Fury Bound 1. del + 2. del

The Wolves of Ruin #2

by Sable Sorensen

(Fury Bound - første og anden del udgør tilsammen andet bind i Wolves of Ruin.)

BLOD VIL FLYDE - BÅND VIL BRYDES

Retfærdigheden har sejret, og Meryn Cooper bærer nu kronen som dronning af Nocturna. Men tronen viser sig hurtigt at være langt farligere end slagmarken, for riget er forgiftet af generationers løgne, blodige hemmeligheder og skjulte magtkampe. Sammen med sin forbundne ulv, Anassa, kastes Meryn ind i en desperat kamp for ikke blot at beskytte kronen – men for at overleve.

Mens fjender samler sig i mørket, og alliancer smuldrer under presset fra begær, frygt og forræderi, tvinges Meryn til at spille et dødeligt politisk spil, hvor ét forkert træk kan koste hende alt, og for at redde Nocturna må hun udfordre selve skæbnen og indgå alliancer med dem, hun mindst burde stole på.

Samtidig svinder hendes elskede søster, Saela, langsomt hen, og hver dag driver Meryn længere ud mod desperationens afgrund. Kun én person holder hende oprejst: Stark Therion – den mørke, frygtindgydende Alfa, hvis loyalitet er lige så ubrydelig, som hans vrede er brutal.

Hans nærvær er vanedannende, hans berøring livsfarlig, og ved hans side føler Meryn sig stærkere end nogensinde før.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Audiobook, Fantasy Romance, Vampires, Magic

816 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2026

About the author

Two fantasy fangirls who grew up on a steady diet of wizards, magical creatures, and sweeping love stories. Bestselling authors of DIRE BOUND! Direwolves, slow burn romance, dangerous trials ♥️🐺🗡️ FURY BOUND out NOW!!

Follow Sable for an exclusive peek into the Wolves of Ruin series:

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Mailing list: https://sablesorensen.substack.com/su...

Reviews

[SK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had fun with this. Until the last 30% which essentially stuffed it up. Hear me out, this is a decent book and I had fun vibing but then critically? There's so many plot holes and so much inconsistency here, I cannot ignore it.

Firstly, it starts off really amazingly. I won't deny the way it brilliantly picks up on the political implications of the first book and sets up characters like pieces on a chess board. I liked the struggles Meryn had to deal with. The rebels. The Siphons along with Saela. Cherry on top? Stark's yearning was a good edition.

The middle happens. Things are still going well but shock factors have started to be thrown at random points. Deaths that eventually contributed little to the plot, giving it no meaning with how it ended. The death count increases. Action sequences shown off page in a form of vision. I start to feel robbed. The plot has taken a sharp turn from wolves x siphons to gods x goddesses x tears. It was not a smooth transition. It's rushed. But then Stark is keeping that intensity of the romance going. Lucien's entry brings immense flair, personality, sarcasm and theatrics to the plot and it picks up right again. He's a really vibrant yet full of depth character that I would love to see more of. The new dynamic and political play is interesting once more. Yet, the emotions and plot narrative has no breathing room. We're rushing to end like there's no tomorrow or no other book after this.

Getting closer to the ending, the romance and spice is going amazing. I loved the intensity. I love the chemistry between Stark and Meryn. The intensity of the bond between them, the wolves, it's chef's kiss. The dirty mouth on Stark is everything I could hope for.

The ending... All that build up, just wasted. Anticlimactic. Horrible. So many plot holes. I want to say this book pulled A LOT of shocking plot twists and just for the sake of it. In a few months, all I'll remember are those and forget the core of the story.

Honestly, all that work with the siphons and wolves that we were building on for majority of the book: Where is the pay off? Killian is supposed to be the big bad guy? Where is the fight? You're trying to tell me that there are forces coming for war? Where is the action? Where are the packs? The rebels? Where are the punches, blood and gore? Where are the wolves and siphons? Why did Meryn just take things like a pushover and not make a powerful stance? If we were going for the mind games, why did she not outsmart? Where was that struggle of an unacceptable queen? Did she even rise? Why did we wrap it all up in a chapter and completely forget what we were doing for 70% of the book?

I'm honestly so disappointed by how this book ended. The ending was not good at all. Reading the end was like paying for a yearly subscription and not even using it.

BR with my girl Noi. At least Stark and Lucien kept us moving forward 🤷‍♀️


~•~•~
IT'S HEREEEEEEEEEEE
Watch me go feral over Stark

[Kaila.Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than book 1. HOLY F. Anyone who thought Direbound was too Fourth Wing coded, buckle the f up bc this sequel is so f cking good!!!!!

