Review: Raised By Wolves By: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Raised By Wolves
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publisher: EgmontUSA 432 Pages (June 8th 2010)
From: the Publisher, a HUGE thank you!!

Synopsis: Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two.

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

Review: 4 Stars - Raised by Wolves was one of those books that I just couldn’t wait to read. From the first page I knew I’d be reading well into the wee hours of the morning and quickly found myself lost in the woods that Bryn and the pack call home. It was fast paced and in the blink of an eye turned into a thrilling story with characters that you’ll love and some that you’ll love to hate.

Our main character is Bryn who just happens to be a human… and yep you guessed it, was raised by wolves. The story explains how Bryn came to live with the wolves and throughout we learn just what that means for her and the pack around her. She’s a strong girl with a good head on her shoulders and fighting spirit - Never going with the flow, always walking the fine line between right and wrong and the rules that she has to live with for her safety and the laws of the pack. The alpha – Callum is a large figure in her life. It’s not just because he’s the alpha and that he brought her to live in his territory that these two share such a bond. Callum…. He’s a hard one to talk about without giving too much away, so I’ll just let you make up your mind about him.

When everyone around her that she’s close to start’s to act odd, she knows something is up and can’t get an honest answer out of anyone. Eventually she comes to find out that the pack has taken in a new werewolf – Chase. After their brief meeting, she goes out of her way to talk to him. However she has to do this through wolf pack permissions via Callum. Chase is quiet and magnetic. He seems to understand Bryn on a different level then anyone else. If there was one thing I’d love to have seen more in this book it would have been Chase. He’s one of those characters that’ll just melt your heart. And the connection that’s shown so vividly throughout the book between Chase and Bryn is one that’s unique that no one could content with. It’s something that I’m eager to read more of.

Werewolves Devon and Lake are Bryn’s best friends and really the only wolves from the pack that give her the time of day. They are the two that Bryn knows she can count on no matter what. Devon is quirky and theatrical and Lake is a shoot first and ask questions later kind of girl. The friendship these three have is great and I was able to fully understand the lengths that they would each go through for the other as I continued reading.

Being that this book is the beginning of a series it gives readers a great start with hints as to what’s to come in books in the future. Barnes has written characters that’ll be hard for you to forget and a story that’ll leave you wanting more. Her writing is fresh and she has done an amazing job with her own take on werewolves within the young adult genre. I’m now eagerly awaiting the sequel – Trial By Fire just to see where Bryn, Chase, Devon, Lake and all the others end up next. If you love books about werewolves, then this is one you won’t want to miss. Enjoy!

FTC Disclaimer: I did not pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this review.