new turned, not born, which is neigh on unheard of, she goes against direct orders to speak with him. Chase's experience reminds her very much of her parents' deaths, and the closer she gets to Chase, the more she is desperate to stop the Rabid Were, pack allegiances be damned.
Like all of Jenn's other books, this just gripped me, and was so full of adventure and intrigue. Bryn, as the main character, was refreshing, and acted so much like a teenager, it was good to see. She tested all of the boundaries she was faced with, but adored her family, especially adopted mam, Ali, and best friends, Devon and Lake. When Chase appeared in their territory, there was an attraction, but that wasn't just it. Rather, it was more of kindred spirits meeting that immediately brought them together.
The start of the book is when we see the dynamic of the wolf pack, and what happens when direct orders form Alpha's are ignored, but once Bryn leaves for the outer reaches of their territory, she comes into her own with her friends, and the mystery surrounding the Rapid starts to really come to the front. So much happened in this book that I just wasn't expecting, and I was definitely hooked. With the ending, which was quite cliffhanger-y, I was so happy that I had the second book to immediately jump into, to see what consequences Bryn's actions would have.
Like all of Jenn's other books, this just gripped me, and was so full of adventure and intrigue. Bryn, as the main character, was refreshing, and acted so much like a teenager, it was good to see. She tested all of the boundaries she was faced with, but adored her family, especially adopted mam, Ali, and best friends, Devon and Lake. When Chase appeared in their territory, there was an attraction, but that wasn't just it. Rather, it was more of kindred spirits meeting that immediately brought them together.
The start of the book is when we see the dynamic of the wolf pack, and what happens when direct orders form Alpha's are ignored, but once Bryn leaves for the outer reaches of their territory, she comes into her own with her friends, and the mystery surrounding the Rapid starts to really come to the front. So much happened in this book that I just wasn't expecting, and I was definitely hooked. With the ending, which was quite cliffhanger-y, I was so happy that I had the second book to immediately jump into, to see what consequences Bryn's actions would have.
June 7, 2010
I just finished this book and I loved it. It was an action packed, thrilling read that I had trouble putting down. And when I did I couldn't stop thinking about it.
It is about Bryn who watched her parents being brutally killed by a rabid werewolf when she was four. She was saved and taken into a pack by a alpha werewolf named Callum who marked as one of his own and raised her with his pack. Now Bryn is 15 and finds the pack has been keeping a secret from her and while exploring meets Chase. Chase has answers that Bryn needs about her past. And Bryn will stop at nothing to get them.
At first it took me a little bit to get into and I found the style of writing a bit confusing but about 100 pages in I fell in love with this book. The story line was different from other werewolf books I've read.
I loved the main character Bryn instantly, she was headstrong and fearless. All the characters were great. Chase was a real sweetie. I liked how protective he was of Bryn. Hopefully we will get to know him a little better in the next book.
I will warn you though there is one scence in the book that may upset some people. It didn't effect how I felt about this book but enforced how much a fighter Bryn is.
Overall, a great start to this series and I can't wait to read the next installment.
It is about Bryn who watched her parents being brutally killed by a rabid werewolf when she was four. She was saved and taken into a pack by a alpha werewolf named Callum who marked as one of his own and raised her with his pack. Now Bryn is 15 and finds the pack has been keeping a secret from her and while exploring meets Chase. Chase has answers that Bryn needs about her past. And Bryn will stop at nothing to get them.
At first it took me a little bit to get into and I found the style of writing a bit confusing but about 100 pages in I fell in love with this book. The story line was different from other werewolf books I've read.
I loved the main character Bryn instantly, she was headstrong and fearless. All the characters were great. Chase was a real sweetie. I liked how protective he was of Bryn. Hopefully we will get to know him a little better in the next book.
I will warn you though there is one scence in the book that may upset some people. It didn't effect how I felt about this book but enforced how much a fighter Bryn is.
Overall, a great start to this series and I can't wait to read the next installment.
October 17, 2012
Quick review:
Cover: I like
Rating: PG
Thumbs Up: 2.5
Overall: A promise that wasn't well delivered
Characters: Okay
Plot: 15 year old girl somehow saves the day
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Probably
Recommend: Maybe
Book Boyfriend: Callum & Chase
SUMMARY (50 words or less)
I wanted to like this book. I hadn’t read the summary, I went in blind. If you ignore all the glaring plot holes, there is an undertow of potential that keeps you sucked in when you’re reaching for perches to get yourself out. Too bad the plot holes are many.
