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Wolf by Wolf #2
Blood for Blood
The action-packed, thrilling sequel to Ryan Graudin's Wolf by Wolf .
There would be blood.
Blood for blood.
Blood to pay.
An entire world of it.
For the resistance in 1950s Germany, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun.
Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the The world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against the New Order, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.
But in the midst of the chaos, Yael's past and future collide when she comes face-to-face with a ghost from her past, and a spark with a fellow rider begins to grow into something more. Dark secrets reveal dark truths, and one question hangs over them all--how far can you go for the ones you love?
This gripping, thought-provoking conclusion to Wolf by Wolf will grab readers by the throat with its cinematic writing, fast-paced action, and relentless twists.
"Wild and gorgeous, vivid and consuming. I loved it! I can't wait for the sequel."--Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, on Wolf by Wolf
There would be blood.
Blood for blood.
Blood to pay.
An entire world of it.
For the resistance in 1950s Germany, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun.
Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the The world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against the New Order, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.
But in the midst of the chaos, Yael's past and future collide when she comes face-to-face with a ghost from her past, and a spark with a fellow rider begins to grow into something more. Dark secrets reveal dark truths, and one question hangs over them all--how far can you go for the ones you love?
This gripping, thought-provoking conclusion to Wolf by Wolf will grab readers by the throat with its cinematic writing, fast-paced action, and relentless twists.
"Wild and gorgeous, vivid and consuming. I loved it! I can't wait for the sequel."--Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, on Wolf by Wolf
572 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2016
231 people are currently reading
8684 people want to read
About the author
Ryan Graudin
19 books1,911 followersRyan Graudin was born in Charleston, South Carolina, with a severe case of wanderlust. When she’s not traveling, she’s busy writing and spending time with her husband and wolf dog. She is the author of Invictus, the Wolf By Wolf duology, The Walled City, and the All That Glows Series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,767 reviews
February 27, 2016
Mwahaha author friend perks.
November 4, 2016
“There are no rules in this war.”
2 1/2 stars. I'm rounding up on this one for a couple of reasons: 1) I did enjoy it, though not as much as Wolf by Wolf, and 2) Part of the problem is a personal issue to me, and others clearly felt very different.
Firstly, Wolf by Wolf was an exception to a rule of mine. I almost never enjoy "journey" books, where most of the book consists of the protagonist travelling between two plot points. I generally find them tedious. However, exceptions can be made when the journey is different and/or compelling enough to carry me through the pages. And in Wolf by Wolf it was - you don't get much more unique than an alt-history drag race in which a shapeshifter tries to kill Hitler.
Unfortunately, though, Blood For Blood is another journey book, and this one failed to hold my interest. The journey is much more generic here, essentially a lengthy road trip back to Germania to finish putting the resistance's plan into action. As with other road trip books in the past, I just got the sensation that I knew exactly where they would end up and what would happen - everything else in between was just filler to pad out the journey there.
And - even more unfortunately - I was right. The last fifty-ish pages are easy to predict, right down to who lives, who dies, and that ridiculously obvious twist you can see coming even at the end of the last book.
Also, the book is at least a hundred pages too long. It's full of flashbacks that drag the already overlong book back - these chapters were truly tiring to read. I kept wanting the plot to do more stuff in the present instead of lingering on the past, but I think this was mostly because, as I already mentioned, the whole book felt like not much was happening, we were merely moving towards a conclusion that was predictable and inevitable.
I've noticed that other reviewers have said this book was more emotional than Wolf by Wolf, but this was actually a negative for me. I think this series got its strength from its action and exciting premise, and when the book lingers too long on introspection, the author’s tendency to tell and not show is made obvious. And the noted "emotion" was kind of a drag. Yael's badass thirst for revenge is watered down in this sequel and she becomes a bleeding heart for two Nazi boys - Luka and Felix.
Honestly, it's not that bad. If you enjoyed the first book and have been highly anticipating this, you should still read it. I did enjoy it, but I found that I enjoyed certain parts and scenes rather than the book as a whole, which I thought dragged in places. A too long epilogue to one of the most fascinating premises in YA.
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December 30, 2016
“Monsters murder entire groups of people without blinking, but get upset when they have to wash human ash from their garden strawberries. Monsters are the ones who watch other people do these things and do nothing to stop it. You and I are not monsters. If anything, we’re miracles.”
Maybe my hopes were a little high with Blood for Blood because Wolf by Wolf was SO good. It was unique, fresh, and beyond exhilarating. The premise was everything. It was filled with action and strong characters. The problem with the sequel is: in 481 pages, not a whole lot happens. It drags like crazy. I was bored a good portion of the time. And honestly, when did the romance become a bigger focus of the series? I lived for Yael in the first book. She was a strong, intelligent young woman with a yearning for vengeance. I lost the respect I had for her because all of a sudden these boys matter more than her mission and she trusts them completely. I guess you can say I was disappointed.
I had a hard time rating this because usually after finishing a series, I start to think of it as a whole. I needed to keep the books separate by rating because honestly if you stop after the first you'll be left with your heart racing and a need to get your hands on the second. Withhold and you'll be fine. This one I could have done without.
The pacing is completely off. And is only thrown off more by the interludes that were essentially flashbacks. Unnecessary flashbacks at that. What was the point to them? Besides replacing the poignant wolf flashbacks from Wolf by Wolf. Maybe it was to show how drastically different each of their lives are from their individual perspectives at different points in history. Still, these flashbacks don’t add anything to the plot and only make the book drag more.
I can't get into the plot because of series spoilers. I will say that it was nice having multiple perspectives to really get the whole story. Maybe it would have been beneficial to shorten the book by at least 25%. Overall, this sequel was a pretty big disappointment.
November 5, 2016
WARNING: spoilers for both Wolf by Wolf and Blood for Blood
Blood for Blood was a book I have been excitedly anticipating all year. The end of Wolf by Wolf had me in shock as I had not even known there was going to be a second book. So, of course I marked the release date on my calendar and waited not so patiently. Having studied World War 2 from Germany's perspective I was beyond interested in these books. The fact that despite the fantasy element it still holds truth of how certain religions (the Jews) and groups were treated.
This book did, however, have a different tone than the first, which is why I have given it four stars instead of five. For example, Yael is beyond compassionate in this book. She cares for both Luka and Felix, trusting them completely. However, this book is not a love story. The main focus is not romance at any point, but, thankfully, the large threat. The amount of death, betrayal and emotion I felt during this book was incredible. I had guessed what was going to happen, but that still couldn't prepare me for what I read.
Characters
The story is primarily told from 3 perspectives - Yael, Felix and Luka - who we met in the first book.
Yael is a shapeshifter, or skin-shifter as she calls herself, who was made this way due to experimentation done on her while she was at a concentration camp. The poor girl can't even remember what she looked like before she began changing.
So, she kills Hitler at the end of the book but of course, because nothing is ever easy it wasn't actually Hitler but another skin-shifter. Yael experiences so many shocks throughout the book, but the girl is determined. She pushes through and with her compassion, that she lacked slightly in the first book, she makes for an interesting protagonist.
She does, however, still have her badass spunk. Yael is determined that she will be the one to kill Hitler, after everything that has happened to her because of her religion. This basically means the entire book her and Luka are all like
Then you need to factor in character development such as Yael going
I'm not sure what else I can say about Yael, my whole emotion and feelings about her are messy and I am unable to put into words how much I enjoyed reading her parts.
Felix, oh Felix. The betrayal. The hurt I feel. The pain you have given me and the consequences you caused. My reaction, though, was
I did find Felix's parts interesting to read. The threats that were implemented in them lead to the climax and complications. In a way Felix could be called the villian or antagonist of the book, but he was still doing his best which was interesting to read.
I can't say much more without spoiling.
Luka. HA LUKA. HA BYE. CRYING.
Overall
Overall, this review is messy and so are my feelings about this book. I can't write a full review because my thoughts are still all over the place and I'm struggling to even formulate what I want to say.
“Fear is not an excuse,” Yael told him. “Fear is being human.”
Blood for Blood was a book I have been excitedly anticipating all year. The end of Wolf by Wolf had me in shock as I had not even known there was going to be a second book. So, of course I marked the release date on my calendar and waited not so patiently. Having studied World War 2 from Germany's perspective I was beyond interested in these books. The fact that despite the fantasy element it still holds truth of how certain religions (the Jews) and groups were treated.
This book did, however, have a different tone than the first, which is why I have given it four stars instead of five. For example, Yael is beyond compassionate in this book. She cares for both Luka and Felix, trusting them completely. However, this book is not a love story. The main focus is not romance at any point, but, thankfully, the large threat. The amount of death, betrayal and emotion I felt during this book was incredible. I had guessed what was going to happen, but that still couldn't prepare me for what I read.
Characters
The story is primarily told from 3 perspectives - Yael, Felix and Luka - who we met in the first book.
Yael is a shapeshifter, or skin-shifter as she calls herself, who was made this way due to experimentation done on her while she was at a concentration camp. The poor girl can't even remember what she looked like before she began changing.
So, she kills Hitler at the end of the book but of course, because nothing is ever easy it wasn't actually Hitler but another skin-shifter. Yael experiences so many shocks throughout the book, but the girl is determined. She pushes through and with her compassion, that she lacked slightly in the first book, she makes for an interesting protagonist.
She does, however, still have her badass spunk. Yael is determined that she will be the one to kill Hitler, after everything that has happened to her because of her religion. This basically means the entire book her and Luka are all like
Then you need to factor in character development such as Yael going
“I’m not a girl anymore,” Yael said. The knot over her heart only seemed to grow—thick with blood not hers. “I’m an assassin. I spent so many years learning how to kill, and it’s just made things bloodier.” A few drops plus more plus more … “I thought I could make all this death stop, but—”
I'm not sure what else I can say about Yael, my whole emotion and feelings about her are messy and I am unable to put into words how much I enjoyed reading her parts.
Felix, oh Felix. The betrayal. The hurt I feel. The pain you have given me and the consequences you caused. My reaction, though, was
I did find Felix's parts interesting to read. The threats that were implemented in them lead to the climax and complications. In a way Felix could be called the villian or antagonist of the book, but he was still doing his best which was interesting to read.
I can't say much more without spoiling.
