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Dyrwolf #1
Dyrwolf
Lea Wylder has spent so long hunting werewolves that now one is stalking her in her sleep. In the unforgiving forests of the north, shape-shifting wolves have enslaved the sole human city for hundreds of miles, driving survivors up into the mountains. When Lea tracks a shifter and finds him caught in a trap, she’s convinced he’s the white wolf from her dreams. Not that it matters. He’s one of them. And they’re at war.
But as Lea pulls back the bowstring, Henrik shifts to human and begs her not to shoot. By name. But how could he possibly know her? In twenty years, the wolves have never crossed the river over to their side.
Injured and unable to walk, Henrik needs Lea’s help to get back home. If he could be turned against the pack, it could change the course of the war. But first there’s the small problem of returning him to the wolves—without getting caught.
But as Lea pulls back the bowstring, Henrik shifts to human and begs her not to shoot. By name. But how could he possibly know her? In twenty years, the wolves have never crossed the river over to their side.
Injured and unable to walk, Henrik needs Lea’s help to get back home. If he could be turned against the pack, it could change the course of the war. But first there’s the small problem of returning him to the wolves—without getting caught.
251 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 16, 2018
94 people are currently reading
403 people want to read
About the author
Kat Kinney
14 books604 followersAuthor Kat Kinney writes spicy paranormal romance and heartwarming cozy fantasy. Her books have found family, adorable pets, strong female characters, and happy endings!
She lives with her family and three extremely pampered guinea pigs who do not like werewolves, vampires, or dragons and wonder why their human insists on writing about things that like to eat them. When she isn’t writing about things that bite and howl, Kat can be found knitting crazy socks and plotting out future books!
She lives with her family and three extremely pampered guinea pigs who do not like werewolves, vampires, or dragons and wonder why their human insists on writing about things that like to eat them. When she isn’t writing about things that bite and howl, Kat can be found knitting crazy socks and plotting out future books!
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June 4, 2021
R A T I N G: 4 stars to Dyrwolf! ★ ★ ★ ★
“Some wrongs we seek to excuse by any means, because we believe so ardently in a cause we do not stop to question the methods by which we fight.”
'A curse without a name, burning beneath my skin. In my blood. Lea Wylder, the girl they banished to the darkest part of the woods. The girl who swore her name would join the Carving at the end of a long, victorious life as the one who set her people free.'
- Wolf/lycanthrope Shifter Fantasy
- Disability representation
- Chronic Headache/migraine rep
We have 16-year-old Lea Wylder as Dyrwolf's lead, a headstrong huntress with a sharp and practical mind for all things woodland and wilderness, but not at all by choice. Two decades prior, the shape-shifting Dyrwolves slaughtered the only human community stationed in the sparsely populated Northern mountains. After rights stolen, a town butchered and their people persecuted, the Dyr commandeered their Colony, forcing the surviving humans to migrate across the river to a village deprived of resource, barely able scrape out a living.
From hearty, dense lives to a slight, rough-as-bark existence all in the space of a night that marked their blood, the humans are determined to redeem their land from the beasts that stole from them remorselessly and rained on them a downpour of their own blood. Everything can be blamed on their enemy predators. Carved from the bite of living small and remote only cements their need to take back. They've been gradually building up their forced for a counterstroke and the Insurgents have been since preparing.
Lea is most familiar with a modest, unimposing life, living by day from the earth and taught and trained into bedlands competence by her father. The arid, uncompromising conditions might have whittled the townspeople down to grit and bark and a full-sighted call for blood to war against the Dyr, but Lea has always been on the far periphery as the Village's cast off. With an incurable illness that strips her senses and plunges her into depthless pain, she's the whispered-about outsider that has no place among her people.
Brought up on stories of the genocide of their people, the names of their stolen worn into the bark of the Gathering Hall, the unforgivable sins of the Dyr are never forgotten and their missing are always remembered. When her best friend's name joins the Carved, it only instills within Lea more reason to despise the wolves across the river. So when she finds an overfamiliar, fair-haired wolf trapped on their land, it's the perfect opportunity to save her friend. If every Dyr has an agenda, she's not above using one to get her way. She's not about to start trusting the enemy, even if he's one and the same, one who crawls the space of her dreams beyond any partition that severs wolf from man.
May has been a time of catching up on arc-requested reads. After sitting unread for nearing on eight months, I finally got the chance to catch up on Kat Kinney's Dyrwolf. Kinney commands an inspired story with an original angle on werewolf fantasy, one that cares for an unassumed identity pulled further into crisis for our caustic coming-of-age Lea, a combat for love and bad blood while told narratives drive wedges and war between human resistants and wolf settlers.
An interesting us vs. them tale where sequestered sides of a war aren't, after initial prediction, strictly polarised to human and wolf, but geared also towards a shared need for wholesome rights. In other words a mutual intent makes for a story where taking sides comes, not entirely from species segregation but species-wide captivity in this colonised settlement. And it all starts when an adorable fluffy shifter and a tense young girl meet at a junction. It’s that gray sphere where black against white, where evil vs good and human vs wolf isn’t the checkerboard model that’s partitioned down the middle.
I'm assuming there's an alternative world backdrop in Dyrwolf. From the bits of history aired along with the environmental impression and lifestyle framework of both the Village and the Colony, there's a threadbare, pre-modern feel that lends itself to what feels like a bare-bones dystopian setting. It is a post-war native homeland, but one that's always circling and readying for another one. With disunity, antagonistic ethic, caste difference, deference to an alpha power, flawed rationale, trickery and kept secrets, this is a world that presents itself in a true-to-life extreme, 'its them or us' fashion. Dyrwolf is a convincing fantasy, characteristic to careful plotting and complex relationships between friends and enemies and all the people with something to fight for or against in between.
Without feeling overworked or self-conscious, Dyrwolf opens with a slow-stepping rhythm that might take a slow measure but is still plotted contemplatively, enough for the twists to begin hitting you at the halfway seam, one after the other in a hopeful 'what's to come next'. That was when the story really picked up and occupied the attention that was halfway lacking for me in the initial build up.
The first part takes the time to introduce Lea’s life, her burdensome sickness, the Village principles, the deficient land, and her life with her father, also the Village Leader. And when she meets a white wolf under the night sky, it’s then that she confronts the challenge of betraying disclosure - where a different side to a long war is perceptible through clashing sets of eyes. The history and taught bias becomes less morally superficial and more morally questioning. The second part held my favour because it’s where the intimacy of trekking through the wilderness as a twosome with Henrik evolves into open story space and we’re introduced to more cast members and unpredictable intrigue, courtesy of the Colony itself. It’s also when the pace changes up enough to take notice.
Through the back and forth of a few rotating emails, the author and myself exchanged some details of the shared struggle with chronic disease for us both. While we each live restricted and homebound for a separate set of reasons, Kinney explained that her severe sensitivity to light and sound leaves her most often trapped in the dark, just like Lea Wylder. And that was where Dyrwolf was born, perhaps in the dark, and where Lea gives a voice to a debilitating variant of migraine disease. With chronic migraine/headache representation, you can expect an inclusive story where unremitting sickness can’t be magicked away with the swipe of a hand or used as a supernatural device to explain away the diehard day by day hardship to just exist. Chroncially ill readers will appreciate the untempered chronically ill realism.
Stripped to the bare bones of piercing agony in waves of volleying firestorm where all shades, faces and textures of the world blend to the background and paralysing pain transcends it all, the author so very realistically, finely and expressively strings words over word, over and over again, to sketch an illustration of Lea’s senseless sickness and her lingering struggle. In the felt-more-than-seen hostility and short-sightedness of the villagers, the stigma of difference and being denied equal opportunity to integrate within her community attests to the non-inclusive perception of disability discrimination - that her illness makes her useless and her efforts to belong, pointless.
She’s a marked girl for being different in more than just one way, and with the claim of being persistently afflicted naturally shoulders the label of being an outcast. It’s so close-cutting actually that she’s expelled to the outskirts of the village. It tolls the truth bell as it bears the real-life intolerance of being a fringing afterthought to a society blind and hostile to invisible illness. For being misunderstood in something Lea can’t control. Her suffering takes so much from her and the painted prose explicitly, and with an exacting imagination, describes the sensation of being lost to the world by pain - the paradox of pain construed with pressingly beautiful prose.
It’s not only what’s been hidden from Lea by her community, her parents and Henrik that keeps her in the dark, but the fear of being blinded and vulnerable by her turbulent health. The chronically ill are some of the strongest warrior-esque survivors on the planet and Lea narrates a heart-hitting perspective with points that sing for the unnamed.
The writing is strong and a striking force in describing both the internal mappings of Lea’s feelings and the forthcoming action and even every idle moment between. It takes great writing to blow a breath of felt life into every moment and movement, and in this, I can confidently say that Ms. Kinney verges on pictorial brilliance. A times though, the drawn out fluttery prose and overly used metaphors do disrupt the situational flow, especially in a scene that’s dense with an anticipatory pull. It’s here that the delicate and detailed prose works better in some areas than others. The writing can also lead a reader to get their wires and senses crossed because it’s not strictly easy to mark present from past or present from future.
