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Doan #1
The Bone Wolf King
Cam didn’t free the terrifying Bone Wolf King from its prison, but everyone blames him anyway. Now he’s on the run with the mysterious Elenna Whitewinter, a girl from a race of shapeshifting deceivers. Elenna knows how to defeat the monsters slaughtering the people of High Home, but no one trusts her…except Cam. Hunted and alone, Cam and Elenna set out to kill a creature no one has seen in two hundred years to save people that want them dead. But for Cam, what Elenna tells him about his identity is the hardest truth to accept, a truth that will change his life forever.
- GenresFantasyComing Of Age
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 23, 2021
18 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 26, 2022
I really liked this, which is surprising since I almost threw in the towel early. It was just so stinkin' depressing at first! I like rays of hope in my books. Once I saw the faintest glimmer of one, I kept reading, and the rest was good enough that I'll be reading the rest in the series.
On to the good and the bad in no particular order.
For those who enjoy clean books, this'll work. There is neither crude language nor smut;) I wouldn't recommend it for teens or younger though, because the various monsters could really tear into people. And I mean that in the literal sense. Speaking of the monsters, they were pretty cool. I think out of all of them, the skinpicks packed the most punch for me. They were kind of like the mother of all vicious mosquitoes.
Aside from cool monsters this book had a unique magic system. One particular race of warriors could transform into weapons. I haven't come across that one before! Once in weapon form, they could hitch a ride with another warrior. The carrier could conceivably carry a whole darned cohort if they wanted to, depending on the amount of weapons worn. LOL! I just realized that my love of Roman legion books is coming out in this review! Cohort. *snickers*
Also to the good is the cast of characters. For the most part, (see below).
Seeing as how the main character and some associates are 17-ish, there is some immaturity in both words and behavior to be expected. There was some significant angsty drama, particularly with the females. Oivey! The author's male, and his females left something to be desired. Especially Hadry. That girl spewed petty jealousy and sniping remarks like nobody's business! I couldn't stand her. But like I said, they are around 17. How many of us were Mature Matties at that age? I did really like the MC and his twin brother.
I had read the author's first series, Trysmoon: The Complete Saga: Books 1 - 4 a couple of times. Though it had a ton of typos, it's a series that I enjoyed immensely. I picked this up just because of my enjoyment of that series. This book didn't seem to have those errors, unless I missed some!
I'm glad that I didn't give up on this as I had intended.
On to the good and the bad in no particular order.
For those who enjoy clean books, this'll work. There is neither crude language nor smut;) I wouldn't recommend it for teens or younger though, because the various monsters could really tear into people. And I mean that in the literal sense. Speaking of the monsters, they were pretty cool. I think out of all of them, the skinpicks packed the most punch for me. They were kind of like the mother of all vicious mosquitoes.
Aside from cool monsters this book had a unique magic system. One particular race of warriors could transform into weapons. I haven't come across that one before! Once in weapon form, they could hitch a ride with another warrior. The carrier could conceivably carry a whole darned cohort if they wanted to, depending on the amount of weapons worn. LOL! I just realized that my love of Roman legion books is coming out in this review! Cohort. *snickers*
Also to the good is the cast of characters. For the most part, (see below).
Seeing as how the main character and some associates are 17-ish, there is some immaturity in both words and behavior to be expected. There was some significant angsty drama, particularly with the females. Oivey! The author's male, and his females left something to be desired. Especially Hadry. That girl spewed petty jealousy and sniping remarks like nobody's business! I couldn't stand her. But like I said, they are around 17. How many of us were Mature Matties at that age? I did really like the MC and his twin brother.
I had read the author's first series, Trysmoon: The Complete Saga: Books 1 - 4 a couple of times. Though it had a ton of typos, it's a series that I enjoyed immensely. I picked this up just because of my enjoyment of that series. This book didn't seem to have those errors, unless I missed some!
I'm glad that I didn't give up on this as I had intended.
November 24, 2021
‘Bone Wolf King’ by Brian Fuller is the first book of a brand new, 5 book series (titled The Doan Series). The book surrounds a young man named Cam, and follows his struggling life in a village that does not want him. Cam was born with a devastating illness that alienates him from the rest of society and isolates him from almost everyone, save a select few. When a mysterious young woman pops into his life, secrets are revealed and shortly after, there is a race to save the same village that shunned him in the first place. While writing this synopsis, it feels like it would be full of tropes, but Fuller writes everything in a way that feels fresh and new. I think it has to do with the unique setting of the book and the monsters that threaten the people. While the ideas may not be the most innovating, the book’s premise and characters gripped me faster than I thought possible and I tore through this in a day.