Luka. HA LUKA. HA BYE. CRYING.
Overall
Overall, this review is messy and so are my feelings about this book. I can't write a full review because my thoughts are still all over the place and I'm struggling to even formulate what I want to say.
February 16, 2017
Well, I think Blood for Blood definitely takes the cake on the most unsatisfying finale I've ever read...
Wolf by Wolf was one of my favorite reads of 2016 and with that CLIFFHANGER, holy guacamole, I just needed to find out what happens next in the second book. Blood for Blood was pretty interesting in the beginning but as we got towards the middle of the book, the more I started to get bored and didn't care about the characters, what they were doing, or what was happening. The first book was never really THAT exciting or fast-paced but it was never boring. Blood for Blood on the other hand... VERY boring towards the middle up until the last 100 pages or so.
I loved the characters in Wolf by Wolf but for some reason I hated them in Blood for Blood? They all felt so out-of-character... I loved Yael as Adele but Yael as Yael, herself, felt like another mediocre heroine. Nothing special. And I probably won't remember anything about her after reading a few other YA books. I also shipped Yael and Luka in the first book but there was just no chemistry between them at all in Blood for Blood?! And don't get me started on Felix! Felix was a great character in Wolf by Wolf but wow was he a coward and a bloody idiot in this book. I couldn't STAND HIM. All I wanted was for him to fall into a hole and never climb out.
There were a few twists in the end but there was one that did not particular sit well with me. This was the major issue I had with this book and how it all ended. I felt like it was a really cheap, predictable move by the author. You just know that it's one of the possibilities of how the story will end but you're just hoping the author doesn't go down that road but they end up doing it anyways. I was not shocked at all by what happened, just extremely disappointed that the author chose that route and in the end, caused .
I think Wolf by Wolf really would've done better as a standalone. Blood for Blood lacked all the sparks and interest I had in the first book and in the end, I was disappointed in more ways than one. The author tried to go for a bittersweet ending but in reality, it just fell a little short from tragic. Not "oh how sad" tragic. Tragic as in "this series deserved better".
Wolf by Wolf was one of my favorite reads of 2016 and with that CLIFFHANGER, holy guacamole, I just needed to find out what happens next in the second book. Blood for Blood was pretty interesting in the beginning but as we got towards the middle of the book, the more I started to get bored and didn't care about the characters, what they were doing, or what was happening. The first book was never really THAT exciting or fast-paced but it was never boring. Blood for Blood on the other hand... VERY boring towards the middle up until the last 100 pages or so.
I loved the characters in Wolf by Wolf but for some reason I hated them in Blood for Blood? They all felt so out-of-character... I loved Yael as Adele but Yael as Yael, herself, felt like another mediocre heroine. Nothing special. And I probably won't remember anything about her after reading a few other YA books. I also shipped Yael and Luka in the first book but there was just no chemistry between them at all in Blood for Blood?! And don't get me started on Felix! Felix was a great character in Wolf by Wolf but wow was he a coward and a bloody idiot in this book. I couldn't STAND HIM. All I wanted was for him to fall into a hole and never climb out.
There were a few twists in the end but there was one that did not particular sit well with me. This was the major issue I had with this book and how it all ended. I felt like it was a really cheap, predictable move by the author. You just know that it's one of the possibilities of how the story will end but you're just hoping the author doesn't go down that road but they end up doing it anyways. I was not shocked at all by what happened, just extremely disappointed that the author chose that route and in the end, caused .
I think Wolf by Wolf really would've done better as a standalone. Blood for Blood lacked all the sparks and interest I had in the first book and in the end, I was disappointed in more ways than one. The author tried to go for a bittersweet ending but in reality, it just fell a little short from tragic. Not "oh how sad" tragic. Tragic as in "this series deserved better".
June 7, 2017
I WAS SUPPOSED TO LOVE THIS BOOK. It hurt my heart how much I didn’t like it. (Or that pain might have been caused by this GROSS ROMANCE.)
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
The whole book dripped with that trope of emotionless/very strong characters (who always call themselves monsters) becoming, like, empathetic to human life. (Sidenote: what does it say about me that I can’t stand that plotline? It’s really synonymous with “these characters will be presented as badasses but will actually be full-on dumb.”) Yet through this attempt at a handful of characters becoming teeth-achingly sweet and caring all at once (their dumbass yucky relationships almost gave me a cavity), there’s very little concrete character development. Yael and Luka’s romance is stupid—and based on nothing of substance. And both of them are stupid alone, making dumb decisions like going against four gun-and-knife-wielding soldiers or yelling at an unseen figure. I was worried about the saccharine romance by page 45, and I was right to be.
I don’t mind romance subplots in a lot of books. Maybe even in most books. But I do NOT want to read 500 pages of formerly badass characters becoming stupid piles of blubbering lovesickness because they got cooties from the hot enemy. No, thank you.
Despite the fact that the stakes legitimately could not be higher, everything feels pretty chill all the time. At one point—this is a teeny spoiler, sorry—two Jewish (albeit shapeshifted) characters walk into a concentration camp, into the most high-security area of the prison, into the office of the director who ruined their lives, take a ton of said dude’s files, generally F up his office, answer the phone as him and talk to one of the highest-ranking members of the Third Reich, leave the office, see the guy who ruined their lives, get a teensy bit triggered and leave the camp—all without ever being stopped or so much as looked at. Like, what? That’s not action! Not everything can go right all the time in an adventure book! (That goes for you, too, first 95% of Crooked Kingdom.)
Motivations were silly and a lot of things just...didn’t add up. Here’s a list of stupid decisions made by characters we were supposed to see as smart within the first fifty pages: walked straight into a soldier’s trap, yelled out at an unseen figure while in hiding, tried to rescue an irrelevant from four armed men, left a person who could ID a tattoo (literally the only identifiable part of her) in the actual house of the SS.
The way this was written was also driving me bonkers. Now introducing: bullet points! As in, there are so many little things I have to talk about in this section that I can’t be bothered to write in full sentences! And that says a lot because I’m an English major!
1. Teeming with unnecessary, interjected, nonsensical German words (if I never see the word Scheisse again it’ll be too soon)
2. Talked about how bad Luka’s jacket smelled all. The. Time?
3. In one chapter, started translating normal, basic sentences out of “Luka-speak”?
4. In general tried so hard to make Luka a funny, sassy, hot character (potential motive: trying to get on Bookstagram’s myriad “book boyfriend” tags)
5. “If her flesh had been schnitzel, it would’ve been long finished, ready for the skillet”
6. “He had...feelings...when he was with her”
7. Book has interludes (which wouldn’t be so bad if I hadn’t just read The Library at Mount Char, which actually used this tactic in a way that added to the book instead of feeling goddamn pointless)
This was my most anticipated book of 2016. I’m crushed at how little enjoyment I got out of it, and my strong dislike of this combined with how I had to DNF The Walled City makes me scared I’m misremembering Wolf by Wolf. I want to believe that book was good, genuinely. And I liked the last page. So—
Bottom line: this book was difficult to get through, but I’m giving it two stars—for the sake of its predecessor and on the merit of its final words.
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
The whole book dripped with that trope of emotionless/very strong characters (who always call themselves monsters) becoming, like, empathetic to human life. (Sidenote: what does it say about me that I can’t stand that plotline? It’s really synonymous with “these characters will be presented as badasses but will actually be full-on dumb.”) Yet through this attempt at a handful of characters becoming teeth-achingly sweet and caring all at once (their dumbass yucky relationships almost gave me a cavity), there’s very little concrete character development. Yael and Luka’s romance is stupid—and based on nothing of substance. And both of them are stupid alone, making dumb decisions like going against four gun-and-knife-wielding soldiers or yelling at an unseen figure. I was worried about the saccharine romance by page 45, and I was right to be.
I don’t mind romance subplots in a lot of books. Maybe even in most books. But I do NOT want to read 500 pages of formerly badass characters becoming stupid piles of blubbering lovesickness because they got cooties from the hot enemy. No, thank you.
Despite the fact that the stakes legitimately could not be higher, everything feels pretty chill all the time. At one point—this is a teeny spoiler, sorry—two Jewish (albeit shapeshifted) characters walk into a concentration camp, into the most high-security area of the prison, into the office of the director who ruined their lives, take a ton of said dude’s files, generally F up his office, answer the phone as him and talk to one of the highest-ranking members of the Third Reich, leave the office, see the guy who ruined their lives, get a teensy bit triggered and leave the camp—all without ever being stopped or so much as looked at. Like, what? That’s not action! Not everything can go right all the time in an adventure book! (That goes for you, too, first 95% of Crooked Kingdom.)
Motivations were silly and a lot of things just...didn’t add up. Here’s a list of stupid decisions made by characters we were supposed to see as smart within the first fifty pages: walked straight into a soldier’s trap, yelled out at an unseen figure while in hiding, tried to rescue an irrelevant from four armed men, left a person who could ID a tattoo (literally the only identifiable part of her) in the actual house of the SS.
The way this was written was also driving me bonkers. Now introducing: bullet points! As in, there are so many little things I have to talk about in this section that I can’t be bothered to write in full sentences! And that says a lot because I’m an English major!
1. Teeming with unnecessary, interjected, nonsensical German words (if I never see the word Scheisse again it’ll be too soon)
2. Talked about how bad Luka’s jacket smelled all. The. Time?
3. In one chapter, started translating normal, basic sentences out of “Luka-speak”?
4. In general tried so hard to make Luka a funny, sassy, hot character (potential motive: trying to get on Bookstagram’s myriad “book boyfriend” tags)
5. “If her flesh had been schnitzel, it would’ve been long finished, ready for the skillet”
6. “He had...feelings...when he was with her”
7. Book has interludes (which wouldn’t be so bad if I hadn’t just read The Library at Mount Char, which actually used this tactic in a way that added to the book instead of feeling goddamn pointless)
This was my most anticipated book of 2016. I’m crushed at how little enjoyment I got out of it, and my strong dislike of this combined with how I had to DNF The Walled City makes me scared I’m misremembering Wolf by Wolf. I want to believe that book was good, genuinely. And I liked the last page. So—
Bottom line: this book was difficult to get through, but I’m giving it two stars—for the sake of its predecessor and on the merit of its final words.