The patchwork of lies, misunderstanding and the bereaved setting works to engage a dark and weary perspective world view. This is after all a survival story. If you’re looking for a sunny-side up quest, this might not be the book for you but as it’s a classified YA, it’s not unsuited for the younger flock of readers. There is a HEA guaranteed but it’s not without losses, persistent misery and anticipated distresses along the way. While there are elements that speak to the YA crowd, the scale, the creative precision and range tells to a dynamic written piece of fantasy in Dyrwolf. Stylistically speaking, Kinney pictures a superb story with picturesque prose that graphically makes vivid the intensity of Lea’s hunt, the discovery within and the revelations without.
Stunning attentions to detail, brilliant action sequences, and a story with revealing meaning marks a world where torture touches the brave and ordinary and no one is spared from the power of an alpha. Where a turf war spans decades and in waiting for a revolution. With a vivid set of characters all with something to gain and hide, an intricate social order and intrigue of the political and romantic medley, it’s a fevered time for Lea, and with her coming of age, she staggers from twist to mist in the expanse of the unsung.
With a nod to a community of long term, incurable illness and marginalised voices, I give my personal thank you to Ms Kinney for sharing Lea’s story. Extra points for Henrik the fluffy, shaggy ball of fur. I’d brave his thick rug of fur for one eternal hug on any given day because as resonant as Lea is, this book could not have been the same without that fleecy furball with cheek to cheek humour!
'It’s the reason I weave through miles of forest every month to get down to the coast and that wide stretch of unencumbered sky, the only salve for the secret sickness no one can ever find out about, even if I’d never truly understood what it was about the freedom of running, the open sky, or the stars that made me whole.'
A big thank you to the author for offering me a copy of Dyrwolf to review!
C O N T E N T W A R N I N G: Non descriptive scenes of abuse, torture, whipping and describes blood and injuries. Mentions/implies suicide and child abuse. Also mentions hangings and a past rape in non-explicit terms. Only very few uses of mild profanity. With humans being enslaved and a society of discrimination, bear in mind that there are some strong themes.
------------------------------------------
Visit my blog for more reviews: V.L. Book Reviews
T W I T T E R: @VicariousHearts
I N S T A G R A M: @Vicarious.Hearts
------------------------------------------
“Some wrongs we seek to excuse by any means, because we believe so ardently in a cause we do not stop to question the methods by which we fight.”
'A curse without a name, burning beneath my skin. In my blood. Lea Wylder, the girl they banished to the darkest part of the woods. The girl who swore her name would join the Carving at the end of a long, victorious life as the one who set her people free.'
- Wolf/lycanthrope Shifter Fantasy
- Disability representation
- Chronic Headache/migraine rep
We have 16-year-old Lea Wylder as Dyrwolf's lead, a headstrong huntress with a sharp and practical mind for all things woodland and wilderness, but not at all by choice. Two decades prior, the shape-shifting Dyrwolves slaughtered the only human community stationed in the sparsely populated Northern mountains. After rights stolen, a town butchered and their people persecuted, the Dyr commandeered their Colony, forcing the surviving humans to migrate across the river to a village deprived of resource, barely able scrape out a living.
From hearty, dense lives to a slight, rough-as-bark existence all in the space of a night that marked their blood, the humans are determined to redeem their land from the beasts that stole from them remorselessly and rained on them a downpour of their own blood. Everything can be blamed on their enemy predators. Carved from the bite of living small and remote only cements their need to take back. They've been gradually building up their forced for a counterstroke and the Insurgents have been since preparing.
Lea is most familiar with a modest, unimposing life, living by day from the earth and taught and trained into bedlands competence by her father. The arid, uncompromising conditions might have whittled the townspeople down to grit and bark and a full-sighted call for blood to war against the Dyr, but Lea has always been on the far periphery as the Village's cast off. With an incurable illness that strips her senses and plunges her into depthless pain, she's the whispered-about outsider that has no place among her people.
Brought up on stories of the genocide of their people, the names of their stolen worn into the bark of the Gathering Hall, the unforgivable sins of the Dyr are never forgotten and their missing are always remembered. When her best friend's name joins the Carved, it only instills within Lea more reason to despise the wolves across the river. So when she finds an overfamiliar, fair-haired wolf trapped on their land, it's the perfect opportunity to save her friend. If every Dyr has an agenda, she's not above using one to get her way. She's not about to start trusting the enemy, even if he's one and the same, one who crawls the space of her dreams beyond any partition that severs wolf from man.
May has been a time of catching up on arc-requested reads. After sitting unread for nearing on eight months, I finally got the chance to catch up on Kat Kinney's Dyrwolf. Kinney commands an inspired story with an original angle on werewolf fantasy, one that cares for an unassumed identity pulled further into crisis for our caustic coming-of-age Lea, a combat for love and bad blood while told narratives drive wedges and war between human resistants and wolf settlers.
An interesting us vs. them tale where sequestered sides of a war aren't, after initial prediction, strictly polarised to human and wolf, but geared also towards a shared need for wholesome rights. In other words a mutual intent makes for a story where taking sides comes, not entirely from species segregation but species-wide captivity in this colonised settlement. And it all starts when an adorable fluffy shifter and a tense young girl meet at a junction. It’s that gray sphere where black against white, where evil vs good and human vs wolf isn’t the checkerboard model that’s partitioned down the middle.
I'm assuming there's an alternative world backdrop in Dyrwolf. From the bits of history aired along with the environmental impression and lifestyle framework of both the Village and the Colony, there's a threadbare, pre-modern feel that lends itself to what feels like a bare-bones dystopian setting. It is a post-war native homeland, but one that's always circling and readying for another one. With disunity, antagonistic ethic, caste difference, deference to an alpha power, flawed rationale, trickery and kept secrets, this is a world that presents itself in a true-to-life extreme, 'its them or us' fashion. Dyrwolf is a convincing fantasy, characteristic to careful plotting and complex relationships between friends and enemies and all the people with something to fight for or against in between.
Without feeling overworked or self-conscious, Dyrwolf opens with a slow-stepping rhythm that might take a slow measure but is still plotted contemplatively, enough for the twists to begin hitting you at the halfway seam, one after the other in a hopeful 'what's to come next'. That was when the story really picked up and occupied the attention that was halfway lacking for me in the initial build up.
The first part takes the time to introduce Lea’s life, her burdensome sickness, the Village principles, the deficient land, and her life with her father, also the Village Leader. And when she meets a white wolf under the night sky, it’s then that she confronts the challenge of betraying disclosure - where a different side to a long war is perceptible through clashing sets of eyes. The history and taught bias becomes less morally superficial and more morally questioning. The second part held my favour because it’s where the intimacy of trekking through the wilderness as a twosome with Henrik evolves into open story space and we’re introduced to more cast members and unpredictable intrigue, courtesy of the Colony itself. It’s also when the pace changes up enough to take notice.
Through the back and forth of a few rotating emails, the author and myself exchanged some details of the shared struggle with chronic disease for us both. While we each live restricted and homebound for a separate set of reasons, Kinney explained that her severe sensitivity to light and sound leaves her most often trapped in the dark, just like Lea Wylder. And that was where Dyrwolf was born, perhaps in the dark, and where Lea gives a voice to a debilitating variant of migraine disease. With chronic migraine/headache representation, you can expect an inclusive story where unremitting sickness can’t be magicked away with the swipe of a hand or used as a supernatural device to explain away the diehard day by day hardship to just exist. Chroncially ill readers will appreciate the untempered chronically ill realism.
Stripped to the bare bones of piercing agony in waves of volleying firestorm where all shades, faces and textures of the world blend to the background and paralysing pain transcends it all, the author so very realistically, finely and expressively strings words over word, over and over again, to sketch an illustration of Lea’s senseless sickness and her lingering struggle. In the felt-more-than-seen hostility and short-sightedness of the villagers, the stigma of difference and being denied equal opportunity to integrate within her community attests to the non-inclusive perception of disability discrimination - that her illness makes her useless and her efforts to belong, pointless.
She’s a marked girl for being different in more than just one way, and with the claim of being persistently afflicted naturally shoulders the label of being an outcast. It’s so close-cutting actually that she’s expelled to the outskirts of the village. It tolls the truth bell as it bears the real-life intolerance of being a fringing afterthought to a society blind and hostile to invisible illness. For being misunderstood in something Lea can’t control. Her suffering takes so much from her and the painted prose explicitly, and with an exacting imagination, describes the sensation of being lost to the world by pain - the paradox of pain construed with pressingly beautiful prose.
It’s not only what’s been hidden from Lea by her community, her parents and Henrik that keeps her in the dark, but the fear of being blinded and vulnerable by her turbulent health. The chronically ill are some of the strongest warrior-esque survivors on the planet and Lea narrates a heart-hitting perspective with points that sing for the unnamed.
The writing is strong and a striking force in describing both the internal mappings of Lea’s feelings and the forthcoming action and even every idle moment between. It takes great writing to blow a breath of felt life into every moment and movement, and in this, I can confidently say that Ms. Kinney verges on pictorial brilliance. A times though, the drawn out fluttery prose and overly used metaphors do disrupt the situational flow, especially in a scene that’s dense with an anticipatory pull. It’s here that the delicate and detailed prose works better in some areas than others. The writing can also lead a reader to get their wires and senses crossed because it’s not strictly easy to mark present from past or present from future.
