Hello Bookworms!

This weeks review is of one of the coolest books I’ve ever read.

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin is a YA historical science fiction novel that imagines a world where the Allied powers never won the second World War but instead the Nazis did. Yael is a seventeen year old resistance fighter and she is going to kill Hitler and finally end all of the pain and terror he has brought forth – she just has to get close enough to him first. With the pack of wolves on her arm, tattooed to remind her never to forget, and her deadly shapeshifting power, the Nazis don’t know whats coming for them.

This book is a whirlwind journey that spans continents and time all in a way so elegantly that by the end you’ll be wondering, did any of that actually just happen? Can anything be so good? The plot itself is dazzlingly unique. There is, of course, some parallels to the cult classic The Man In The High Castle with it’s dystopian Nazi future, but in her YA twist Graudin mixes in an element of sci-fi that fits so perfectly into the story that I can’t imagine the plot without it.

Yael is a shapeshifter. I won’t give you the logistics or the origins because they are just too good to spoil but her bad-assery in this book needs to be mentioned if I am going to give it a fair review. There were so many moments in the story when I was silently cheering on/commending the heroine for her unfailing ability to be awesome. She didn’t moan and she wasn’t annoying- She has a job to get done and she knows how she’s going to do it. She’s a girl with a goal and thats why I love her.

In terms of world building Graudin manages to maintain a seamless dystopia that becomes almost real every time she drops in a new detail. The writer handles the delicate subject of the holocaust and all of the atrocities committed by the Nazis in such a  thoughtful and respectful way throughout her plot and the love story she weaves in the background is my favourite kind: deadly. I won’t give any spoilers about what happens between Yael and her love interest but: The twist at the end!

I truly enjoyed Wolf by Wolf and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fast paced story thats unique and addictive.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth