An interesting take on how werewolves reached the New World, "The Last Wolf" dealt on traditions and laws of these mythical creatures. There was a long build up of what is supposed to be the crux of the story, but the action came too late and too far into the story. The climax and the denouement came too late and too fast, I almost missed it.

So, what did I like about it?
As a début author, I was very impressed with Ms Vale’s writing style; it felt graceful, full bodied and very easy to read. I thought that the story itself was intelligent and felt well researched and I enjoyed her prose; the way she weaves known wolf behaviours, Norse mythology and archaic languages into her tale is inspiring. The Last Wolf is an unexpected find.

I liked the way that Ms Vale used a prologue to give us a glimpse of the history of her werewolves, the world that they came from and the fundamental difference between werewolves and shapeshifters, before taking us to modern day America where The Great North pack lives.

The Last Wolf is unlike any book I've read before; it is told from first person point of view by our main female lead, Quicksilver Nilsdottir, who is a werewolf but because she was born a runt and has a crippled leg, she is destined to be a nidling - a bond servant to the Alpha pair. Those of you who have read my reviews before will know that I enjoy a story more if the lead female character is intelligent, resilient and independent, i.e. able to stand on her own two feet, I wasn’t disappointed here; Silver (Sil) was all of these and more, despite her social position in her pack, she’s got gumption; a cool wit, loyalty, a big heart and has spirit.

I enjoyed the way that this werewolf story is told; beings that are born wolf cubs and have to learn how to wear a human “skin” and fit in with the human world rather than humans who have an animal beast within themselves, or animal spirit, a voice/presence in their head and a second being that they morph into that they resist and/or fight.

I was so involved in the story, that emotions came easily while reading it; I was on the edge of my seat during the fight scenes, full of horrified indignation at the blatant injustices, shed a few tears at the sad scenes, had a smile on my face with the subtle humour and a lump in my throat at the more romantic scenes. There are explicit sex scenes in this story but the way Ms Vale writes them, lending us the insights into the principles of wolf pack behaviour, Silver’s heart and the growth of Tiberius and Silver’s trust and feelings for each other, made it all the more heart-warming to read.

I enjoyed the twists and turns that Ms Vale sprinkled throughout her tale and liked the fact I wasn’t ever really sure how, or if, she would resolve things. I couldn’t help turning the page to find out to find out what would happen next. As a first in series, I was bracing myself for the inevitable cliffhanger, but I am happy to confirm that there is no life or death situation type cliffhanger at the end of this book. Woop!Woop! (‘cause you all know how I feel a about cliffhangers) and I’m looking forward to finding out where Ms Vale takes us in book 2.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
No. I wouldn’t change a thing; even the more unpalatable, harsh aspects of this story that are harder to read, played an important role to the overall appreciation.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...
I really loved this book. The Last Wolf has everything that I look for in a 5 star book; adventure, a bit of mystery, some action, great characters, a little humour and even a sprinkling of romance.

Due to the sexual content and violence, I’d rate this story 18+, which means I’d recommend this book to adults who are fans of paranormal fantasy stories featuring relationship drama – both family and romantic – with some darker themes.

I had a hard time getting into this book. Silver is a part of a pack. There is a long wolf history and she loves her pack. Tiberius shows up, hurt and unwanted. Silver has a choice to make, but in doing that, she ties her fate to Tiberius.

The book was a story that is easy to follow and no real surprises. I liked Silver and how dedicated she was to her pack. They were her life and she was determined to make Tiberius a part of it. He has issues and a past of his own. Falling in love wasn't a part of his plan at all. It took a lot for Silver to tie her fate to Tiberius because of what he is and the mistrust for his kind. Overall, it was a fairly predictable story.

It was a 2/5 for me. It wasn't a bad story, just not my cup of tea.



Thank you to the publisher/author for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

I really enjoyed reading The Last Wolf, and this book was a great mix of Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. Neither overpowered the other and the author did great job in balancing those two genres. Lately, I don't read a lot of PNR/UF books and it is really difficult for me to find a story that will keep me interested in this genre, so I was really happy that this story exceeded my expectations. The blurb gives a great short overview of what this story is about: "Silver is at the bottom of her Pack’s social order, with little chance for a decent mate and a better life. Until the day a stranger stumbles into their territory, wounded and beaten, and Silver decides to risk everything on Tiberius Leveraux." These two characters are complete opposites of each other. Silver was born crippled and a runt, and Ti is half shifter and half pack. Ti sees himself as human and hates his pack side, while Silver doesn't know anything else. These two would under normal circumstances never come across each other, or associate with one another.

Werewolves are my favorite paranormal creatures and I love learning about pack law and their traditions/customs. I have read a lot of paranormal romance, and especially with the werewolf/shifter type of stories the author usually doesn't focus that much on the ins and outs of a pack. I loved that they didn't try to live in the human world, they have their own home and they are happy with their lives. I loved how Silver and Ti met and how their relationship developed. The author didn't rush and she also focused on their individual growth. This is the first book in The Legend of All Wolves series and I am wondering if the next book will focus on the same couple or other pack members. I personally love Silver and Ti, and I would love to see how their story will continue.

This is my first book by this author and what a fantastical imagination she has. This was so different from other PNR books that I have read and that was definitely refreshing. Not your typical PNR at all, in fact this was more a survival story than romance. Although more dark than I usually like at times, the story line kept me riveted an there was so much to absorb.
I will be looking for the next in this series for sure.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I was just not able to wrap my head around the world the author built. It was extremely complicated, and I found myself having trouble figuring out the characters and seeing the hero and heroine as that - the chemistry wasn't apparent to me at all. I feel this is a book that could work with a lot of people, but for the type of books I typically read, this isn't the right fit for me.

This is an odd duck to categorize. It’s got all the hallmarks of a romance novel (HEA ending, traditional romance plot arc, etc) but it’s also quite dark and raw. I think if you go into this expecting a regular paranormal romance, you'll be disappointed. But, oh man, this book surprised me in such a good way. This is the gritty paranormal romance I never knew I wanted!

In most of the paranormal/urban fantasies I’ve read, the shifters consider themselves both animal and human and generally try to fit in with human society, mostly out of necessity. In this book, the wolves, like Sil, consider themselves wolves first and are “in skin” (human form) only when necessary. Many live separate from human society, though those that do need to interact with humans on a daily basis (like their lawyers, accountants, etc) return home for the three days of the Iron Moon, when the wolves are forced to be in wolf form and are unable to change back to human. Those who are able to change back and forth at will, regardless of the moon phase, are called Shifters, and they chose to emphasize their humanity. Though they’re the closest to the usual shifter portrayal in romance, they’re actually the bad guys in this book.

The world building was superb. Their society is strikingly different from human society, and I thought Ms. Vale did a wonderful job of slowly explaining bits of it as it came up. Everything in their society revolves around the safety of the pack, so things that seem unspeakably horrible to a human (without being too spoiler-y, how Sil’s disability is dealt with) are accepted as a practicality. Ms. Vale does a great job of showing why the wolves are the way they are, and I really felt like I understood Sil’s love for her pack and the wild, despite the hardships she’s faced. I loved Sil. I loved her strength and her strong moral compass, and while I didn’t agree with all the choices she made, I understood why she made them. I started out the book identifying more with Ti and his confusion, but as the pages went by and more about the wolves’ way of life and reasoning became clear, it was Sil I sympathized with, especially her frustration with Ti’s inability to conform to the wolves’ way of life.

If you’ve read grimdark fantasy before, you’ll be familiar with a certain kind of humor that usually serves as a counterpoint to all the grittiness. That’s also present here, and some of it was masterfully done. I’m thinking in particular of the teacher who seems to be applying lipstick every time she appears.

As for cons, this is a first book, and I think it shows in some of the pacing and plotting. I never really felt like I understood why the Shifters felt they way they did about the wolves. Also, there are some threads that aren’t wrapped up, but as this is the first in a planned series, that’s expected.

Overall, while this wasn’t at all what I was expecting, I enjoyed this book very much and simply could not put it down, to the point where I stayed up way too late during a family vacation reading and didn’t regret it at all the next day! Recommended for fans of paranormal romance looking for something fresh and new, and for fans of urban fantasy who don’t mind a little romance in their grimdark.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

This was a did not finish for me - and I hate saying and doing that. This tried for some unique takes on paranormal, but it went a bit too far.

3 LONE WOLF STARS

The Last Wolf begins with a young girl named Silver. She is crippled, as well as a wolf. Most of her life she has been a servant to her pack alpha, leaving her without a mate.

Tiberius is a shifter, one with a huge secret. He begs the alpha for a place in the pack. But must prove his worth to stay or be cut loose and marked as a lone wolf.

The romance in this story was not the main focus of The Last Wolf. It's about survival, protecting the pack, making friends and enemies. Ms. Vale has built a world full of mythical creatures, that is raw and consuming. But, I will admit that I was confused quite a few times. There are a lot of characters, different creatures of the lore. It would have been a tad bit helpful if The Last Wolf had an index. That being said, I really enjoyed The Last Wolf. It's different from all the other stories out there. I look forward to reading future books from Ms. Vale.

This was a very interesting take on the werewolf genre. Silver is a wolf, she is the lowest rank in her pack because she has a crippled leg and so cannot run properly. She is a member of a pack who have a couple of thousand acres so they can live and run free whenever they like. The pack consider themselves Wolves and hate to be "in skin" and avoid it as much as possible.

Tiberius arrives at the compound, wounded and in need of assistance, but Ti is a shifter who stays human and does not like to change to Wolf which causes problems in the pack especially with the Aplhas mate Evie.

Silver is tasked with healing Tiberius and they then have to fight to become full members of the pack. They develop feelings for each other but Tiberius is keeping a secret that will break the pack apart forever.

I really loved it and thought it was clever take on a popular subject. Not sure if there will be a follow up but i would happily read it.

Have to say this will never make a list of books I'd recommend people read. The writing style was fine and flowed, but my lack of engagement with the characters left me feeling a bit blah about the book itself.

I liked this book. I thought the plot was solid and refreshing.

Ms. Vale starts off by introducing two sets of shifters. Wolves and shifters. Neither get along and Shifters tend to be Shifty. This plays into plot. Silver is a crippled wolf who is about to spend her life as a servant to her alpha pair because she doesn't have a male counterpart. Ty is a shifter with a secret who comes begging for a place in the pack. It turns out Ty is also part wolf and he requests sanctuary to escape the leader of the Shifters. However Ty and Silver need to prove their worth in the coming months or be banished as lone wolves.

I thought this was a good start to the world Ms. Vale created. It was under romance and while it had elements of a romance, to me it read more as Sci-Fi. I didn't connect to the characters as much I usually do, and honestly the Romance was I thought second to the world building. While the world building rocked, the character and the ability to relate with them was distant. I got confused at times and had to go back and reread. I think a prologue where some of the rules were laid out would have been helpful. simply because this is such a different take on shape shifters. That being said I love that is didn't follow the norm and really thought this has potential to be a completely different set of books.

I will definitely be looking for more from Ms. Vale.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I hate to do this, but this book was just terrible, typos gibberish that wasn't explained. I could not connect at all with the characters I kept trying and I can see where the plot could be amazing but executition was just so lacking. I haven't honestly not finished a book in a long time but I just couldn't pull through this one. I love werewolves and I loved the idea but the story itself, sorry no just no for me.