Dyrwolf (Dyrwolf #1) in Review / Write / Read Club (Indie & Self-Published)

Nov 13, 2022 Sotto Voce rated it it was amazing

First of all, I was nervous picking up this book. I knew nothing, literary nothing about werewolves except the eighties TV series, which I only watched for a few minutes. I remember the hideous effect that made it scarier, imprinted in my core memory with running away from a carnival where they pretended to unleash a werewolf. I swear everyone else ran too.

Well, I guess it'd be fair to say that no one actually knows anything about werewolves, but there are at least common ideas about them, right First of all, I was nervous picking up this book. I knew nothing, literary nothing about werewolves except the eighties TV series, which I only watched for a few minutes. I remember the hideous effect that made it scarier, imprinted in my core memory with running away from a carnival where they pretended to unleash a werewolf. I swear everyone else ran too.

Well, I guess it'd be fair to say that no one actually knows anything about werewolves, but there are at least common ideas about them, right?
So, it's not my cup of tea in the first place, so are Fantasy/Paranormal/Young Adult/Romance/genres. There are a lot of odds against me liking the book.

When I started, I didn't initially warm up to it and was wary about many torturous nights ahead. It was confusing to me, at first, with many names thrown around with their unfamiliar terms and settings. I didn't know what Proving, Alder, or Dyr are, and a ridiculous image of a wolf carrying a spear in its paw sent a knobby knot on my forehead.

Besides those and the initial alarming sign of what I thought would be a mushy teenager romance-erotica, I persevered through; it was not hard because I found many things that I enjoyed going on reading.

The pace is good. At times it goes very fast, but unless I was dead tired of too many other useless things in my life, I wanted to continue. One of the things that floats my boat is that, even though this is a fantasy, it doesn't use flowery-mundane language or unreasonable names for its genre. I loved the creative descriptions of everything: the scenes, settings, foods, senses, and expressions without overdoing them.

The characters are rootable and believable, I started investing in them around one-third of the book, and besides the initial alarm, the connections of the main protags are earned. There are distinctive enough personalities of important supporting characters, especially the father, which I learned a lot about without having many actual scenes with him in it. I felt Lea's pain, hope, and disappointment. I liked her thinking; it's not always right or good, but it shouldn't have to be.

Several funny moments made me chuckle. I enjoyed how everything unfolds, layer by layer, and thankful that the story and characters are deeper and more realistic. I wish Astrid is revealed more but the little scenes she has are impactful. Too many characters clean under their nails with the point of their knives, but I can't expect them to scratch their backsides while trying to act cool.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a 4.5 round-up because again, it has the recipe with all ingredients that I don't like but turns me around just for this, for now. This teaches me that there is no reason to shy away from any genre, as again, paranormal young adult fantasy is not something I normally touch with a loooong pole, but I am glad I did. I appreciate the storytelling, the message the story tries to convey using rootable characters. I can almost smell and see the world. I can relate it to problematic human nature through an unusual way to tell it. Maybe not to others, but uncommon for me, a virgin in this genre.

4.5 overgrown dandelion out of 5 furry white rugs ...more

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Oct 01, 2023 E.K. Frances rated it it was amazing

Brilliant read

I was hooked on this one from the start. It was much darker than I expected, as we are thrown into a world where sixteen-year-old Lea Wylder, is training to fight a colony of werewolves that enslave humans. When Lea stumbles upon an injured young werewolf, she has to decide whether to put aside a lifetime of hatred to aid him, and even if she’s willing, what will be the cost to her?

Lea is really well thought out; I loved her strength in the face of adversity and the growth in her c ...more

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Dec 30, 2021 Patricia Bates rated it it was amazing

Shelves: paranormal-shifters

Where do I start with my review on Drywolf?
From the first line Kat has done an amazing job of pulling the reader into the story. I was immediately engaged and wondered what was the Proving? Reading through this book I could only be drawn further and further into the world that Kat has woven throughout the story and man is it a world that I am enthralled with.
It has the edgy dark feeling I like and is vivid, breathtaking, and makes me wonder why I can't go there.
Lea is a unique enigma. A woman ...more

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May 22, 2022 Susanne Leist rated it really liked it

Lea Wylder lives in the Village with the other humans banished by the Dyrwolves. The shape-shifting werewolves live across the river, inhabiting the lush lands of the Colony. Prone to headaches and disturbing visions, Lea finds herself an outcast, living alone with her father. She keeps to herself until her only friend, Salem, is taken by the wolves. She leaves home to save her friend.
Lea finds a white wolf caught in a trap on her way to the Colony. When he changes forms to human, she recognizes ...more

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Jun 23, 2025 Andrew Baltasar rated it it was amazing

Dyrwolf surprised me in the best way. I’m not usually a fan of YA fantasy or werewolves, but this story pulled me in with its well-paced plot, vivid worldbuilding, and deeply human characters. Lea is a relatable and strong protagonist, facing both chronic illness and war while learning to question everything she’s been taught.