The patchwork of lies, misunderstanding and the bereaved setting works to engage a dark and weary perspective world view. This is after all a survival story. If you’re looking for a sunny-side up quest, this might not be the book for you but as it’s a classified YA, it’s not unsuited for the younger flock of readers. There is a HEA guaranteed but it’s not without losses, persistent misery and anticipated distresses along the way. While there are elements that speak to the YA crowd, the scale, the creative precision and range tells to a dynamic written piece of fantasy in Dyrwolf. Stylistically speaking, Kinney pictures a superb story with picturesque prose that graphically makes vivid the intensity of Lea’s hunt, the discovery within and the revelations without.
Stunning attentions to detail, brilliant action sequences, and a story with revealing meaning marks a world where torture touches the brave and ordinary and no one is spared from the power of an alpha. Where a turf war spans decades and in waiting for a revolution. With a vivid set of characters all with something to gain and hide, an intricate social order and intrigue of the political and romantic medley, it’s a fevered time for Lea, and with her coming of age, she staggers from twist to mist in the expanse of the unsung.
With a nod to a community of long term, incurable illness and marginalised voices, I give my personal thank you to Ms Kinney for sharing Lea’s story. Extra points for Henrik the fluffy, shaggy ball of fur. I’d brave his thick rug of fur for one eternal hug on any given day because as resonant as Lea is, this book could not have been the same without that fleecy furball with cheek to cheek humour!
'It’s the reason I weave through miles of forest every month to get down to the coast and that wide stretch of unencumbered sky, the only salve for the secret sickness no one can ever find out about, even if I’d never truly understood what it was about the freedom of running, the open sky, or the stars that made me whole.'
A big thank you to the author for offering me a copy of Dyrwolf to review!
C O N T E N T W A R N I N G: Non descriptive scenes of abuse, torture, whipping and describes blood and injuries. Mentions/implies suicide and child abuse. Also mentions hangings and a past rape in non-explicit terms. Only very few uses of mild profanity. With humans being enslaved and a society of discrimination, bear in mind that there are some strong themes.
------------------------------------------
Visit my blog for more reviews: V.L. Book Reviews
T W I T T E R: @VicariousHearts
I N S T A G R A M: @Vicarious.Hearts
------------------------------------------
December 13, 2018
Damn you Kat! How long will I have to wait for the next book?
This was a fantastic paranormal filled with wolves (of course), some epic fight scenes, kissing, and secrets (everybody loves secrets).
The writing is beautiful.
"It's the sort of crisp October night where the air stings with every breath, sharp with the scent of wood smoke and pine, and of wet leaves decaying in the rich, loamy earth."
She starts the story off slow, building the relationships first before working her way up to more sinister reveals.
I am extremely disappointed that I am required to wait for more time with this story and it's squishy characters!
"Some wrongs we seek to excuse by any means, because we do not stop to question the methods by which we fight."
This was a fantastic paranormal filled with wolves (of course), some epic fight scenes, kissing, and secrets (everybody loves secrets).
The writing is beautiful.
"It's the sort of crisp October night where the air stings with every breath, sharp with the scent of wood smoke and pine, and of wet leaves decaying in the rich, loamy earth."
She starts the story off slow, building the relationships first before working her way up to more sinister reveals.
I am extremely disappointed that I am required to wait for more time with this story and it's squishy characters!
"Some wrongs we seek to excuse by any means, because we do not stop to question the methods by which we fight."
November 1, 2019
Dyrwolf is a tale of the "occasionally awkward girl meets boy with supernatural powers" variety--not the oldest story of all, maybe, but it's trending.
The protagonist, Lea, is well drawn. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she is raised by her father, a famous hunter. Not surprisingly, she has mother issues. Also she suffers from migraines, which I found interesting. It's an affliction I share, and the author describes the pain and nausea too well for comfort. I suspected at first that the headaches were just a narrative device, a handicap for Lea to overcome, but down the road we find there's a good reason for her affliction.
It was interesting trying to figure out the world setting. At first it seemed vaguely science-fictionish, with the shape-shifting Dyrwolves as resident aliens. Later, details emerged that made me suspect an alternate Earth history. I'm still not sure.
There are two main parts to the story. In the first, Lea meets a young Dyrwolf, Henrik, who has been caught in a trap and poisoned by silver. They journey through the wilderness together, alternately sparring and attempting to heal each other. At this point Lea supposedly hates and fears all Dyrwolves, but this doesn't really pose much of a problem for their relationship. They are pretty much flirting from the git-go, and every time she starts to mistrust him, she notices again how darn cute he is! In short, the reader never has reason to doubt that they'll wind up together.
In the second, Lea becomes a captive of the Dyrwolves as a joint wolf-human rebellion moves toward open war. The story really opens out here. I found the transition between the two parts a bit disorienting--all of a sudden many characters are introduced and the one-on-one dynamic is replaced by complex political calculations.
The author's writing is consistently high quality. I'm not generally a fan of stories told in the present tense, but it works well here. There's a lot of nice descriptive prose, though occasionally it goes a bit over the top, and can seem incongruous coming from Lea, who's the sole narrator. All in all, a good story, with a few twists and turns to keep things interesting.
The protagonist, Lea, is well drawn. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she is raised by her father, a famous hunter. Not surprisingly, she has mother issues. Also she suffers from migraines, which I found interesting. It's an affliction I share, and the author describes the pain and nausea too well for comfort. I suspected at first that the headaches were just a narrative device, a handicap for Lea to overcome, but down the road we find there's a good reason for her affliction.
It was interesting trying to figure out the world setting. At first it seemed vaguely science-fictionish, with the shape-shifting Dyrwolves as resident aliens. Later, details emerged that made me suspect an alternate Earth history. I'm still not sure.
There are two main parts to the story. In the first, Lea meets a young Dyrwolf, Henrik, who has been caught in a trap and poisoned by silver. They journey through the wilderness together, alternately sparring and attempting to heal each other. At this point Lea supposedly hates and fears all Dyrwolves, but this doesn't really pose much of a problem for their relationship. They are pretty much flirting from the git-go, and every time she starts to mistrust him, she notices again how darn cute he is! In short, the reader never has reason to doubt that they'll wind up together.
In the second, Lea becomes a captive of the Dyrwolves as a joint wolf-human rebellion moves toward open war. The story really opens out here. I found the transition between the two parts a bit disorienting--all of a sudden many characters are introduced and the one-on-one dynamic is replaced by complex political calculations.
The author's writing is consistently high quality. I'm not generally a fan of stories told in the present tense, but it works well here. There's a lot of nice descriptive prose, though occasionally it goes a bit over the top, and can seem incongruous coming from Lea, who's the sole narrator. All in all, a good story, with a few twists and turns to keep things interesting.
November 14, 2022
First of all, I was nervous picking up this book. I knew nothing, literary nothing about werewolves except the eighties TV series, which I only watched for a few minutes. I remember the hideous effect that made it scarier, imprinted in my core memory with running away from a carnival where they pretended to unleash a werewolf. I swear everyone else ran too.
Well, I guess it'd be fair to say that no one actually knows anything about werewolves, but there are at least common ideas about them, right?
So, it's not my cup of tea in the first place, so are Fantasy/Paranormal/Young Adult/Romance/genres. There are a lot of odds against me liking the book.
When I started, I didn't initially warm up to it and was wary about many torturous nights ahead. It was confusing to me, at first, with many names thrown around with their unfamiliar terms and settings. I didn't know what Proving, Alder, or Dyr are, and a ridiculous image of a wolf carrying a spear in its paw sent a knobby knot on my forehead.
Besides those and the initial alarming sign of what I thought would be a mushy teenager romance-erotica, I persevered through; it was not hard because I found many things that I enjoyed going on reading.
The pace is good. At times it goes very fast, but unless I was dead tired of too many other useless things in my life, I wanted to continue. One of the things that floats my boat is that, even though this is a fantasy, it doesn't use flowery-mundane language or unreasonable names for its genre. I loved the creative descriptions of everything: the scenes, settings, foods, senses, and expressions without overdoing them.
The characters are rootable and believable, I started investing in them around one-third of the book, and besides the initial alarm, the connections of the main protags are earned. There are distinctive enough personalities of important supporting characters, especially the father, which I learned a lot about without having many actual scenes with him in it. I felt Lea's pain, hope, and disappointment. I liked her thinking; it's not always right or good, but it shouldn't have to be.
Several funny moments made me chuckle. I enjoyed how everything unfolds, layer by layer, and thankful that the story and characters are deeper and more realistic. I wish Astrid is revealed more but the little scenes she has are impactful. Too many characters clean under their nails with the point of their knives, but I can't expect them to scratch their backsides while trying to act cool.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a 4.5 round-up because again, it has the recipe with all ingredients that I don't like but turns me around just for this, for now. This teaches me that there is no reason to shy away from any genre, as again, paranormal young adult fantasy is not something I normally touch with a loooong pole, but I am glad I did. I appreciate the storytelling, the message the story tries to convey using rootable characters. I can almost smell and see the world. I can relate it to problematic human nature through an unusual way to tell it. Maybe not to others, but uncommon for me, a virgin in this genre.
4.5 overgrown dandelion out of 5 furry white rugs
Well, I guess it'd be fair to say that no one actually knows anything about werewolves, but there are at least common ideas about them, right?