Read
October 20, 2016I wrote this book. I think it's great, but that could be just me.
There's a special pre-order offer going on for those of you who buy BLOOD FOR BLOOD before November 1st, 2016. I wrote a 20-page short story from Adele Wolfe's POV called STORM AFTER STORM, and it's free to anyone who submits their BLOOD FOR BLOOD receipt at wolfbywolfbook.com
There's a special pre-order offer going on for those of you who buy BLOOD FOR BLOOD before November 1st, 2016. I wrote a 20-page short story from Adele Wolfe's POV called STORM AFTER STORM, and it's free to anyone who submits their BLOOD FOR BLOOD receipt at wolfbywolfbook.com
March 23, 2017
Well, scheisse, if this wasn't the most beautiful ending to a brilliant story!
ALL THE STARS!
Just be aware, I use a lot of German terms because...THIS BOOK!!
If you don't know what I am talking about, then you definitely missing out.
Pick Wolf by Wolf RIGHT NOW!
"Taking a life takes something from you."
There's so much I want to say about this book. So, so many feels!!
The beginning.
Amazing start to a sequel. I was hooked instantly!
The plot twists. I was speechless.
You have no idea how overwhelmed I was by the plot twists in this book!
So many predictions, and none of them could be even near the things that has been actually revealed!
Also, can we talk about this arschloch called Luka Löwe.
I have no words. This precious boy broke my verdammt heart.
Every part when we are exposed to his feelings, the way he feels betrayed by his own country, by his own father. It is just absolutely heartbreaking.
Also, Felix.
This dummkopf...
Although, I am happy how everything turned out for him. His behaviour was justified.
But still... He was a real arschloch
Lastly, the ending.
I just don't know how to express the feelings that this book left me with. The pages literally started to get wet from all the tears! It was so heartbreaking and beautiful.
Now I need to get all my emotions under control, and then I'll probably say more things that I loved about this book!
ALL THE STARS!
Just be aware, I use a lot of German terms because...THIS BOOK!!
If you don't know what I am talking about, then you definitely missing out.
Pick Wolf by Wolf RIGHT NOW!
"Taking a life takes something from you."
There's so much I want to say about this book. So, so many feels!!
The beginning.
Amazing start to a sequel. I was hooked instantly!
The plot twists. I was speechless.
You have no idea how overwhelmed I was by the plot twists in this book!
So many predictions, and none of them could be even near the things that has been actually revealed!
Also, can we talk about this arschloch called Luka Löwe.
I have no words. This precious boy broke my verdammt heart.
Every part when we are exposed to his feelings, the way he feels betrayed by his own country, by his own father. It is just absolutely heartbreaking.
Also, Felix.
This dummkopf...
Although, I am happy how everything turned out for him. His behaviour was justified.
But still... He was a real arschloch
Lastly, the ending.
I just don't know how to express the feelings that this book left me with. The pages literally started to get wet from all the tears! It was so heartbreaking and beautiful.
Now I need to get all my emotions under control, and then I'll probably say more things that I loved about this book!
November 22, 2017
I enjoyed this one more than I did the first. And it's really refreshing to read a duology—something that's wrapped up in 2 volumes instead of being dragged out into a trilogy unnecessarily. Yael's character development, as well as Felix and Luka's in this book especially, was fantastic. I appreciated the bittersweet nature of the ending and that the author didn't pander. It felt very naturally complete. Overall not the most amazing thing I've ever read but a solid series of books that are very easy to escape into.
February 10, 2017
Baasch’s voice swelled over the Führer’s speech. He watched the television, a half smile breaking his face. “There will be blood. There will be more than enough. The world is about to drown in it.”
Such a brutal ending to a great series. So much violence and anguish marking the horror of WWII, a time when the Nazis dictated Germany and killed so many innocents.
To be fair, this series isn't an *exact* portrayal of WWII. The author creatively altered the timeline - while still being respectful of such a horrible time in history - by asking the question: What if Hitler won?
It's a somber, scary thought. Imagine a world in which the Third Reich still ruled. Imagine Nazis patrolling outside your doorstep, on the streets, striking down anyone who dared oppose the Führer. This is the world Yael lives in. Welcome to 1956, Germany.
Yael is a survivor of Nazi experimentation. When she was younger, she was captured and cut open on a table like a lab rat and turned into something marvelous and terrifying - a skinshifter. With the ability to change her appearance at will and the Axis Tour behind her, Yael now has one thought in mind: Kill Hitler.
I was surprised by how much more I enjoyed this book than the first one. Wolf by Wolf was well written, but I just couldn't quite connect with the characters as well as I wanted to. In this book, though, I had no choice but to be thrown into the minds of Yael, Luka, and Felix. It was impossible not to sympathize with them; I felt their desperation as they were dragged along on a heart pounding, suspenseful mission. There was so much raw emotion in this story and I loved how deeply it affected me.
Yael had started off her mission with a nameless list, bloodless hands. She had grown up in the shadow of death—death, so much death, and all for what? She’d watched so many fall into its jaws—Babushka, her mother, Aaron-Klaus—and she’d wanted, so desperately, so helplessly, to stop it.
The romance between Yael and Luka came as a surprise. I loved how gradual and slow burning it was. They had a rough history and completely different backgrounds - Yael was a Jew on the run and Luka was a Hitler Youth not too keen on the Führer - but they found something in each other, despite the chaos of the world around them.
There was a slower spot in the middle - which I found easy to push past - but besides that, the plot was a gritty, action packed roller coaster. The atmosphere was brilliant; I could feel the cold when Yael, Luka, and Felix were on the run, hiding out in the snowy woods. The writing was delightfully descriptive and the characters heart wrenchingly wonderful.
A really strong, bloody - and yes, awesome - portrayal of history mixed with some frightening reimagining. If you didn't love the first book, I recommend giving Blood for Blood a try.
July 30, 2017
This book hurt me so much. I have been personally attacked by this book. I am not okay.
This book was INCREDIBLE though! I was shook to my core and sat in my car and cried because of some of the plot twists.
Firstly, fuck Felix. I wanted to like him but fuck that stupid bastard it's all his fault. Secondly, Luka is the love of my life and he's everything I love about a character. He's sarcastic and witty and so loveable and I'm just DYING in feels over him. And lastly, Yael is a fucking badass and I love her so much.
The character development was great in this book and I'm not even mad that this book was a little slower than Wolf by Wolf.
This duology is everything I wanted and more. Even if this isn't your type of genre of book, PICK IT UP ANYWAYS! This book is so far from anything I like and yet I'm absolutely in love with this duology.
This book was INCREDIBLE though! I was shook to my core and sat in my car and cried because of some of the plot twists.
Firstly, fuck Felix. I wanted to like him but fuck that stupid bastard it's all his fault. Secondly, Luka is the love of my life and he's everything I love about a character. He's sarcastic and witty and so loveable and I'm just DYING in feels over him. And lastly, Yael is a fucking badass and I love her so much.
The character development was great in this book and I'm not even mad that this book was a little slower than Wolf by Wolf.
This duology is everything I wanted and more. Even if this isn't your type of genre of book, PICK IT UP ANYWAYS! This book is so far from anything I like and yet I'm absolutely in love with this duology.
October 21, 2016
Great, but heartbreaking.
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin
Book Two of the Wolf by Wolf series
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 1, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC obtained via trade
Summary (from Goodreads):
There would be blood.
Blood for blood.
Blood to pay.
An entire world of it.
For the resistance in 1950s Germany, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun.
Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against the New Order, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.
But dark secrets reveal dark truths, and one question hangs over them all: how far can you go for the ones you love?
This gripping, thought-provoking sequel to Wolf by Wolf will grab readers by the throat with its cinematic writing, fast-paced action, and relentless twists.
What I Liked:
***Potential spoilers for Wolf by Wolf (but not Blood for Blood)!***
I had a feeling that this one would be wonderful, but I also had a feeling that it would hurt. And I was right on both counts. Blood for Blood is a stunning follow-up to Wolf by Wolf, being just as intense and engaging as its predecessor. I know I'll be thinking about this series for a long time.
Blood for Blood begins exactly where Wolf by Wolf left off. Yael is running for her life, and Luka, who stepped out of the ballroom, follows her. He sees her change faces, and confronts her. She agrees to let him come with her. They are captured again... and again... but they find their way to an old friend of Yael's. Now Yael must try to do what she did at the end of Wolf by Wolf again - once and for all. Luka must make a decision on his loyalties. Felix must decide what is most important to him. No matter the choices, blood will be spilled - blood for blood.
A potential problem that I ran into was not recalling details from Wolf by Wolf. I very clearly remembered the ending, but certain names escaped. But Graudin does a really great job of bringing readers back into this alternate historical world, into the story of Yael and Luka and Felix and Hitler. In fact, there is a different element to this book - there are "before" passages, featuring a snippet of Luka, Yael, and Felix's life. Each snippet is at the same time (i.e. what Luka was doing on Christmas Day, and Yael, and Felix). These "blasts from the past" were very informative, and made me understand each character (but especially Luka more). And they helped me recall details from book one. These "before" passages only occurred three or four times in the book, so not too many, but not too few.
As with the first book, Graudin's writing is excellent. The world-building is very well-written too. You can imagine how difficult it must have been, to craft an alternate historical world, based on enough truths to make it historical, but enough fictitious elements to make it alternate.
This book is told from Yael's POV, as well as Felix's and Luka's, each in third person. Three perspectives can get busy, but the author writes each well, and she uses each perspective to keep the story moving in an effective manner. You could clearly tell that the person affecting the story the most at that point was the one whose perspective we were reading from. Each character played a significant role in this book, both positive and negative.
Yael is fearless and completely tunnel-visioned because she needs and wants to complete her mission. She might come across as empty or cold on the surface, but she is a live flame, burning with a need for vengeance. Luka wants to be more helpful, wants to be braver, wants to be better than his father. He stays with Yael and eventually believes in the resistance's cause. Felix is driven by his need to protect his family.
Yael is an incredible character, and I'm not just talking about her skin-shifting ability. But my favorite character had to be Luka. Getting further into this head and really understanding him made me like him even more. He is a selfless and good person. I love his humor and his wit, though he uses them like armor.
