Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsHooked on Simon and Meg.
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2017
There is just something about this series that really grabs me. I’m not sure if it is the concept or the fact that it isn’t afraid to make most of the human population the bad guys. I think that it is a little refreshing to take a look at the world through the eyes of something other than just the human race. While I could see why some might think that it is a little preachy on the green front I never really felt that way and love the characters and the way they tend to look at the world as not just a place to make something because you can but because you should for the betterment of all.
**** There is no wasted, empty land in Thaisia. Every place on this continent is full of residents who need what the land already provides. Even the deserts have residents who live on what is available in those places. Even the coldest, remotest areas are not empty of life. When Mr. Scratch talks about the needs of other species, he is really talking about one species, the human species. He and his followers care for nothing else, which is why the terra indigene must care about all the rest.
—Elliot Wolfgard, when asked to respond to Nicholas Scratch’s speech ***
I’m in love with Meg and Simon really and even though there is so much more to the plot going on I adore the relationship those two share. Both are trailblazers in their own ways and as they learn each other they learn more about what it can mean to be human and to be an Other.
The best part of this series continues to be how different the Others are from shifters in other UF series. They see the world different, they are animals and should never ever be confused with humans. Even the ones who can look like humans sometimes.
*** “Are you afraid of becoming too human?” Meg asked.
“Yes.”
“Well, you won’t,” she said fiercely, squeezing his fingers. “You’re a Wolf, and even when you’re not a wolfy-looking Wolf, you’re still a Wolf. You’ve said so. Looking human or running a bookstore won’t change that.” ***
The best part of this particular book for me was getting some insight into the Elders, the others who live deeper in the forest that never took on Man’s shapes and are bigger, badder and the Teeth and Claws who will deliver justice. It isn’t your normal kind of justice, there is no trial and the actions of a few will decide for the many. Examples will be made and eventually maybe some of the humans will learn and carry the tales on to their kin.
This series is getting a little darker than it even started out. Sure there are fun moments but the humans who are a part of the Human First and Last movement are right up there with members of the Nazis Party. There are more deaths and brutal killings happening. The human pack keeps picking up new members but not because of happy situations, the lines have been drawn and more than one city is going to disappear.
Overall the story is really quite engaging and I find it hard to put the book down once I start. Tess and her crazy hair is still one of my favorite characters and I would never want to get on her bad side. I still long for a little more movement on the Meg/Simon relationship front. It is going snail crawl slow but it does seem fitting for the story so I’ll let that go. My favorite moment was when some human situation was explained to a wolf adolescent who learned that foreplay didn’t mean there would be four people to play but something altogether different.
The only issue I have are some of the repetitions of the previous stories to maybe sure you know what is going on. I don’t really need a refresher since I’m reading these one per week, but even if it was a year between books for me I think some of it is a little excessive. Still overall that didn’t skew my enjoyment of the book too much.
A great series if you are looking for something original with a smidge or romance but not much.