(I have a lot to say about this one. See my full review for explanation)
To see my full review and likeness of my book boyfriend, check out my blog post.
http://mybookboyfriend.blogspot.com/2...
Audio Review
Eileen Stevens did a decent job of narrating. The acting was good. The voices were okay. All her male voices sounded pretty much the same. Thankfully, her male voice is pretty good. Other than that, I was able to follow along well enough.
Cover: I like
Rating: PG
Thumbs Up: 2.5
Overall: A promise that wasn't well delivered
Characters: Okay
Plot: 15 year old girl somehow saves the day
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Probably
Recommend: Maybe
Book Boyfriend: Callum & Chase
SUMMARY (50 words or less)
I wanted to like this book. I hadn’t read the summary, I went in blind. If you ignore all the glaring plot holes, there is an undertow of potential that keeps you sucked in when you’re reaching for perches to get yourself out. Too bad the plot holes are many.
(I have a lot to say about this one. See my full review for explanation)
To see my full review and likeness of my book boyfriend, check out my blog post.
http://mybookboyfriend.blogspot.com/2...
Audio Review
Eileen Stevens did a decent job of narrating. The acting was good. The voices were okay. All her male voices sounded pretty much the same. Thankfully, her male voice is pretty good. Other than that, I was able to follow along well enough.
September 5, 2011
Sorry, nice try but no...this was just...nope. Not for me. Same problem as with the Shifter series. The main character is a spoiled and selfish brat who endangers herself and the people who care about her by her absolutely stupid actions. The basic idea was good (meaning the secret behind it all etc.) but otherwise I found the story seriously lacking. I couldn't realte to Bryn and I couldn't understand the connection between her and Chase at all. No swooning, no awwing, nothing. Instead I got lots of cheesy dialog. Ugh. Still, I liked this better than the first book in the Shifter series and I finished it fairly quickly so here you go: 2.5 stars.
January 14, 2012
How, hot, cute, mesmerising, sweet, and loving is Callum then. I love this alpha, I loved him the moment his name popped up in this book, and I didnt believe for one second he betrayed Bryn. Chase? Yeah ok I love him too but come on, ITS CALLUM. Alpha, leader, hot callum! I loved this book definitley worth a full rating. Cant wait to read the next one! Dont underestimate this book, I did but wow, itll blow your mind!
October 30, 2020
Jennifer Lynn Barnes is one of my favourite writers. She knows how to combine humor, action, romance and the supernatural elements all into one book. Raised by Wolves is no different. It's not a book that I would delve into again but it's good for a summer read.
September 21, 2018
Actual Rating: 2.5 stars
May 14, 2020
This was another book I thought was good. Not great but enjoyable. It had a teen that thought she knew better then all the adults in her life and would disregard pretty much everything they told her not to do. I know real life teens do things against their parents wishes but a lot of what Bryn did was just stupid. Teens would think she was stupid. The storyline was decent and the more I read and got into the story the better it got. Bryn the female MC still did really stupid things like try to break into her leaders house to see what he might be hiding. It was dumb things like that and many more that made me give this book only 3 stars. I know it's fiction but teens just aren't that dumb.
Bryn was an orphan at the age of 4. The Big Bad Wolf broke into her house and killed her family and she hid to get away from him. Werewolves scared off the bad wolf ad rescued Bryn. Callum is the alpha of the pack and he brought her home and marked her so that none of the wolves in his pack would touch her or kill her. She lived with wolves her whole life. Until she and her adoptive mom moved away after some circumstances happened (I don't want to spoil anything)
Bryn and her small pack decided to go looking for this Big Bad Wolf and bring him down before he could hurt anymore kids. What they found shocked them all.
The story did get better and I really enjoyed it. I'll read the next book to see what happens because I liked the characters (even with the dumb things she did). She did show growth in the book because at the end she was actually thinking before acting and that I can get behind.
