This one looked promising to me. Spoilers ahead!
Silversong grows up as a low-ranked wolf in his pack and is having trouble rising up the ranks, especially with his bully Gorsescratch constantly picking on him. But then an evil wolf known as the Heretic attacks Silversong's group. Silversong separates from them and goes on a quest to find the Heretic's secret weapon before the villainous wolf can use it for evil purposes. On his way he is joined by his friends Palesquall, Hazel and Frostpaw.
Wow, just. Wow. I am actually positively blown away by how good this book was. It's been a while since I read a xenofiction that just from start to finish had me hooked and totally invested in its plot, characters, world and lore. And this book succeeds in those regards big time.
I love the wolf Seesequasis created here, a post-apocalyptic one where humans are long-gone and wolves are now the reigning species. There's lots of lore and history and backstory to keep track of, but it's all presented to us in small doses, rather than all dumping it on the reader at once, which I can really appreciate. Ya'll know I do tend to have an issue with large loredrops in stories, but thankfully this one always keeps it brief and well-dosed.
The characters are also really good. I quite liked the main cast. Even Gorsescratch is more than just a one-note bully, and the Heretic and Rime are both interesting villains. Honestly I appreciate the author showing that, even if they're going about things the wrong way, they do have a point in how ridiculously oppressive the laws the wolves are all living under are.
The highlight for me in this book really was Silversong and his bond with Frostpaw, though. They have this neat friendship and it just develops really naturally throughout the book (to the point it might even blossom into something more than just friendship in the future?). And even without their close bond, they're good and well-written characters in their own right and I could just spend hours with these guys and their journey.
I also loved the various elements in this story, such as the guardian spirit looking after each species, the giant spiders, the way it plays around near the climax as Silversong eats the piece of time. It's all very neat.
Also, this book legit kept me guessing constantly where things were going next! And I love it when a book can do that. A lot of xenofiction/fantasy books I read are predictable to at least a certain degree, but with this one I legit kept being surprised by the many twists and turns it took.
I honestly don't even have that much more to say about this book. It's just that good. Okay, maybe the one thing about it I didn't fully vibe with is the lack of major female characters. Outside of Hazel, every single major character in this book is a dude. There are side characters like Moonwhisper and Pinetrail, but they don't matter much in the grand scheme of things. And while I do really like Hazel and think she's a well-written character, yeah, I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish there were at least a few more major female characters.
But like, that's a super minor complaint of mine. The rest of the book is so damn good. I absolutely recommend you give this one a read if you like wolves, animal xenofiction in general or fantasy. This is definitely one of the best books I've read in recent times.
Rating: 5/5
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