Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

*All reviews I write are spoiler free*

What a confusing title! Way too much repetition in those six words.

I finished reading this book on Wednesday, but since I uploaded my discussion post that day, I saved my review for today.

Also having wolves as my favourite animal and being quite artistic came in handy when I needed a background for the review image, since I had this painting I did years ago stuck to my wall! Ahhaha 😀

So let’s talk about Wolf by Wolf!

Title: Wolf by Wolf

Author: Ryan Graudin

Publisher: Indigo

Series Status: The first in the Wolf by Wolf series (others yet to be released)

Number of Pages: 379

My Rating: 4/5 stars!

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 (Found on Goodreads)

Once upon a different time, there was a girl who lived in a kingdom of death. Wolves howled up her arm. A whole pack of them-made of tattoo ink and pain, memory and loss. It was the only thing about her that ever stayed the same.Her story begins on a train.

Germania, 1956. Over ten years since the Nazis won the war. 18-year-old Yael is part of the resistance, and she has just one mission: to kill Hitler.

But first she’s got to get close enough to him to do it.

Experimented on during her time at Auschwitz, Yael has the unique ability to change her appearance at will. The only part of her which always remains are the five tattooed wolves on her arm; one for each of the people she’s lost. Using her abilities, she must transform into Adele Wolfe, Germany’s most famous female rider and winner of the legendary Axis Tour; an epic long distance motorcycle race from Berlin to Tokyo, where only the strongest (and wiliest) riders survive. If she can win this, she will be able to get close enough to kill the Fuhrer and change history forever.

But with other riders sabotaging her chances at every turn, Yael’s mission won’t be easy. . .

The second I heard of this book it had my attention.

Just from the synopsis you can tell it’s a unique story. I’ve been really getting into historical fiction lately, so when this one cropped up, I HAD to have it.

It’s set in the days when Hitler was of power…apart from in this alternate history, he won the war. And it’s not exactly a nice place.

Going into this book I already knew a fair amount about German History, since I do have a genuine interest in history. And thanks to studying history last year, I was familiar with some of the German terms used through the book – such as the word “Aryan”, which is basically anyone with blonde hair and blue eyes, which at this time were said to be the “superior race”. Now since I new little snippets of information like this, the world in this book seemed so much richer and finely detailed to me. But I feel like it’s written in a way that allows people who aren’t too familiar with German history to follow along easily too. It’s not like all these German terms are just thrown at you – not at all! They’re just woven in every so often to add to the authenticity.

I think what interested me most was the fantasy element, the skinshifting. It was so cleverly added to the story, with background chapters every so often to add a bit more information to the story, and to answer more questions about the whole skinshifting element. And the thing is, it was actually believable! I had no issues with imagining the power Yael had.

The story is quite literally a journey. As mentioned in the synopsis, Yael takes part in a motorcycle race, riding relentlessly through many countries. Of course, because it was an epic journey, there were moments that were slower paced than the rest of the book, however most of the time there was plenty of action to keep you hooked. I found myself at times trying to read faster, as if I could urge Yael forward in the race by simply willing her to go!

The fierceness and determination Yael had was admirable, to be quite honest. Yes, she had her moments of panic, where things didn’t go right or she didn’t know what to do, but doesn’t everybody? Her personality stood out against the rest of the characters. I’d would’ve actually liked to see more from certain characters, since Yael did try to keep her distance from them all (literally).

And finally, let me just say, there were quite a few plot twists I didn’t see coming. At all. And the ending just left me needing the next book as soon as possible.

The typical story of a fight against tyranny was somehow woven into this unique and addictive read, so I rate it…

4/5 stars!

Order from Amazon!

Have you read this book? What did you think?

If you haven’t, is it on your TBR?

Let me know in the comments!

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