Would I recommend this book? If you like YA werewolf stories and you're in the mood for a story like that then yes I would recommend this book. Just know Bryn's character doesn't stay stupid the whole time :)
Bryn was an orphan at the age of 4. The Big Bad Wolf broke into her house and killed her family and she hid to get away from him. Werewolves scared off the bad wolf ad rescued Bryn. Callum is the alpha of the pack and he brought her home and marked her so that none of the wolves in his pack would touch her or kill her. She lived with wolves her whole life. Until she and her adoptive mom moved away after some circumstances happened (I don't want to spoil anything)
Bryn and her small pack decided to go looking for this Big Bad Wolf and bring him down before he could hurt anymore kids. What they found shocked them all.
The story did get better and I really enjoyed it. I'll read the next book to see what happens because I liked the characters (even with the dumb things she did). She did show growth in the book because at the end she was actually thinking before acting and that I can get behind.
Would I recommend this book? If you like YA werewolf stories and you're in the mood for a story like that then yes I would recommend this book. Just know Bryn's character doesn't stay stupid the whole time :)
July 2, 2010
Awesome! Don't let the three stars fool you (Really, I'm not sure whether to give it three or four. Maybe 3 1/2? Well, the stars don't matter so much. What matters is the book). This was a really, really good book about instinct, freedom, and what it means to be family (or not to be family). It's really an excellent book. Did it completely blow me out of the water? No. Was it fantastic? Yes.
Plot: Great. Possibly the best part of this book (and I don't say that often. Normally I'd take characters over plot any day). I loved how every little piece of the story was connected to every other little piece, and how every bit contributed to the final result. And I loved that line at the end...I don't remember the exact quote but it went something like "change one piece of the puzzle and you change them all". I also loved the whole concept of a pack, and making your own. AND! Possibly my favorite part, the lesson that no one has to be dominate over anyone, and that everyone is their own person. Oh! And did I mention the mystery plot? Pure awesomeness.
***I can't promise that there won't be spoilers in this next bit***
Main Character: Bryn was tough, strong, and meant well. She had morals galore, and was admirable. She was also fairly ratable, although there were a lot of parts where I had trouble relating to her at all. Then again, maybe I'm just not an overly Bryn-like person. The few complaints I have about her is that she was unrealistically slow to figure a lot of things out, and that her ego was too big for her sometimes. But, it did make her human, I guess, so I shouldn't be complaining. Don't get me wrong, I did really like her. And I loved how she went from the bottom of the pack ladder to the top. Kind of like transforming from a pawn to a queen (I apologize for the chess references, but that's the reference that came to mind). And she was definitely not a doormat. Thank you, Jennifer Lynn Barnes!
Other Characters: Let's talk about Chase. I have to admit, I didn't like him very much. Sure, he was sweet and utterly convinced he was in love with Bryn, which was kind of cute. And he was protective, which was kind of cute. But, let's face it, he was pretty two-dimensional. And, despite all the time Bryn spends in his head, I never got a feel for his character. At all. Most book characters you can tell what they're going to act like off-page, or after the book ends, and here I have no idea. Who is Chase? I don't know. He was just kind of....there. Also, even when Bryn is in his head, the reader never gets coherent thoughts. I understand that part of him is a wolf, and that maybe a wolf thinks in one-word sentences, but it didn't help the reader understand him. I just...I don't know. It looks like this is the first in a series, so maybe I'll like him more in the next book.
Moving on to my favorite characters: Devon and Lake!!! I related most to Lake out of everyone in this book (related to her loads). Plus, I loved her character. She was tough, but vulnerable and emotional, and it made her a well-rounded character. I also loved the dialogue with Lake in it, because she was witty and smart. And Devon!! *sigh*. I loveloveloved him. How many times in books (or real life, for that matter) do you get a straight guy who makes cultural (and Broadway) references, and can sing and do accents? Not often. But here he is. All crushworthy and (sadly) fictional. I loved him all the same though, and I didn't really understand why Bryn never saw him as anything but her friend (seeing as I would've been seriously crushing if he lived in my town), but I guess he's set up to be more of her brother-figure than anything else. Which makes me hope that he'll end up with Lake (Because they were both kind of oddities in the pack, and could have lots in common. I also want to see more interactions between the two of them in the next book)
And then there's Callum. Ah, Callum. Callum who has a "knack" and thinks more about the big picture than the people around him. I have to say, I didn't really like Callum either, but I think I could learn to understand him. And as far as minor (or minor-ish) characters go: I loved Ali, Katie, Alex, Keely, Mitch, Maddy, and Lily, and I hated Prancer, Sora (couldn't she have refused an order?), and Shay (and the rest of the Senate for that matter).
