Helena, a rogue wolf with a past written in blood. After years of exile living in a remote community, she is treated as a monster by the local wolves. A wall surrounds her home, and children are warned to stay out.
When the Montis pack arrives, they bring with them the last thing she ever expected to find; her mate. Now with her lonely exsistence tipped on its head, she will find the joy and kindness in life once again. But things are never that easy and with Helena standing out of the shadows, she brings many of her troubles with her. Enemies, old and new, are at every turn, threatening the world Helena has fought to protect. Now, with much at stake, she is willing to become the monster she hates.
title/cover:
title: wonderful. I've seen a lot of repetitive titles for wolf stories but this one is pretty unique. and the alliteration makes it both look and sound pleasing.
score: 5/5
cover:
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really clean and pretty. that being said, it doesn't say much about the story itself or wolves. the subtitle "become the monster you hate" is chilling though, so well done there.
score: 3/5
total: 8/10
summary/hook:
summary: the summary is very well written. the author provides just enough detail to entice the reader, but doesn't give away too much information. it makes us want to read about Helena and her mate and how her life changes after meeting him. really clean and smooth few paragraphs, and that's pretty tricky to do! found some spelling mistakes, such as "exsistence" which should be "existence."
score: 4/5
hook:
"Not all children listened to the warnings."
immediately, we're thrown into a world of darkness and danger as the opening scene takes us to a child who's ran away and into Helena's part of the forest. this was a very clever way to introduce Helena, because the interaction between her and the child (won't spoil too much) really conveys her strong and assertive character. instead of sharing her history and past, the author literally drives us right into her territory, which makes for a thrilling read.
score: 5/5
total: 9/10
grammar/flow:
it's evident right off the bad that the author is a talented writer. descriptions are vivid and beautiful, making for a nice flow. we can picture the woods and the packs very well with each scene. a lot of the descriptions were very poetic, making for great imagery. that being said, there were some parts that felt like they were a lot of description without much action/dialogue, which can become tedious to read and take away from the excitement.
as for grammar, the author writes very well. there were some spelling/grammar mistakes, but nothing that can't be fixed with some editing, and nothing that made me want to stop reading.
score: 8/10
characters:
Helena, the main character, is strong and fierce. she is feared by the other packs and pretty much anyone entering the forest. it's always refreshing to see strong female characters. when she meets her mate, Adrian, they don't fall in love right away. in fact, their connection is realistic. often times we see the trope of two MC's meeting and falling in love immediately... but this story follows their journey as strangers, friends, and then brings in the romance.
another thing that is impressive is that the characters are not drop-dead gorgeous. this is pretty neat just because it's not something you see all the time. people often times believe that only models can exist in stories. this author proves otherwise.
the way that the supporting characters are written is really captivating. this story is full of dynamic personalities and creatures that keep you at the edge of your seat.
one thing that did stand out to me is the part where Adrian realizes that Lena is his mate is short and not eventful at all. I actually almost missed it. this is such an important part of the story, so it could be built up with more emotion/description. maybe it won't have that much emotion, or I simply thought this because I don't read stories of this genre, but this scene is not as elaborate as it should be.
the characters are broken, scarred, and not perfect, making for a dynamic and interesting plot.
score: 9/10
plot:
there aren't many criticisms that I have of the plot. a story that seems like it's simple and straightforward is not. the author creates an elaborate world full of creatures and characters that each add to the plot in their own way. the troubles and tests that Lena is put through only strengthen her and her companions. there is a lot of character development that is done beautifully. I definitely kept reading after the fifth chapter and will continue to do so.
one thing is that I found it difficult to connect to some of the characters. their emotions were overshadowed by the abundance of descriptions and world-building.
score: 9/10
all in all, this story is very well-written, unique, and definitely worth the read. it is deserving of the attention it's getting, and the author is talented and has a lot of potential. it felt as if I was reading a published novel. although there were little issues and discrepancies, they in no way are overbearing. the author asked me to be harsh in my review, but I apologize that I haven't found much to be harsh about!
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