So, it's not my cup of tea in the first place, so are Fantasy/Paranormal/Young Adult/Romance/genres. There are a lot of odds against me liking the book.
When I started, I didn't initially warm up to it and was wary about many torturous nights ahead. It was confusing to me, at first, with many names thrown around with their unfamiliar terms and settings. I didn't know what Proving, Alder, or Dyr are, and a ridiculous image of a wolf carrying a spear in its paw sent a knobby knot on my forehead.
Besides those and the initial alarming sign of what I thought would be a mushy teenager romance-erotica, I persevered through; it was not hard because I found many things that I enjoyed going on reading.
The pace is good. At times it goes very fast, but unless I was dead tired of too many other useless things in my life, I wanted to continue. One of the things that floats my boat is that, even though this is a fantasy, it doesn't use flowery-mundane language or unreasonable names for its genre. I loved the creative descriptions of everything: the scenes, settings, foods, senses, and expressions without overdoing them.
The characters are rootable and believable, I started investing in them around one-third of the book, and besides the initial alarm, the connections of the main protags are earned. There are distinctive enough personalities of important supporting characters, especially the father, which I learned a lot about without having many actual scenes with him in it. I felt Lea's pain, hope, and disappointment. I liked her thinking; it's not always right or good, but it shouldn't have to be.
Several funny moments made me chuckle. I enjoyed how everything unfolds, layer by layer, and thankful that the story and characters are deeper and more realistic. I wish Astrid is revealed more but the little scenes she has are impactful. Too many characters clean under their nails with the point of their knives, but I can't expect them to scratch their backsides while trying to act cool.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a 4.5 round-up because again, it has the recipe with all ingredients that I don't like but turns me around just for this, for now. This teaches me that there is no reason to shy away from any genre, as again, paranormal young adult fantasy is not something I normally touch with a loooong pole, but I am glad I did. I appreciate the storytelling, the message the story tries to convey using rootable characters. I can almost smell and see the world. I can relate it to problematic human nature through an unusual way to tell it. Maybe not to others, but uncommon for me, a virgin in this genre.
4.5 overgrown dandelion out of 5 furry white rugs
November 23, 2018
Beautifully written. I was engaged, gripped, entertained and most of all charmed by this outstanding novel. There is fantasy, mystery, suspense, a fair dash of romance and quite a bit of action. There is great tension, very good pace, super plotting (and also intrigue!), and it is nicely spiced with Lea's wry sense of humour. The main characters are well done, particularly Lea and her father, and Henrik the fish-loving furball. While there is room for more character development, this is forgiveable in the first of a series. Anyone who likes YA fantasy should love this. There is lots of room for following novels, but this is quite satisfying as a stand-alone read. Very highly recommended!
November 30, 2018
Dyrwolf book one is an adventurous YA werewolf tale starring young Lea Wylder who has lived amid a war between the humans and the shape-shifters for as long as she’s known.
Lea suffers from a terrible sickness that alienates her from other humans, leaving her feeling like she doesn’t fit in.
When she meets Henrick, a Dyrwolf, the definitive line between good and bad is soon blurred and it isn’t long before she starts falling for him.
I usually dislike reading present tense but I was distracted by the lavish, atmospheric descriptions that were almost poetic at times.
4.5 stars
Lea suffers from a terrible sickness that alienates her from other humans, leaving her feeling like she doesn’t fit in.
When she meets Henrick, a Dyrwolf, the definitive line between good and bad is soon blurred and it isn’t long before she starts falling for him.
I usually dislike reading present tense but I was distracted by the lavish, atmospheric descriptions that were almost poetic at times.
4.5 stars
June 2, 2021
Many thanks to the author for a copy of this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
A fantasy world of humans and shapeshifters, DyrWolf by Kat Kinney is sure to leave you craving for more and I can’t wait for book #2 in this beautifully crafted tale of age-old enmities and loyalties.
Humans and werewolves, there has been slaughter, there has been war, many have died but there are still many more who have been taken, prisoners. The first chapter of the story confused me, couldn’t really understand what in the world was going on, but by chapter 2, the story begins to take shape and Lea just walks into the reader’s mind. There are things about her that have made her the “different” one in the village, her headaches sometimes blinding her to the point of losing vision and consciousness for days altogether.
The first part of the story focuses on Lea and Henrik, their fights, and banter, both of them suspicious about the other, keeping secrets and hiding truths. Henrik has an easy charm that flusters Lea and makes her notice him as a person rather than a trickster with a bushy tail who has been haunting her dreams. I liked that there is no instant love between them, the warmth and love develop gradually, it is the second part however that the action begins with most of the cards on the table. As cruelties surface and loyalties are questioned, Lea also has the tough task to face a stark truth about herself and save her best friend Simon from the clutches of the werewolves. As the political machinations emerge between the two sides, numerous characters are introduced and the story takes an interesting turn towards intrigue and suspense.
The story is brilliantly narrated as lies upon lies are revealed and the twisty surprises keep the reader on tenterhooks. Each character has been fleshed out well, and the cliff-hanger ending adds to the anticipation for the next book in the series.
Highly recommended for fans of YA fantasy!
This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, and Twitter.
A fantasy world of humans and shapeshifters, DyrWolf by Kat Kinney is sure to leave you craving for more and I can’t wait for book #2 in this beautifully crafted tale of age-old enmities and loyalties.
Humans and werewolves, there has been slaughter, there has been war, many have died but there are still many more who have been taken, prisoners. The first chapter of the story confused me, couldn’t really understand what in the world was going on, but by chapter 2, the story begins to take shape and Lea just walks into the reader’s mind. There are things about her that have made her the “different” one in the village, her headaches sometimes blinding her to the point of losing vision and consciousness for days altogether.
The first part of the story focuses on Lea and Henrik, their fights, and banter, both of them suspicious about the other, keeping secrets and hiding truths. Henrik has an easy charm that flusters Lea and makes her notice him as a person rather than a trickster with a bushy tail who has been haunting her dreams. I liked that there is no instant love between them, the warmth and love develop gradually, it is the second part however that the action begins with most of the cards on the table. As cruelties surface and loyalties are questioned, Lea also has the tough task to face a stark truth about herself and save her best friend Simon from the clutches of the werewolves. As the political machinations emerge between the two sides, numerous characters are introduced and the story takes an interesting turn towards intrigue and suspense.
The story is brilliantly narrated as lies upon lies are revealed and the twisty surprises keep the reader on tenterhooks. Each character has been fleshed out well, and the cliff-hanger ending adds to the anticipation for the next book in the series.
Highly recommended for fans of YA fantasy!
This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, and Twitter.
April 9, 2019
Kat Kinney’s Dyrwolf is an rip-snorting paranormal adventure that pits humans against werewolves. Lea Wylder has been training all her life to face off against her colony’s enemy, the dyrwolves, a race of werewolves who are a menace and constant threat to her people. When her best friend, Salem, is captured, Lea will do anything to get him back. Thus begins a quest that will test and reshape the way she sees her world. The writing is descriptive, sometimes lyrical. The story is imaginative and well-plotted. Paranormal is not a genre I usually read, but this one won me over. Highly recommended!
March 19, 2019
Dyrwolf is a YA Fantasy story about growing up, about identity, rights, wrongs, false assumptions, love, and a little bit of a political edge. It pulls all of these elements together into a story that, magic aside, feels real. The hero isn't always right. War isn't always right or wrong. The good guys don't always win, and our protagonist isn't at the center of everything. Events move between the chapters, while Lea sleeps, and the story unfolds in a way that is organic and as confusing for Lea as life is for us.
The story shines most when any of the six-or-so most important characters are on screen. The web of secrets and lies between them, digging into the foundation of the war that's going on and the love borne between several of them, really makes sense. There is very little "I can't tell you" sitcom-style silliness, which is impressive considering the amount of distrust and deception going on. Every little reveal pulled me further into the story.
The battles are vivid, the romance is good and has events that naturally strengthen the bonds. The story does adhere in some places to old tales, mixing bits from Star Wars and Shakespeare, but it includes just enough of a twist by the end that I can natually say, "I have never read a story quite like this one." Specifically, without spoilers, I loved the role that Lea played in the story. Her position in the conflict, and her eventual impact on the war and the other characters... it isn't the normal impact that a hero might have. Small actions that changed the future of many in this book.
Lea herself is an engaging protagonist, and her struggles are endearing. Anyone who has struggled with illness, with being an outcast, with regretting past actions, or with misjudging or mistreating another will find a kindred soul in Lea.
The grey shaded morality and nuance of the war was also appreciated. In today's political world, a take like this is needed. There is no 'evil empire' to conquer, and that makes things more difficult.
Not everything in this story shone perfect. The tale is told in present tense. This wouldn't be a problem, but for the first third of the book. When the author includes a flashback for Lea, there is nothing to mark the scene change, no change in tense, nothing of the sort. When she is dreaming, it's the same way. Suddenly, before the reader has a chance to orient themselves, we see written "I am three years old" and we're off somewhere else. Later in the story, when recent events are recounted or stories are told by the characters, they use past tense... because the event is in the past. Those 'flashbacks' are much more palatable. With the amount of information being introduced in the first five chapters, this commitment to writing everything in present tense makes the read more difficult than it needed to be. It took me a few days to get into the book, due to the overload of information being thrown at me in a very present, very sensory-oriented way.