This book is nonstop action, from start to finish. Yael and Luka are bounced around and are constantly on the move, right until the end. They pick up allies and enemies along the way, including Felix and an old but familiar friend. If there is one thing I can say about this book, it is that you will never be bored.
There is subtle romance in this book, just like it was somewhat subtle in Wolf by Wolf. It doesn't really progress in this book, though Yael and Luka do think about each other and we can see their feelings grow a little deeper as the story goes. I would have loved to see more from the romance, but that's okay. It wasn't totally there and it wasn't a huge part of the story.
The ending was absolutely brutal! Heartbreaking, but necessary, in a way. You could kind of see it coming, with Graudin dropping tiny hints as the story progressed. That doesn't mean I have to like the ending. It's a good ending in terms of some things, but in other things, it is heartbreaking. A worthy ending, but a brutal one. Just prepare yourself!
What I Did Not Like:
The ending is the only reason why this book is getting four stars (as opposed to five). Everything about this book was wonderful (writing, world-building, characterization, plot), but the ending ripped me to shreds.
Would I Recommend It:
If you're into alternate history, or are intrigued by the mid-1900s, or are looking for fiction that makes you contemplate and take a step back, then this is for you. This isn't your average high-action YA novel - this one is more thought-provoking and gut-wrenching and noteworthy, in various ways. Don't read it if you're looking for the perfect HEA or a great ending or a passionate romance!
Rating:
4 stars. This book was a great conclusion to an intense and spellbinding series. I've read all five of Graudin's books, but I think the two books in this series are my favorite. I'm excited to see what she has next for us!
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin
Book Two of the Wolf by Wolf series
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 1, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC obtained via trade
Summary (from Goodreads):
There would be blood.
Blood for blood.
Blood to pay.
An entire world of it.
For the resistance in 1950s Germany, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun.
Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against the New Order, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.
But dark secrets reveal dark truths, and one question hangs over them all: how far can you go for the ones you love?
This gripping, thought-provoking sequel to Wolf by Wolf will grab readers by the throat with its cinematic writing, fast-paced action, and relentless twists.
What I Liked:
***Potential spoilers for Wolf by Wolf (but not Blood for Blood)!***
I had a feeling that this one would be wonderful, but I also had a feeling that it would hurt. And I was right on both counts. Blood for Blood is a stunning follow-up to Wolf by Wolf, being just as intense and engaging as its predecessor. I know I'll be thinking about this series for a long time.
Blood for Blood begins exactly where Wolf by Wolf left off. Yael is running for her life, and Luka, who stepped out of the ballroom, follows her. He sees her change faces, and confronts her. She agrees to let him come with her. They are captured again... and again... but they find their way to an old friend of Yael's. Now Yael must try to do what she did at the end of Wolf by Wolf again - once and for all. Luka must make a decision on his loyalties. Felix must decide what is most important to him. No matter the choices, blood will be spilled - blood for blood.
A potential problem that I ran into was not recalling details from Wolf by Wolf. I very clearly remembered the ending, but certain names escaped. But Graudin does a really great job of bringing readers back into this alternate historical world, into the story of Yael and Luka and Felix and Hitler. In fact, there is a different element to this book - there are "before" passages, featuring a snippet of Luka, Yael, and Felix's life. Each snippet is at the same time (i.e. what Luka was doing on Christmas Day, and Yael, and Felix). These "blasts from the past" were very informative, and made me understand each character (but especially Luka more). And they helped me recall details from book one. These "before" passages only occurred three or four times in the book, so not too many, but not too few.
As with the first book, Graudin's writing is excellent. The world-building is very well-written too. You can imagine how difficult it must have been, to craft an alternate historical world, based on enough truths to make it historical, but enough fictitious elements to make it alternate.
This book is told from Yael's POV, as well as Felix's and Luka's, each in third person. Three perspectives can get busy, but the author writes each well, and she uses each perspective to keep the story moving in an effective manner. You could clearly tell that the person affecting the story the most at that point was the one whose perspective we were reading from. Each character played a significant role in this book, both positive and negative.
Yael is fearless and completely tunnel-visioned because she needs and wants to complete her mission. She might come across as empty or cold on the surface, but she is a live flame, burning with a need for vengeance. Luka wants to be more helpful, wants to be braver, wants to be better than his father. He stays with Yael and eventually believes in the resistance's cause. Felix is driven by his need to protect his family.
Yael is an incredible character, and I'm not just talking about her skin-shifting ability. But my favorite character had to be Luka. Getting further into this head and really understanding him made me like him even more. He is a selfless and good person. I love his humor and his wit, though he uses them like armor.
This book is nonstop action, from start to finish. Yael and Luka are bounced around and are constantly on the move, right until the end. They pick up allies and enemies along the way, including Felix and an old but familiar friend. If there is one thing I can say about this book, it is that you will never be bored.
There is subtle romance in this book, just like it was somewhat subtle in Wolf by Wolf. It doesn't really progress in this book, though Yael and Luka do think about each other and we can see their feelings grow a little deeper as the story goes. I would have loved to see more from the romance, but that's okay. It wasn't totally there and it wasn't a huge part of the story.
The ending was absolutely brutal! Heartbreaking, but necessary, in a way. You could kind of see it coming, with Graudin dropping tiny hints as the story progressed. That doesn't mean I have to like the ending. It's a good ending in terms of some things, but in other things, it is heartbreaking. A worthy ending, but a brutal one. Just prepare yourself!
What I Did Not Like:
The ending is the only reason why this book is getting four stars (as opposed to five). Everything about this book was wonderful (writing, world-building, characterization, plot), but the ending ripped me to shreds.
Would I Recommend It:
If you're into alternate history, or are intrigued by the mid-1900s, or are looking for fiction that makes you contemplate and take a step back, then this is for you. This isn't your average high-action YA novel - this one is more thought-provoking and gut-wrenching and noteworthy, in various ways. Don't read it if you're looking for the perfect HEA or a great ending or a passionate romance!
Rating:
4 stars. This book was a great conclusion to an intense and spellbinding series. I've read all five of Graudin's books, but I think the two books in this series are my favorite. I'm excited to see what she has next for us!
August 18, 2016
An ARC of this title was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts are my own. This review can also be found at The Starry-Eyed Revue.
Bloody verdammt book that made me cry all the tears and feel all the things. This follow-up to Wolf by Wolf was very different in tone and content but it was every bit as good and interesting and heartbreaking. Where Wolf by Wolf was all witty banter and racing and unbelievably sad flashbacks, this sequel was basically all of those sad flashbacks times a million.
Blood for Blood was essentially the antithesis of Wolf by Wolf. Wolf by Wolf was by no means a light-hearted story, but it was full of wit and snark and moments of levity interspersed with moments of immense pain. But Blood for Blood...it was mostly harrowing ordeals and narrow escapes punctuated by instances of frivolity.
I think my GIF-tastic review below will sum it up best, but before I get to that, here are a few more things I appreciated about this sequel:
- Multiple perspectives but with Yael always being the focal point - In the first book, I constantly wondered what the real Adele Wolf was doing while Yael was parading around as her, and you get that in this sequel, though not from the horses's mouth. The multiple points of view really help to form a complete picture.
- I applaud the author's choices, that she did what was right by her characters - Big risks and hard decisions make this a tragic story but also make it all the more genuine. This is war and with war comes loss and devastation.
- Unpredictable and thrilling story - I legit never knew what was coming in this book. I was blind-sided time and again and still kept coming back for more, even though it felt like my heart was being torn from my chest.
- Incredible character growth - Going from kids trying to win a race (well, except for Yael, sort of) to people with loved ones to save and sacrifices to make and fuhrers to kill and making all kinds mistakes along the way, these characters change so much.
Okay, before I get to the GIFfy portion of this review, I just wanted to share a short video that perfectly depicts my reading experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a5Q-...
So, when the novel opens, Yael is on the run after her disastrous assassination attempt from the previous book.
But that's nothing new, as Yael is pretty much always on the run. Her life is nothing but one big chase with one singular mission...to kill this guy:
Yael finds herself escaping with the two boys she took turns racing beside in the first book, and even this early in the story, I just knew there was no way things were going to end well.
My money was on the fuhrer, but I like to be prepared.
Basically, I felt like Yael was always backed into a corner, ready to claw her way out if need be.
Didn't make it any easier to read, though.
Not only does Yael's past come back to haunt her ten-fold in this sequel, but you also get a peek at past-Luka and past-Felix, and though their stories don't even compare to the torture Yael has suffered, they definitely still had difficult upbringings.
Meanwhile, well-thought plans crumble. Betrayals abound. Truths can no longer remain buried.
And good intentions pave the road to hell.
And through it all...
So much pain. It's been a month since I finished this book and still the pain is so fresh.
This story is definitely not for the faint of heart, but if you have a heart, it will definitely hit you in the feels. HARD. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Bloody verdammt book that made me cry all the tears and feel all the things. This follow-up to Wolf by Wolf was very different in tone and content but it was every bit as good and interesting and heartbreaking. Where Wolf by Wolf was all witty banter and racing and unbelievably sad flashbacks, this sequel was basically all of those sad flashbacks times a million.
Blood for Blood was essentially the antithesis of Wolf by Wolf. Wolf by Wolf was by no means a light-hearted story, but it was full of wit and snark and moments of levity interspersed with moments of immense pain. But Blood for Blood...it was mostly harrowing ordeals and narrow escapes punctuated by instances of frivolity.
I think my GIF-tastic review below will sum it up best, but before I get to that, here are a few more things I appreciated about this sequel:
- Multiple perspectives but with Yael always being the focal point - In the first book, I constantly wondered what the real Adele Wolf was doing while Yael was parading around as her, and you get that in this sequel, though not from the horses's mouth. The multiple points of view really help to form a complete picture.
- I applaud the author's choices, that she did what was right by her characters - Big risks and hard decisions make this a tragic story but also make it all the more genuine. This is war and with war comes loss and devastation.
- Unpredictable and thrilling story - I legit never knew what was coming in this book. I was blind-sided time and again and still kept coming back for more, even though it felt like my heart was being torn from my chest.
- Incredible character growth - Going from kids trying to win a race (well, except for Yael, sort of) to people with loved ones to save and sacrifices to make and fuhrers to kill and making all kinds mistakes along the way, these characters change so much.
