There was lots of sword action, some lustful action, and hints of supernatural. The story line was somewhat disjoint and seemed clumsy at times but made for a quick read.

I would not recommend this book for someone looking for a detailed epic action book, but for those wanting a simple story this should do nicely to burn away a rainy day.

I’m reading J.W Webb’s books in the wrong order! Gray Wolf turned up on Netgalley and I realised it had been a while since I had visited Gol.

This is set before Shattered Crown, offering the origins story of Corin an Fol and how he came to be the mercenary we know and love in the following books. It’s been a couple of years since I read Shattered Crown and I have to admit to not remembering any of it. I had a look through my review though and discovered I rather enjoyed it.

I guess I liked this book. I certainly didn’t dislike it. But it lacked depth for me and I found connecting to the characters difficult. There was nothing that made me properly empathise with them and considering the violent nature of some of the book, that was a shame because it would have made it an intense read.

The story follows Corin as he leaves home and learns how to fight and become a warrior. He’s petulant and stubborn at the start, a lazy young man who thinks menial work is below him. That attitude changes and he embraces hard work when he sees the benefit in it for him: becoming a strong warrior. Corin is initially dismissive of his fellow recruits and although he softens, he doesn’t strike any true friendships. That lack of connection made it hard to see a depth to him.

That’s not to say he doesn’t feel; Corin falls in love, has a happy few years and then has everything stripped from him. But, again, although he obviously grieves, he also moves on pretty quick. His character lacked depth. As the entire story was focused on how he becomes the man we know later on, that was disappointing.

This is not a long book and considering it spans a number of years, events happen at a steady speed. There are several gaps in the timeline in order to get the characters to where they need to be for the next set of events to take place. That didn’t help with the development; you don’t see how they get there, they’re just suddenly there.

I’m finding this review such a struggle to write. I didn’t dislike the book. I didn’t particularly like it either. It fell flat for me, and maybe that was my fault for having high expectations. The writing is strong and there were a few descriptions I highlighted due to the prose used. There wasn’t unnecessary information (a problem I had in Shattered Crown) and the dialogue was both accurate and amusing.

It lacked a spark though. Missing the connection to the main character while knowing it is his development story made it hard to truly engage with this one.

That being said, it’s a short book. It’s a quick read that fleshes out one of the characters from the later books. If you’ve enjoyed the other Gol fantasy books, then I’d read it just to complete the set.

DNF at 20%.
I really tried with this book, but when trying involves just skipping huge parts and hoping the book gets better... It's not really salvageable. The writing was very basic. The sentence structure and phrases were ones that I've read a million times, but not as well done. The character development was all "telling" and no "showing" in that we were treated to an in-depth analysis of the character's emotions and motives via a very unlikely conversation with a girl immediately as the first chapter began. I just can't stand this transparent type of character development. The plot was so stilted and stereotypical, with the angry, orphaned teenager being suddenly trained by a blacksmith before quickly going to join a mercenary company. The descriptive elements of the text seemed to focus on all the wrong things. There were so many cliches in this writing and plot that I was literally groaning out loud as I read it and exclaiming "come on, you can't be serious!"
To the author, you wrote a book and that's something to be proud of. However, not every book needs to be published. I advise you to practice your art a little more before your next publication.

Corin an Fol orphaned at an early age when raiders killed both his parents in front of his very eyes and kidnapped his sister. He was fuelled by hate and the need for vengeance as of that forsaken day. He decided to join the wolves but even here he was to find a swordmaster who seemed to hate his guts at first sight and who was the meanest bastard ever - Taskala.

An interesting tale in Gray Wolf. The plot & world were well-constructed, as well as the characters. The excessive use of blind luck and outside help to save the main character from death were a bit frustrating at times. The plot really draws you in from the start.

Gray Wolf really transported me to a different place and time and captured the essance of this coming of age story. I was happy to note that this is book one in a series that has way more story to tell. I'm excited about book 2 in the series.

Featuring a main character who howls for attention, this book works well for fans of fantasy and readers looking for a damn good adventure. Nicely done.