That's my main gripe. I hope that, in any inevitable sequels, the 'magic system' in this world is elaborated on. We only caught a glimpse, which was required for the plot to move, but I think there is much more there.
On a final note, do not read this book if you have a phobia of vomit. It's not borne out in sensory detail, but it's there pretty consistently.
Otherwise, if a bit of YA werewolf love-and-war fantasy sounds intruiging at all to you, I'd highly recommend Dyrwolf!
The story shines most when any of the six-or-so most important characters are on screen. The web of secrets and lies between them, digging into the foundation of the war that's going on and the love borne between several of them, really makes sense. There is very little "I can't tell you" sitcom-style silliness, which is impressive considering the amount of distrust and deception going on. Every little reveal pulled me further into the story.
The battles are vivid, the romance is good and has events that naturally strengthen the bonds. The story does adhere in some places to old tales, mixing bits from Star Wars and Shakespeare, but it includes just enough of a twist by the end that I can natually say, "I have never read a story quite like this one." Specifically, without spoilers, I loved the role that Lea played in the story. Her position in the conflict, and her eventual impact on the war and the other characters... it isn't the normal impact that a hero might have. Small actions that changed the future of many in this book.
Lea herself is an engaging protagonist, and her struggles are endearing. Anyone who has struggled with illness, with being an outcast, with regretting past actions, or with misjudging or mistreating another will find a kindred soul in Lea.
The grey shaded morality and nuance of the war was also appreciated. In today's political world, a take like this is needed. There is no 'evil empire' to conquer, and that makes things more difficult.
Not everything in this story shone perfect. The tale is told in present tense. This wouldn't be a problem, but for the first third of the book. When the author includes a flashback for Lea, there is nothing to mark the scene change, no change in tense, nothing of the sort. When she is dreaming, it's the same way. Suddenly, before the reader has a chance to orient themselves, we see written "I am three years old" and we're off somewhere else. Later in the story, when recent events are recounted or stories are told by the characters, they use past tense... because the event is in the past. Those 'flashbacks' are much more palatable. With the amount of information being introduced in the first five chapters, this commitment to writing everything in present tense makes the read more difficult than it needed to be. It took me a few days to get into the book, due to the overload of information being thrown at me in a very present, very sensory-oriented way.
That's my main gripe. I hope that, in any inevitable sequels, the 'magic system' in this world is elaborated on. We only caught a glimpse, which was required for the plot to move, but I think there is much more there.
On a final note, do not read this book if you have a phobia of vomit. It's not borne out in sensory detail, but it's there pretty consistently.
Otherwise, if a bit of YA werewolf love-and-war fantasy sounds intruiging at all to you, I'd highly recommend Dyrwolf!
March 9, 2019
Dyrwolf leaps into action from the first page, racing alongside our imaginations as we try breathlessly to keep up with Lea Wylder’s frantic quest to save her friend, her neighbors, and herself from the dyrwolves that menace her village. And from the one who haunts her dreams.
Set in a harsh northern terrain more suitable for wolves than people, the humans in Lea’s world have been threatened and enslaved by shapeshifters who are both human and wolves. It’s a hardscrabble existence, filled with death and with fear. Lea knows both all too well. Almost an outcast due to an infirmity no one understands, least of all herself, Lea is a survivor, as tough as the world in which she lives. Stubborn and sensitive, Lea is a great hero, easy to like and to root for. She lives and breathes on the page, as does Henrik, a Dyrwolf who is not all he first seems to be.
Although there were intriguing glimpses and hints of fascinating quirks and tenderness, the rest of the characters were not as a vividly realized. And though the landscape was beautifully described in loving detail, I felt a little lost inside the Dyrwolf village. Things felt very rushed—I would have liked more time to understand the subtleties of the pack ranking, if you will, of the Dyrwolves and the humans they enslaved.
But that is a minor nitpick. The writing is excellent. This is a great story, well-told and one that deserves to be read by anyone who enjoys YA fiction involving a strong, capable heroine and shape-shifting wolves.
Set in a harsh northern terrain more suitable for wolves than people, the humans in Lea’s world have been threatened and enslaved by shapeshifters who are both human and wolves. It’s a hardscrabble existence, filled with death and with fear. Lea knows both all too well. Almost an outcast due to an infirmity no one understands, least of all herself, Lea is a survivor, as tough as the world in which she lives. Stubborn and sensitive, Lea is a great hero, easy to like and to root for. She lives and breathes on the page, as does Henrik, a Dyrwolf who is not all he first seems to be.
Although there were intriguing glimpses and hints of fascinating quirks and tenderness, the rest of the characters were not as a vividly realized. And though the landscape was beautifully described in loving detail, I felt a little lost inside the Dyrwolf village. Things felt very rushed—I would have liked more time to understand the subtleties of the pack ranking, if you will, of the Dyrwolves and the humans they enslaved.
But that is a minor nitpick. The writing is excellent. This is a great story, well-told and one that deserves to be read by anyone who enjoys YA fiction involving a strong, capable heroine and shape-shifting wolves.
October 31, 2020
4 stars
You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.
This is a very good, exciting YA Paranormal Fantasy book. It's fast-paced, with interesting characters and a good storyline.
Years ago werewolves attacked a human city, slaughtering hundreds and taking it over. The humans were forced to flee across the river and live in an encampment surrounded by werewolves. With little land capable of growing food or sustaining animals, the humans barely eek out an existence.
Lea's father trained her from a young age to hunt and track. She has spent her young life hunting werewolves. While in the woods one day she finds a white wolf caught in a trap. Recently she's been dreaming about a white wolf. Could this be the wolf that's been stalking her dreams? Maybe, but it doesn't matter because humans and werewolves are at war. Just as she's about to loose her arrow, the wolf shifts into a young man, pleading with her by name to spare his life. How does he know here name? His name is Henrik and he begs Lea to help him return home across the river. What happens next could change the fate of humans and werewolves alike.
This is a quick, easy read. The author does a fairly good job of worldbuilding, and Lea is a fully formed character. Her relationship with Henrik is sweet and I like that the author doesn't have them meet and then instantly declare their undying love for each other. There is good interaction between the two and while they are naturally suspicious of each other, they eventually begin to let their guards down.
There is no swearing, sex or explicit violence. Some of the action is a bit too neat and tidy and just a touch earnest, but that's to be expected in a YA Fantasy book. The book has a good ending, with a hint of cliffhanger for the next book. Overall this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.
This is a very good, exciting YA Paranormal Fantasy book. It's fast-paced, with interesting characters and a good storyline.
Years ago werewolves attacked a human city, slaughtering hundreds and taking it over. The humans were forced to flee across the river and live in an encampment surrounded by werewolves. With little land capable of growing food or sustaining animals, the humans barely eek out an existence.
Lea's father trained her from a young age to hunt and track. She has spent her young life hunting werewolves. While in the woods one day she finds a white wolf caught in a trap. Recently she's been dreaming about a white wolf. Could this be the wolf that's been stalking her dreams? Maybe, but it doesn't matter because humans and werewolves are at war. Just as she's about to loose her arrow, the wolf shifts into a young man, pleading with her by name to spare his life. How does he know here name? His name is Henrik and he begs Lea to help him return home across the river. What happens next could change the fate of humans and werewolves alike.
This is a quick, easy read. The author does a fairly good job of worldbuilding, and Lea is a fully formed character. Her relationship with Henrik is sweet and I like that the author doesn't have them meet and then instantly declare their undying love for each other. There is good interaction between the two and while they are naturally suspicious of each other, they eventually begin to let their guards down.
There is no swearing, sex or explicit violence. Some of the action is a bit too neat and tidy and just a touch earnest, but that's to be expected in a YA Fantasy book. The book has a good ending, with a hint of cliffhanger for the next book. Overall this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
January 22, 2019
Dyrwolf by Kat Kinney is a paranormal fantasy. Humans and dyrwolves both claim the colony as theirs. For now, the river acts as a boundary between them. Lea Wylder has trained all her life to kill dyr, to claim the colony back for humans and to have her name on the carving for something useful. When her only friend Salem is taken captive by the dyr, she would anything to save him, even helping one of the dyrwolf to get to him. It doesn't matter that Lea has seen the wolf in her dreams, that her heart flutters everytime she looks at him and that she's obsessed with his fluffy tail.
I am a fan of paranormal romance and have read many werewolf stories, but this was one of the best. There was so much attention to detail. Every scene was captured so vividly, It seemed as if I was seeing through Lea's eyes. The plot felt slow at first, but then it dived and everything was perfect. There were some instances where I thought of hunger games (maybe the bow?) and Harry potter (for the minderblood). Overall it's a five star. A perfect read for werewolf fans.
I am a fan of paranormal romance and have read many werewolf stories, but this was one of the best. There was so much attention to detail. Every scene was captured so vividly, It seemed as if I was seeing through Lea's eyes. The plot felt slow at first, but then it dived and everything was perfect. There were some instances where I thought of hunger games (maybe the bow?) and Harry potter (for the minderblood). Overall it's a five star. A perfect read for werewolf fans.
November 23, 2020
"Oh Lea. So much to learn about wolves. Growling only makes us like you more."
WEEE OOO WEEE OOOO! Someone sound the swoon alarm, cause I am crushing for this sexy as hell enemies-lovers-werewolf romance.