Okay, before I get to the GIFfy portion of this review, I just wanted to share a short video that perfectly depicts my reading experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a5Q-...
So, when the novel opens, Yael is on the run after her disastrous assassination attempt from the previous book.
But that's nothing new, as Yael is pretty much always on the run. Her life is nothing but one big chase with one singular mission...to kill this guy:
Yael finds herself escaping with the two boys she took turns racing beside in the first book, and even this early in the story, I just knew there was no way things were going to end well.
My money was on the fuhrer, but I like to be prepared.
Basically, I felt like Yael was always backed into a corner, ready to claw her way out if need be.
Didn't make it any easier to read, though.
Not only does Yael's past come back to haunt her ten-fold in this sequel, but you also get a peek at past-Luka and past-Felix, and though their stories don't even compare to the torture Yael has suffered, they definitely still had difficult upbringings.
Meanwhile, well-thought plans crumble. Betrayals abound. Truths can no longer remain buried.
And good intentions pave the road to hell.
And through it all...
So much pain. It's been a month since I finished this book and still the pain is so fresh.
This story is definitely not for the faint of heart, but if you have a heart, it will definitely hit you in the feels. HARD. Don't say I didn't warn you.
October 12, 2020
Oh boy.
Too many emotions, all over the place.
That ending? ARGHHHHHH
The rest of this crappy review is going to be very spoilery so I am going to put the entire thing in this spoiler tag. Please do not click it if you haven't finished this book. Just go and quickly start reading it and DO NOT READ OTHER REVIEWS> you are most likely to get spoiled. If not completely then still vaguely. And that's enough to sort of ruin some things for you. It's best if you just dive into the book without all of that because that happened with me and since I somewhat knew what was going to happen (somewhat, not all of it. Some things I didn't see coming) I was just dreading to proceed.
Too many emotions, all over the place.
That ending? ARGHHHHHH
The rest of this crappy review is going to be very spoilery so I am going to put the entire thing in this spoiler tag. Please do not click it if you haven't finished this book. Just go and quickly start reading it and DO NOT READ OTHER REVIEWS> you are most likely to get spoiled. If not completely then still vaguely. And that's enough to sort of ruin some things for you. It's best if you just dive into the book without all of that because that happened with me and since I somewhat knew what was going to happen (somewhat, not all of it. Some things I didn't see coming) I was just dreading to proceed.
January 8, 2017
4.5
I can't see my screen right now cause I'm still crying, so excuse any typos. While I did have problems with this book (pacing, action sequences) the characters and story were just so overwhelmingly powerful. The theme's of sacrificing yourself for something you believe in, of loss and grief were done so incredibly well. Even knowing that their stories are over, I feel SO much for these characters and hope that their unwritten futures have happiness and healing.
I can't see my screen right now cause I'm still crying, so excuse any typos. While I did have problems with this book (pacing, action sequences) the characters and story were just so overwhelmingly powerful. The theme's of sacrificing yourself for something you believe in, of loss and grief were done so incredibly well. Even knowing that their stories are over, I feel SO much for these characters and hope that their unwritten futures have happiness and healing.
December 25, 2016
26/12/2016- *Cries in 20 different languages*
One eye is crying tears of happiness because I just read one of the best books to exist.
The other eye is crying tears of sadness because one of the best series has ended.
SPOILER ALERT AHEAD (just in case the spoiler thing doesn't work)-
SPOILERS ENDED-
I can't write a review today but I will do it soon!
I just want to say thankyou to Ryan Graudin for writing this series, I have to buy her other books now!
This series is my second favourite series ever and I can't wait to read them again in the future.
This is a series that will stay in your heart forever.
I cant even explain how grateful I am that this series exists.
17/11/2016- I'M GETTING THIS BOOK TODAY!!! I ordered it at QBD bookstore a week ago and I just got the miracle text saying it arrived. My heart is doing backflips!
Here's a visual of me at the store later:
10/11/2016- Ha ha great I won't be able to read this book until next week :) I'm Ok :) seriously :) It's not like its the sequel and conclusion to one of my favourite books or anything :) I'm alright :)
3/11/2016- I FORGOT THIS BOOK WAS RELEASED 2 DAYS AGO BC IVE BEEN SO BUSY, ARE YOU KIDDING ME RN?! HOW COULD I FORGET THE SEQUEL TO ONE OF MY FAV BOOKS OF ALL TIME GOT RELEASED?!? I'm so done with myself. I will get this tomorrow, If I can't find it in stores then I'm going to throw a tantrum.
10/10/2016- I've never been so excited for a books release in my life, I don't think anyone understands how much I love Wolf by wolf. It might just be my second favourite series of all time?? I'm so in love.
21/8/2016 edit- I would sell all my organs to have this book in my hands now. I can't stop thinking about what will happen in this book and it's driving me up the wall. I NEED THIS BOOK.
Edit: ok so now it's getting released in November? I CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG! There are people in the world with arcs of this book while I'm here suffering.
update: 2/4/2016
THERES A COVER AND A TITLE. I REPEAT, THERES A COVER AND A TITLE.
AND A FREAKING RELEASE DATE. OCTOBER 6TH 2016.
OCTOBER 6TH IS A SPECIAL DATE FOR ME ALREADY AND NOW ITS EVEN MORE SPECIAL.
THIS MAY JUST BE MY SECOND FAVOURITE SERIES EVER. WOLF BY WOLF IS MY 4TH FAVOURITE BOOK EVER AND JUST ASDFGHJKL.
I NEED THIS NOW.
older update:
Wolf by wolf was my favourite read of 2015 and I really really really NEED this book NOW.
I'm thinking about re-reading wolf by wolf.. Its only been a month since I read it but I just love the book so so so so so so much.
but yeah Wolf by wolf just may be my 4th favourite book of alllllllll time.
One eye is crying tears of happiness because I just read one of the best books to exist.
The other eye is crying tears of sadness because one of the best series has ended.
SPOILER ALERT AHEAD (just in case the spoiler thing doesn't work)-
SPOILERS ENDED-
I can't write a review today but I will do it soon!
I just want to say thankyou to Ryan Graudin for writing this series, I have to buy her other books now!
This series is my second favourite series ever and I can't wait to read them again in the future.
This is a series that will stay in your heart forever.
I cant even explain how grateful I am that this series exists.
17/11/2016- I'M GETTING THIS BOOK TODAY!!! I ordered it at QBD bookstore a week ago and I just got the miracle text saying it arrived. My heart is doing backflips!
Here's a visual of me at the store later:
10/11/2016- Ha ha great I won't be able to read this book until next week :) I'm Ok :) seriously :) It's not like its the sequel and conclusion to one of my favourite books or anything :) I'm alright :)
3/11/2016- I FORGOT THIS BOOK WAS RELEASED 2 DAYS AGO BC IVE BEEN SO BUSY, ARE YOU KIDDING ME RN?! HOW COULD I FORGET THE SEQUEL TO ONE OF MY FAV BOOKS OF ALL TIME GOT RELEASED?!? I'm so done with myself. I will get this tomorrow, If I can't find it in stores then I'm going to throw a tantrum.
10/10/2016- I've never been so excited for a books release in my life, I don't think anyone understands how much I love Wolf by wolf. It might just be my second favourite series of all time?? I'm so in love.
21/8/2016 edit- I would sell all my organs to have this book in my hands now. I can't stop thinking about what will happen in this book and it's driving me up the wall. I NEED THIS BOOK.
Edit: ok so now it's getting released in November? I CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG! There are people in the world with arcs of this book while I'm here suffering.
update: 2/4/2016
THERES A COVER AND A TITLE. I REPEAT, THERES A COVER AND A TITLE.
AND A FREAKING RELEASE DATE. OCTOBER 6TH 2016.
OCTOBER 6TH IS A SPECIAL DATE FOR ME ALREADY AND NOW ITS EVEN MORE SPECIAL.
THIS MAY JUST BE MY SECOND FAVOURITE SERIES EVER. WOLF BY WOLF IS MY 4TH FAVOURITE BOOK EVER AND JUST ASDFGHJKL.
I NEED THIS NOW.
older update:
Wolf by wolf was my favourite read of 2015 and I really really really NEED this book NOW.
I'm thinking about re-reading wolf by wolf.. Its only been a month since I read it but I just love the book so so so so so so much.
but yeah Wolf by wolf just may be my 4th favourite book of alllllllll time.
April 6, 2017
3.5 stars
Buddy Read with Nameeta.
"The wolfes were safe, but there would be blood. Blood for Blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it. Salvation, damnation, salvation, damnation."
*May have mild spoilers for the first book of this series*
As this is a duo-logy and the first book was a pretty good read, the expectations from this one were obviously very high.
Where the first book was all about the Axis Tour, impersonation and assassination attempt, this one was what happens next.
"Now the wrong man was dead. Now she was standing in an alley with the boy she'd wanted so terribly to hate but didn't. Now she had no mission or orders. Now she was supposed to be free, but instead she felt.... lost.
The story picks off right after the assassination attempt and Yael's subsequent escape. There are 3 major players in this story- Yael, Luka and Felix.
The book is divided into 4 parts with a prelude and interlude's in between. Whereas the main chapters are in the 'Now', the prelude and interlude take a particular event and show the childhood instances of Yael, Luka and Felix. I think this was a nice touch as it made it more clear as to why each character did what they did!!
"She wondered if Luka had any idea how their pasts tangled and tore at each other's throats."
Now the thing is I expected more of a political angle to the whole plot and there was that but not enough. It was more about the emotions.
"Volchista, the old woman used to call her. The girl who was special. The girl who would change things. The girl who was as fierce as a wolf." -- I expected Yael to be very fierce and ruthless but instead we were shown her guilt and fight with her own conflicting emotions. Which was not bad in any way but......
The first 2 parts were really good but then it went a bit downhill from there. The plot could have been more tighter but then it lost that touch. There was a loophole in the plot as per me-
Also I somehow did not buy Luka's and Yael's romance in this. Luka hardly knew the real Yael. Will this romance even survive is the question, ? But I suppose you don't ask such questions in the fantasy world.
One message which I did like in the story is:
"Murder or mercy? On paper, a simple question. In flesh, a different matter."
I also liked
So all in all I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it would have been more of politics and espionage rather than the emotional drama....
