sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I wanted to like this so badly but there were just too many glaring issues. The author using the "Magical Indian/Indigenous Person Trope", everyone woman in this book BESIDES the main character Ana are awful evil bitchy women (this also happens in the prequel novella "Alpha and Omega".), and there's implied sexual assault an gang rape that the main character had to endure for three years and it was not dealt with properly (it shouldn't have been in the book at all).
I liked Charles and I wanted to like this book but I just couldn't. Here are some other issues; the pacing was very slow so 50% of the way through the book, nothing had taken place. It was all just character conversations and backstory. I read in someone else's review that this book is supposed to take place over the course of a day, I didn't see that in the book myself but I do admit that I have no idea how many days are supposed to have passed during the duration of this book so it definitely could have taken place over the course of one day.
The spicy scene okay, I'd give it 1 chili/ out of 5🌶️
Overall I give this book two stars out of five stars.
⭐️⭐️
Libbyapp.com
Graphic: Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Body horror
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The worldbuilding style is odd, as this book is kind of a sequel twice over, while still potentially being the first book a particular reader might find in this set of stories. It’s the direct sequel to the novella “Alpha and Omega” which is itself kind of a “meanwhile, elsewhere” story which is set during the events of MOON CALLED, the first book in the Mercedes Thompson series. It’s assumed that the reader at minimum knows what happened in the novella, though someone who had read MOON CALLED but not “Alpha and Omega” might be able to keep up enough to enjoy it. It shows a different side of Bran and Charles than the Mercy Thompson books do, while introducing Anna, a recently abused Omega werewolf who is now Charles’s mate, despite having known him for barely a day when their wolves bonded. CRY WOLF is about what happens immediately after Anna’s abusers were dealt with, starting with her accompanying Charles to his home in Montana. There they try to figure out their brand new relationship, navigating love (and maybe sex) in the wake of horrific abuse which Anna can scarcely believe is over. The main plot intertwines their relationship with a hunt for a werewolf in the mountains after a hiker and a parker ranger are attacked in separate incidents. There’s a strong focus on Anna learning to feel safe with Charles, and how coping mechanisms she used to get through the abuse might make things more complicated now.
When thought of as a sequel, it wraps up a bunch of things left hanging from A&O while giving a status update in the aftermath of MC. It has a new storyline (the mountain journey) which is distinct from both of them. It introduces and resolves Asil’s present issues as well as Walter’s storyline, neither of which were previewed elsewhere. It establishes a new status quo for the characters but doesn’t specifically leave something dangling for later (other than Anna and Charles’s continued relationship). Anna and Charles are returning narrators from A&O, and their voices are consistent with their previous appearances. Asil is a new narrator, along with brief sections from Walter. Despite being the first book of a series, this is best read after MOON CALLED and “Alpha and Omega” (in the interest of both chronology and clarity).
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Violence, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Blood, Animal death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Slavery, Animal cruelty, and Death
Minor: Suicide attempt, War, Death of parent, Ableism, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Torture, and Rape
vexbatch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Gun violence, Incest, Kidnapping, and Medical content