***Possible Spoilers over. You can keep reading, now ***
Ending: A perfect fit for the book, and I loved how Bryn turned things around from the beginning, and the relation to the title.
Writing: Really, really good. Flowed nicely, and kept me interested. I also liked that when Bryn was under the influence of the pack bond, the reader almost couldn't tell, because they're in Bryn's head and Bryn doesn't know. Good writing, definitely good writing. Also, the pack bond allowing the reader (and Bryn) to see into the minds of other characters was a good idea. I haven't read any of her previous books, but I guess now I should. She's a seriously good writer.
Cover: Perfect! Do I really need to say more? I love the lighting, the color scheme, the font, the moon, the shadows, and everything. Plus, the girl on the cover looks a lot like how I pictured Bryn.
Overall: Really, really good. In fact, I really ought to change that three stars to four (so please, mentally change it in your head). I definitely recommend. If you like werewolves, complicated plots, strong characters, and the downfall of seriously creepy villains, this is the book for you. I highly recommend!!! (Did I mention Werewolves? Don't you love them?)
Plot: Great. Possibly the best part of this book (and I don't say that often. Normally I'd take characters over plot any day). I loved how every little piece of the story was connected to every other little piece, and how every bit contributed to the final result. And I loved that line at the end...I don't remember the exact quote but it went something like "change one piece of the puzzle and you change them all". I also loved the whole concept of a pack, and making your own. AND! Possibly my favorite part, the lesson that no one has to be dominate over anyone, and that everyone is their own person. Oh! And did I mention the mystery plot? Pure awesomeness.
***I can't promise that there won't be spoilers in this next bit***
Main Character: Bryn was tough, strong, and meant well. She had morals galore, and was admirable. She was also fairly ratable, although there were a lot of parts where I had trouble relating to her at all. Then again, maybe I'm just not an overly Bryn-like person. The few complaints I have about her is that she was unrealistically slow to figure a lot of things out, and that her ego was too big for her sometimes. But, it did make her human, I guess, so I shouldn't be complaining. Don't get me wrong, I did really like her. And I loved how she went from the bottom of the pack ladder to the top. Kind of like transforming from a pawn to a queen (I apologize for the chess references, but that's the reference that came to mind). And she was definitely not a doormat. Thank you, Jennifer Lynn Barnes!
Other Characters: Let's talk about Chase. I have to admit, I didn't like him very much. Sure, he was sweet and utterly convinced he was in love with Bryn, which was kind of cute. And he was protective, which was kind of cute. But, let's face it, he was pretty two-dimensional. And, despite all the time Bryn spends in his head, I never got a feel for his character. At all. Most book characters you can tell what they're going to act like off-page, or after the book ends, and here I have no idea. Who is Chase? I don't know. He was just kind of....there. Also, even when Bryn is in his head, the reader never gets coherent thoughts. I understand that part of him is a wolf, and that maybe a wolf thinks in one-word sentences, but it didn't help the reader understand him. I just...I don't know. It looks like this is the first in a series, so maybe I'll like him more in the next book.
Moving on to my favorite characters: Devon and Lake!!! I related most to Lake out of everyone in this book (related to her loads). Plus, I loved her character. She was tough, but vulnerable and emotional, and it made her a well-rounded character. I also loved the dialogue with Lake in it, because she was witty and smart. And Devon!! *sigh*. I loveloveloved him. How many times in books (or real life, for that matter) do you get a straight guy who makes cultural (and Broadway) references, and can sing and do accents? Not often. But here he is. All crushworthy and (sadly) fictional. I loved him all the same though, and I didn't really understand why Bryn never saw him as anything but her friend (seeing as I would've been seriously crushing if he lived in my town), but I guess he's set up to be more of her brother-figure than anything else. Which makes me hope that he'll end up with Lake (Because they were both kind of oddities in the pack, and could have lots in common. I also want to see more interactions between the two of them in the next book)
And then there's Callum. Ah, Callum. Callum who has a "knack" and thinks more about the big picture than the people around him. I have to say, I didn't really like Callum either, but I think I could learn to understand him. And as far as minor (or minor-ish) characters go: I loved Ali, Katie, Alex, Keely, Mitch, Maddy, and Lily, and I hated Prancer, Sora (couldn't she have refused an order?), and Shay (and the rest of the Senate for that matter).
