A review by kitvaria_sarene
Wolfeater, by Anthony Mitchell
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This an amazing grim and bloody story that still dangles enough hope in front of your nose to keep you hoked all the way through. This also works really fine as stand alone, which is rare in fantasy these days, which is a big plus in my eyes!
While the villain was really way over the top stereotype villainous, the rest of the cast more than made up for it. Having not just one, but three different groups of seasoned warriors on opposing sides also makes for enough friction outside of the bad guy problem.
We have a young woman on the path for revenge, who pairs up with a weary old warrior who has long since stopped seeing the glory of killing. I loved how those two balance each other out and the wolf companion also was a bonus for me!
We have another old warrior who is dying from lung rot in a quest to ask the gods why they would punish hin like that - and he's joined by his sort of adopted daughter who is a small, blind girl. While her body might be weak, her mind is sharp and her will is strong like iron. I really adored her POV, and I hope there might be another book telling her story in the future.
And then we have a group of warriors from his tribe who want to stop him from achieving his quest, as it goes against their rules.
The setting is a hard to live in land, with a very cold part, and I felt like I really vanished from my couch and instead wandered those frozen mountains right along with the characters. The bleakness, hunger and ice basically flowed from the pages, and was really well written.
The story has little actual plot besides the journey, but it's all the book needed. I quite enjoyed this closely focused story that had me griped right from the start. Instead it's much more about the characters, their motivations, and how they interact and change over the course of the story.
This definitely won't be my last book by the author!
While the villain was really way over the top stereotype villainous, the rest of the cast more than made up for it. Having not just one, but three different groups of seasoned warriors on opposing sides also makes for enough friction outside of the bad guy problem.
We have a young woman on the path for revenge, who pairs up with a weary old warrior who has long since stopped seeing the glory of killing. I loved how those two balance each other out and the wolf companion also was a bonus for me!
We have another old warrior who is dying from lung rot in a quest to ask the gods why they would punish hin like that - and he's joined by his sort of adopted daughter who is a small, blind girl. While her body might be weak, her mind is sharp and her will is strong like iron. I really adored her POV, and I hope there might be another book telling her story in the future.
And then we have a group of warriors from his tribe who want to stop him from achieving his quest, as it goes against their rules.
The setting is a hard to live in land, with a very cold part, and I felt like I really vanished from my couch and instead wandered those frozen mountains right along with the characters. The bleakness, hunger and ice basically flowed from the pages, and was really well written.
The story has little actual plot besides the journey, but it's all the book needed. I quite enjoyed this closely focused story that had me griped right from the start. Instead it's much more about the characters, their motivations, and how they interact and change over the course of the story.
This definitely won't be my last book by the author!