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Book Review: The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

* I am reviewing this book which I was gifted for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. *



Title: The Wolf Wilder
Author: Katherine Rundell
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: Netgalley

(Amazon|Goodreads)

Book Summary:

Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia, in a house full of food and fireplaces. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora's mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves, and to fight and to run, and to be wary of humans.

When the murderous hostility of the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run. What follows is a story of revolution and adventure, about standing up for the things you love and fighting back. And, of course, wolves.


Book Review:

When this came out, I remember that this got so much hype and a lot of people liked it. Middle Grade isn't normally my jam but I was going to give it a go. Fast forward to five years later and I still had not read it. I can say that I am happy that I did and the hype is real. The Wolf Wilder is a wonderful exploration into middle grade and the wolves will definitely be running to read this one.

One of the aspects of the book that I enjoyed was the Russian elements. I kept trying to tie it to a specific time but this was not Katherine Rundell's intention when I read the author notes and it does encompass a lot of different time periods. This does work and it helps make an interesting and unique snow setting, which is quite nice when it is 25c outside.

I do really like the attention that was played to the power of friendship and family in the book. I really loved the relationship between Feo and her mother. The lengths that she was willing to go to get her back was a little unrealistic but it's fiction so it doesn't matter. At moments, I thought it was going to get quite sticky but all was well and I love a book that gives a little hope. I also loved Ilya and the relationship that develops with Feo. Together are great and it was nice to see their relationship blossom.

Of course, the main part of this book is wolves and I loved this part. The relationship with the wolves especially Feo and Black were really special and it kind of reminded me of the wolves in Game Of Thrones. On the whole, I knew nothing about wolves going in and this taught me so much about them and how special they actually are.

From the first introduction paragraph about the Wolf Wilderings, I knew that Rundell's writing was something special and this is something that pins the book together and makes it so special. Her writing alone is enough for anyone to read this book.

The Verdict:


The Wolf Wilder is a quiet story that shows the lengths that you will go to find home and family.


Have you read The Wolf Wilder? Do you want to? Let me know in the comments below. 

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