The first half of this book is something of a mind twist. It isn’t that Varis path is trippy or random or hard to follow, it is actually pretty strait forward. The problem is Varis isn’t a complex character but we were given an opportunity to think he is. As he starts a single minded campaign to eliminate the entire line of succession that lays in front of him (with the aid of the trapped spirits his new magic allows him to control) and it is impossible to turn away. This is the bullied young man we thought we would be rooting for? Oh god, he wouldn’t….oh shit he just did. What is he going to do next!? Lynne thought she was struggling to survive before, but now she is really in a struggle to survive. This newcomer is not the only change in her life, his arrival triggers a change of events that threaten their way of life.

This story is not completely innovative- a strong, female protagonist with special skills/powers that could save the world alongside a rough, isolated young man who turns out to be different than expected, and a world torn apart by outside forces. There are some similarities to both “Divergent” (Veronica Roth), and “The Hunger Games”, as well as any of the other immeasurable YA-pocalypse stories out there. However, I can say, I am a huge fan of this genre and really enjoyed “Wolves of Winter”. Bravo, Tony (November 7, 2013). "Anne and Christopher Rice: Fall In Love With This Mother-Son Author Team". KQED. San Francisco, California: Northern California Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12 . Retrieved June 3, 2014. Wolves of Winter feels grander in scope. There are more external influences and there are characters in many more different locations doing different things. We see a little more of the logistics and the politics, etiquette and expectations of the people involved in an overseas campaign too which further adds to the authenticity. In addition to this, there is also a feeling of more intrigue and discovery for the characters here which keeps us pulled in and invested. The characters we already know continue in their journeys and feel believable, flawed, real. We grow closer to them without being conscious of it. This is the perfect read for the Winter months, especially if you like your books with a side of edginess. Wolves of Winter is the second instalment in the Essex Dogs trilogy and begins almost where we left off in Essex Dogs, the aftermath of the battle of Crécy. Loveday and his men have remained with the English army whose next aim is to capture Calais.Fruce is a big granite island where nothing grows. The book talks about an effort to bring dirt and plants over, and how the plants failed and the soil blew away after only a few years. It's barren, and the only thing there is the Library.

Johnson: “Nothing is ‘in the books’ yet, but I do have a plan for two more novels (the illustrious trilogy) and probably no more than that with these characters.”He shrugged, the thin smile never leaving his pinched face. I wanted to punch my fist right through it. Shatter his teeth, jaw, skull.

There was a b Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. With Wolves of Winter, Dan Jones proves he can do fiction on a consistent level after the brilliant first book in the series, Essex Dogs. It's been over seven years since 23-year-old Gwendalynn "Lynn" has used electricity, eaten a Fruit Roll-Up, worn a bra—yup, those good ol' days are lonnnng gone. Everything is different now that the world is at war with each other. And just when you thought things couldn't get any worse... well, they do. A massive epidemic known as the Asian Flu is claiming lives faster than the blink of an eye. Another thought occurs to me: this book must have been utterly exhausting to write. To outline, sort, carry out. It’s too rich, too cleverly thought-out, and too meticulous. Cripes, it must have been exhausting to write.

I love how Dan has a completely different focus in this series to other his-fic authors. Details and obsessive nods to authenticity are not at the forefront here, but the relationship between the characters as well as the banishment of any type of glory whatsoever are absolutely perfect. When the McBride family flee Chicago for Alaska, Lynn's father anticipates what's coming. As a biologist, he fears the worst....desperate, violent people and infection....and he's right. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. Quotes are subject to change upon publication. He turned his body again, his left elbow and forearm pushing against my chest, pinning me to the ground. Then his other hand slithered down to my thigh. “I can do whatever I want, whenever I want.”