***Possible Spoilers over. You can keep reading, now ***
Ending: A perfect fit for the book, and I loved how Bryn turned things around from the beginning, and the relation to the title.
Writing: Really, really good. Flowed nicely, and kept me interested. I also liked that when Bryn was under the influence of the pack bond, the reader almost couldn't tell, because they're in Bryn's head and Bryn doesn't know. Good writing, definitely good writing. Also, the pack bond allowing the reader (and Bryn) to see into the minds of other characters was a good idea. I haven't read any of her previous books, but I guess now I should. She's a seriously good writer.
Cover: Perfect! Do I really need to say more? I love the lighting, the color scheme, the font, the moon, the shadows, and everything. Plus, the girl on the cover looks a lot like how I pictured Bryn.
Overall: Really, really good. In fact, I really ought to change that three stars to four (so please, mentally change it in your head). I definitely recommend. If you like werewolves, complicated plots, strong characters, and the downfall of seriously creepy villains, this is the book for you. I highly recommend!!! (Did I mention Werewolves? Don't you love them?)
September 8, 2011
Believe me: I wanted to take this seriously. I considered my only two reviews I have to be professional because I wasn't cracking jokes, wasn't getting snarky, and tried to incorporate positive/negative qualities about a book in, just to show that the author had some good points, some bad points, of whatever the skew was at. You know, constructive criticism.
This book... wha...
That tag about it having a 'love triangle' is very subtle. In the context of the book, the relationship of Devon/Bryn/Chase has that tingling sensation of a 'love triangle'; but, it's more like 'dominance'.
Oh, how I loath that word - but for a different reason you may be thinking.
Now, just because this book is about domination, control, and leadership doesn't make it disgusting. In fact (and people have every right to disagree with me - especially on a topic like this), I found it quite interesting that the author seemed to take werewolves and made them reflect real-life abusers, of the children, psychological, physical, whatever kind.
Think about it. You have:
1) Packs; basically, there is a headdog wolf that controls the rest and any sign of disobedience is met with physical violence - gender not considered.
2) Hardly any female werewolves; in here, it's 'biological' (as in, 'hardly explained except in unresolved science') that female werewolves are a rarity. They die within the first trimester; something in their chemistry while forming just does not allow many of them to survive. Now, take it into consideration that REPORTED (not necessarily true) cases of abuse usually have male suspects.
3) The villain. There is no way you could not think about it, as Bryn outright says it.
4) Bryn's reaction.
5) Subtle hints about rape.
6) Dominance; "Mine. Mine. Mine." "I am his. He is mine." Notice that since there are hardly any female werewolves, guess who's the dominant one in a relationship nine times out of ten.
7) Werewolves thinking negatively towards humans. Mind you, it's towards Bryn, as she's part of Pack but not a werewolf or a mate to anyone--- Did I forget to mention that humans can be married to werewolves, but they are only considered to be a 'mate'? It's not 'husband and wife', it's 'mate'. I can understand that for male and female werewolves, but not even once did I read Ali (a human mother of werewolf twins; might I add that humans giving birth to one werewolf is already considered extremely hard to do) refer to Casey, husband, as 'husband'. (At least she didn't say 'mate'). If we have "werewolves = abusers," then...
8) Villain's victims.
9) Finally, 'property rights' on other people. Enough said.
Making these observations, I deemed the book to be about abusers. Come talk to me if you think otherwise. No, that's not sarcastic or in a challenging voice; I'm quite curious as to what others have gathered from the text and drew their conclusions.
Instead of the message, I want to talk about the writing, the description, and plot. Even characters, because they're what I love in books.
To be honest, there was no description. None. No imagery or way for me to know who is who among just name and obvious traits. Lake is blond; Chase is dark-haired and blue-eyed; Devon is... uh... nope, don't remember; Bryn is assumed to be the girl on the cover - and she wears a t-shirt and pants, if I recall correctly. Not only does this throw me away from the setting, but I can't get into it so well. Why was there no description for the characters beyond that? Why was there no description for the VILLAIN, of all people? The best we got was when Bryn and Ali go to Lake and Mitch's place. Yeah. How important. Even that was given just a paragraph.