Buddy Read with Nameeta.
"The wolfes were safe, but there would be blood. Blood for Blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it. Salvation, damnation, salvation, damnation."
*May have mild spoilers for the first book of this series*
As this is a duo-logy and the first book was a pretty good read, the expectations from this one were obviously very high.
Where the first book was all about the Axis Tour, impersonation and assassination attempt, this one was what happens next.
"Now the wrong man was dead. Now she was standing in an alley with the boy she'd wanted so terribly to hate but didn't. Now she had no mission or orders. Now she was supposed to be free, but instead she felt.... lost.
The story picks off right after the assassination attempt and Yael's subsequent escape. There are 3 major players in this story- Yael, Luka and Felix.
The book is divided into 4 parts with a prelude and interlude's in between. Whereas the main chapters are in the 'Now', the prelude and interlude take a particular event and show the childhood instances of Yael, Luka and Felix. I think this was a nice touch as it made it more clear as to why each character did what they did!!
"She wondered if Luka had any idea how their pasts tangled and tore at each other's throats."
Now the thing is I expected more of a political angle to the whole plot and there was that but not enough. It was more about the emotions.
"Volchista, the old woman used to call her. The girl who was special. The girl who would change things. The girl who was as fierce as a wolf." -- I expected Yael to be very fierce and ruthless but instead we were shown her guilt and fight with her own conflicting emotions. Which was not bad in any way but......
The first 2 parts were really good but then it went a bit downhill from there. The plot could have been more tighter but then it lost that touch. There was a loophole in the plot as per me-
Also I somehow did not buy Luka's and Yael's romance in this. Luka hardly knew the real Yael. Will this romance even survive is the question, ? But I suppose you don't ask such questions in the fantasy world.
One message which I did like in the story is:
"Murder or mercy? On paper, a simple question. In flesh, a different matter."
I also liked
So all in all I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it would have been more of politics and espionage rather than the emotional drama....
November 28, 2017
*3.75 RESISTANT STARS*
"Her heart kept splitting inside her. Growing and breaking, rended and rendered, reminding her that she was so, so sick of death."
Well, this was a little bit of a letdown even though I knew beforehand that most people who read this were really disappointed after the magnificence that was book 1!
Because of that, my expectations were not that high to begin with, but I still feel like so much more could have been done with Yael’s story, it had so much potential especially with that huge cliffhanger at the end of book 1!
It’s a bit sad really..
Review to come!
"Her heart kept splitting inside her. Growing and breaking, rended and rendered, reminding her that she was so, so sick of death."
Well, this was a little bit of a letdown even though I knew beforehand that most people who read this were really disappointed after the magnificence that was book 1!
Because of that, my expectations were not that high to begin with, but I still feel like so much more could have been done with Yael’s story, it had so much potential especially with that huge cliffhanger at the end of book 1!
It’s a bit sad really..
Review to come!
November 21, 2016
Holy crap.
Just.
Wow.
It's possible that I may be able to write a more coherent review at some point. Not right now though.
----------
COHERENT REVIEW 21NOV16:
Once again, I find myself wanting to reread a series as soon as I've finished it. (Bit of a trend here, isn't it?) This book was a total knockout. It picks up right where Wolf by Wolf left off, and the characters remain their own strong selves with their own agendas, however selfish. The climax had me on the edge of my seat and the biggest revelation left me breathless. Two books is plenty of time to spend in this alternate universe, and the ending was handled so beautifully that I don't feel the need to call for more. I loved learning about all of these characters, and they all felt so totally real. I can't call it life-changing. Maybe life-affirming would be better, especially with all the discord in the world today.
Every single person in this world matters. Because all it takes is one person to start something. One person can be a catalyst to something bigger.
Just.
Wow.
It's possible that I may be able to write a more coherent review at some point. Not right now though.
----------
COHERENT REVIEW 21NOV16:
Once again, I find myself wanting to reread a series as soon as I've finished it. (Bit of a trend here, isn't it?) This book was a total knockout. It picks up right where Wolf by Wolf left off, and the characters remain their own strong selves with their own agendas, however selfish. The climax had me on the edge of my seat and the biggest revelation left me breathless. Two books is plenty of time to spend in this alternate universe, and the ending was handled so beautifully that I don't feel the need to call for more. I loved learning about all of these characters, and they all felt so totally real. I can't call it life-changing. Maybe life-affirming would be better, especially with all the discord in the world today.
Every single person in this world matters. Because all it takes is one person to start something. One person can be a catalyst to something bigger.
September 27, 2019
SPOILERS AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK (or if you're like me and want the spoilery review so you don't have to read the book yourself).
Yael has escaped the party where she shot Hitler, or so it seemed.
Before she jumped out of the window she saw that instead of Hitler lying dead on the floor, it was another man. A man who was a shapeshifter like her which meant one thing.
There isn't only one Hitler.
So now the problem is how to identify the real one and how to get to him when there could be thousands lookalikes.
Another, bigger problem is that exept from her, no one else knows the truth.
After she shot the lookalike the cameras turned off, sending the signal to the ressitence to storm the street.
That however is a problem Yael can not deal with right now since she is on the run from Hitler's men.
Lost in thought she didn't realized she was followed.
Luka saw what he thought was Adele Wolf jump down the window, running through the woods and changing appearence into some Japanese woman he never saw before.
With an army searching for Adele and surely him, (since he was her ticket into the party), he had no other option than to follow this person.
Meanwhile Adele's brother Felix, still tied up under the bed, started to regaing consciousness.
Unfortunately for him he hadn't much time to escape before soldiers came into the room and dragged him away for interrogation.
After two broken fingers and alot other bruises and the knowlege that Adele wasn't indead Adele but an imposter... he gave some information about Yael's tattos and thinking that the nazis had his family, he agreed to spy on Yael and find out information about the ressitence
So after some escaping, alot of wandering and some more beeing captive (by the Russians this time), they all made it back to the headquaters of the ressitence where Felix and Adele reunited.
Still thinking however that their parents were held hostage by the nazi army and Adele whining about how poorly they treated her, he called the commander giving him every information he needed to find them and shut down the ressistence.
When it was clear that Felix was played by the commander and he sold them out for no reason at all and that he and his sister were as good as dead....
Yael and Luka managed to escape and play out the plan they had made to bring awareness to the people.
However a big surprise was awaiting them in the TV studio.
At the end of the book we see Felix and Adele reconsiliate with their parents.
The war is won and Yael is planning her next mission.
What I liked better about this book than the first one, is that we get more insight on how the war affected the people.
3/5 Stars.
December 25, 2016
I stalled for as long as I could but this needs to be out of my system so I can move on. As much as I love reading a series, the ending, that wrapping up of things, it always leaves sadness behind. Wolf by Wolf was exceptional and so was Blood for Blood. A unique journey with strange elements and even stranger characters, the series explored one of the deadliest what-ifs in human history. And yet, it managed to make me smile and laugh amidst the violence and the death.
Okay, I’m done being sappy.
The writing seemed weirder than before but not to the extent that it would put me out. It was half purple, part normal and part modern-ish(?). I can’t think of the appropriate word right now. Yael kept saying she was going to “change things” and I was all, “I know, Yael. I heard you the first 50,000 times.” Her inner thoughts while facing a certain situation in the form of a single line of bold capital letters, while sounded just fine in the first book as we were in the process of understanding her, were annoying here. Whenever I read those, she sounded deranged and it’s impossible to read capital letters without getting the impression that the person is screaming.
I absolutely loved the fact that we had multiple points of view this time around; mostly Yael’s, Felix’s and Luka’s but also a few others. It was insightful and made things much more interesting. I especially enjoyed “the three portraits” sections of the book. One chapter essentially repeated the same thing that happened in Iron to Iron albeit a bit briefly. Luka’s chapters were the funniest, as funny as they could get in a story like this. He became my favorite character in this series. Felix did the exact opposite. Yael was the middle ground.
Behold, the kingdom of spoils! Step forward if you dare. (Don’t)
-There were no motorcycles in this but the thrills did come, if from a different front. It was enormously exciting. Especially when Yael and her partner (in a moment) broke into doctor Geyer’s lab, I kept waiting for it all to screw up while figuratively biting my nails. When you’re afraid of what might come next, it’s a sign that the book is good.
-About Luka’s discovery of Yael’s skinshifting. I was surprised how swiftly he came to the conclusion that Adele wasn’t Adele, rather a different person posing as her. It could have gone a different way, he could have assumed that Adele was a skinshifter and yet he didn’t.
-Miriam was alive! After all this time! That was a good one.
-Felix screwed so much up. He and Adele were just despicable. I thought I would understand his actions and perhaps somewhere along the way I did but the consequences of his stupidity were terrible and I’ll never forgive him. As for Adele, I thought wrong. She never did love Luka. Her loss.
-The Fuhrer had died 4 years ago and Himmler was using doppelgangers to maintain the Nazi rule. I totally saw that coming.
-Luka I totally did NOT see that coming. WHY?
I think I haven’t yet mentioned how barely-there yet subtle and meaningful the romance is in this series. Yael and Luka were perfect for each other. Each filled the hole the other had in his/her heart. It was a love worth sighing for. And these were the kind of books worth remembering.
(I’m probably forgetting a lot of things but no matter. I’ll just edit when I remember them and it will show up in your update feeds again and again. Hahaha.)
November 6, 2016
WHY DID I READ Wolf by Wolf the day it came out??? Why didn't I anticipate the pain of waiting an entire year for the next book? Why isn't this book in my hands yet???
May 14, 2018
I loved this book as much as the first one, although it took longer to get into it. I don't know if I was in a slump because of it or if I was already in a slump, but it took me 2 1/2 weeks to read this when it should've taken about five hours. When I did finally get fully into it, however, it flew by.
Chapter 49 ruined me. I knew it was going to happen, and I know why it happened, but it still ruined me. I'm still not over it. I guessed the plot twist near the beginning of the book, but I still loved seeing how it played out. I'm so excited to read Invictus by Ryan Graudin now. If I love it anywhere near as much as I loved this one, I'll be a happy lady.
Chapter 49 ruined me. I knew it was going to happen, and I know why it happened, but it still ruined me. I'm still not over it. I guessed the plot twist near the beginning of the book, but I still loved seeing how it played out. I'm so excited to read Invictus by Ryan Graudin now. If I love it anywhere near as much as I loved this one, I'll be a happy lady.