As with Fuller’s other books, the strength here is his characters. Cam and Elenna are really well written and have good depth to them. Surprisingly enough, Kor (Cam’s twin brother) was written in a way that I simultaneously loved and hated him. It simulated the sibling rivalry/relationship absolutely perfectly and made emerging into Cam’s character that much better. Other characters that were prevalent were Hadry, Cam and Kor’s childhood friend, as well as Master Kippi, the healer and one of Cam’s mentors. Without giving too much away, there were other certain characters that grew on me greatly and I truly can’t wait to read about them more in the near future.
The story’s pace was great. I never once felt bored reading about the lore, and Fuller broke up backstory with action sequences that I had fun going over. Like mentioned above, the setting was really interesting, and learning about the main types of monsters that roamed the land made the plot feel new. The magic in this series also has an interesting twist that I look forward to learning more about in future installments. The book wraps up the main plot line it started, but it’s clearly a part of a series by leaving an opening and making the readers want more. As far as I could tell, there were no issues with spelling or grammar.
Overall, I thought the start of this new series is really promising. Fuller finds a way, once again, to write captivating characters, surrounded by a new fresh setting, within a familiar but intriguing story. All of his other series have been instant classics of mine and I have no doubt that this one will live up to that standard as well.
As with Fuller’s other books, the strength here is his characters. Cam and Elenna are really well written and have good depth to them. Surprisingly enough, Kor (Cam’s twin brother) was written in a way that I simultaneously loved and hated him. It simulated the sibling rivalry/relationship absolutely perfectly and made emerging into Cam’s character that much better. Other characters that were prevalent were Hadry, Cam and Kor’s childhood friend, as well as Master Kippi, the healer and one of Cam’s mentors. Without giving too much away, there were other certain characters that grew on me greatly and I truly can’t wait to read about them more in the near future.
The story’s pace was great. I never once felt bored reading about the lore, and Fuller broke up backstory with action sequences that I had fun going over. Like mentioned above, the setting was really interesting, and learning about the main types of monsters that roamed the land made the plot feel new. The magic in this series also has an interesting twist that I look forward to learning more about in future installments. The book wraps up the main plot line it started, but it’s clearly a part of a series by leaving an opening and making the readers want more. As far as I could tell, there were no issues with spelling or grammar.
Overall, I thought the start of this new series is really promising. Fuller finds a way, once again, to write captivating characters, surrounded by a new fresh setting, within a familiar but intriguing story. All of his other series have been instant classics of mine and I have no doubt that this one will live up to that standard as well.
November 23, 2021
I previously read two series written by Brian K. Fuller: Ash Angels and Trysmoon. (Definitely recommend reading Ash Angels if you haven’t!). So I was really excited to read his latest work, the Bone Wolf King, for which I had high expectations. I devoured the book in just a couple of days and I was not disappointed!
Bone Wolf King follows Cam's story in a world where humanity has been driven to the brink of extinction and only a few dregs of civilization remain. Cam and his brother Kor live in an odious little village built on top of ancient ruins from golden times long past. Live is hard though! The world is infested with terrifying beasts that prey on humans, so everything in the village revolves around plain old survival. The healthiest and strongest villagers are protectors and in exchange enjoy relatively high social status. In contrast, the weak are at the bottom of the social ladder while those too old or otherwise unable to work and contribute to the village are... disposed of.
Of course, Cam suffers an illness from birth and finds himself in an unenviable social position through no fault of his own. But his situation takes a turn when he comes across the intriguing Ellena.
My favourite part of Bone Wolf King is the character development. Specially the female characters! Brian has great skill at crafting characters that are deep and relatable. This is in fact, the main reason why I keep coming back to read Brian's work. At any time I know which characters I love and hate and these feelings undoubtedly evolve as the characters grow through the story. Additionally, Brian's writing style is pleasant with carefully written sentences and the right amount of description. You will not come across unnecessary repetitions or descriptions which I usually find really annoying in books from other authors.
