5 Jan 2022

ARC Review: DON'T CALL THE WOLF by Aleksandra Ross

DON'T CALL THE WOLF

Author: Aleksandra Ross

Series: N/A
Source: Audio from Audible Plus
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 28, 2020
Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Summary:

A forest, besieged. A queen, unyielding. Fans of Leigh Bardugo and Holly Black will devour this deliciously dark Eastern European–inspired YA fantasy debut.

When the Golden Dragon descended on the forest of Kamiena, a horde of monsters followed in its wake.

Ren, the forest’s young queen, is slowly losing her battle against them. Until she rescues Lukasz—the last survivor of a heroic regiment of dragon slayers—and they strike a deal. She will help him find his brother, who vanished into her forest… if Lukasz promises to slay the Dragon.

But promises are all too easily broken.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Wow. I loved this!! It was such an awe-inspiring fantasy novel that kept me hooked from the first page. The dips back and forth between past and present didn't quite land for me all the time, but it still was an incredibly written book.

DON'T CALL THE WOLF was a story inspired by Polish mythology with all the wisp-like trappings of a fairy tale. The ambiance of the monster-ridden forest and the themes of fate, loyalty and kindness drew me in. I thought the ending was a little rushed, considering the rest of the novel was so well laid-out and paced, but that was the only disapopinting piece.

I thought the way the characters were first introduced to us, and to each other, could have been a little less clunky, but it made sense in the long run. I just think for a 450+ page book, it could have been a little better to be set up.

This book was really good - it didn't stumble in any of the major pitfalls that I see a lot of YA falling into. While the main characters do end up together, there is no love triangle and no quirky side characters - this book had a purpose and it stuck to it.

The adventure was exciting! I was deeply engrossed in the plot and eagerly watched it unfold. It was exciting to meet some of the other characters, get more into who they are and their motivations, and see how the group came together to make sure that the overarching plot was succeeded - no matter the cost.

The creatures in this book gave me some serious Witcher vibes - with their wildness and their types - which really gave that book that extra oomph. The worldbuilding, mythology, and creatures definitely made this a really exciting, interesting, and great read for me.

TLDR: Such a great novel! I think it got lost on a lot of people because of the madness that was 2020, but if you have an extra audible credit, or just want to purchase a good book, I highly recommend this! It's a new classic in the fairy tale and folklore genre.