September 29, 2016
Even more suspenseful and action packed than Wolf by Wolf. This series is a breath of fresh air in the YA genre... Graudin has created something special in these novels. The only small critisism I have was with the relationship between Yael and Luka... wish it had been able to developed a little deeper. Still a brilliant example of what great YA should be.
September 17, 2020
This series deserves more hype and I am hoping that those who read this will give this duology a chance.
This is a retelling of a very real thing that happened: World War II.
Before I start, I want to shut down those who believe this series is insulting to what actually happened. Wolf by Wolf and Blood For Blood DO NOT GLORIFY the Nazis and what they did to innocent people. If anything, it helps see the hurt and pain that can come from such a horrible event. If retelling such an event is insulting in your eyes, I assume you don’t watch anything involving Captain America, or movies such as Inglorious Bastards, or even video games such as Call of Duty? How about episodes of shows like Doctor Who?
None of these movies/comics/games insult the events that actually happened. I just see the makers and authors trying to making something beautiful out of something so horrible, if that makes sense. They still hold true to the horrible things that happened. Some, like this book I am reviewing, take the experiments done on said innocent people, and twist it into something vengeful.
Yael failed to kill Hilter. In fact, she came into the realization that there are other skin shifters out there like herself, and some are even working for the Fuhrer himself. How many times have they tried to take the tyrants head off and it just ends up being someone else entirely?
Change faces. Keep changing. Always changing.
They are after Adele, not Yael. Keep running. Always running.
Yael has failed. Everything she has worked for since escaping the clutches of the Nazis, has meant nothing. Nothing? No, she must make it right. She has held people at arm’s length to make sure nothing got in the way of ending this nightmare. She will not let it all be for nothing. She must find the Resistance.
Little does she know that her fate is still intertwined with Luka’s and Felix’s. Each one plays a role in how this book ends.
Yael: Realizing that even though she kept people at arm’s length, doesn’t mean they kept her at the same distance.
Lukas: Finding himself having feels for Not-Adele, someone on the opposite side of the train tracks. Also seeing the ugh truth of the war and what his father worked hard on.
Felix: Doing whatever he can to save his family. But who has his family and who can he trust?
This book is a slower paced book and has a lot of character development. A lot of people didn’t like that aspect of it and expected it to be exactly like the first book. Well, sorry, not all books are the same and you have to have character development in order to keep the book interesting.
Personally, I thought Felix had the most interesting story line. He never knew who to trust. He was playing tug-a-war the whole time, but he was the rope. He was an emotional wreck the whole time because one moment he would trust Yael and the next he would be doing everything he could to destroy her. I mean, wouldn’t you be if you found out who you thought was your sister was not actually your sister and then where are your parents who has them and who would actually protect them? WHO DO I TRUST THE ANSWER IS EVERYONE AND NO ONE LETS DO EENY MEENY MINY MOE.
Yael meets some from her past, saves people she doesn’t need to save but wants to and finds out the horrible yet welcoming truth of what really happened to her friend.
The last like twenty chapters of this book are intense. I can’t even describe it. It’s a lot like this meme:
I have such a love for this book. Any types of real-historical-event-driven books always catch my attention. I highly recommend this book for history nerds, fantasy lovers and action junkies.
WARNING: Your heart will break at the end.
NARRATOR: Christa Lewis
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I would go as far as to compare Christa Lewis to Lauren Fortgang. She does voices and she actually grabs your attention. I absolutely will listen to more books read by this narrator!
But, as always, the applause goes to Ryan Graudin! Such a beautiful, heartbreaking tale!
This is a retelling of a very real thing that happened: World War II.
Before I start, I want to shut down those who believe this series is insulting to what actually happened. Wolf by Wolf and Blood For Blood DO NOT GLORIFY the Nazis and what they did to innocent people. If anything, it helps see the hurt and pain that can come from such a horrible event. If retelling such an event is insulting in your eyes, I assume you don’t watch anything involving Captain America, or movies such as Inglorious Bastards, or even video games such as Call of Duty? How about episodes of shows like Doctor Who?
None of these movies/comics/games insult the events that actually happened. I just see the makers and authors trying to making something beautiful out of something so horrible, if that makes sense. They still hold true to the horrible things that happened. Some, like this book I am reviewing, take the experiments done on said innocent people, and twist it into something vengeful.
Yael failed to kill Hilter. In fact, she came into the realization that there are other skin shifters out there like herself, and some are even working for the Fuhrer himself. How many times have they tried to take the tyrants head off and it just ends up being someone else entirely?
Change faces. Keep changing. Always changing.
They are after Adele, not Yael. Keep running. Always running.
Yael has failed. Everything she has worked for since escaping the clutches of the Nazis, has meant nothing. Nothing? No, she must make it right. She has held people at arm’s length to make sure nothing got in the way of ending this nightmare. She will not let it all be for nothing. She must find the Resistance.
Little does she know that her fate is still intertwined with Luka’s and Felix’s. Each one plays a role in how this book ends.
Yael: Realizing that even though she kept people at arm’s length, doesn’t mean they kept her at the same distance.
Lukas: Finding himself having feels for Not-Adele, someone on the opposite side of the train tracks. Also seeing the ugh truth of the war and what his father worked hard on.
Felix: Doing whatever he can to save his family. But who has his family and who can he trust?
This book is a slower paced book and has a lot of character development. A lot of people didn’t like that aspect of it and expected it to be exactly like the first book. Well, sorry, not all books are the same and you have to have character development in order to keep the book interesting.
Personally, I thought Felix had the most interesting story line. He never knew who to trust. He was playing tug-a-war the whole time, but he was the rope. He was an emotional wreck the whole time because one moment he would trust Yael and the next he would be doing everything he could to destroy her. I mean, wouldn’t you be if you found out who you thought was your sister was not actually your sister and then where are your parents who has them and who would actually protect them? WHO DO I TRUST THE ANSWER IS EVERYONE AND NO ONE LETS DO EENY MEENY MINY MOE.
Yael meets some from her past, saves people she doesn’t need to save but wants to and finds out the horrible yet welcoming truth of what really happened to her friend.
The last like twenty chapters of this book are intense. I can’t even describe it. It’s a lot like this meme:
I have such a love for this book. Any types of real-historical-event-driven books always catch my attention. I highly recommend this book for history nerds, fantasy lovers and action junkies.
WARNING: Your heart will break at the end.
NARRATOR: Christa Lewis
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I would go as far as to compare Christa Lewis to Lauren Fortgang. She does voices and she actually grabs your attention. I absolutely will listen to more books read by this narrator!
But, as always, the applause goes to Ryan Graudin! Such a beautiful, heartbreaking tale!
September 7, 2017
*3.8/5 stars*
“Monsters murder entire groups of people without blinking, but get upset when they have to wash human ash from their garden strawberries. Monsters are the ones who watch other people do these things and do nothing to stop it. You and I are not monsters. If anything, we’re miracles.”
Blood for Blood was in all ways a weaker book than Wolf by Wolf, but despite that it was a great final story nonethelss. I do think it was in many ways dissapointing after the awesomness of the first instalment, and I felt a bit detached for long stretch ot the book, but the very last part and the refreshing, realistic ending made it up for me. After the ending, I even considered giving it 4 stars, but since I gave Wolf by Wolf 4 stars also and this book was simply not as great, Blood for Blood ended up with very strong 3 stars in the end.
“There would be blood. Blood for blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it.”
For the most part, the plot was not at all as engaging as the one in the first book. It left me a bit detached, and where I couldn't stop reading Wolf by Wolf and finished it in one sitting, this book didn't have me nearly as invested. I still liked the way this story was written with its many flasbacks, but the three POVs didn't really work for me. While I wasn't bore with any of the POVs, I never truly liked either of the boys enough to be interested in their own chapters, especially when all three characters were mostly in the same place together. Though I did like how the author always worked their separate flashbacks in between the chapters.
“Her heart kept splitting inside her. Growing and breaking, rended and rendered, reminding her that she was so, so sick of death. All it carried. All it buried.”
As for characters: I still loved Yael, but not as much as in the first book. I felt like, at times, she was all 'bleeding heart' over the two boys, unlike in Wolf by Wolf where her mission went first, everything/everyone else second.
“Fear is not an excuse,” Yael told him. “Fear is being human.”
Luka Lowe was never among my favourites, but his character did get better here. I didn't really like that this story was more romance centered than in the first instalment, or how it was centered on the different relatioships between Yael, Luka and Felix, instead of cutting action and the heroine's sheer determination. I felt like it was taking from the plot, which was a very strong suit of the first book. But in the end, I did like Luka and especially how he tried to change, impact the world, be more.
“There was so many things he could say to her.
I love you. I'm not afraid anymore.”
Felix, whom I liked in Wolf by Wolf, I actually didn't like here as much. While I didn't like Luka and liked Felix in Wolf by Wolf, I kind of felt the other way around here in the end. I did understand his decision for the most part of the book, but after everything that happened I started to feel more and more like he was simply spineless, ignorant, trying not to see all the bad the Nazis were doing.
“The tricky thing about hope, however, was that it was an emotion immune to logic.”
Overall, I still loved the heroine, the flashbacks and the plot was plenty enough engaging as well.
While most of the book didn't affect me as much as the first story, the very last part and the endning made a strong impact on me. I felt like the ending was above all realistic and original. After Wolf by Wolf, it's sequel Blood for Blood had the potential to be honestly way better, but it was a great conclusion to an unforgettable alternate history duology nonethless.
“But their roots went deep, bound them together in a collective memory. With each new arrival, they pieced together more of their past, built more of their future.”
“Monsters murder entire groups of people without blinking, but get upset when they have to wash human ash from their garden strawberries. Monsters are the ones who watch other people do these things and do nothing to stop it. You and I are not monsters. If anything, we’re miracles.”
Blood for Blood was in all ways a weaker book than Wolf by Wolf, but despite that it was a great final story nonethelss. I do think it was in many ways dissapointing after the awesomness of the first instalment, and I felt a bit detached for long stretch ot the book, but the very last part and the refreshing, realistic ending made it up for me. After the ending, I even considered giving it 4 stars, but since I gave Wolf by Wolf 4 stars also and this book was simply not as great, Blood for Blood ended up with very strong 3 stars in the end.