The writing was... so... repetitive. That's the best word I can come up with. It wasn't bad, per se, outside of the parts where Bryn repeats stuff like mad. Common words to look out for: mine, dominance, Pack, SURVIVE, blood-blood-blood-blood, blood, trapped, fight. 'SURVIVE' in caps as such in book; the entries of 'blood-blood-blood-blood' and 'blood' are different. Trust me. Also, in the first bit of the book, Bryn would say, "... to a T." Never have I heard a teenager, let alone a 15-year old girl, use this phrase before. I'll give her credit on the assumption that she is perhaps smart enough to know and use it correctly, yet that doesn't excuse it when it pops up, oh, about four or five times in the span of 50-70 pages. It's not a common enough phrase to use it so willy-nilly. Please, for the love of everything, be more creative than to use repeated words and phrases. Readers get it the first time; Bryn is a girl affected by the past and she can't get rid of its grasp. We get it. Stop drilling it in, please.
Let me add that the author seemed to have something against longer sentences. Now, I'll accept it if it's her writing style (and this review is not trying to be insult on her, her style, or even her book, folks; just to throw that out there first), but damn. I swear this book could have been cut down easily by 30 or so pages just from the line breaks needed for the single repeated word and phrase.
I feel, after reading this book, I'm going to hate repetition as a literary device/technique.
Lastly, the plot. Not only did it take more than 100 pages to get to anything interesting (I see what you did tharrrrr, modern book), but it was full of jumps into Bryn's out-of-werewolf-pack life that were not necessary.
And...? Go on...? Oh, that's it? (/shameless quoting of fanfictioncritic) Bryn obviously had something interesting to talk about this something with Lake at 12-years old if she referred to it twice. Do we get any resolution on it? Haha, NO. Silly reader. What were you expecting?
Author, more description, less useless detail, more plot progression, less repeated words, plz. I don't need about 420 pages just to get... nothing.
Climax? What climax? The plot went so snail-slow that when we finally had something that should interest us, it was just a dull high. The villain was just a stereotypical villain. No explained reason; no answer.
Sexual tension? What sexual tension? Chase was non-descript, along with Bryn, and the only thing that really connected them was the concept of 'dominance' and 'possession'. If you're going to have a series, how about you establish the two meeting and getting to know each other first book? This left me... no feeling. Nothing. I'm sorry. It was pretty much 'insta-love' from the get-go. No, it wasn't 'I love you, you love me', but I got that feeling when they kept saying, "I am his, and he is mine."
Rant is over. Positives? I did like the concept of how and why a silver bullet did kill werewolves; I did like Ali, Lake, and somewhat of Devon (though his personality certainly felt more like a girl); Callum was okay, in a way.
Might edit this review later. Otherwise...
I finished this review like a boss to a T!
I have a feeling I might read the second book to see if the author got better. See, the writing wasn't THAT bad, except for what I explained above. If I don't read it, though, probably nothing was lost.
This book... wha...
That tag about it having a 'love triangle' is very subtle. In the context of the book, the relationship of Devon/Bryn/Chase has that tingling sensation of a 'love triangle'; but, it's more like 'dominance'.
Oh, how I loath that word - but for a different reason you may be thinking.
Now, just because this book is about domination, control, and leadership doesn't make it disgusting. In fact (and people have every right to disagree with me - especially on a topic like this), I found it quite interesting that the author seemed to take werewolves and made them reflect real-life abusers, of the children, psychological, physical, whatever kind.
Think about it. You have:
1) Packs; basically, there is a head
2) Hardly any female werewolves; in here, it's 'biological' (as in, 'hardly explained except in unresolved science') that female werewolves are a rarity. They die within the first trimester; something in their chemistry while forming just does not allow many of them to survive. Now, take it into consideration that REPORTED (not necessarily true) cases of abuse usually have male suspects.
3) The villain. There is no way you could not think about it, as Bryn outright says it.
4) Bryn's reaction.
5) Subtle hints about rape.
6) Dominance; "Mine. Mine. Mine." "I am his. He is mine." Notice that since there are hardly any female werewolves, guess who's the dominant one in a relationship nine times out of ten.
