Winter Wolf, by Rachel M. Raithby | {ARC} Book Review #346

Thank You to Amazon Publishing via Netgalley, for allowing me to read Winter Wolf by Rachel M. Raithby, in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warnings:
Murder,
Murder Mention,
Car Accident
Car Accident Resulting in Death,
Blood

Katalina Winter was prepared for life to change when she turned eighteen—but she never expected to actually change.

Learning that her birth parents were purebred wolf shifters is shocking enough. Now she’s expected to take her place in their unfamiliar world. Caught between two warring packs, Katalina must learn fast. One pack, led by the father she has only just met, wants to control her—and the other one wants her dead.

However, there is one bright spot to shifting, and his name is Bass Evernight. Tall, dark, and oh-so-handsome, Bass is the wolf that Katalina craves. He’s also strictly forbidden: a member of Dark Shadow, Bass is the son of her father’s mortal enemy. Yet deep down inside, Katalina’s new primal instincts howl that Bass is her mate. Can their love bring an end to the brutal war that has raged for so long, or will it spark the fighting around them into an all-consuming fire?

Publication Date: October 27 2015.

I didn’t know that Winter Wolf would be part of a trilogy/series beforehand, so finding out that there are more books in the New Dawn series besides Winter Wolf is very intriguing.

Winter Wolf is an incredibly fast paced book — and a quick few hour read at that. I didn’t know what to expect within this story, but I knew that it was a shifter novel. I’ve had this ARC for a while, but honestly… I’m so glad that I read Winter Wolf. I was really in the need for a shifter novel and Winter Wolf definitely provided!

There were a few ups and downs in this novel for sure. The first being the writing. I enjoyed how the story progressed, and the character growth that Katalina went through, but at some points the writing felt forced. Which can be a huge bummer, since forced writing can ruin a story.

The character growth that Katalina goes through is something to mention though. Katalina’s growth as a character is shocking, to say the least. While we don’t really see Katalina’s life before, we certainly see the aftermath of what happens. There’re some points in the story; especially the beginning, that I don’t think would be a normal reaction to Katalina’s happenstance. Comparing Katalina in the beginning versus the end, you can see that there’s a huge difference in her character. Kat completely grew into herself and what she is.

Another thing that I like about this novel was that it wasn’t very predictable. I mean, there are definitely some eye-roll moments that I had while reading this book. However, the one main thing that I predicted didn’t come true. Which I actually enjoyed.

Overall, Winter Wolf was an interesting story that I initially had really high hopes for. While the story did meet my expectations, the writing was something that dulled the overall feel of the book.

I give Winter Wolf, 3 stars.

Do you read shapeshifter stories?
If you do, what was the last one you read?

Happy Reading!
— Adele