The setting—harsh, wild, and immersive—feels real, and the tension between humans and shifters adds layers of moral complexity. There’s action, mystery, and a slow-burn bon ...more

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Jun 21, 2022 Ann Birdgenaw rated it it was amazing

Beautifully written, gripping paranormal YA Fantasy! Set in a dystopian, yet familiar, landscape very similar to my own up in northern Canada, Lea lives in fear of the werewolves that tortured and kidnapped her mother and forced humans to flee up into the mountains. That is, until she finds a young “Drywolf” in a trap, who convinces her to help him get back to his community and he’ll help her find answers to her burning questions. I liked the main character, Lea, who has learned from her father ...more

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Jan 17, 2024 Eric Gibson rated it it was amazing

This is hands down the best use of present tense I've ever read in a full length novel. In spite of my adamant prejudice against its heavy usage, Kinney nails it. I'm not yet ready to admit I'm wrong, but the writing was so stellar in this case that I appreciated the immediacy and emotional connection that authors so often try for and fail when choosing present tense. The impressive part is that the author was able to sustain that kind of intensity for so long. Lea's pain is raw, with genuine de ...more

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Jun 09, 2020 Amanda Stuntz rated it it was amazing

A great story that puts werewolves against humans.
I loved the characters. Lea was easy to relate too and even some of the werewolves were likable.
The story starts out with action and I was immediately drawn into the story as Lea tries to save her friend, family and village from the drywolves.
The action continues throughout the story and even has some good fight scenes.
I absolutely loved this book and had a hard time putting it down.

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May 03, 2019 Florian Armas rated it liked it

Dyrwolf is a coming of age fantasy, filled with shape-shifting wolves, sweet romance, suspense and dark secrets. It is written like a puzzle game in which mysteries pile one by one. Lea’s disease, her mother’s disappearance, the Colony, the dyrwolves, all are things and facts that the reader must dig into the next page to learn about them. We have the usual conflict between a group of humans against a larger group of werewolves who have enslaved most of them, and the forbidden romance between an ...more

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Jul 16, 2023 Dimitry Orlov rated it it was amazing

Dyrwolf might be the best book I read this year.
It is well written, and the enchanting love story makes the novel hard to put down.
The characters are well formed, and the pacing of the story is excellent.
I enjoyed the humor and intrigue in the book.
This is a story of a world where werewolves are in control and humans are the oppressed.
Lea is a young human who hunts werewolves and Henrik is a young werewolf. They have a chance encounter in the woods one day, while Lea is out hunting. Lea accide ...more

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Jan 10, 2023 Seth Hobbs rated it really liked it

In this mysterious fantasy novel, readers have a lot to explore--the recently popular werewolf genre, some romance, action, suspense, twists, and hidden secrets . Mysteries and enigmas are embedded for readers to explore with the protagonist, Lea. Lea’s afflictions, her mom's story, the Colony, the dyrwolves, and the romance keep you reading on. At the end, I was surprised and moved by the authors epilogue and revealing of her own struggle with migraines, which can be awful to deal with. Having ...more

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Mar 06, 2021 Lynn Helton rated it really liked it

Shelves: speculative-fiction, young-adult

The dyrwolves are the enemy, everyone knows that. Then one day Lea comes across a trapped, injured one, who turns out to be a boy about her own age who knows things he shouldn’t. And suddenly Lea’s not so sure about what everyone knows to be true. The story is told in first person, present tense, from Lea’s viewpoint.

Elements I liked:
The story really drew me in. I liked that Lea realistically struggled with migraines, making her an atypical main character and fantasy story hero. I liked that in ...more

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Dec 20, 2022 Darryl Breland rated it really liked it

Being that werewolves and teen romance are outside my usual genre, it took a bit longer for me to get into the story than it may take others, but the writer’s style immersed me with ample descriptions of every detail of the characters and their environment. The complex intermingling of personal drama and emotion with broader societal challenges and politics is well defined and creatively described. In some respects, this could be described as a modern day Romero and Juliet.

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