Book Review: Wolf: The Journey Home by 'Asta Bowen

 

This is one of these books that I desperately wanted to obtain the English physical variant of...but I just can't without having to pay a ridiculous amount. Seriously, this book is like 50 Euros on Amazon to obtain in that edition. So I settled for a physical Dutch hardcover instead, only cost me 3 Euros. Let's review it, shall we? Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Wild Animals I Have Known by Ernest Thompson Seton

 

A book by Ernest Seton chronicling the stories of various critters he knew throughout his lifetime, taking place in the late 1800's. Let's find out whether it's any good or not. Spoilers ahead. Content warning for a brief mention of rape and of course animal death/abuse.

Book Review: Put Out The Fire by Ryder Phoenix (Rainbow Reflections #2)

Been a while since I took a look at the first installment in the Rainbow Reflections series. I actually won book two in a raffle a while back, so I'm excited to continue the story! As always, me receiving a free copy doesn't impact my review or rating! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Soul Eater by Michelle Paver (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #3)

So, okay, remember last review of this series? Where I said I'd obtained the entire Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series (in Dutch)? Well, turns out we got a "problem": there's three more books coming out, none of which will be translated into my language. Which wouldn't be problem normally since obviously I love reading in English, but I do have a real thing for having every book in a series be the exact same edition/binding wise. So I'm probably going to have to cave and get the entire series in English as well if I want the new books to be consistent with the other editions. Sigh. That aside, let's begin the review! Spoilers ahead!

Book Review: American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee

 

Been a while since I tackled another wolf nonfiction, so here we go! 

Book Review: Spirit Walker by Michelle Paver (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #2)

It's been a while since I took a look at the first book in this series, but I'm not finally here to tackle the second! I actually own the entire series now, so expect more reviews of Chronicles of Ancient Darkness soon! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman (The Book of Dust #2)

The second installment of the sequel trilogy to His Dark Materials seems to be quite controversial. And I agree. So let's just dive in. Spoilers ahead and trigger warning for rape/pedophilia mentions.

Book Review: Fox & I by Catherine Raven

 

A non-fiction a friend gifted me I of course wanted to take a look at. This time not about foxes in general, but the bond between a particular individual and the author, Catherine Raven.

Book Review: Seeing Red by Ethan Summers and Littlesprout's Stories (Legends of Blood #1)

With Wolf Quest having been out for ages and how creative its community can be, I'm surprised it took this long for someone (or rather, two someones) to write a book based on its storyline and gameplay! Presuming that Seeing Red is the first, that is.

For those not in the know, Wolf Quest is a game where one plays as a dispersal wolf in Yellowstone and completes various goals, such as hunting elk, seeking a mate and establishing a pack. The first edition of the game from years ago was free, but in more recent years it has gotten a big overhaul, leading to a brand new pay-to-play polished version of the game. I myself do own both versions, however unfortunately my computer simply cannot handle the Anniversary Edition even at the lowest graphics and framerate, so I am mostly just stuck watching other people play the game. It definitely looks great, though!

So let's take a look at the journey of such one wolf and her quest, based on the gameplay on Littlesprout's YouTube channel. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Sight by David Clement-Davies (The Sight #1)

 

I actually have a history with this book. Back in the day, I used to loathe this one, together with the Wolves of the Beyond series. Nowadays I'm more open-minded and of course open to re-visiting books I preciously had beef with. 

I recently took a look at Wolves of the Beyond again and while I still don't feel right calling the series good (it's not), it's nowhere near as bad as I made it out to be in the past. So let's see how The Sight does upon a re-read. It has one thing going for it: I do really love Clemen-Davies' earlier, work, Fire Bringer. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Raveleijn by Paul van Loon (Raveleijn #1)

 

Note: The title of this book has been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers as the book itself isn't available in English (yet).