One minor point is that the Bone Wolf King can be a little slow to begin with. I only felt that the story started progressing after having read about 20-25% of the book. (I felt the same way when reading the first book of Trysmoon.) But after this, I could see the story coming together and a clear plot forming up. Having said that, the first quarter of the book is mostly dedicated to world building and a little character development, which definitely made the reset of the book understandable and easy to follow. Also, its worth remembering that this is the first book and hopefully the world building will payoff in later instalments of the Doan series.
Overall, I am very pleased to have read (and reviewed!) this book and will definitely read the remaining of the series!
Bone Wolf King follows Cam's story in a world where humanity has been driven to the brink of extinction and only a few dregs of civilization remain. Cam and his brother Kor live in an odious little village built on top of ancient ruins from golden times long past. Live is hard though! The world is infested with terrifying beasts that prey on humans, so everything in the village revolves around plain old survival. The healthiest and strongest villagers are protectors and in exchange enjoy relatively high social status. In contrast, the weak are at the bottom of the social ladder while those too old or otherwise unable to work and contribute to the village are... disposed of.
Of course, Cam suffers an illness from birth and finds himself in an unenviable social position through no fault of his own. But his situation takes a turn when he comes across the intriguing Ellena.
My favourite part of Bone Wolf King is the character development. Specially the female characters! Brian has great skill at crafting characters that are deep and relatable. This is in fact, the main reason why I keep coming back to read Brian's work. At any time I know which characters I love and hate and these feelings undoubtedly evolve as the characters grow through the story. Additionally, Brian's writing style is pleasant with carefully written sentences and the right amount of description. You will not come across unnecessary repetitions or descriptions which I usually find really annoying in books from other authors.
One minor point is that the Bone Wolf King can be a little slow to begin with. I only felt that the story started progressing after having read about 20-25% of the book. (I felt the same way when reading the first book of Trysmoon.) But after this, I could see the story coming together and a clear plot forming up. Having said that, the first quarter of the book is mostly dedicated to world building and a little character development, which definitely made the reset of the book understandable and easy to follow. Also, its worth remembering that this is the first book and hopefully the world building will payoff in later instalments of the Doan series.
Overall, I am very pleased to have read (and reviewed!) this book and will definitely read the remaining of the series!
August 13, 2024
The author seemed to be unable to write the characters well. He seemed to think " Damn! This character I have written seems to be better than my MC. My boy is feeling awkward just by standing against him. This is unacceptable. No this character will be a villain, and he will be completely humiliated and completely in awe of my MC. " Every character that seemed to cause tension with the mc seemed to be punished. The Mc himself was continuously shown as though poor, unlucky, "damn he deserved more despite being kind"type which felt forced.
The reason for Doans to be persecuted too felt fake, as well as their reasons for fighting.
It's as if 'oh no Doans can't be evil, no matter what" when they seemed no different from normal humans. I cringed every time the Doans were forcefully shown as anti-heroes,later on in the book. Especially when the Doans were shown as being founders of the town. That was when I realised that the book wasn't bad , it was pathetic. Every emotional moment in the book felt fake. I definite won't be reading any further works of this author.
The reason for Doans to be persecuted too felt fake, as well as their reasons for fighting.
It's as if 'oh no Doans can't be evil, no matter what" when they seemed no different from normal humans. I cringed every time the Doans were forcefully shown as anti-heroes,later on in the book. Especially when the Doans were shown as being founders of the town. That was when I realised that the book wasn't bad , it was pathetic. Every emotional moment in the book felt fake. I definite won't be reading any further works of this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2024
The book was trash. It felt like a child was writing is,there were so many forced moments and all the emotional scenes felt fake. The MC was continuously being whiny, and the townspeople were an IMPOSSIBLY harsh group who somehow managed to keep insulting the MC for no reason at all. It was a pathetic, forced attempt at an underdog MC. The antagonist were too boring and simple , like every character in the book. It's as if author seemed to dislike every character who seemed to outshine the MC and turned them into villains for the MC to beat or humiliate.
January 10, 2022
Engaging and unique
This book was a fun read. I enjoyed the unique traits of shapeshifting into weapons. Have not read books that had this form of magic which was interesting and refreshing in comparison to other fantasy books. Good conflict between characters as well which made the characters feel relatable and not infallible. Am starting the second book right now!