[manas · Rating 1 out of 5]

➳ i am gonna get dragged for this ☆

so...anyways. as always, this review is gonna be a hate review; take everything with a bucket of salt. i will be going through the whole book and there will be spoilers. some‼️SPOILERS‼️are in this review. i will be going into the details of why this didn't work. my opinion is just that—MY opinion. if you love this book, i am VERY happy for you. please do not come into my comments are talk shit because i am not in the mood. this will only be a review of the book, NOT the author/fans of the series. i am not here to influence anyone so don't take this as a binding statement. read whatever you like. <3

for starters, i will NOT read the next book in this series because i honestly do not care in the slightest. since this is just a trilogy, i would usually bite my tongue and power through, but this is quite literally taking years off my life and i feel like i am going insane forcing myself to finish this. ideally, i should've stopped reading from book one, since that is truly a nothingburger book. however, people raved about the ending of direbound and now, the entirety of this book, so i gave it a chance...330 pages to be exact and lord have mercy. i want my time, effort, money, and braincells back. trust me when i say, i tried. i tried so hard, but literally nothing about this stands out. this book is neither original nor is it well written...

i am going to be calling our main FMC, kitten in this review. i literally don't remember her name...hence the nickname she so clearly loves. this isn’t her name but i deadass don’t care and don’t remember.

time of death—50% aka page 330.

this sequel essentially starts off exactly where the last book ended—killian betrayed the gang and stark and kitten are mate bonded. that's literally it. i couldn't tell you anything else because they don't do anything. the plot does not progress, the romance is actual torture to read, and the characters are so lifeless they are truly rivaling with me. #useless people unite. however, to no one's shock, in this book we do get introduced to stark's POV and wow, he is so unvaried. the first book in this trilogy truly focuses on killian and his kitten, leaving absolutely zero room for on page development between her and stark. he is just in the back—almost an afterthought, which was so jarring to read since he is supposed to be the main male lead. after the phony reveal of them being mates in the first book, i would expect some better on page development between them in this book. they are just wet, horny, thirsty, down bad, obsessed, and wooden. these two have ZERO chemistry. how are you going to write an entire trilogy about boring ass individuals with no chemistry? please free us from these fools.

starting off, i have three main reasons as to why this was terrible. the entire book is THE reason but for the purpose of making this concise—i am going to break down three the points.

1. characters/character archetypes
2. world building and magic system
3. romance & romantic development

starting off with the obvious, namely the character development and the archetypes of the characters presented: make no fucking sense. there are so many contradictions that the authors forget every time they move to a different point because the narrative structure is so incoherent. this is literally the definition of moving three steps forward to move 300 steps backwards. i am not trying to accuse anybody of anything but this truly feels like we were hitting a publisher deadline and the authors scrambled to come up with some sort of plot for the second book. i understand that even though fictional characters are typically held to a higher standard since they are not real—we truly do not exist in a vacuum, and fiction is clearly a reflection of real life. it's really hard for us as readers to take immature character, seriously since every time miss kitten learns a lesson, she has to relearn it a couple chapters later. this has been an ongoing issue from the first book. i don’t understand why i am over 300 pages into the second book in a trilogy and she still does not have her footing. these characters don’t even feel like characters in an adult fantasy novel, but rather they feel like cartoon characters that a bunch of children grew fond of and decided to give them their moment on pbs.

when it comes to the world building and the magic system of this universe, it is truly just fourth wing from temu. i have no real critiques about how this world has been constructed because i truly have no idea what is going on. it's basically a bunch of trials, but instead of dragons or wyverns—you get stuck with a bunch of big ass wolves. ok? and what? that’s it? well, yes. that’s all they wrote, folks. i can at least appreciate the first book because it was trying to do something with the world building, however, this book seriously is falling into the second book syndrome because nothing happened. again, with the contradictions. i am very aware that this book is written by two different authors and there’s always going to be some level of incertitude since we have two very distinct voices with two very distinct writing styles…BUT it shows. this book is anything but cohesive, and ultimately the world building is where this book suffers. we as readers are not supposed to be this aware that there is more than one voice writing this. it's too blaring with this book since we have an added point of view which does nothing but drag this story even longer.

i am huge on political intrigue, and i believe in actions speaking louder than words. however, with this book it almost feels like the world building is used as a plot device that works around the characters rather than for the characters or against the characters. there are several high fantasy books: game of thrones, mistborn, the poppy war, crescent city…where i can confidently name the plot, the purpose, and the end goal of these characters for the storyline. this magic system almost feels like a parody because of how bizarrely it’s been thrown together with no expansion. there are some characters that attempt to assassinate other characters and ultimately this should be an intense moment for us as readers, since kitten’s friend was assassinated earlier in the book. however, nothing ever comes of this because the “high stakes” never end up going anywhere. these characters are constantly running around in circles, falling for the same tactics and the same emotional manipulation. how are you going to let the same big bad guy trick you over and over again? at some point, the authors have to look within themselves and ask, WHY are they writing her like a jejune and puerile man-child. characters are allowed to be stupid, annoying, and downright evil if the story calls for it. in this case, she is just your stereotypical self-insert heroine. no brain, no braincells.

the narrative structure and prose are ALL OVER THE FUCKING PLACE. this book was heavy on the melodrama and at times, felt like i was reading a kid's bedtime book...not an adult fantasy. the emotional weight of this story basically lies in the romance, but even with that—there is only so much you can write before it becomes superfluous. let me just say it here; they have no chemistry. none. book one was a flop because they don't work as a couple...and now you're gonna add some flop mate story and expect us to believe they are destined to be? piss off. this is why build up is important. having them go from spending approximately 15% of their time together to suddenly being tethered and codependent is fucking strange. you can't force angst. you can't force tension. these elements have to naturally progress in the story or it's irrelevant. why even drag a romantic entanglement if you can't do it properly? why is this so long? why did they change this from a duet to a trilogy? who the fuck hyped this shit up so much? can someone give me a refund? so. many. questions.

i can’t believe i’m admitting that stark was genuinely one of the better parts of the first book. unfortunately, he fell victim to this terrible narrative because his unnecessary jealousy and codependency fell completely flat and this completely took over the book. going from point A to point B within a matter of seconds was extremely incongruous. the art of a good slow burn has truly been lost. the build-up and the little moments woven into the story are what matters most. trying to rush a realtionship from some mediocre dick is just getting tiresome. we are all over it. this truly might be one of the most unbalanced and shallow romance stories i’ve read about in a very long time. very unfortunate since there was potential, but right now, i do not have the mental capacity to be dealing with these fools. a good author can fake on page chemistry, but they CANNOT fake on page compatibility. in this case, neither are present but i digress.

lowkey, just a mess. i may revisit this nonsense in the future but if i have to read upwards of 600 pages just for a monotonous ending with a semi-50-page-fuck-fest between mr. furry and ms. kitten or whatever the fuck their names are...i'm ok for now. to no one’s shock, though, gabriel michael's vocaltussy ATE. honestly, he is the only reason i was able to read what i did. all i could hear was xaden, though. someone needs to give him better characters to narrate with better nicknames...kitten & violence are diabolically embarrassingly bad.

[levi (starboy) (s.ia)]

It took me exactly 0.001 seconds to close the last book and pick this one up

[sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. The plot is utterly nonsensical. Meryn... I just, I have no words. I understand that to breathe life into every main character they must have flaws, painful inadequacies in addition to their strengths. But holy fuck. Meryn is frustratingly stupid. Like pulling out my hair, screaming stupid. Which honestly is not even her fault. It's clear the authors wrote her to be willingly obtuse in the first book to lay down the foundation for her character arc in the second book. Which yes, she does admit her mistakes, she tries to learn from them, she asks questions, reads books, and fully bonds to Anassa. Hallelujah right?? WRONG. What started out as a promising start in Meryn's character development quickly fell apart as it was obvious the authors simply could not agree on what they wanted to do with her. One character arc would start and then fizzle out, start and then fizzle out. And by the end of the book she was back to making the stupidest decisions which felt almost insulting as a reader that a main character could be so dumb.

And this lack of flow, the blatant disconnect between plot points continues through out most of the book. So many things just didn't make sense, so many elements were thrown in for the sake of the ending, while all the interesting plot points melted into trope after trope after trope.

***Spoilers***

The genuine angst between Meryn and Stark? Poof, gone into thin air because wow they're mates so of course now they can't stay away from each other. Never mind that they barely interacted in book one or that they didn't like each other's personalities at all. Their romance is driven by lust and desire which is just lame. I also hate jealousy tropes so much. It hurts the main character and breaks trust and I just don’t see the point of it especially if it's not even real. Would they have been together if it wasn't for the mate bond? It doesn't seem like it. I don’t know.. I was so excited for a slow burn…

Next, finding the tower with the Goddess Tear through a raunchy song about a man’s cheating wife and his brother that was sung once at a random noble’s theatre performance? Are you so fucking deadass? Just reading that sentence out loud sounds ridiculous but I'm not even exaggerating.

Noemi trying to kill Lucien in his own bedroom with a poison knife despite this being a once in a lifetime opportunity for an alliance and the chance to end a 500 year old war??? And then all it takes is an apology for him to forgive her? Lucien himself who is apparently an extremely powerful, ancient vampire king yet does basically nothing the whole book besides sail a boat and make Stark mad?

It's also never explained what happened to Alistair's real body or how he managed to body hop from one king to another for centuries. Apparently he's not even strong enough to maintain control of Killian's body most of the time so why does he even want the Siphon throne back? And why did the Siphons glamour the Bonded spies into believing that their land was dead and destroyed? Wouldn't they want to reveal that everything they've been taught is a lie?

Finally, what the fuck was that plot against Killian? It was so fucking lazy for Meryn to use the same trick of pretending to be in love with him again to get close to him, not only once but TWICE!! Again I just don't understand. I'm genuinely baffled. She thought Killian wanted her more than the throne? Even if he did (which is fucking laughable btw considering everything he did), he would have to be fucking braindead to fall for the same trick a 3rd time. Like that was the best plan Meryn could come up with??? She really thought it would work?? And no one said anything?? And somehow??? It all magically works out???!!! This 600 page book culminating in the lamest final battle ever because even though everything goes to shit, Meryn wins because of course she does. Then followed up by another overdone, boring trope as the plot twist. Like oh my god, an evil god/creature/force is released from its imprisonment to rain terror upon the world... how original.

I wish the authors had just stuck with the dire bonds vs. siphons. Although also predictable, it was so much more interesting watching Meryn and all the other bonded realize the depth of Alister's deception and propaganda. How basically all their values and beliefs were falsehoods, how hate can be so easily cultivated by the powerful to distract people from the true enemy, how war is never as simple as good vs. evil. This book could have had so much more depth if done correctly. Like where did gods suddenly come into play? It felt jarring and unnecessary since there was already so much that needed to be addressed.

