Title: The Last Wolf
Author(s): Maria Vale
Series: The Legend of All Wolves #1
Narrator(s): Rachel Dulude
Published by Tantor Audio on February 6, 2018
Length: 8 hrs 2 mins
Genre(s): Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Source: Audible Escape, Netgalley, Purchase
Format: Audiobook, eBook
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating:
Series Rating:
Heat Level:
A Library Journal and Amazon Best Book of 2018.
"Raw, wild, and intense--captivating to the final page."--AMANDA BOUCHET, USA Today bestselling author, for The Last Wolf
For three days out of thirty, when the moon is full and her law is iron, the Great North Pack must be wild.
If she returns to her Pack, the stranger will die. But if she stays…
Silver Nilsdottir is at the bottom of her Pack’s social order, with little chance for a decent mate and a better life. Until the day a stranger stumbles into their territory, wounded and beaten, and Silver decides to risk everything on Tiberius Leveraux. But Tiberius isn’t all he seems, and in the fragile balance of the Pack and wild, he may tip the destiny of all wolves…
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I liked this story, but it did not wow me. If you are looking for romance, then this is not a book for you. The main characters became a couple, but the focus was more on pack politics and survival.
The Last Wolf, the first book in The Legend of All Wolves, tells the story of Silver Nilsdottir and Tiberius Leveraux. Silver is a member of the Great North Park, an ancient breed and the first of their kind to relocate to North America.
Because of a birth defect, Silver is at the lower echelon of the pack, destined to be a slave. At the moment she was to face her destiny, a wounded shifter seeking refuge entered their midst. To save him from death at the hands of her pack members, she offered to become his protector, which released her from becoming a slave. This would prove a risk as they both faced the possibility of being exiled if the Pack did not consider the stranger worthy to become a part of them. In addition, he is keeping a secret, which has the potential to destroy the pack.
The prologue provided a history of how the pack ended up living in North America. We also see how the enmity between shifters and werewolves originated. The events which occurred were interesting, which had me looking forward to the rest of the story. However, it did not go as expected. I found the pacing to be slow, and it took me some time to get into the story. In addition, I found parts of the story difficult to follow. I had to reread several paragraphs in my aim to grasp the Pack’s rules and behaviours among other things. The story yielded a few laughs and some awkward moments. Narrated from the POV of the heroine, the story treats readers to her perspective, but I feel it would have more of an impact if Tiberius’s POV was introduced.
Silver and Tiberius had a lot in common. They were both damaged physically and emotionally. Tiberius refused to embrace his wolf as result. Silver is determined, resilient, loyal, smart and somewhat impulsive, while Tiberius was strong and protective. I enjoyed getting to know them as individuals, but I found it difficult to connect with them as a couple.
I found the world building unique. Pack members and shifters were sworn enemies and would kill each other when the opportunity arises. The pack members were wolves who changed to humans. Some were not comfortable being humans but did so as a means of survival. Shifters were humans who changed to wolves and preferred to embrace their human sides. The laws and customs of the pack were strange and gruesome. For example, whatever they killed, had to be eaten, which led to a few stomach-turning moments.
I received an ARC through Netgalley, but never got around to reading. I purchased a copy earlier this year and just as I was about to read it I discovered it was in Audible Escape, so I listened to the audio along with reading the book. It was my first time listening to Rachel Dulude. I enjoyed her portrayal of Silver. She brought the story to life, which made it easy to listen.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Overall, I found The Last Wolf to be an interesting start to the series.
About Maria Vale
Maria Vale is a journalist who has worked for Publishers Weekly, Glamour, Redbook and the Philadelphia Inquirer. She’s a double-Rita finalist whose books have been listed by Amazon, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, ALA Booklist & Kirkus among their Best Books of the Year. Trained as a medievalist, she persists in trying to shoehorn the language of Beowulf into things that don’t really need it A logophile and a bibliovore and a worrier about the world, she is trained as a medievalist and she tries to shoehorn the language of Beowulf into things that don’t really need it. She currently lives in New York with her husband, two sons and a long line of dead plants. No one will let her have a pet.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Audio Book Challenge
- Netgalley and Edelweiss
I appreciate your honest reviews. This is a pass for me
Thanks, DJ
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this one more. Thank you for the honest review!
You are welcome. I had high expectations.
I got this one as a freebie a while back and I’m glad to get your thoughts on it. I’ll lower my expectations and be patient with the slow start. Great review, Nadene!
Thanks, Sophia. The reviews were mixed. It’s possible you may love it or not. I am looking forward to reading your views.
Pity it didn’t fully work but glad you still enjoyed it. I love wolves. Great review.
I’ve been curious about this one! Bummer it didn’t wow you though. Good thing the audio was enjoyable!
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? ?
Yes, thank goodness for the audio.
Great review I love when you tell it like it is. Sometimes I like a non-romance inside a series maybe the rest will be a bit more romance
Ah, what a shame. I enjoy romance in paranormal books, so I’m not really keen to pick this one up. But maybe book 2 will be better?
Thank you for writing such an honest review.
I enjoy listening to the audiobook while reading the book as well. Really great review!
That’s disappointing. It looks like it would be a romance 🙁 Thanks for sharing your honest review!
I am sorry to see this book didn’t work out for you but I felt the SAME way, I couldn’t get through this one. Sad but true. The writing style of it just didn’t work. Definitely expected it to be more of a romance.
Hi Nadene, Many thanks for stopping by Pen and Paper.
Wow! Loving the cover of this book, it’s certainly eye catching but I’m afraid for me that is probably where it ends. I’m afraid that the synopsis does not shout ‘read me’, something your review though beautifully written and obviously well thought out only confirms. Felicity