7) Werewolves thinking negatively towards humans. Mind you, it's towards Bryn, as she's part of Pack but not a werewolf or a mate to anyone--- Did I forget to mention that humans can be married to werewolves, but they are only considered to be a 'mate'? It's not 'husband and wife', it's 'mate'. I can understand that for male and female werewolves, but not even once did I read Ali (a human mother of werewolf twins; might I add that humans giving birth to one werewolf is already considered extremely hard to do) refer to Casey, husband, as 'husband'. (At least she didn't say 'mate'). If we have "werewolves = abusers," then...
8) Villain's victims.
9) Finally, 'property rights' on other people. Enough said.
Making these observations, I deemed the book to be about abusers. Come talk to me if you think otherwise. No, that's not sarcastic or in a challenging voice; I'm quite curious as to what others have gathered from the text and drew their conclusions.
Instead of the message, I want to talk about the writing, the description, and plot. Even characters, because they're what I love in books.
To be honest, there was no description. None. No imagery or way for me to know who is who among just name and obvious traits. Lake is blond; Chase is dark-haired and blue-eyed; Devon is... uh... nope, don't remember; Bryn is assumed to be the girl on the cover - and she wears a t-shirt and pants, if I recall correctly. Not only does this throw me away from the setting, but I can't get into it so well. Why was there no description for the characters beyond that? Why was there no description for the VILLAIN, of all people? The best we got was when Bryn and Ali go to Lake and Mitch's place. Yeah. How important. Even that was given just a paragraph.
The writing was... so... repetitive. That's the best word I can come up with. It wasn't bad, per se, outside of the parts where Bryn repeats stuff like mad. Common words to look out for: mine, dominance, Pack, SURVIVE, blood-blood-blood-blood, blood, trapped, fight. 'SURVIVE' in caps as such in book; the entries of 'blood-blood-blood-blood' and 'blood' are different. Trust me. Also, in the first bit of the book, Bryn would say, "... to a T." Never have I heard a teenager, let alone a 15-year old girl, use this phrase before. I'll give her credit on the assumption that she is perhaps smart enough to know and use it correctly, yet that doesn't excuse it when it pops up, oh, about four or five times in the span of 50-70 pages. It's not a common enough phrase to use it so willy-nilly. Please, for the love of everything, be more creative than to use repeated words and phrases. Readers get it the first time; Bryn is a girl affected by the past and she can't get rid of its grasp. We get it. Stop drilling it in, please.
Let me add that the author seemed to have something against longer sentences. Now, I'll accept it if it's her writing style (and this review is not trying to be insult on her, her style, or even her book, folks; just to throw that out there first), but damn. I swear this book could have been cut down easily by 30 or so pages just from the line breaks needed for the single repeated word and phrase.
I feel, after reading this book, I'm going to hate repetition as a literary device/technique.
Lastly, the plot. Not only did it take more than 100 pages to get to anything interesting (I see what you did tharrrrr, modern book), but it was full of jumps into Bryn's out-of-werewolf-pack life that were not necessary.
"I learned not to deal with Lake after that time we were 12."
"...after Lake stopped streaking when we were 12."
"That experience when we were 12. That was a different story"
And...? Go on...? Oh, that's it? (/shameless quoting of fanfictioncritic) Bryn obviously had something interesting to talk about this something with Lake at 12-years old if she referred to it twice. Do we get any resolution on it? Haha, NO. Silly reader. What were you expecting?
Author, more description, less useless detail, more plot progression, less repeated words, plz. I don't need about 420 pages just to get... nothing.
Climax? What climax? The plot went so snail-slow that when we finally had something that should interest us, it was just a dull high. The villain was just a stereotypical villain. No explained reason; no answer.
Sexual tension? What sexual tension? Chase was non-descript, along with Bryn, and the only thing that really connected them was the concept of 'dominance' and 'possession'. If you're going to have a series, how about you establish the two meeting and getting to know each other first book? This left me... no feeling. Nothing. I'm sorry. It was pretty much 'insta-love' from the get-go. No, it wasn't 'I love you, you love me', but I got that feeling when they kept saying, "I am his, and he is mine."
Rant is over. Positives? I did like the concept of how and why a silver bullet did kill werewolves; I did like Ali, Lake, and somewhat of Devon (though his personality certainly felt more like a girl); Callum was okay, in a way.
Might edit this review later. Otherwise...
I finished this review like a boss to a T!
I have a feeling I might read the second book to see if the author got better. See, the writing wasn't THAT bad, except for what I explained above. If I don't read it, though, probably nothing was lost.
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