Dyrwolf is a YA werewolf inspired fantasy that takes place in a fictional land where a colony of werewolves and a colony of humans have been occupying the same land and fighting over it for decades. Both have a legitimate claim to it, and there have been deaths on both sides. But if the dissenters of the werewolf colony and the humans can forgive the wrongs of the past, they just might be able to find a way to live in peace.
Lea is on the human side. She and her mother were attacked by the werewolves when she was a child, and as a result, she suffers from debilitating headaches. These headaches were described in such visceral detail, I had to stop reading to make sure I wasn't about to get a migraine. I thought for sure the author must suffer from frequent migraines, and I was right. She mentioned it in her acknowledgements as a reason why she gave Lea a chronic pain condition.
While the headaches do slow Lea down occasionally, they absolutely do not stop her. When her friend Salem is taken by the wolves, she sets out to get him back, and finds a wandering white wolf caught in a trap. She knows him from her dreams, and he just might be the key to curing her headaches and saving her friend.
Of course, on their journey back to the wolf colony, much danger, witty banter, and accidental touching happens along the way. Huzzah!
This has unique, multi-layered world building, rich characters, and a crush-worthy romance. Can't wait for the second book!
WEEE OOO WEEE OOOO! Someone sound the swoon alarm, cause I am crushing for this sexy as hell enemies-lovers-werewolf romance.
Dyrwolf is a YA werewolf inspired fantasy that takes place in a fictional land where a colony of werewolves and a colony of humans have been occupying the same land and fighting over it for decades. Both have a legitimate claim to it, and there have been deaths on both sides. But if the dissenters of the werewolf colony and the humans can forgive the wrongs of the past, they just might be able to find a way to live in peace.
Lea is on the human side. She and her mother were attacked by the werewolves when she was a child, and as a result, she suffers from debilitating headaches. These headaches were described in such visceral detail, I had to stop reading to make sure I wasn't about to get a migraine. I thought for sure the author must suffer from frequent migraines, and I was right. She mentioned it in her acknowledgements as a reason why she gave Lea a chronic pain condition.
While the headaches do slow Lea down occasionally, they absolutely do not stop her. When her friend Salem is taken by the wolves, she sets out to get him back, and finds a wandering white wolf caught in a trap. She knows him from her dreams, and he just might be the key to curing her headaches and saving her friend.
Of course, on their journey back to the wolf colony, much danger, witty banter, and accidental touching happens along the way. Huzzah!
This has unique, multi-layered world building, rich characters, and a crush-worthy romance. Can't wait for the second book!
January 27, 2020
The Hunger Games meets Twilight - but grittier! I was spitting imaginary dirt out of my mouth when reading this; the writing is so stylish and will draw you in with the subliminal wolf references of growls and pack hierarchy. The fight scenes are very vivid - and all part of the plot. Lea and Henrik meet by accident in the forest, their journey taking them on a double Stockholm Syndrome trip. Lea can't go back, she has to sort out her nightmares and headaches, and Henrik can't cross the river. The plot unfolds into a war of wolves vs humans with themes of trust, choices and figuring out relationships.
January 19, 2023
What a fantastic supernatural read! I'm not usually a huge fan of fantasy, but the world building in Dyrwolf is fantastic, instantly pulling you in. I love Lea's character. She's fearless and ready to defend her loved ones. In many ways, Henrik is her opposite - creating the perfect slow-burn YA romance. The plot is one to keep me turning the pages, with a few twists making the age-old humans Vs werewolves feel new and exciting. I've moved straight on to book 2 as I had to know what happens next!
*There are a lot of references to vomiting. They're not graphic, but as an emetophobia sufferer I feel I should point it out*
*There are a lot of references to vomiting. They're not graphic, but as an emetophobia sufferer I feel I should point it out*
January 18, 2023
Lea Wylder is a fighter. She’s been fighting all her life. She’s been fighting against the enemy, the biggest threat to her people. She’s been fighting against the grief of losing her loved ones. And if that wasn’t enough, there is a continuous battle with her own mind and body, both seemingly trying to betray her from within.
Lea’s life isn’t easy. Still, she knows who the enemy is and knows how to fight against it. That is until she meets one of "them". She is supposed to kill him on the spot. But she can’t kill Henrik. Not after he shifts from the white wolf who’s been chasing her in her dreams to a human boy with this stupid barley-stalk hair and a sack full of herbs rather than weapons.
Lea’s life was hell before. Now it becomes even more complicated.
There are reasons beyond a mop of barley-white hair that make Lea agree to help the enemy. And there are more reasons why I really liked the story besides it being packed with unexpected twists.
I loved how the author peeled off layer after layer gradually revealing the true nature of things. Both sides of the conflict, human and Dyr, transform in front of readers’ eyes with every chapter. The story of what happened in the past and what is happening now unfolds as secrets get revealed.
And I absolutely loved the immersive writing style I already fell in love with when reading Kat Kinney’s Blood Moon, Texas Shifters series. In “Dyrwolf”, the language is even richer, with descriptions pulling you into the story.
“Skinny, stiped aspen trunks fly by, pale and bare as rib bones, their leaves fluttering in a dazzling display of corn-stalk gold and ember orange.”
Nordvend is a harsh place. Neither Dyr shifters nor human colonists have chosen it to be their home for its climate. Still, now this is their home, and both nations are prepared to do everything not to lose it. Is it possible to find a compromise that will satisfy both sides? Or were the crimes and atrocities performed too horrible to ever sit at the negotiations table?
Since I felt totally drawn in by the author’s incredibly beautiful prose and simply couldn’t say goodbye to Lea and Henrik just yet, I started book two of the series “Darkwitch” right after I finished book one.
Lea’s life isn’t easy. Still, she knows who the enemy is and knows how to fight against it. That is until she meets one of "them". She is supposed to kill him on the spot. But she can’t kill Henrik. Not after he shifts from the white wolf who’s been chasing her in her dreams to a human boy with this stupid barley-stalk hair and a sack full of herbs rather than weapons.
Lea’s life was hell before. Now it becomes even more complicated.
There are reasons beyond a mop of barley-white hair that make Lea agree to help the enemy. And there are more reasons why I really liked the story besides it being packed with unexpected twists.
I loved how the author peeled off layer after layer gradually revealing the true nature of things. Both sides of the conflict, human and Dyr, transform in front of readers’ eyes with every chapter. The story of what happened in the past and what is happening now unfolds as secrets get revealed.
And I absolutely loved the immersive writing style I already fell in love with when reading Kat Kinney’s Blood Moon, Texas Shifters series. In “Dyrwolf”, the language is even richer, with descriptions pulling you into the story.
“Skinny, stiped aspen trunks fly by, pale and bare as rib bones, their leaves fluttering in a dazzling display of corn-stalk gold and ember orange.”
Nordvend is a harsh place. Neither Dyr shifters nor human colonists have chosen it to be their home for its climate. Still, now this is their home, and both nations are prepared to do everything not to lose it. Is it possible to find a compromise that will satisfy both sides? Or were the crimes and atrocities performed too horrible to ever sit at the negotiations table?
Since I felt totally drawn in by the author’s incredibly beautiful prose and simply couldn’t say goodbye to Lea and Henrik just yet, I started book two of the series “Darkwitch” right after I finished book one.
January 4, 2019
Dyrwolf is a YA adventure story set in a North American-type wilderness. The conflict pits a group of humans against a larger group of werewolves who have enslaved captured humans. Years ago, the people were expelled from the colony they were building by the werewolves. Told in first person, the story recounts Lea Wylder's struggle to discover and come to terms with her identity. Lea lives with her father in the human settlement. He has taught her hunt and be self-sufficient in the wilderness. Her mother disappeared when Lea was a child. Most people believe Lea's mother, who was tortured by the wolves when they first attacked the colony, committed suicide. Lea is not so certain her mother is dead. She suspects her mother may have been recaptured by the wolves. Lea also suffers from a strange illness that periodically strikes her down with terrible headaches and temporary blindness. Her mother's suicide and her illness have left her estranged from the highly paranoid members of the human community.
Lea's life turns upside down when she finds an injured werewolf stuck in a pair of silver-jawed traps. The wolf claims he is an apprentice to an apothecary and that he crossed the river border to gather herbs. She could take him to the human settlement, but thinking he might be able to help with her illness and have information about her mother, she decides to help the werewolf go back to the werewolf community. The journey brings revelations that shake Lea's world to the core.
Dyrwolf is an exciting read. It also brings up questions about racial identity, racial discrimination, and how we define self and other. The characters are well-rounded on both sides of the human-werewolf divide with heroes and villains in both camps. There's some romance and mild violence. The conflicts are not fully settled by story's end so I suspect there will be more to come in this series.
Lea's life turns upside down when she finds an injured werewolf stuck in a pair of silver-jawed traps. The wolf claims he is an apprentice to an apothecary and that he crossed the river border to gather herbs. She could take him to the human settlement, but thinking he might be able to help with her illness and have information about her mother, she decides to help the werewolf go back to the werewolf community. The journey brings revelations that shake Lea's world to the core.
Dyrwolf is an exciting read. It also brings up questions about racial identity, racial discrimination, and how we define self and other. The characters are well-rounded on both sides of the human-werewolf divide with heroes and villains in both camps. There's some romance and mild violence. The conflicts are not fully settled by story's end so I suspect there will be more to come in this series.
