4.75 stars
one of my favorite SP/underrated series.
Roland gets his own book guys! I love this series.
Roland is still very much the lovable, protective sweet wolf he always has been. yay! I felt for him so much, the crushing pressure and lack of freedom of being a wolf at this time in his life/ the year holds for him. how he balances all of that, and holds onto his funny, cheerful sweet self is amazing. he really grows into a man in this book. I loved watching all of that unfold.
E.'s character really explores some tough themes. victim trauma, grief, guilt. it was hard to watch her go through it, but totally relatable.
I really loved being back in this world again, and, of course, I loved seeing favorite characters, and getting to see more of the wolf life.
a couple of things did bother me a little. 1) it's a little slow to start. this is probably my fault, as I haven't read the other books for a hot minute, so trying to figure out who the MC was took me a few chapters to care about her again.
2) the ending felt anticlimactic and rushed. this is a duel POV book, switching between Roland and E. at the end, I felt like Rolands POV was skipped, and though it wasn't NESSESARY, it felt hurried due to the lack of it. instead it's told as a sentence during a conversation. this was a pretty big event to simply gloss over. some ppl might not feel as strongly as I do though. but as part of a whole story, the beginning and end were definitely a different feel from the rest.
3) there is a large argument/ conflict at the end that also felt rushed and anticlimactic. see #2. everything in between was great though.
4) I have been conflicted about the whole wolf imprinting thing since the twilight days. simply because it takes choice out of the picture. it isn't really THAT bad in this story, the wolf knows the mans/womans heart and usually choses someone they both like. it's also in pretty much every other werewolf story I've ever read, so not that big of a deal. and it's silly of me, because it's just a mirror of love. no one choses when or how or whom they love. it just happens. usually when it's most inconvenient/unplanned. but in this story, it all feels pretty rushed/ sudden, and unwanted. I feel like every male at 18 is suddenly an adult, gets pack responsibilities, school, jobs, wife, kids etc dumped on them for no good reason. simply because they are related to the alpha/ beta etc. who, BTW, isn't about to croak-so no urgent need to replace staff members... Pete and Roland feel a little young. I guess mostly because Roland is so opposed to the idea. I'm happy for Paul, though. at the end of the day, it works out for all parties, but it just didn't feel as natural as I would have hoped. yes, love changes us. so does growing up, and becoming an adult. It just feels like it's a bit forced here, especially because it happens en'mass.
I was expecting a cliff hanger ending, that isn't the case(yay!), and I think I remember Jordan's story may be next, so that should be snarky, sword wielding fun! I look forward to reading this many more times to come.
amendment: I just found out Chris gets the next book. not jordan. still so excited! can't wait!!!