This one came out pretty recently, I think. Let's have a look. Spoilers ahead.
Cassius is a wolf born at a zoo and the runt of his litter, condemned to die by the zoo's cruel owner. A zookeeper named Frank decides to save Cassius and raises him at his home as a "dog". Two years pass, and Cass' true identity is discovered. This leads to the wolf running wild while people are pursuing him and the zoo tries to get him back at all cost.
I have mixed thoughts on this book. Overall I think it was fine, nothing groundbreaking but also nothing bad. It had its neat and emotional moments, but some of it also didn't work for me.
For one, Cassius, despite being the main character, isn't that interesting a character. You'd think with him growing up as a dog and later realizing he's a wolf he'd go through some kind of interesting arc regarding where he belongs and who he really is, but this type of arc is hardly present for him (the bits that are, are a bit rushed) and instead he's a fairly simple character, just a pet who wants to be reunited with his mate and owner. The whole "he's a wolf who grew up living a lie" part doesn't play as much of a role as you'd think.
Some of the other characters also feel rather flat. I did like Frank, and some antagonists like Tony the vet and Mrs. Willoughby did have a small but functional arc. But then there's also characters who just feel cartoonishly over the top evil with no redeeming qualities about them, such as the zoo's owner who literally wants to cause a bloodbath among his own wolf pack just so he can make money off of it.
Never mind all the leaps in logic that would take (animal rights groups would definitely get his ass for this not to mention it being very illegal so he would get in trouble with the law, and it's a super public event so it's not like he's doing it in secret). But somehow we're supposed to buy this as a logical step for this character to take, despite the fact that this would definitely lead to his arrest. It just doesn't make much sense.
I also didn't care much for how a lot of the characters who disagree with Frank keeping Cassius as a pet are kind of just portrayed as one-note and wrong despite some of them actually having a point. Sure, Cassius didn't deserve to die for being a sickly runt, but what Frank did (keeping him as a pet and telling nobody about his identity as a wolf) legitimately could've led to very dangerous situations. Wolves, even nice wolves like Cass, simply do not make good pets.
And it's not like Frank took extra measures for looking after a wolf, like building a proper enclosure for his pet; he literally keeps Cassius as just a dog. I get the point the book is trying to make that Cassius is truly a good wolf who wouldn't harm a thing (unless said thing deserves harming), but it doesn't feel full realistic given the situation and I think antagonizing everyone who is against Cass being kept as a pet isn't a great move on the author's part, considering there is a legitimate danger with keeping a wild animal as a pet especially if one tells the neighborhood he's just a dog.
I also don't like how Frank just instantly decided to keep Cass as a pet rather than looking for alternative options, such as a sanctuary or a reputable zoo, something you'd absolutely expect an experienced animal keeper like Frank to consider. Sure, the main zoo featured in the book sucks, but there are legitimately good reputable zoos out there and it doesn't feel realistic for this experienced zookeeper to not even consider this and instead think that keeping his wolf as a pet is a much better option.
Another thing I really didn't care for was how the book handled Cassius' mate, a German shepherd bitch named Rags. Legit, she is barely even a character in this book. They meet at this dog fighting ring and after that they barely interact until the very ending of the book. Rags feels more like a trophy girlfriend for Cass rather than a legitimate character. She's in the story way too little for her to leave an impact. I don't even buy the relationship between her and Cass, they only reason they're together is because the author's narration says they're in love, but not because of any genuine connection or interactions the two characters have.
So overall I am kind of mixed on this book. Again, I do not think it is bad, but it also has some legitimate points of criticism for me. I still had an okay time reading it, and there are legit some really effective scenes in this book (especially one where Cassius befriends a dying homeless man), but we also get some one-dimensional, illogical and poorly written characters like the zoo director or most people opposing Frank. Cassius himself also isn't interesting and his mate is practically nonexistent. It's a very mixed bag of a book.
If you do like wolf xenofiction I guess it wouldn't hurt to read this one, but at the same time, it's not very good.
Rating: 3/5
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