Want to read
November 11, 2020Chapter 1 and 2 had me thoroughly confused, so I'll put this on hold until I have time to actually focus on the story.
May 2, 2019
I was originally looking for a very different book to read and came across this one while scrolling through. The first thing that caught my eye was the cover so I had to give it a shot! I definitely was not disappointed!
Lea was a really relatable character and I really liked the underlining mystery of her mother's disappearance. It was interwoven into the story well without over powering the plot.
The most interesting part for me was the romance. Without giving too much away, it was a great take on forbidden love that is more often than not my favourite type of YA adventure.
The words in this book are incredibly well crafted and the prose has a lot of hidden gems in it. It was definitely a book I would recommend and could not put down!
Lea was a really relatable character and I really liked the underlining mystery of her mother's disappearance. It was interwoven into the story well without over powering the plot.
The most interesting part for me was the romance. Without giving too much away, it was a great take on forbidden love that is more often than not my favourite type of YA adventure.
The words in this book are incredibly well crafted and the prose has a lot of hidden gems in it. It was definitely a book I would recommend and could not put down!
May 24, 2019
Creative and beautifully written! 😁 (& The cover is awesome!) This was a really good book & I very much enjoyed it. I liked the main character, the world the author created, but mostly I loved the writing! It was just so pretty. Wish I could write like that!
Highly recommended for fans of fantasy.
Highly recommended for fans of fantasy.
June 4, 2019
This is a YA fantasy where Lea Wylder and her father, a falconer, live in a small village on one side of a river. On the other side is the "colony", where people first live but is now occupied by Dyrwolfs, beings that can shape-shift between human and wolf. The Dyrwolfs have also enslaved a number of humans. Naturally there is friction between them, but the Dyrwolfs have to stay on their side of the river because on the other side there is a prolific plant that happens to be extremely poisonous to Dyrwolfs, even by touch. Then Lea finds one on her side stuck in bear trap. What to do?
The good: this book is highly imaginative with excellent world building. There are vivd descriptions and as things unfold, they unfold in good order with no "how could that happen?" situations. This is bcause there are good clues scattered through the story, and if you read carefully the "huge surprises" should not be surprises at all – you can see them coming. This, I find is only too rare, a very well structured piece of story telling. The characters are also reasonbly well drawn. The "matter of opinion": there is a tendency while writing a tension-building scene to suddenly and without warning lurch into a description of some other scene. I would prefer these to be separated by clear subsections (i.e. something like a gap and stars.) The less good: during the fights, etc, Lea takes ridiculous levels of punishment from which she should not be able to continue the way she does (and yes, I know this is so common a fault it is hardly considered a fault in manmy circles) and occasionally the continuity seems to lapse. However, the pace is fast, and I am sure the target audience will very much enjoy reading it.
The good: this book is highly imaginative with excellent world building. There are vivd descriptions and as things unfold, they unfold in good order with no "how could that happen?" situations. This is bcause there are good clues scattered through the story, and if you read carefully the "huge surprises" should not be surprises at all – you can see them coming. This, I find is only too rare, a very well structured piece of story telling. The characters are also reasonbly well drawn. The "matter of opinion": there is a tendency while writing a tension-building scene to suddenly and without warning lurch into a description of some other scene. I would prefer these to be separated by clear subsections (i.e. something like a gap and stars.) The less good: during the fights, etc, Lea takes ridiculous levels of punishment from which she should not be able to continue the way she does (and yes, I know this is so common a fault it is hardly considered a fault in manmy circles) and occasionally the continuity seems to lapse. However, the pace is fast, and I am sure the target audience will very much enjoy reading it.
November 11, 2021
I already knew that this author, Ms. Kinney, was a talented writer, having read "Dark, Blood Moon, Texas Shifters #1)" her paranormal shifter romance, yet it was still startling at times, how good the prose is throughout this book. Such skilled writing is always a joy to read, but in this case, the story was also compelling and filled with stirring action. Unlike Dark, which is an urban fantasy, Dyrwolf has the feel of a historical fantasy. The story takes place in a credible and frightening world in which people are at war with werewolves, and both groups are plagued by dark secrets, prejudice, and insurgence. The lead character, 16-year-old Lea suffers with the shame of having been abandoned by her mother and fights a devastating and mysterious ailment while forming an uneasy truce with a boy-wolf despite having been taught her entire life to fear any of his kind as a mortal enemy. I highly recommend Dyrwolf to anyone who enjoys YA paranormal fantasy/romance, werewolf tales, or coming-of-age adventures!
September 3, 2022
A captivating paranormal fantasy.
Dyrwolf is a delightful read from start to finish. I simply devoured this book. The characters—I truly loved them. Especially Henrick and Lea—the type you root for, loveable but flawed, and the budding romance is cleverly done. The storyline is brilliantly executed—wonderful world building, with lots of epic fight scenes and some questionable characters—so much so that putting the book down is difficult. I love Kinney's writing style, it's a pleasure to read, in fact, this is one of my top reads this year. I'm very excited to read more from this talented author. If you like a well written paranormal fantasy, then look no further!
Dyrwolf is a delightful read from start to finish. I simply devoured this book. The characters—I truly loved them. Especially Henrick and Lea—the type you root for, loveable but flawed, and the budding romance is cleverly done. The storyline is brilliantly executed—wonderful world building, with lots of epic fight scenes and some questionable characters—so much so that putting the book down is difficult. I love Kinney's writing style, it's a pleasure to read, in fact, this is one of my top reads this year. I'm very excited to read more from this talented author. If you like a well written paranormal fantasy, then look no further!
January 21, 2019
Great little fantasy tale that'll make you think!
This story is predominantly told from the MC, Lea Wylder's POV, and sees her encountering many challenges, and a curse/illness that she has had since a child.
The story itself is centered around her rites of passage, coming of age, if will. She is out on a test other friend Salem hen they are attacked,Nd he's captured. She starts to follow, but journey halts when she comes across a wolf trapped in the many animal traps that skirt the parameter of the village that she lives, separating them from their enemy, the Dyrwolves. It turns out the wolf was.her enemy, but as the story progresses, the more they grow to like and respect each other, especially when he mentions that he may have a cure for her ailment. They face many dangers on their journey, none.more greater than heading into the lions den, the colony, where the Dyr reside.
For fear of giving the whole plot away, I'll leave it there, and tell you that I highly recommend this book to anyone, as I found it well written and engaging from the very start.
True rating: 4.8 stars.
This story is predominantly told from the MC, Lea Wylder's POV, and sees her encountering many challenges, and a curse/illness that she has had since a child.
The story itself is centered around her rites of passage, coming of age, if will. She is out on a test other friend Salem hen they are attacked,Nd he's captured. She starts to follow, but journey halts when she comes across a wolf trapped in the many animal traps that skirt the parameter of the village that she lives, separating them from their enemy, the Dyrwolves. It turns out the wolf was.her enemy, but as the story progresses, the more they grow to like and respect each other, especially when he mentions that he may have a cure for her ailment. They face many dangers on their journey, none.more greater than heading into the lions den, the colony, where the Dyr reside.
For fear of giving the whole plot away, I'll leave it there, and tell you that I highly recommend this book to anyone, as I found it well written and engaging from the very start.
True rating: 4.8 stars.
December 23, 2018
I didn’t expect to enjoy Dyrwolf as much as I did. I’m usually a fantasy reader, rather than paranormal, and I loathed Twilight. But this tale pulled me along, with its excellent descriptions, three-dimensional characters, and believable world-building. Highly recommended.
May 30, 2020
The best way to describe this book to the uninitiated is The Hunger Games … only it has werewolves and this author can actually write. Lea Wylder is a resistance fighter working to free her former home from the oppressive rule of Dyr wolves. At least, that’s what her father and the other resistance leaders tell her. The truth turns out to be far different, as she discovers for herself following a chance encounter with a trapped Dyr wolf named Henrik.
This book has all the classic elements of a good thriller — lots of action, oodles of plot twists, constantly shifting character dynamics — but all too often these elements are undercut by content that bogs the story down, chiefly the descriptions.
Kat Kinney’s descriptions are some of the best I’ve ever read. They’re vivid, they’re flavorful and they do a remarkable job of setting each scene. They’re also seriously overused, to the point that they impede the flow of the story and can cause you to lose the train of conversation, with as many as four or five graphs of description sandwiched between dialogue. I found myself simultaneously in awe of — and immensely annoyed by — all these descriptions, which slowed the story to a crawl, even as they breathed life into this world. And the focus of all that description is sometimes off. In one instance, Henrik shifts from his wolf form to his human form and the author forgets to mention it, amid all these descriptions of what the characters are seeing, hearing and smelling. One minute, he’s a mute wolf. The next, he’s talking, with no explanation why or how he changed, or even that he had changed.
Pacing is another issue, as flashbacks frequently intrude on the narrative, often during some of the most tense moments in the story. Most of these are important to the characters or plot — though their importance is not always immediately apparent — but others are just … there. And like the descriptions, these flashbacks frequently bog down what would otherwise be a remarkably fast-paced and gripping story.