Meryn’s triumph comes from her powers and the magical objects she had to go on a quest to find (sound familiar?) rather than from personal growth and cunning. Like sure she defeated Killian at the end, but her pack is deeply fractured, so many died, her sovereignty as queen is almost nonexistent as she did little to lead and consolidate her power. An entire town is destroyed and does she do anything about it? Does she even have any political power to do anything about it? I understand she is abruptly shoved into a role she never asked for and is woefully unprepared for, but she was also Alpha of Strategos pack and yet rarely shows any leadership skills or strategic planning. If the authors didn’t want to focus on political machinations then maybe they shouldn’t have made her queen. It’s obvious her character is not cut out for it and I don’t see her growing into that role anytime soon. I do like Meryn as a character though. She's impulsive but brave, she loves people fiercely and loyally, she's expressive and outspoken about her feelings, and she's very good at fighting. She's just way more of a warrior than a ruler.

I can’t go into detail over every grievance because honestly the book is way too long to complain in depth about. There were good parts too of course, it is certainly a book. I was just disappointed given all the hype and excitement leading up to its release.

[dak · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

a little disappointed in this one. just something about how the conflict was so easily resolved at the end sort of threw me off?? it felt way too easy 😭 also while i did enjoy 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙠 and his filthy thoughts i do wish it was toned down just a bit!! (don’t hate me lol i still ILY king but more yearning less lust was what i wanted) other than that i absolutely loved this the world expansion and the action.


⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱ 𓃦 • 𓃥 ⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆


⋆˚✿˖° 𝕡𝕣𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕
counting down the literal seconds until i’m off and reunited with my mans 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙠 🤩🤪 inject this book straight into my veins!!!!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ RTC once I gather my thoughts

thank you to the authors for an early copy!

[èvieane · Rating 3 out of 5]

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍✦ . 　⁺ 　 . 3.4 - 3.6 ☆ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ˋ°•*⁀➷ㅤmight contain spoilers ❗

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ You see, now THIS would have been the perfect moment to have that 0.5 rating system, because this is very much stuck in that frustrating limbo of not quite a 3-star read, but also not deserving of a full 4-star rating. And yet, here I am, forced to pick a side. I hate you, Goodreads.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ I want to start by saying that, yes, this book was indeed better than the first one and it managed to heal, at least slightly, that initial wave of disappointment. BUT, I am also becoming increasingly convinced that this author is simply incapable of writing a balanced book.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ While the first instalment was saved from complete disaster by its ending, this time it felt like the exact opposite happened: the ending of the book is what actually dragged the whole experience down for me.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ Just bear with me, I promise this will all make sense.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ “But women in pain give men confidence.”


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ honest thoughts
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ I did enjoy the progress; I liked where the plot was heading, and I even found myself warming up to the characters a bit (which, considering my previous hate campaign against the FMC, is nothing short of miraculous). But the further I got into the book, the more I realised something felt off. The pacing was just so strangely disjointed.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍You get entire chapters dedicated to what I would consider fairly unnecessary scenes, and I thought, fine, I can handle a slower book. I don’t mind that. But then, suddenly, you’re thrown into a single chapter where four major things happen back-to-back. And not just minor details, but genuinely important plot developments. Crucial information and significant events are treated like throwaway moments, while other scenes are dragged out endlessly.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍Like, sure, here you go, casually absorb three visions, two new powers, and a character death in the span of eight pages, BUT PLEASE, TAKE YOUR TIME WITH THESE 30 PAGES OF A VAMPIRE SUCKING THE BLOOD OUT OF SOMEONE AT A FEAST. ARE WE FOR REAL???

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ Can we PLEASE stop killing off characters just for the sake of some cheap, twisted shock factor??? There are so many things happening in this book that have absolutely NO PURPOSE. THEY DO NOT ENRICH THE PLOT, THEY DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO THE STORY, THEY BRING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO THE TABLE.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ And what makes it even worse??? Some of these things don’t even happen on page. You just hear about them in passing, in a random vision, like it’s some casual piece of trivia. WHY???

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ The plot had the potential to be something truly epic, something insane and captivating. But it was missing one crucial thing: impact. Too often, everything seemed to fall into place a bit too conveniently, at just the right moment to make things easier than they should have been.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ Where were the epic battles? The devastating defeat of the villain? The moments that make you hold your breath? At one point, I genuinely found myself wondering why the author even bothered to build up certain tension-filled scenes, only to resolve them with some miraculous solution on the very next page.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ This romance could have been something I really devoured, and to be fair, I actually did for most of it, I can’t deny that. At this point, honestly, almost anything feels like an upgrade compared to that “kitten-calling” man.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ But even this wasn’t entirely safe from critique. The cringey, somewhat childish dialogue definitely took me out of it at times, and some of the smut scenes just didn’t land the way they were clearly intended to. I get that they were meant to be kinky, and fair enough, I love that for them in theory, but I still found myself cringing here and there.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ The ending gave me serious whiplash. So many things started happening at once, and everything felt so rushed that the scenes which were clearly meant to be shocking or awe-inspiring ended up feeling almost comical instead. It came across as cartoonish, simply because there wasn’t enough build-up or development behind any of it.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ Introducing a whole new, even bigger conflict can absolutely work as a series cliff-hanger, but when it’s thrown in out of nowhere, it just feels like something that was improvised on the spot and then dropped in at the last second.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ Honestly, this ending needed a lot more pages for it to actually land the way it was clearly meant to.