This book was a fun read. I enjoyed the unique traits of shapeshifting into weapons. Have not read books that had this form of magic which was interesting and refreshing in comparison to other fantasy books. Good conflict between characters as well which made the characters feel relatable and not infallible. Am starting the second book right now!
December 10, 2021
Brian K Fuller is one of the worst authors I've ever had the misfortune of reading a book by.
Only the sick, twisted, sadistic mind of Bryan would conceive of a book which takes you on such an atrocious adventure. He brings you on this rollercoaster, lets you experience the ecstasy of that first fall, then just as you're ready to go for the second climb, the book ends, and you've stuck staring at page 316.
To anyone who might be reading this review, please do not read any further. Do not purchase this book, as I have. Certainly do not open it, and if somehow you've managed to fail both of my instructions, absolutely do not read.
And what would you be reading? Certainly you couldn't care about young Cam and his brother Kor. Nor would you care about their unequal treatment at the hands of their "parents". Even if you did, for what? Just to experience firsthand the passion and all-encompassing fervor of his first love? To watch a young man fight blindly against the world, to feel the glimmer of success, and just as quickly, the unrelenting burden of failure?
That's certainly NOT what we want to see. We want antiheros, we want moral ambiguity. We want our powerful warrior protagonists. Is there even an audience for someone like Cam? Pitiful Cam, a softer, more romantic hero who excels at healing and caring for others, forced by circumstance to don the mantle of a fighter. A hero whose victories are dwarfed by his defeats. A hero who stands up just one more time than he's knocked down. A hero who, when combined with his bent for climbing, may draw favorable comparisons to a certain Queens-bound Arachnid-boy.
A hero who doesn't get the girl.
A hero who didn't save the day.
A hero.
It is my deepest desire and greatest hope that these words of mine might ward off just one more hapless soul from reading "The Bone Wolf King" By Brian K. Fuller.
Only the sick, twisted, sadistic mind of Bryan would conceive of a book which takes you on such an atrocious adventure. He brings you on this rollercoaster, lets you experience the ecstasy of that first fall, then just as you're ready to go for the second climb, the book ends, and you've stuck staring at page 316.
To anyone who might be reading this review, please do not read any further. Do not purchase this book, as I have. Certainly do not open it, and if somehow you've managed to fail both of my instructions, absolutely do not read.
And what would you be reading? Certainly you couldn't care about young Cam and his brother Kor. Nor would you care about their unequal treatment at the hands of their "parents". Even if you did, for what? Just to experience firsthand the passion and all-encompassing fervor of his first love? To watch a young man fight blindly against the world, to feel the glimmer of success, and just as quickly, the unrelenting burden of failure?
That's certainly NOT what we want to see. We want antiheros, we want moral ambiguity. We want our powerful warrior protagonists. Is there even an audience for someone like Cam? Pitiful Cam, a softer, more romantic hero who excels at healing and caring for others, forced by circumstance to don the mantle of a fighter. A hero whose victories are dwarfed by his defeats. A hero who stands up just one more time than he's knocked down. A hero who, when combined with his bent for climbing, may draw favorable comparisons to a certain Queens-bound Arachnid-boy.
A hero who doesn't get the girl.
A hero who didn't save the day.
A hero.
It is my deepest desire and greatest hope that these words of mine might ward off just one more hapless soul from reading "The Bone Wolf King" By Brian K. Fuller.
November 25, 2021
Excellent book. Very strange but very interesting.
Merged review:
The author of this book isn't Brian Fuller. It is Brian K. Fuller, author of Trysmoon. This may seem trifling but it needs to be said. How do you fix this so that this book shows up with the correct author?
This book is awesome. It is interesting and strange and is full of compelling characters. The world itself is the most strange, taking place in a fantasy post-apocalyptic world... not Earth as far as I can tell but more like a traditional fantasy world in which the apocalypse had come and gone.
Highly recommended.
Merged review:
The author of this book isn't Brian Fuller. It is Brian K. Fuller, author of Trysmoon. This may seem trifling but it needs to be said. How do you fix this so that this book shows up with the correct author?
This book is awesome. It is interesting and strange and is full of compelling characters. The world itself is the most strange, taking place in a fantasy post-apocalyptic world... not Earth as far as I can tell but more like a traditional fantasy world in which the apocalypse had come and gone.
Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews