Raised by Wolves (Raised by Wolves, #1) in What's the Name of That Book???

Nov 20, 2009 Kate rated it really liked it

Shelves: age-ya, 2010, werewolves

Bryn has been raised by wolves... literally. When she was four, a werewolf killed her parents and came after her, and she was saved by another werewolf, an alpha named Callum. Since then, Bryn has lived under the protection of Callum's pack, with her foster mother Ali. Bryn and Ali are not werewolves, although Callum pushes Bryn to learn to fight like one, and he Marked her so that she is part of the pack.

After headstrong Bryn gets in trouble, she begins to sense that something is amiss in the p Bryn has been raised by wolves... literally. When she was four, a werewolf killed her parents and came after her, and she was saved by another werewolf, an alpha named Callum. Since then, Bryn has lived under the protection of Callum's pack, with her foster mother Ali. Bryn and Ali are not werewolves, although Callum pushes Bryn to learn to fight like one, and he Marked her so that she is part of the pack.

After headstrong Bryn gets in trouble, she begins to sense that something is amiss in the pack. They are trying to protect her from something and she can't help but figure out what it is: a new werewolf named Chase, who was bitten by a Rabid. Since Callum told her that it is rare for humans to survive a werewolf attack long enough to turn wolf, Bryn is instantly curious about this person who survived a similar experience to what she did. But the truth she ultimately uncovers about Chase, the Rabid, and Callum will change her life completely.

One thing I liked about this book that is missing from most werewolf books in the YA genre is that the main character doesn't have to spend half the book figuring out if her boyfriend is a werewolf. Although Bryn is still human and some consider her weaker than her supernatural family, she definitely kicks some major butt. She reminded me a lot of Dru from Strange Angels with a less confusing storyline. The book as a whole reminded me of a YA version of Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series, where an outsider (in Bryn's case because she's human, in Mercy's case because she's a shapeshifter instead of a werewolf) is a member of the pack and must work within the pack's laws even as they underestimate her. The werewolf world here is very well-realized and most of the characters are well-developed, at least 8 or so major characters. There was a romance element but it was more of a pack-bond than anything that actually culminated into a relationship, although it was strong enough that I wanted it to. All in all, this was a great addition to the werewolf genre.

P.S. I think this could stand alone, although the Goodreads entry implies that there will be more. ...more

Like · see review

Jun 25, 2010 Emma rated it really liked it

When Brynn was four-years-old her life changed forever when a rogue werewolf killed her parents. Rescued by the Stone River Pack and Marked by the pack's alpha, Callum, Brynn's safety is a matter of pack law.

The only problem is Brynn is human. Even as a member of the pack, living with a bunch of werewolves is dangerous. Weres can smell fear. They are faster. They are stronger. Most of them are older and more experienced. One lapse in control could leave a human very dead.

Even if that human is a When Brynn was four-years-old her life changed forever when a rogue werewolf killed her parents. Rescued by the Stone River Pack and Marked by the pack's alpha, Callum, Brynn's safety is a matter of pack law.

The only problem is Brynn is human. Even as a member of the pack, living with a bunch of werewolves is dangerous. Weres can smell fear. They are faster. They are stronger. Most of them are older and more experienced. One lapse in control could leave a human very dead.

Even if that human is a fifteen-year-old girl named Brynn who knows almost everything worth knowing about dealing with (and defending herself against) Weres. Even with the danger, Brynn feels more at home in this world dictated by dominance struggles, territorial rights, and pack justice than the human world she left behind.

When a newly-turned were appears in Callum's territory Brynn's insular life within the pack is thrown into chaos. Brynn is inexplicably drawn to the new Were. Even though she has never seen Chase before, she recognizes something in him, she knows him.

As Brynn and Chase are drawn to each other she realizes everything she thought she knew about the pack, and about Callum, might be wrong. Everything Brynn thought she knew about her past, and her life in the pack, might be wrong in Raised by Wolves (2010) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

Raised by Wolves is a completely original take on werewolf lore. Barnes has created a well-realized back story for Brynn and the North American packs. All of the weres and their wolf behaviors are fully realized and add a clever, primal, spin to werewolves with a strong focus on life within the pack and the animal nature of the Weres.

Brynn is a heroine readers will want to root for as well as an excellent guide through the dangerous but tantalizing world of Weres. Although Chase is not as fully realized compared to Brynn he is a good addition to the story, especially combined with the other characters (minor and not) who are quirky, funny and extremely well-developed.

Barnes expertly navigates the murky waters of pack life for Brynn and the grey areas of working towards a greater good in this story. She also packs in enough action, excitement and humor to make Raised By Wolves an edge-of-your-seat adventure that will leave readers guessing until the last page.

Possible Pairings: White Cat by Holly Black, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Clarity by Kim Harrington, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, Divergent by Veronica Roth, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater ...more

Like · see review