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ characters
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⊹ Meryn — I did appreciate the slight development in her character. Of course, a lot of those changes felt a bit too sudden and unnatural at times, which definitely made me question how the author intended to properly build her arc. But still, progress is progress. At the very least, she stopped being insanely stupid and became noticeably less annoying, which, for this particular character, already feels like a major achievement. I do think that everything she went through, especially the grief she had to endure, helped ground her a bit more. She felt more responsible, more human, more real. And I can genuinely say I appreciated that.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⊹ Stark — Oh, how much I waited for you, darling. Thank you for saving the romance in this series; thank you for your service sir!!!!
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ He is very much the standard broody, dark, commanding, “touch her and you die” type of man, the kind who becomes unwaveringly loyal the moment he falls in love. And you know what? That trope will always work on me. It worked here too. Would I roll my eyes, or maybe even consider punching him, if he ever said some of those overly intense, daddy-dom lines to me? Most probably. But I would have still ridden him after, because, at the end of the day, the man is undeniably hot.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⊹ Lucien — I might need 2 strong shots before actually feeling like I could put up with his bullshit, but I might end up letting him bite me anyway. I am not entirely sure of that yet, but I guess it would depend on how much he is willing to shut up when I need him to.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ Yes, this is the best way I can describe him as a character.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⊹ At times, I might have loved the wolves, Anassa and Cratos more than the characters themselves; that is still up for debate. I am still not over the fact that Anassa's name sounds like some tricky female version of "an ass".


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ should you read this?
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ I still feel like this is a bit too heavily inspired by other very popular series, but somehow, it also managed to be more entertaining than the first book. It still suffers from the same pacing issues that make everything feel oddly disjointed, and at this point, I’m fairly convinced this is simply the author’s style and not something that will change as the series goes on.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ That being said, the book is still fun. And if you can overlook the strange plot holes, the random deaths, and the occasional plotlines that seem to exist purely for decoration, then yes, you might actually enjoy reading it
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍendㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍˗ˏˋ📖‧ ˚ ₊⊹ The Wolves of Ruin series reviews:
⋆˚࿔ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍ Dire Bound (2.2 - 2.4⭐)

⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍㆍ✿ㆍㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹



ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ᯓ ✿ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍pre-reading ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⪼ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ started ┆09-May-2025┆
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⤿ of course I am also going to read this one because I am a bloody optimist at heart and would like to believe there is still hope for this series

[ThianeJansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah I’m going to be in the minority of thinking this was MEH but that’s OKAY.

Fury bound honestly hurts to talk about because Dire bound was genuinely a 6⭐ read for me and I went into this one expecting to be absolutely obsessed… and instead this ended up just not meeting my expectations.

And listen, there are SO many good things here. The worldbuilding expands, the politics get bigger, the lore gets deeper, the court drama is there, the twists are there and I will always love Meryn, Anassa, Stark and Cratos. Anassa especially? I would like to personally thank her for carrying some of this book on her back.

But for me, this just didn’t hit the way I wanted it to.

My biggest issue was honestly the pacing. It felt really slow for a huge part of the book and I kept waiting for that moment where everything would just click and I’d be fully locked in. It either came too late or just not strongly enough and I found myself feeling weirdly disconnected at times.

The romance was probably my biggest disappointment though. I wanted more banter, more tension, more yearning. They got together WAY too quickly for me, especially after everything that happened in Direbound. It felt very lust-forward and not emotionally built enough. I needed more conversations, more trust building, more actual emotional development.

And the ending… I wanted so much more. The final confrontation felt way too short and that last chapter honestly felt like it came out of nowhere. Instead of being jaw dropping, it just left me confused. I really think with better foreshadowing throughout, that ending could have absolutely wrecked me.

I DID HOWEVER absolutely adore getting to explore more of the world, that was easily one of the biggest highlights for me. Seeing the world expand beyond what we got in Dire bound added so much depth to the story and the court politics, history and wider conflict made everything feel much bigger and more layered. I loved getting more insight into how everything connects, the shifting alliances, and the power plays happening behind the scenes. It made the stakes feel higher and gave the story so much more potential.

I think what makes this harder is that I know what these authors can do because Direbound was THAT good. So maybe my expectations were unfairly high… but still.

That said, I’m absolutely still reading the next book because clearly I enjoy suffering.

[Left on Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

I genuinely cannot believe this is the same author who gave us Direbound 😭🖤 I was OBSESSED with that book, so my expectations for Fury Bound were sky high… and wow, what a disappointment.

The entire book felt boring and painfully dragged out. The “twists” were not twists at all 😩 it was just trope after trope after trope with nothing feeling shocking or exciting. The plot was SO disjointed that half the time I felt like I was reading random scenes stitched together. Nothing flowed naturally and it honestly felt like pure filler.

And the characters… I just did not care about them 😭 There was no depth, no connection, nothing that made me emotionally invested. I kept waiting for it to get better because I loved Direbound so much, but it never did.

Also… Meryn has officially become one of my most disliked FMCs because WHAT even was that 😭🥴 I tried SO hard to connect with her but she just frustrated me the entire time. Every decision, every reaction… I simply could not deal.

