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). The original title reads Moonlight Wolves #1: Das Geheimnis der Schattenwölfe.
I've been following this series for a while now, online updates of what is releasing I mean. So far three books have been published, and with it being a wolf xenofiction it obviously peaked my interest. It sadly hasn't been translated outside of it's original German release yet, but let's have a look. Spoilers ahead.
Tamani is a young and small wolf from the Ice Pack, and he and the peers of his age are sent to train under four wolves known as the Guardians to learn all there is to being a proper pack wolf. However, the Guardians and their territory seem to be under constant threat by a group of wolves known as the Shadow Wolves. When Tamani learns that there is a prophecy which may be the key to defeating this enemy, he disguises himself and pretends to join the Shadow Wolves in order to learn more about it and hopefully bring them down.
I genuinely had a good time reading this book. It's fun, it's creative, it has plenty of colorful characters, the world-building is pretty cool and overall I do recommend this to any German-speaking wolf xenofiction fan.
The author, Charly Art, was very young when he wrote this and still is, having recently published book three in the series at the age of nineteen. However, honestly I couldn't really tell the author was this young while reading. It is a traditionally published book, so obviously a lot of edits have been made and it's not an indie which may have had less revisions, but this is genuinely a book of quality if you ask me, which is extra impressive considering Art's age when first publishing. So compliments to him, I hope he keeps up writing, whether it's more of Moonlight Wolves or other stories.
I do have to say that this book does touch a bit of familiar ground when it comes to xenofiction fantasies, such as commonly-found elements such as prophecies, dream visions of deceased relatives, and the like, but despite that the execution is done well enough. It's not the most original animal xenofiction fantasy out there, but it does use its tropes well.
I do think that the author might like Warriors Cats, though. Not accusing him of plagiarism, but there are a few elements that feel just a tad similar to said cat series, such as the wolves' afterlife being called the Pack of Endless Hunting (which could be inspired by Warriors' Tribe of Endless Hunting). But, again, I'm not accusing Art of plagiarism and it could very well be a coincidence. And even if it is inspired by Warriors, there's nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from other series so long as it doesn't become obtrusive, which it wasn't here in my opinion.
Let's say that hypothetically Art was inspired by Warrior Cats, the elements I thought might be inspired by it might be the Pack of Endless Hunting, the dream visions in which departed loved ones deliver messages, and the prophecy which in the end of course turns out to center around our hero. Out of which the latter two are also very common animal fantasy xenofiction tropes, so Warriors is by far not the only ones to have used these.
One thing I think Art could improve upon, however, is the characters. Don't get me wrong, this book does have a cast of pretty unique and likable (or in case of the villains, unlikable) characters. Heck, Tamani is actually a pretty solid protagonist, being a kind leader who has his limits. But my main gripe would be that the (named) cast is quite large and not all wolves leave an equal amount of impact. The core cast of characters, the most important ones, are all likable and rounded and well-written enough, but with there being so many named secondary characters who are less distinct it sometimes becomes a bit tough to remember who is who in a few scenes.
Nothing major, and thankfully there is a character list in the front to keep track, but I think that the cast of side characters could've been cut down a little and the characters that did remain could've been more distinct. Or keep the same amount of side characters but only name the ones that are really relevant to the plot to remember. Art clearly knows how to write his characters well, I just think the side cast was a bit too large and forgettable at times. But who knows, this might already be fixed in books two and three.
Overall this is an impressive first installment, and I do recommend it for any xenofiction lover, especially those of wolves. It's not perfect, but definitely really impressive and I hope Art keeps improving his craft. This book can also be read as a standalone with it having a pretty conclusive ending, so even if you don't end up liking it you won't be left with an open ending.
Rating: 4/5
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