Goodreads Summary– Her story begins on a train.
The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball in Tokyo.
Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move.
But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?
The ending- I did not see the ending of this book coming and I thought it was absolutely genius and so creative. It really made me want to read the next book and see where this story is going to go. One of the best endings I have ever read if I am being honest!
Action-packed- There was a lot of action in this book and it was really entertaining. I usually do not enjoy race related novels but there was something special about the way that Wolf by Wolf was written.
Original- I do not think that I have ever read an alternate history novel and I really enjoyed it. It was so fascinating to read about what the world may have been like had Hitler won the war. There was also a SciFi element that I wasn’t expecting and was not so sure about at first but eventually came around to.
Past and present timelines- I really loved that the author included chapters that focused on Yael’s past and explains how she ended up the way that she did. I think the chapters about her past were actual my favourite. I would love a prequel to this novel.
Side characters– I wish that we got to know more about the side characters and their histories. I feel as though the only characters who I truly understand is Yael, and I would have loved to have a better connection to the other characters.
“The wolves of war are gathering. They sing a song of rotten bones.”
“Her self-reflection was no reflection at all. It was a shattered mirror. Something she had to piece together, over and over again. Memory by memory. Loss by loss. Wolf by wolf.”
“Hope. A strange word. In her past, it had been a light, wispy thing. Crushed as easily as a finger under a guard’s boot. But now…now hope weighed so much, as if the Colosseum itself had collapsed on top of her. Mortar and suffering. Brick and time.”
If you have read Wolf by Wolf I would love to know your opinion. Have you read the second book? What did you think?
great review! i have this on my tbr since the first time i heard about it 😂🙈 one day i’ll read it!
It’s a good one! It’s been on my tbr for ages as well!
maybe that’s how it should be with this book! 😀
I really loved Wolf by Wolf when I read it! This story was so original and unique, I have never read anything like it before. And I have to agree, the ending was amazing! I never saw it coming either. I have yet to pick up the sequel, but I’m really looking forward to finding out how the story will end. Great review!! 😀
Thank you!! Definitely an original idea and I think she did a good job with it! I hope we both like the sequel just as much!
I absolutely loved both of these books. I’d also recommend the novella for this series (and I don’t read novellas all that often).
I didn’t realize there was a novella! Definitely going to read that too. Thanks!
I haven’t read this one yest but heard so many good things about it! Thank you for this very “organised” review 😉
Hahaha you’re welcome! It’s definitely a good book!
Well this looks like a FCKN GOOD STARTT WOOO <3 HAHA Cant wait to start Ryans books 😀
She is a very talented writer!
Great review!! I’m so keen to read this 😀
Thank you! I recommend it for sure!
You’re welcome!
I just got it on my overdrive app – I can’t wait to dive in. The reviews so far have been amazing and it does sound utterly unique.👍🏼👍🏼
It’s so unique! Highly recommend it!
Second time I’ve seen a review for this book, and both have said good things!
It’s great! Highly recommend it!
I absolutely loved this book and I’m so glad you loved it too! There is also a novella with Luka and Adele as the main lead. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the second book! 🙂
A Luka novella is exactly what I need. A little more back story about his character would be nice!
I still have Wolf by Wolf on my TBR, but I really enjoyed Graudin’s stand-alone novel Invictus.
I have heard a lot of great things about Invictus!
I really liked it, and it made me more excited about picking up Wolf by Wolf.
Oo I “recently” purchased this book and been meaning to pick it up but alas I have not. Hopefully I’ll get to it soon. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Great review x
Too many books so little time! Thank you!