Direbound had tension, emotion, obsession, chemistry, atmosphere ✨ Fury Bound had none of that for me. This book was everything Direbound wasn’t 🥴

I’m actually so sad about this one because I wanted to love it SO badly 💔


-----

Ngl, Meryn is annoying AF in this book...🫩

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Finally!! 🖤
My hands are itching from excitement! 🖤🤪

[Shaz ♡ · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Don't let my rating fool you, Stark can absolutely get itttttt 😮‍💨🫦👅🙇🏻‍♀️ but the rest was a bit meh for me.


Pre-read:
Here for Stark because we love a dark and dangerous alpha 😋

[Rachel (ravenhairedreader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

not sure if this is a 3 or 3.5. this was entertaining for sure but the plot was ????

[Karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️ Hmmmm, I’m not entirely sure how I felt about this one. I LOVED Direbound, but I just wasn’t as invested in the events of the second book.

The beginning started out strong, the middle lagged a little, and the ending felt somewhat all over the place. That said, I really enjoyed seeing Meryn and Stark’s relationship develop. I think they make a great couple, as they’re both independent yet carry their own insecurities, ultimately drawing strength from one another.

I think my main issue was with the actual plot. At times, it felt like there was no clear direction, and I found myself struggling to differentiate between everyone’s personal motives/actions versus what was a result of the mind control. A lot of the seemingly “big” revelations fell flat because they didn’t have the surprise factor I was expecting. The intense action sequences and epic battles were nowhere to be found.

There was also a certain character’s death that REALLY frustrated me because of how abrupt and senseless it felt. Considering this character was adored by everyone and had such great chemistry with the other characters, it honestly came across like the authors killed them off simply because they didn’t know how to fit that character into the rest of the plot.

Will I still read the final book? Maybe, if for no other reason than to finish the series.

[Lauren.booksalways · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars - What a let down :(

I did complete a reread of Direbound a week prior to this, and I did, in fact, notice a bit more cheesiness in the dialogue than I had on the initial read. So I was anticipating more cheesy dialogue in this one, but I unfortunately wasn't prepared enough...

What didn't work for me:
1. Cheesy, corny, cringeworthy dialogue from both the MMC and FMC
2. The pacing was extremely inconsistent
3. The plot was unbelievable IMO. Like the authors were grasping for something and decided to throw every ingredient into the pot
4. The FMC is extremely stubborn and beyond NAIVE!!! She frustrated me to no end! (She did annoy me in my reread of Direbound as well)
5. The mother f'ing ROMANCE - what was that? The chemistry vanished from book one.....
6. MASSIVE LACK OF EMOTIONAL DEPTH
7. Rushed ending that was not worth my time

I wish I could say this would be a typical fun vibes read, but nope, not for me.....it was just a snooze party :(

[Rachel Louise ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS ⭐️ OH MY GOD?!?!?!!?

I DON'T THINK I TOOK A SINGLE BREATH DURING THE ENTIRETY OF THIS BOOK HOLY SHITTTTTTT 😅 THIS WAS A GOD TIER SEQUEL, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY RELENTLESS!!

FULL RTC ONCE I CAN FINALLY BREATHE AGAIN.. @SABLE SORENSEN I'M FORWARDING YOU MY THERAPY BILL




𓃦✩𓃥✩𓃦✩𓃥✩𓃦✩𓃥✩𓃦✩𓃥✩𓃦✩𓃥✩𓃦✩𓃥✩𓃦✩𓃥✩𓃦
pre-read: GUESS WHAT BOOK JUST GOT DELIVERED (LEVEL: IMPOSSIBLE)

I'M SO EXCITED TO BE BACK WITH MY BABY BOY STARK!!! 🐺 If ever there was a book to get me out of my reading slump, I just know it's going to be this one 🤭

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

How dare they ruin stark for me and also is there a single original thought in this book, I’ve never read so many plot lines ripped from other series in one place it’s actually insane

How did we go from use me make me your instrument of revenge to wow my dick is hard 4 u baby 24/7 like how did we reduce a broody shadow daddy of a man to every one of his POVs being centered around his hard on for Meryn it’s actually so upsetting

[Suirene]

Stark currently lives rent-free in my head.

[Charity (Booktrovert Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need a Recap of Dire Bound?
Read it HERE

After finishing Dire Bound, I went straight into Fury Bound because I needed to know what happened next. Overall, I really enjoyed it. The world gets bigger, the stakes get higher, and there were a few twists I didn't see coming. It wasn't quite a five-star read for me because the pacing slowed in the middle, but I'm still fully invested in this series.


Read My Honest Book Review on My Blog: Fury Bound

FURYBOUND IS HERE!!!! I am so excited to finally get this book in my hands!

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[Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

the more I sit with this book the less I like it.

after how much I loved Direbound this felt like such a let down.

it started strong, starting off exactly where we left off keeping up the pace and the vibes

BUT quickly became an insta lusty situations where there list for eachother took over the entire plot line and story.

The side characters were lacking to non existent.

The plot was good in the first 10% and the last 20% the rest was a flop for me.

However I loved the wolves and they carry the whole story.

Hopeful for book three to be better.
I think this arc was over too quick. This series needed to be longer than a trilogy to really set up what it’s trying to do. I felt unfulfilled by the conclusion to an important story.