The author’s approach to action sequences seems oddly detached and sterile, as they stand in stark contrast to the loving descriptions she confers on pretty much every other scene. As an example: “I stagger back. She pursues, thrusting. I parry the blow. An upper cut nearly takes off my shoulder. She slashes. I dodge and grapple for her knife.” All the passion so evident in her other descriptions vanishes the minute things get visceral.
On the plus side, the novel has a great cast of characters, most of whom feel fully fleshed out; a believable world for them to inhabit; and some interesting modifications to the traditional werewolf tropes. Much like Anne Rice does with vampires, Kat Kinney uses werewolf folklore as a springboard rather than a rule book, adding in her own ideas on wolf society, their transformations, and associated powers and weaknesses.
While some people have complained about the present-tense writing style used here, I felt it lent the story an air of immediacy, so it never really bothered me.
While this novel is subtitled Book 1, indicating others will follow, it appears fully self-contained, and mercifully avoids the typically abrupt and disappointing ending so common to modern serialized stories. This has a proper climax and resolution; no dangling plot threads or tacked-on reveal at the end to set up a sequel.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and I’m glad I read it. But I can’t help thinking how much better it would be if it were more story-centric, rather than description-centric.
This book has all the classic elements of a good thriller — lots of action, oodles of plot twists, constantly shifting character dynamics — but all too often these elements are undercut by content that bogs the story down, chiefly the descriptions.
Kat Kinney’s descriptions are some of the best I’ve ever read. They’re vivid, they’re flavorful and they do a remarkable job of setting each scene. They’re also seriously overused, to the point that they impede the flow of the story and can cause you to lose the train of conversation, with as many as four or five graphs of description sandwiched between dialogue. I found myself simultaneously in awe of — and immensely annoyed by — all these descriptions, which slowed the story to a crawl, even as they breathed life into this world. And the focus of all that description is sometimes off. In one instance, Henrik shifts from his wolf form to his human form and the author forgets to mention it, amid all these descriptions of what the characters are seeing, hearing and smelling. One minute, he’s a mute wolf. The next, he’s talking, with no explanation why or how he changed, or even that he had changed.
Pacing is another issue, as flashbacks frequently intrude on the narrative, often during some of the most tense moments in the story. Most of these are important to the characters or plot — though their importance is not always immediately apparent — but others are just … there. And like the descriptions, these flashbacks frequently bog down what would otherwise be a remarkably fast-paced and gripping story.
The author’s approach to action sequences seems oddly detached and sterile, as they stand in stark contrast to the loving descriptions she confers on pretty much every other scene. As an example: “I stagger back. She pursues, thrusting. I parry the blow. An upper cut nearly takes off my shoulder. She slashes. I dodge and grapple for her knife.” All the passion so evident in her other descriptions vanishes the minute things get visceral.
On the plus side, the novel has a great cast of characters, most of whom feel fully fleshed out; a believable world for them to inhabit; and some interesting modifications to the traditional werewolf tropes. Much like Anne Rice does with vampires, Kat Kinney uses werewolf folklore as a springboard rather than a rule book, adding in her own ideas on wolf society, their transformations, and associated powers and weaknesses.
While some people have complained about the present-tense writing style used here, I felt it lent the story an air of immediacy, so it never really bothered me.
While this novel is subtitled Book 1, indicating others will follow, it appears fully self-contained, and mercifully avoids the typically abrupt and disappointing ending so common to modern serialized stories. This has a proper climax and resolution; no dangling plot threads or tacked-on reveal at the end to set up a sequel.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and I’m glad I read it. But I can’t help thinking how much better it would be if it were more story-centric, rather than description-centric.
November 21, 2022
Let me first just start out by saying...I LOVED THIS BOOK!
First of all, the world-building and politics are interweaved so well into the story. I loved learning about the wolves, the Colony, and the troubled, violent history between the two groups. There was so much detail given that the situation was perfectly described, but it never slowed the pace. I feel like a lot of fantasy books tend to fail in that regard, yet Dyrwolf by Kat Kinney was an excellent example of how to tell a story without info-dumping.
And then there's Henrik. Omg I love that boy. Read this book, and I'm sure you'll love him too!!
Overall, Dyrwolf is an absolute joy to read. Lots of action, romance, world-building, and shifters! 5 stars!
First of all, the world-building and politics are interweaved so well into the story. I loved learning about the wolves, the Colony, and the troubled, violent history between the two groups. There was so much detail given that the situation was perfectly described, but it never slowed the pace. I feel like a lot of fantasy books tend to fail in that regard, yet Dyrwolf by Kat Kinney was an excellent example of how to tell a story without info-dumping.
And then there's Henrik. Omg I love that boy. Read this book, and I'm sure you'll love him too!!
Overall, Dyrwolf is an absolute joy to read. Lots of action, romance, world-building, and shifters! 5 stars!
April 15, 2020
This fantasy paranormal story was really fun to read.
A YA tale about werewolves which is told from the perspective of Lea, a girl who is supposed hunt and hate these creatures but whose thoughts about them will eventually change after meeting Henrik.
The world building was excellent, while the characters were well developed. I liked the humor that Lea had, a nice touch that added an extra layer to her personality.
Dyrwolf was writing style was beautiful and was a pleasure to read.
A YA tale about werewolves which is told from the perspective of Lea, a girl who is supposed hunt and hate these creatures but whose thoughts about them will eventually change after meeting Henrik.
The world building was excellent, while the characters were well developed. I liked the humor that Lea had, a nice touch that added an extra layer to her personality.
Dyrwolf was writing style was beautiful and was a pleasure to read.
February 13, 2023
I fear I might've been in a bit of a reading slump when I started this one, but I did like all the elements. Strong female MC, sweet love interest, great writing, lots of action, interesting world dynamic between the Dyr and humans, and interesting political intrigue—but I think there was just something about the pacing and possibly the chemistry between Lea and Henrik that threw me off just a smidge. Even so, I definitely enjoyed this action-filled fantastical adventure, and would recommend to anyone looking for a fun YA fantasy with a wolfy twist.
April 29, 2019
Beautifully written fantasy novel.
The story is predominantly told from the point of view of the main character, Lea Wylder. She is barely sixteen but yet often thinking and acting above her age. She has learned everything from her father who raised her by himself since she was 9 years old. All her life Lea has suffered a lot of psychical pain and by this, she was always considered being different than others. She was trained to hunt, be able to kill the wolves when necessary but she was searching constantly for a cure for her disease and an explanation for her mother departure. Was her mother dead or she just left? Was she an unwanted child? Was Lea going to find her answers? Through her dreams and early events, we are introduced to the part of the world they live in: Humans in the Village and Dyrwolves in the Colony. The war between two different species, both equally entitled to the land they're claiming is a very realistic aspect of the book.
Enters Henrik, a special Dyrwolf. As the story progresses, the more they grow to like and respect each other. At first, she is helping him survive hoping in return that he may have a cure for her ailment. but things evolve. I loved the romance that builds up among the girl and the white wolf. Was Henrik worth her trust? After all, he was a Dyr.
While I enjoyed the beautifully written prose I felt it slowed a bit the pace at moments. Still, I warmly recommend it.
Type of reader: Fans of paranormal fantasy and werewolf fiction, especially Teen and Young Adult.
Quotes from this book:
“There are moments where the path before you is clear and uncluttered as sand after the tide has withdrawn, when there are no choices to make because every road leads you back to someplace familiar. Practiced. Safe. And others when to trust an enemy may be your only chance of survival.”
“Lies. All of it. He’s probably just trying to get inside my head. Part of me knows this. But then, that’s the problem. Henrik is already in my head. He has been for months. And he has no idea. But what about the last thing he said, the part about growing unrest among the Dyr?”
More book reviews on: https://www.nicojgenes.com/book-reviews
The story is predominantly told from the point of view of the main character, Lea Wylder. She is barely sixteen but yet often thinking and acting above her age. She has learned everything from her father who raised her by himself since she was 9 years old. All her life Lea has suffered a lot of psychical pain and by this, she was always considered being different than others. She was trained to hunt, be able to kill the wolves when necessary but she was searching constantly for a cure for her disease and an explanation for her mother departure. Was her mother dead or she just left? Was she an unwanted child? Was Lea going to find her answers? Through her dreams and early events, we are introduced to the part of the world they live in: Humans in the Village and Dyrwolves in the Colony. The war between two different species, both equally entitled to the land they're claiming is a very realistic aspect of the book.
Enters Henrik, a special Dyrwolf. As the story progresses, the more they grow to like and respect each other. At first, she is helping him survive hoping in return that he may have a cure for her ailment. but things evolve. I loved the romance that builds up among the girl and the white wolf. Was Henrik worth her trust? After all, he was a Dyr.
While I enjoyed the beautifully written prose I felt it slowed a bit the pace at moments. Still, I warmly recommend it.
Type of reader: Fans of paranormal fantasy and werewolf fiction, especially Teen and Young Adult.
Quotes from this book:
“There are moments where the path before you is clear and uncluttered as sand after the tide has withdrawn, when there are no choices to make because every road leads you back to someplace familiar. Practiced. Safe. And others when to trust an enemy may be your only chance of survival.”
“Lies. All of it. He’s probably just trying to get inside my head. Part of me knows this. But then, that’s the problem. Henrik is already in my head. He has been for months. And he has no idea. But what about the last thing he said, the part about growing unrest among the Dyr?”
More book reviews on: https://www.nicojgenes.com/book-reviews
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