Raised by Wolves

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A number of things drew me to this book.

1. Melissa Marr tweeted (very positively) about it and I love her books.

2. It’s about werewolves. If you’re team Jacob or just team “werewolves are not all evil monsters” you’ll enjoy it.

3. Once I saw it I thought the cover was gorgeous. I know, I know. Judging a book by its cover and all that… It worked out well for me here!

Raised by Wolves is Bryn’s story. Her life has been anything but typical. Before she even turned five she watched her parents murdered by a werewolf who didn’t play by the rules. She was then “adopted” into a pack by the alpha male. If these two staggering events weren’t enough, she is raised within the pack by a young human woman. Bryn spends most of her young life learning to shield her mind from the pack mentality. Since she is part of the pack but not really of the pack she can resist submitting to Callum, the alpha male. Amazingly, by the time she is fifteen, Bryn has settled in to the craziness that is her life. Everything changes when Bryn defies Callum and stumbles upon a newly changed teen werewolf locked in a cage. Bryn’s past comes rushing back along with questions and doubts about her human life among the pack.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes had me hooked almost from the first sentence. Raised by Wolves is a blend of supernatural, drama, sassiness, humor, suspense and so much more. The scope of relationship types alone is incredibly varied, yet all are well developed. I loved that it wasn’t just focused on romantic relationships. There was, of course, some of that and it was good 🙂 But there was so much more. I was especially intrigued by how the pack mentality and hierarchy affected the more familial relationships. After finishing the book I enjoyed thinking back to how Callum and Bryn interact throughout.

Speaking of Bryn, I love her. She is sassy and spunky. She isn’t perfect. She cares about those who she lets close. I particularly enjoyed the ways that she resisted submitting to Callum and that she worked so hard to keep the pack out of her head. She wants to be 100% Bryn and I can appreciate that. I kept forgetting that she was supposed to be 15. I felt like she was older. However, after all she’s been through I can see how she would mature fast.

The twists and turns kept me on my toes and have me begging for the sequel “Trial by Fire” due out summer 2011. Seriously, read this book, even if you aren’t a team werewolf person. The “supernatural” part isn’t really a focus. Trust me. Try it!