[Susan Carolynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, I lost so much sleep to finishing this book! INCREDIBLE. I much preferred (contrary to popular opinion it seems after reading the reviews) Fury Bound to book one. This installment had action on every single page, and the authors did a fantastic job expanding on the world.

I loved how Fury Bound had many subplots and side quests (like the tower scenes!) that cumulated into the main plot. The authors excel at integrating action consistently, which can be hard to execute in a long fantasy book. And I'm the type of fantasy reader who loves this style of action + tension in the plot.

This felt much more high stakes than book one because the state of the kingdom was on the line, and subsequently, the emotional impact hit much harder.

I was so invested in all of the side characters as well. Book one focused on Meryn coming into her own and "finding herself," and this book expanded on that, while also introducing more backstories and motivations of the other characters. I truly felt that found family element and unshakeable bond in this installment. Venna especially is an intriguing and strong character. She's been through so much, and I'm so excited to see how her development unfolds in the next book.

And the introduction of Lucien. He brought the much-needed comedic relief to this book, and he's so flirty, it's hilarious. As soon as he and Venna were in the same room, I knew I needed them together.

I also loved the inclusion of Stark's POV sporadically. Getting more "behind the scenes" to his character made me even more invested in the romance. And the SLOW BURN. I liked how there was a little romantic drama to up the tension. I'm thinking I might've also liked this book better than book one because the romance was drawn out, and the spicy scenes were more meaningful.

Though the direwolves stole the show. I loved Anassa and Cratos, and they have such distinct personalities. I liked how Meryn bonded further with Anassa, and their dynamic is so entertaining. And Cratos...the way he teased Stark, and his constant desire to just eat everyone is hilarious.

After that ending, I immediately need book three, and it's already one of my most-anticipated releases for 2027.

[BookishByTammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ RTC closer to release day

[Nicole Walls · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’d damn every last soul to stay by your side, Meryn.”

👑🐺💍

SO GOOD!!! i think this one was just as good as the first book. i was hooked from the very beginning to the very end. this series means absolutely everything to me.

the plot!! 👑
now that meryn has taken the throne, she has to find a way to take down her biggest enemy, win her kingdom over, and figure out what to do about her feelings for stark. she goes on a journey within her kingdom and even travels to a kingdom she has never traveled to before. how will she be able to accomplish all of this? this book is action-packed with plenty of gripping moments. you will be obsessed!

the storyline was so GOOD! i especially loved how this book was told in dual povs. it was definitely necessary for this plot. there was always something going on! it was so easy to be hooked.

the characters!! 🐺
finally!!!! i’m not going to elaborate on that, but FINALLY!!!! i have been waiting so long for this.

anyways, meryn was so much smarter in this book, which we do love to see since she wasn’t the smartest in the previous book. she’s clearly going to be such an amazing queen for her kingdom and i can’t wait to see more of that!

stark is such a good book boyfriend. i am so serious. he is perfect, even though he has some secrets of his own. i love how much he cares for meryn. he always wants to protect her and do what is best for her. anyone can see how much he cares for her!

the ending!! 💍
ARE YOU KIDDING??? THAT CLIFFHANGER ENDING? HOW CAN I GO ON?? that was one of the most INSANE endings i have ever read. of course, i saw it coming, but that was such a wild way to end a book. i’m so ready for the third book!

would i recommend this book? ✨
OBVIOUSLY!!!! especially if you liked fourth wing. if you liked fourth wing, you’d love this series!

would i read it again? ✨
YES!!! i wish i could start this series over immediately actually, but i have far too many books on my physical tbr.

[ashlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY MAN MY MAN MY MAN MY MANNNNNN! stark therion you will always be famous to me. this sequel completely consumed me. the action was insane, the emotional moments actually hit, and i loved watching meryn grow into herself while everything around her was falling apart. the politics kept me hooked the entire time but let’s be real… stark was the main event for me every single time he appeared on page. every time he showed up i was texting kendall like a deranged animal just screaming “AAAAA STARK” 😭 that man had me swooning BAD

buddy read with my bestie kendall!💋🧌

[annotated by Noi (in & out) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What are you if not my equal?”

What's the saying?
The writing was on the wall.
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I understand this book was necessary, but I feel like it missed the mark. Too long, too many things happened off-page or were glossed over. For half of it, I was wondering what was happening.

I admit I was excited, because then anything is possible, but now, after reading the end, I feel like some things were purely for shock value.

Stark is still the most interesting character, but there is a new close second (L), and I hope we get more of them both.
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Buddy reading with my love SK <3
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LOOK WHAT CAME IN, HAPPY PUBLICATION DATE

[aeryn rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

I can't lie, I am a bit let down by this book.
I've had this on my shelf for almost nearly a year, yet still remembered how much I loved the first book. Comparing that one to this? I fear I have fallen victim to the "second book syndrome."
Let me explain:

The first half of this book did not hook me whatsoever. I didn't feel the need to pick it up and I was actively kind of avoiding it because it just wasn't interesting me that much.
The plot felt a bit slow and like it dragged on, and it felt like there was so many words yet they weren't coming together to make a cohesive story.
I found that there were some plot holes that majorly impacted the story to the point that when I got to the end of the book, I sat there for a minute and was like....what just happened, how did we get here, and why was it not addressed by the end of the book?