“There would be blood. Blood for blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it.”
For the most part, the plot was not at all as engaging as the one in the first book. It left me a bit detached, and where I couldn't stop reading Wolf by Wolf and finished it in one sitting, this book didn't have me nearly as invested. I still liked the way this story was written with its many flasbacks, but the three POVs didn't really work for me. While I wasn't bore with any of the POVs, I never truly liked either of the boys enough to be interested in their own chapters, especially when all three characters were mostly in the same place together. Though I did like how the author always worked their separate flashbacks in between the chapters.
“Her heart kept splitting inside her. Growing and breaking, rended and rendered, reminding her that she was so, so sick of death. All it carried. All it buried.”
As for characters: I still loved Yael, but not as much as in the first book. I felt like, at times, she was all 'bleeding heart' over the two boys, unlike in Wolf by Wolf where her mission went first, everything/everyone else second.
“Fear is not an excuse,” Yael told him. “Fear is being human.”
Luka Lowe was never among my favourites, but his character did get better here. I didn't really like that this story was more romance centered than in the first instalment, or how it was centered on the different relatioships between Yael, Luka and Felix, instead of cutting action and the heroine's sheer determination. I felt like it was taking from the plot, which was a very strong suit of the first book. But in the end, I did like Luka and especially how he tried to change, impact the world, be more.
“There was so many things he could say to her.
I love you. I'm not afraid anymore.”
Felix, whom I liked in Wolf by Wolf, I actually didn't like here as much. While I didn't like Luka and liked Felix in Wolf by Wolf, I kind of felt the other way around here in the end. I did understand his decision for the most part of the book, but after everything that happened I started to feel more and more like he was simply spineless, ignorant, trying not to see all the bad the Nazis were doing.
“The tricky thing about hope, however, was that it was an emotion immune to logic.”
Overall, I still loved the heroine, the flashbacks and the plot was plenty enough engaging as well.
While most of the book didn't affect me as much as the first story, the very last part and the endning made a strong impact on me. I felt like the ending was above all realistic and original. After Wolf by Wolf, it's sequel Blood for Blood had the potential to be honestly way better, but it was a great conclusion to an unforgettable alternate history duology nonethless.
“But their roots went deep, bound them together in a collective memory. With each new arrival, they pieced together more of their past, built more of their future.”
February 7, 2017
What a great story! Yael, Luka, even Felix... The last chapter was a bit too sappy for my taste, but this doesn't change my overall opinion!
November 26, 2016
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/11/26/...
Well, I just finished Blood for Blood and now I need a hug.
By the way, if you haven’t started this series already, you really need to pick up Wolf by Wolf and read it right away. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Otherwise I can’t promise this review won’t spoil anything for the first book, since this sequel picks up right where the cliffhanger left off and it’d be hard to talk about the rest of the story without going into context.
If you have read Wolf by Wolf though, then you already know that our protagonist has failed in her mission. Years of preparation and training are about to go down in flames. It is 1956 in an alternate history where the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. After riding more than twenty thousand kilometers in a motorcycle race from Berlin to Tokyo, Resistance fighter and skinshifter Yael finally made it to the Victor’s Ball where she can finally get close enough to assassinate her target, Adolf Hitler.
But things don’t go as planned. Around the world, millions sitting in front of their television screens may have just witnessed a teenage girl shoot and kill Hitler, but only Yael knows the truth of what really happened. And now there’s no choice but to press onward, because too many lives are at stake for the Resistance to fall.
The Wolf by Wolf series really is a special duology. The first book was an exciting and masterful piece of storytelling, introducing the alternate timeline in which the Axis powers were never defeated, as well to our protagonist Yael who is a death camp survivor. Side effects from the horrific human experimentation by the Nazi scientists left her with a mysterious ability to skinshift and take on the appearance of anyone she wants. After joining the Resistance, she was made a central part of a plot to impersonate a contestant named Adele Wolfe to enter the Axis Tour, a transcontinental motorcycle race which Yael needed to win in order for their plans to succeed. At first, I was a little skeptical of the premise, unsure how it was all going to come together, but Ryan Graudin pulled it off marvelously by packing in a whole lot of action. Better yet, she also did it without sacrificing the character development or world-building—important ingredients for a story like that to work.
That’s why I think Wolf by Wolf was still the better book. It was just so well-told and constructed, and a uniquely interesting reading experience. There was definitely something rare and exceptional about it that puts it in a special place in my heart, but that said though, Blood for Blood was no slouch either. It gave me the conclusion I wanted, and for that and so many more reasons I am glad I read it.
For one thing, I must confess I was never all that into Yael’s love interest and fellow racer Luka in the first book, but Blood for Blood redeemed him in more ways than one. While I still wasn’t all that emotionally invested in their romance (the circumstances around it were too complicated for me to find it convincing), Graudin made me see there was more to Luka by fleshing out his background and letting us see the world from his perspective. I might not have enjoyed him as a love interest, but I sure loved him as one of the main characters. It was one reason why I found the events surrounding the ending so impactful.
We also get to learn so much more about Yael in this second book. After having lived through so much pain and suffering, and with more adversity and impossible odds ahead, she does not give up. The scope of the narrative expands to include a few more POVs, exploring the dynamics between them, making this one a bigger, more meaningful and emotional book. The way I see it, Wolf by Wolf gets the edge when it comes to heart-pounding action, but Blood for Blood gets it when it comes to character and relationship development. This series is just so imaginative, riveting, and moving. The two books may form a complete whole, but I also love that they complement each other in this way. I can’t recommend them enough.
Audiobook comments: I also opted to switch formats and listen to the Blood for Blood audiobook, even though I read the first book in print. Best decision ever. I find emotional stories are often more engaging and immersive in audio, and the producers chose an excellent narrator in Christa Lewis, who delivered a touching performance. She projected an overall tone that I felt was perfect for this novel, expressing just the right amount of feeling and inflection in all the right places to make all the most significant scenes stand out.
Well, I just finished Blood for Blood and now I need a hug.
By the way, if you haven’t started this series already, you really need to pick up Wolf by Wolf and read it right away. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Otherwise I can’t promise this review won’t spoil anything for the first book, since this sequel picks up right where the cliffhanger left off and it’d be hard to talk about the rest of the story without going into context.
If you have read Wolf by Wolf though, then you already know that our protagonist has failed in her mission. Years of preparation and training are about to go down in flames. It is 1956 in an alternate history where the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. After riding more than twenty thousand kilometers in a motorcycle race from Berlin to Tokyo, Resistance fighter and skinshifter Yael finally made it to the Victor’s Ball where she can finally get close enough to assassinate her target, Adolf Hitler.
But things don’t go as planned. Around the world, millions sitting in front of their television screens may have just witnessed a teenage girl shoot and kill Hitler, but only Yael knows the truth of what really happened. And now there’s no choice but to press onward, because too many lives are at stake for the Resistance to fall.
The Wolf by Wolf series really is a special duology. The first book was an exciting and masterful piece of storytelling, introducing the alternate timeline in which the Axis powers were never defeated, as well to our protagonist Yael who is a death camp survivor. Side effects from the horrific human experimentation by the Nazi scientists left her with a mysterious ability to skinshift and take on the appearance of anyone she wants. After joining the Resistance, she was made a central part of a plot to impersonate a contestant named Adele Wolfe to enter the Axis Tour, a transcontinental motorcycle race which Yael needed to win in order for their plans to succeed. At first, I was a little skeptical of the premise, unsure how it was all going to come together, but Ryan Graudin pulled it off marvelously by packing in a whole lot of action. Better yet, she also did it without sacrificing the character development or world-building—important ingredients for a story like that to work.
That’s why I think Wolf by Wolf was still the better book. It was just so well-told and constructed, and a uniquely interesting reading experience. There was definitely something rare and exceptional about it that puts it in a special place in my heart, but that said though, Blood for Blood was no slouch either. It gave me the conclusion I wanted, and for that and so many more reasons I am glad I read it.
For one thing, I must confess I was never all that into Yael’s love interest and fellow racer Luka in the first book, but Blood for Blood redeemed him in more ways than one. While I still wasn’t all that emotionally invested in their romance (the circumstances around it were too complicated for me to find it convincing), Graudin made me see there was more to Luka by fleshing out his background and letting us see the world from his perspective. I might not have enjoyed him as a love interest, but I sure loved him as one of the main characters. It was one reason why I found the events surrounding the ending so impactful.
We also get to learn so much more about Yael in this second book. After having lived through so much pain and suffering, and with more adversity and impossible odds ahead, she does not give up. The scope of the narrative expands to include a few more POVs, exploring the dynamics between them, making this one a bigger, more meaningful and emotional book. The way I see it, Wolf by Wolf gets the edge when it comes to heart-pounding action, but Blood for Blood gets it when it comes to character and relationship development. This series is just so imaginative, riveting, and moving. The two books may form a complete whole, but I also love that they complement each other in this way. I can’t recommend them enough.
Audiobook comments: I also opted to switch formats and listen to the Blood for Blood audiobook, even though I read the first book in print. Best decision ever. I find emotional stories are often more engaging and immersive in audio, and the producers chose an excellent narrator in Christa Lewis, who delivered a touching performance. She projected an overall tone that I felt was perfect for this novel, expressing just the right amount of feeling and inflection in all the right places to make all the most significant scenes stand out.
December 11, 2016
Wonderful, wonderful book. Did not see that ending coming. Thanks for making me cry.
December 23, 2016
Wow. Wow wow wow. What a great end to an amazing series. I loved the first book Wolf By Wolf and Blood for Blood was just as amazing. It was fast paced from the very start and continued the story beautifully. I love Yael and my love for her grew and grew while reading this last installment. Her strength and her heart was truly amazing and so human and real. Luka and Felix both grew so tremendously as characters through this novel it was amazing to read. The last about fifty pages really tore my heart out. Just tore it right out of my chest. It was so heartbreaking I just couldn't even deal, but it was so well written and I felt for all of these characters and cried my eyes out because THOSE FEELS ARE SO REAL. I recommend this series to everyone. READ THIS SERIES YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT
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