graceful_nate's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Its a good easy read.
You can tell that the main character (female) is written by a man in a few places but over all its not an entirely unbelievable depiction of a person in that situation (though the situation is not super realistic, nuclear winter and all that). There are bits that made me laugh, bits that where tense, uncomfortable and bits that were emotional. I liked this book, but i dont really have strong feelings about it, i am not better or worse of for having read it. I have read worse books in my life. Its not a bad book considering its the authors first novel, and the reviews on and inside the cover, though all positive, are accurate more or less.
You can tell that the main character (female) is written by a man in a few places but over all its not an entirely unbelievable depiction of a person in that situation (though the situation is not super realistic, nuclear winter and all that). There are bits that made me laugh, bits that where tense, uncomfortable and bits that were emotional. I liked this book, but i dont really have strong feelings about it, i am not better or worse of for having read it. I have read worse books in my life. Its not a bad book considering its the authors first novel, and the reviews on and inside the cover, though all positive, are accurate more or less.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Sexual harassment, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Kidnapping, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Gun violence
elskabee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
I had a lot of issues with this, but there were two that were the most eye-roll inducing:
- The main character was frustratingly "not like other girls". Her name is Gwendolyn but 'Gwen' is a "stupid" name so she goes by Lynn. She has a flashback in which she's riding a bike but it's "a six speed mountain bike. Not girly at all". I could go on, but I'll spare you
- The main character is specifically labelled as smart. As in, Lynn skipped a grade and was still smarter than everyone in her class BUT she's frustratingly oblivious to the blindingly obvious. I don't know if the author thinks the reader can't put two and two together or just forgot to make the main character make any logical assumptions?
There were interesting moments, and I enjoyed the choppy writing style that kept things moving relatively quickly. I think the large number of flashbacks messed with the pacing a lot, sometimes they worked, but a lot of times they felt like they were there as page fillers. I can see an audience for this for sure, but the hyper-masculinity throughout the book was tiresome for me personally.
It wasn't a terrible read, just deeply mediocre.
- The main character was frustratingly "not like other girls". Her name is Gwendolyn but 'Gwen' is a "stupid" name so she goes by Lynn. She has a flashback in which she's riding a bike but it's "a six speed mountain bike. Not girly at all". I could go on, but I'll spare you
- The main character is specifically labelled as smart. As in, Lynn skipped a grade and was still smarter than everyone in her class BUT she's frustratingly oblivious to the blindingly obvious. I don't know if the author thinks the reader can't put two and two together or just forgot to make the main character make any logical assumptions?
There were interesting moments, and I enjoyed the choppy writing style that kept things moving relatively quickly. I think the large number of flashbacks messed with the pacing a lot, sometimes they worked, but a lot of times they felt like they were there as page fillers. I can see an audience for this for sure, but the hyper-masculinity throughout the book was tiresome for me personally.
It wasn't a terrible read, just deeply mediocre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Medical content, Terminal illness, War, and Grief
Minor: Fatphobia and Sexual assault
regarding Sexual Assault:kelly_e's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Title: The Wolves of Winter
Author: Tyrell Johnson
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: 4
Pub Date: January 2 2018
T H R E E • W O R D S
Absorbing • Sobering • Lyrical
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Following the collapse of society from disease and nuclear war, The Wolves of Winter tells the tale of Lynn McBride. Her and her family have had to adapt to this new life in order to survive. Just when they've settled into somewhat of a routine, Jax arrives carrying secrets and enemies from the past. Lynn must decide to fight to save the ones she loves when humanity was been pushed beyond a breaking point.
💭 T H O U G H T S
This novel is The Hunger Games meets The Call of the Wild in a post-apocalyptic world. Set in the unforgiving climate of northern Canada, the landscape and climate felt like their own character. The imagery, and the absolutely stunning prose where each word is chosen with great care, are what make this book so special as I found myself transported to the cold winter with the characters. The beginning is on the slow side as the author builds the characters, setting, and history. The second half of the book is jam packed with action. And while this book is intended as a look into the future of humanity, the future Tyrell Johnson has created felt a little too real and possible given the current state of the pandemic.
I couldn't help but root for Lynn, the fierce and determined protagonist. Her character development was weaved so perfectly, despite some of the other characters lacking the development I so wished for. The opening scene of the novel caught me off guard, and I was apprehensive to continue on, but am so glad that I did. A haunting debut, The Wolves of Winter was an enjoyable easy and quick read. I will definitely be checking out more of this author's work in the future.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of The Hunger Games
• anyone who loves a strong female heroine
• readers looking for atmospheric setting
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"We headed into the Yukon Territory. To the tress, hills, mountains, valleys, rivers, snow, snow, snow, snow, snow. The vast wilderness of nothing. But for the next seven years, that nothing became home. I got used to it. The whiteness a comfort, the pine trees a refuge, the silence of it a friend I never knew I needed or wanted."
"Grief never goes away. It just changes. At first it's like molten hot lava dripping from your heart and hollowing you from the inside. Over time, it settles into your bones, your skin, so that you live with it, walk with it every day. Grief isn't the footprints in the snow. It's the empty space between."
Author: Tyrell Johnson
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: 4
Pub Date: January 2 2018
T H R E E • W O R D S
Absorbing • Sobering • Lyrical
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Following the collapse of society from disease and nuclear war, The Wolves of Winter tells the tale of Lynn McBride. Her and her family have had to adapt to this new life in order to survive. Just when they've settled into somewhat of a routine, Jax arrives carrying secrets and enemies from the past. Lynn must decide to fight to save the ones she loves when humanity was been pushed beyond a breaking point.
💭 T H O U G H T S
This novel is The Hunger Games meets The Call of the Wild in a post-apocalyptic world. Set in the unforgiving climate of northern Canada, the landscape and climate felt like their own character. The imagery, and the absolutely stunning prose where each word is chosen with great care, are what make this book so special as I found myself transported to the cold winter with the characters. The beginning is on the slow side as the author builds the characters, setting, and history. The second half of the book is jam packed with action. And while this book is intended as a look into the future of humanity, the future Tyrell Johnson has created felt a little too real and possible given the current state of the pandemic.
I couldn't help but root for Lynn, the fierce and determined protagonist. Her character development was weaved so perfectly, despite some of the other characters lacking the development I so wished for. The opening scene of the novel caught me off guard, and I was apprehensive to continue on, but am so glad that I did. A haunting debut, The Wolves of Winter was an enjoyable easy and quick read. I will definitely be checking out more of this author's work in the future.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of The Hunger Games
• anyone who loves a strong female heroine
• readers looking for atmospheric setting
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"We headed into the Yukon Territory. To the tress, hills, mountains, valleys, rivers, snow, snow, snow, snow, snow. The vast wilderness of nothing. But for the next seven years, that nothing became home. I got used to it. The whiteness a comfort, the pine trees a refuge, the silence of it a friend I never knew I needed or wanted."
"Grief never goes away. It just changes. At first it's like molten hot lava dripping from your heart and hollowing you from the inside. Over time, it settles into your bones, your skin, so that you live with it, walk with it every day. Grief isn't the footprints in the snow. It's the empty space between."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing
More...