The characters were *okay*, but I did find Meryn to be a bit insufferable early on in this book. I think he character development was fairly good and I enjoyed her character growth immensely by the end. I wasn't the fondest of her relationship with Stark, as I couldn't FEEL that genuine connection between them. It felt like a lot of lust on paper.
Their spicy scenes were pretty cringey and I found myself kinda getting the ick when I was reading them, kind of like you're watching something you really shouldn't have seen.

All of the side characters, however?
GOLDEN.
They were so amazing and I really enjoyed all of their stories and appearances because they all felt like they were placed in the story for a reason.
All their choices and actions made sense and I found them to be more favorable than the actual main characters sometimes.

With that being said, the second half of the book had me OBSESSED!
I could not tear my eyes from the pages even if I wanted to because, in my opinion, THAT is where the real action and bingeable feeling came from.
The story was so interesting and the characters had finally come into their grown behavior and I found it way more enjoyable.

Overall, while I am sad I didn't love this, I did have a good time for some of the book. I'm really excited to read the third one when it releases, especially after how this book concluded.
Could this book had been way better? Definitely.
Was it still a fun time with crazy journeys? For sure.
I really was stuck on what to rate this because I really disliked the first half, but inevitably I settled with a 3.5 because the second half was THAT good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭: 💙🐺

Ever since I read Dire Bound, I have been so excited for the second book to come out and I hate that it's taken me so long to get around to it 😭
I loved the first book but it's been a while so I'm nervous about jumping back into this big universe 😅

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ]

DONT MAKE ME ADD THIS TO MY CR THE FOMO IS ON ANOTHER LEVEL

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

After finishing this book, I mainly felt disappointed and frustrated. Most of the book was a drag and sometimes it felt like I was reading two different books. There were some moments where I was genuinely confused because some things weren’t explained properly or at all. There’s one specific scene that made me so upset because the characters completely lost their common sense for the sake of the plot and it pulled me right out of the story. Some big things happened and were never properly discussed again which made certain emotional moments feel hollow instead of impactful. I don’t want to give any spoilers because this book just came out and I don’t want spoilers popping up on people’s feeds, but just know there’s multiple examples of things not fully making sense.

The romance happened too quickly for me and really made no sense. Once I got over that annoyance, I was like okay I guess this is cool.

A lot of the characters have no depth but they’re somehow still more likable than Meryn so I’ll take it.

Meryn had me so irritated for most of the book and every time I felt like she was redeeming herself, she’d piss me off again. Also, the fact that she grew up in poverty and the people from her old neighborhood are practically nonexistent here, including Igor who we only get a few sentences from in the entire book. I would’ve loved to see her prioritize the people who were starving/struggling and to see what Igor thinks of her now and all the new changes.

I think the ending is what I have the most issues with. The entire book is spent building up the villain and talking about how difficult it’s going to be to defeat them just for it to be over in a few pages. And the veryyy end? It felt more annoying than shocking because it’s too late in the game for that and the betrayal felt like dejavú even if there’s an “excuse”.

This is probably a 2.5 star read for me but since I’m so disappointed and annoyed, I’m rounding down to a 2. I read Dire Bound last month and it was a 5 star read for me so I had really high expectations for this one and I was left wishing I didn’t rush into it.

[Luce · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

2.75

What an absolute snore!

This is frustrating to write because I absolutely adored book one and had so much fun with it, but Fury Bound was such a disappointment for me.

We really have lost the art of a slow burn. Where are the quiet moments that build unbearable tension, the lingering glances, the angst that has you clutching your chest waiting for something to happen. This felt like the romance was an afterthought for most of the story.

And Stark? I genuinely loved him in the first book and yet book 2... SNOREEEEEEE. My man lost his spark.

The pacing was painfully slow in the worst way. I can't even begin to explain how much it hurt when I looked at my progress after what felt like hours of reading and I was only at 33%. I spent a huge chunk of this book waiting for something to happen and when it did, I didn't really care. Pointless deaths that were for shock value, plot holes everywhere and our big baddie Killian was rather pitiful after the big build-up in book 1.

I did enjoy Meryn and Anassa, and I loved seeing Cratos and Stark's bond. Honestly, I wish we'd had more of the wolves, I think this is what this book was missing for me. We jumped straight into the politics and were drip fed information. I will say I loved when we met Lucien, he brought a different energy which this book really needed.

Overall, this felt like another case of the "publisher-picked-up-the-sequel-and-ruined-the-vibes" curse after a strong indie first book. Will I pick up book 3? Yes, but I won't be rushing to read it when it finally does release.

[Luce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I looooove me a good wolf book and that will always be one of my fave kind of fantasy books. Especially when the wolf and their person share thoughts and connections!

I’d love to say i was really invested in this story but i just wasn’t and lacked connections with the characters? why? i just needed more, needed that something, something that would set it apart from the other books? starks good but i wanted him to be great? and our fmc? not my fave

The dire wolves carried this story for me, I loved them sm

[sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pre read . ⊹ ･ﾟ𖥔 ₊ ˑ
⤷ The arc of this basically fell into my lap I feel blessed and must start it immediately