Book Review: Fear the Wolf

Posted on  19/08/2019 17:40:50

book : Fear the Wolf

author : Butcher, Andrew

series :

publisher : Kindle Edition

length : 289 pages

My rating: 5 fearless stars!

Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I admit I was a bit reluctant to start this, because of the relatively lower ratings on GR and, to be able to keep an open mind, I finally decided to not read any review and go into it blind. 

So here I am posting a 5 star review and owning it! Because I loved it!!

Fear the Wolf is a dark fantasy thriller set in a mysterious world that was torn apart by a great cataclysm. And in this world, people live a life overshadowed by fear. Fear of the Wolf!

Because The Wolf is not like other beasts. She's ancient. And she reminds the people who they are and, more importantly, who they're not!

From a young age, everyone is raised to remember one thing above all else: "Fear the Wolf." To fear the Wolf is to know your place. To fear the Wolf is to never presume too much. If any villager were to step out of line, the Wolf would descend upon them all.

For a simple garment weaver like Senla Nora, knowing her place should be easy. But Senla’s never been good at following orders. She keeps forgetting her place and presuming too much, bringing grief and shame upon her mother and her entire village. Because, after all, if Senla presumes too much, she might insult the Wolf and bring disaster upon the village. 

Raised by a strict and deeply unhappy mother, Senla constantly chaffs at the restrictions set by the village rules and yearns for more. Being taught to fear even making decisions for herself, Senla rebels and breaks the rules. And the Wolf strikes!

The only two souls spared are Senla and Aldan, a large and strong big man, almost 10 years older than Senla, who is not right in the head. And this is where the story kicks off. Guilt-ridden because she may have been the cause for her village's destruction, Senla takes big addle-headed Aldan with her in a quest for a new home and revenge. Alone and afraid, the two try to find a path through the dark forest around their village chased by nomads, killer night apes and even the Wolf herself. 

They fumble through the woods for quite a long time and this part of the story dragged a little for me. By the time I was half-way through it, I was convinced I'd be rating it a 3, since it was good, but dragging. And then I hit the last 30% of it and was left reeling. Because My Oh My!!! The reveals!!! I did not see those coming and they were absolutely stunning! The last part of this book left goosebumps on my skin! Kudos to the author for pulling that off!!

I will not tell you what those reveals were, but I hope you will enjoy them just as much as I did!

A few great reveals do not account for a 5 star rating you will say. And I'd agree with you. But these reveals were not the only thing that drew me to this tale! 

The best part of it was the play with feelings and emotions. The tangle of fear, guilt, rage, terror and powerlessness; the conflict between what you need to do and what you wish you could do instead; as well as the main kernel of the story: self-acceptance, truthfulness and respect. After all, it's a convenient excuse the luxury of believing there are no choices in life, that there is but one way to live.... But is a life without the freedom to choose a life worth living?

Fear the Wolf is a dark tale that points out humanity's deepest fears and apprehensions, woven onto a perhaps even darker background of a journey of self-discovery shadowed by wild creatures, a mysterious plague and worst of all, the darkest side of human nature. And from under all that darkness, hope blooms, followed by love and acceptance. Whose and for what? You're gonna have to read this to find out! 

In a masterful hand, this author sends a gripping message: 

for heroes of every kind... keep going without fear!!

Hope you'll find it just as motivating as I did!

Happy Reading! :)

Check out this book and more of Andrew Butcher on www.andrew-butcher.com