So I'm a huge fan of the Efteling, a fantasy-themed Dutch amusement park. I've been there tons of times and can never get enough of it. Most of their rides are based on either a pre-existing or a made-up fantasy/fairy tale/folklore story. I've taken a look at Baron 1898 before, a book based on the eponymous roller coaster. Raveleijn here is based on a park show rather than a ride, but I still enjoyed the story a lot when I saw the TV series and of course the show itself, though the show in the park itself has been altered quite a few times. 

So let's dive into the book version of the original story! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Kävik the Wolf Dog by Walt Morey

This book has been on my to-read for way too long now, so let's finally get to it! It's yet another wolfdog xenofiction where the animal doesn't talk. Spoilers ahead!

Book Review: White Fang by Jack London

I could've sworn I'd read and reviewed this book on this blog already. Apparently not. So let's do it right here, right now! This is the Jack London classic: White Fang. Spoilers ahead, but the book is over 100 years old so chances are that you already know what happens.

Book Review: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman (The Book of Dust #1)

Not too long ago I at last finished reading (and reviewing) His Dark Materials, after 10+ years of putting off completing the trilogy. For the most part, I absolutely loved it! So after doubting on whether or not I wanted to read the second trilogy, The Book of Dust, I finally just decided to go for it when the opportunity presented itself for me to get the first two books for rather cheap. So let's take a look!

Book Review: The Wolfskin and Other Stories by Ton van Reen

 

Note: The title of this book has been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers. The original title reads Het wolfsvel en andere verhalen.

This is a book I got to pick up for free years ago and up until now just...never ended up reading. Reason I picked it up: it's about wolves, duh. So let's see if it's actually any good. 

Book Review: Veil of Shadows by Erin Hunter (Warriors: The Broken Code #3)

 

Wooooo, we're halfway there. I honestly can't believe how great this arc has been so far. That said, things can still change. I really liked the first part of A Vision of Shadows, but the last books kind of lost me. I sincerely hope that doesn't occur with The Broken Code, since so far this is shaping up to be my second favorite or even favorite arc.

Since I don't have the rest of this arc yet and am still waiting for Graystripe's Vow to be published in paperback before continuing getting the other books, it may be a while until my next review of The Broken Code. Please keep that in mind.

So let's take a look at the midway point of this arc. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Children of the Widow by Henri Loevenbruck (Gallica #3)

Note: The title of this book and has been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers. The original title reads Les Enfants de la Veuve from the Gallica trilogy.

Our last trip into the world of Gallica. Will it be good? Let's see. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Flames of The Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee (Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal #4)

 

It's been over a year since I first read the first book, so it's about time I concluded my reviews of the Dark Crystal YA novels! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: When Fraser Met Billy by Louise Booth

 

I think it's safe to say I have officially found the worst book I've read so far in 2021. I know it sounds weird, surely a wholesome story about an autistic boy and a cat can't be so bad? Well, brace yourselves. Huge trigger warning for ableism and a mention of suicidal thoughts.

Book Review: The Silent Thaw by Erin Hunter (Warriors: The Broken Code #2)

Book one of this arc was very good. Let's see how book two goes, shall we? Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Baron 1898 by Jacques Vriens

Note: This book has not been published in other languages than Dutch as of me writing this.

I love this certain Dutch amusement park called the Efteling. I've been there many times and enjoy their rides a lot! So when this book detailing the story behind one of their rides was released, I always wanted to read it, though I never got to obtain the book. Until now. Spoilers ahead!

Book Review: The Voice of the Mists by Henri Loevenbruck (Gallica #2)

 

Note: The title of this book and has been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers. The original title reads La Voix des Brumes from the Gallica trilogy.

Book two of Gallica! Book one was surprisingly good after the only so-and-so first trilogy. Will book two continue improving? Let's see. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Lost Stars by Erin Hunter (Warriors: The Broken Code #1)

Okay, here's the deal: this is the first arc of Warriors that I'm reviewing that hasn't been fully published as of me writing this. So, obviously, I don't own all the books yet, and therefore can't do a big review of the entire arc like I did with my other Warriors arc reviews. So what will I do? 

For now, I'll review each book separately, until I've gotten to all of them. Then, I'll combine all these smaller reviews into one bigger arc review. Yes, this means that technically there'll be less reviews on my blog once I delete the smaller ones in favor of one big overarching review, but I prefer to stay consistent and review each arc that isn't the Super Editions or Novellas in one fell swoop. Deal? Deal. Now, let's get to the first book. Spoilers ahead, obviously.

Book Review: The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter (Seekers #1)

 

Despite my years of reading both Warriors and Survivors, Seekers never actually particularly peaked my interest. Possibly because it's about bears and those are just not one of my favorite animals. But now that I've gotten the first book for cheap, I'll give it a look. Full disclosure: this is by no means a guarantee that I'll cover the rest of the series. I just wanted to give the first book a look. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Wolf Hunter by Henri Loevenbruck (Gallica #1)

Note: The title of this book and has been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers. The original title reads Le Louvetier from the Gallica trilogy.

I said a while back that I might take a look at the sequel trilogy following the Moïra trilogy. My Dad actually got me the entire trilogy secondhand as a gift for completing this year of college, so I have three more books to review! Let's dive in. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: What We Saw by Hanna Bervoets

 

Note: The title of this book has been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers. The original title reads Wat wij zagen.

I don't normally review Dutch books like these because they're just not what I prefer to read, but this was a free book they gave out during Book Week, so whatever, might as well read it and review it. It's short anyways. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Hidden World of the Fox by Adele Brand

 

Time to look at another non-fiction, this time not about wolves. 

Book Review: Dragon War by Elana A. Mugdan (Shadow War Saga #4)

  

It's been a while since I last visited the Shadow War Saga. Now, it's finally time to get to book four. After this one, there's just one left! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Ratha's Courage by Clare Bell (Books of the Named #5)

The currently last book of The Named. I've heard that there may be an upcoming sixth book. Who knows. This review contains mentions of attempts at sexual assault. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Mothwing's Secret by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #18)

 

Mothwing is one of those characters that always deserved a POV story in my opinion, whether it be a Super Edition or a novella. So I'm glad that we're finally getting part of her story from her perspective here! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials #3)

 

I was quite surprised when this book arrived in the mail just at how large it was, being almost twice as thick as Northern Lights and The Subtle Knife. It's finally time to end my decade-long quest to finally finish reading this series. Spoilers ahead!

Book Review: The Champion's Squire by Elana A. Mugdan

 

This isn't my first dive into the world of Allentria, as I've reviewed books one-three of Mugdan's Shadow War Saga before. I'm definitely interested in returning to this realm, however! I also plan on getting to book four eventually, bear with me please. Spoilers ahead!

Book Review: Tree's Roots by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #17)

 

Tree is a character I'm fairly neutral on. I like him together with Violetshine, but so far I don't really have an opinion on him either way. So maybe this novella can change that, the first time we get his POV! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Night of the Wolf by Henri Loevenbruck (The Moïra #3)

 

Note: The title of this book and series have been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers. The original title reads La Nuit de la Louve  from the La Moïra trilogy.

Time for the final installment in the Moïra trilogy. It did eventually spawn a sequel trilogy (Gallica), which I may or may not get to later depending on whether I can find the books in Dutch for an affordable price. For now, let's see how Aléa's story ends! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Ratha's Challenge by Clare Bell (Books of the Named #4)

 

The Named return once more to face yet another trial in this book! Spoilers ahead!

Book Review: Pebbleshine's Kits by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #16)

 

It honestly took me a while to remember who exactly Pebbleshine was exactly. Seriously, I was legit under the impression she was a random ThunderClan cat rather than the mother of Twigkit and Violetkit. Ah well, I at least know who she is now. Let's see how her book goes, shall we? Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Battle of the Wolves by Henri Loevenbruck (The Moïra #2)

 

Note: The title of this book and series have been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers. The original title reads La Guerre des Loups  from the La Moïra trilogy.

We return to the world of Aléa and Imala in this second installment! Let's hope it improved over the first! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Squirrelflight's Hope by Erin Hunter (Warriors Super Edition #12)

A Squirrelflight-centric Super Edition! I know a lot of people like her character, but a lot also don't. Personally I'm neutral, though I veer more towards liking her than disliking her. Is her POV-book any good? Let's find out. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: When Dealing with Wolves by A.R. Thompson (The Wyrdseren Duology #1)

 

This is my first time doing an ARC review, meaning that I received a free copy of the book ahead of time to review before the book itself comes out on June 30th! As always, this being a free copy I've been given does not impact my rating of the book. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Ratha and Thistle-chaser (Books of the Named #3)

 

So I was lukewarm on book one, but really loved book two. How does book three hold up? Let's find out. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Raven's Call by Ethan Summers (The Dogs of the Spires #3)

It's been a while since my last Dogs of the Spires review, so let's hop to it! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Animal Wizardry by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson (The Familiars #1)

 

A book for younger readers about magical animals. Let's see how it holds up. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Shadowstar's Life by Erin Hunter (Warriors Novella #15)

It's time we tackle the so far final story in the Dawn of the Clans-chronology, meaning the long-distant past surrounding the founding of the Clans. I really hope that they release more stories surrounding this cast, but so far Shadowstar's Life has been the last. Will it be any good? Let's see. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Wolf and the Child by Henri Loevenbruck (The Moïra #1)

 

Note: The title of this book and series have been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers. The original title reads La Louve et l"Enfant  from the La Moïra trilogy.

The Moïra trilogy has been on my radar for ages now, even going back to when I was a young teen when it got just translated into Dutch. Yeah, this is another one of these books that (so far) doesn't have an English translation. Dutch is my native language, but I very much prefer to read in English. However, since I had no choice for this one, I bought all copies in Dutch (side note, these Dutch editions are really expensive, so I got them all second hand) and now it's time to review them all! Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Thunderstar's Echo (Warriors Novella #12)

A Thunderstar novella! This could be interesting. Let's dive in, spoilers ahead.

Book Review: The Rose of Illian by Richard Schwartz (The Gods' Wars #1)

 

Note: The title of this book and series have been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers. The original title reads Die Rose von Illian from Die Götterkriege series.

Okay so this is something I don't usually do: review a book that hasn't been released in English (yet). This book I once was able to buy for only two Euros because it was damaged, so me being a fantasy geek obviously wanted to read it because I loved seeing the griffin on the cover. It looked promising. Whether it holds up or not we'll dive into below the break. Spoilers ahead.

Quick note: I read the Dutch translation, but for simplicity's sake I'm using the English translation of some names and titles. 

Book Review: Clan Ground by Clare Bell (Books of the Named #2)

 

It's time to return to the world of the Named! I liked the first book okay, it was definitely decent and the good did outweigh the bad. It just failed to really get me that invested in the story. Will the sequel change that? Let's find out. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Moth Flight's Vision by Erin Hunter (Warriors Super Edition #8)

 

Since I've taken a look at Dawn of the Clans, it's not time to continue looking into the (distant) Warriors prequels with Moth Flight's Vision. Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Warriors Arc 5: Dawn of the Clans by Erin Hunter

Dawn of the Clans is the one of the Warriors arcs I look back on the fondest, especially the first three books. They came to me in a rough part of my life, just a few months after my depression diagnosis in 2015. The first three books really were something I held onto when I wanted to feel better, back when. So now, let's look at how the whole arc fares. Is it as good as I remember? Spoilers ahead.

Book Review: Ratha's Creature by Clare Bell (Books of the Named #1)

 

I've been meaning to review the Named series for a while now. In fact, I did. In a format where I tackled the whole series (so far, I don't know if there'll be a sixth book) in one sitting. However, that format just didn't work for me and it has been well over a year since I last read the books, so I've decided to re-read them once more to give them all a proper look. Spoilers ahead.