Member Reviews
I enjoyed reading this werewolf coming of age romance between Ness and Liam. Supernatural alternative universes are a particular favorite if well-written and this author does a good job of pulling the reader into their universe. Don't want to give too many spoilers, but the two main characters play off each other as strong leads and it the ending is happy. If you like reading Kelley Armstrong or Patricia Briggs, I think you'll enjoy this book too.
Reading this book has been a pleasure! I stayed awake all night to finish it.
Maybe some of the things were predictable, maybe someone would twist his nose for the almost love triangle, but I think you just have to read this and enjoy the ride! Things don't have to be overcomplicated to be beautiful!!
And if that is not enough for you buy this book because there is mystery, love, redemption , empathy, friendship and much more.
When I first began this story I thought it was the second in a series. I actually went back to hunt down to make sure that this was indeed the beginning of a new series. The way the reader is thrown in makes it hard to figure out just what is happening and who we are supposed to be learning about.
Once you push through the first 5 or so chapters the story begins to take place. While I would have loved a prologue the back story does come out slowly. We learn about prejudice and sexism and all sorts of triggering things(rape talk).
What I enjoyed the most has to be the ending. It was not at all what I was expecting and it pleasantly surprised me. I may even pick up the second to see what will happen next.
Thank you for allowing me to read and review this through NetGalley.
It has a great female lead character, Ness, that was shunned from her only family. She is forced to return to them and doesn't hold back how she feels. Ness takes control of her life and forces the people who abandoned her to see she is not a coward and has a back bone. Definitely an amazing lady to read about. Hope you enjoy it!
Got this from NetGalley to make an honest review about it. I always wanted a book about werewolves & finding one was difficult. Why are there hardly any book out here about werewolves dang it! When I read this I loved how Ness was independent & she didn’t crap any crap! I love mystery of this book. The only thing I have about this book is Heath & Aiden. I need book 2 like yesterday lol!
The book was good. The story didn't have as much of an impact as I expected it to. That may be because I recently read Bitten by Kelly Armstrong and liked it a lot. So I was kind of comparing both the books for a while.
As for the characters, I loved all of them. They seemed complete and it was clear what each character stands for.
ARC provided by the publisher through netgalley. Thank you. I honestly didn't expect this book to be so good. I can't wait for the next in this series.
Werewolves. Drama. Mystery. Romance.
This book was so addicting and very reminiscent of the Werecat series by Rachel Vincent. I thorough enjoyed this book, the characters were so much fun. I especially enjoyed how they interacted with each other throughout the book. I went into this thinking it was going to be just a regular YA romance but I was definitely wrong. The twists and turns and drama mixed with the romance had me hooked. I’m not a mystery reader so the little mysteries throughout the book surprised me, every turn was a shock to me and I literally had my mouth gaping open at some parts. All in all I loved it and can’t wait for the next one!
I want to thank Netgalley for providing me an Arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.
First of all I want to say how much I loved this book!
At first glance I thought I was going to be a typical werewolf storyline but I was pleasantly surprised and found I couldn’t put this book down.
I adored our main character Ness she was so badass.
I also love the dynamics between her and the pack considering she was shunned for being born a girl in an all male pack.
She was able to stand up for herself amid all the sexism and hate being thrown her way and I loved her for that.
Overall this is everything I could have ever wanted from a werewolf book.
I devoured this book in one sitting and when I finished I immediately wished I had the next book.
If I could give it more than five stars I would because I haven’t enjoyed a book like this one in a long time.
A Pack of Blood and Lies wasn't my favorite book but I didn't hate it. I found it hard to relate with the characters. But I am intrigued to see what is going to happen next.
I never would have thought that I would like the book as much as I did. I read the synopsis and liked it but lately they haven’t been delivering until now. At first, when I realized she was a teenager I thought that this was going to turn out way different. I thought naive girl and an angsty love triangle.
Yes she, Ness, was a little naive, but in a way that actually adds to the character. She learns real quick from her mistakes and the people around her. She thought she knew the world she left and when she’s forced back she sees things have changed. She is angry at everyone and everything about her circumstances so her attitude stinks most times. But then Liam comes around and I think he likes poking the bear.
Liam Kolane, son of ex alpha Heath (dead), is one of Ness’s main areas of distress. She sees him and sees Heath’s son. Not Liam himself and that irritates the crap out of him. He shows her time and time again that he is NOT his father but he does have his own faults. He isn’t perfect afterall.
He wants to be Alpha and after they way Ness had been treated she decides to go head to head with him for it. She doesn’t want it but she doesn’t want him to have it either. She goes through the unfair trials and comes out stronger for it. She butts head with the other pack members but ends up fitting in all the same.
The relationship between Liam and Ness grows gradually and doesn’t feel forced. While there is another love interest for her (one sided but there) this isn’t a love triangle story (which I HATE!). This book was very enjoyable for me, i stayed up til 2 in the morning just to finish it!
I should have read the description better I suppose. This is a story of wolves and all that. I really don't like this kind of story. I skimmed through. It's not for me. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
I was happy to receive an ARC of A Pack of Blood and Lies in exchange for an honest review!
Real rating 2.5/5
Werewolves, like most fantasy or supernatural creatures are a fave when it comes to reading material. More so, I love a good "woman finding her way in a male dominated pack." It's a trope, but a good one we see often enough in werewolf books. Alas, this book just didn't do it for me the way I wanted it to. I may have gone in with too high of expectations, but APOBAL fell short in so many areas, I'm surprised I finished it.
The bones of the story are thus: Ness, just shy of her 18th birthday, is forced to return to a town and a pack that had originally chased her and her widowed mother out several years ago. The horrible alpha is dead, and his son is set to be the new alpha. But when Ness returns, she decides to run against him for the title.
Now, let's begin with Ness. I had mixed feelings towards the beginning, her inner thoughts and reasoning and overall thought process is kind of bland and boring. I think she's boring, but I also thought there was plenty of room to grow. I don't believe Ness grew at all throughout this book. Her attraction to Liam (the guy who wants to be alpha) is kinda just THERE, not really written in a way where it blooms and unfolds. She makes several very questionable, bordering on reckless, decisions that had me so irritated with her I had to put the book down and question if I wanted to continue. Liam is two dimensional, and though I was promised a "kind but punishing" alpha male, I got none of that. There is legitimately no reason why she should like this guy. I was a bit distraught halfway through the book when I realized I didn't care for a single character. Like, at all. Every character is boring, flat, and so cliche it physically hurt my eyes.
There are severe trigger warnings that should be better advertised instead of the, "contains alpha males" warning in the synopsis. There is rape, so bad the girl is in a comma. Lots of rape and sexual violence. So be warned. Also, be warned that the sexual assault in this book is written for one purpose: SHOCK VALUE, and that irks me greatly. There were a cluster of political and social issues the author tried to weave throughout her story but it simply ended up a giant mess and came off as trying so very hard to make me see OH LOOK DIVERSITY OH LOOK FEMINISM OH LOOK SEXUAL REPRESENTATION. I prefer books to have these elements as a natural inclination, instead of being forced onto me in a far too obvious and pushed way. If anything some of it took away from the story and characters because it didn't feel natural at all.
There is misogyny. Lots of it. It's one of the key motivators for Ness, to prove the men wrong and show that she is strong and can be a part of the pack. Most of the characters were so out of character the whole time, things they would do or say one chapter would be erased or confused by the next chapter. The guys don't want a girl in the pack, then they are saying she's so great and strong...its tiresome the lack of character consistency. And Ness? The main girl who vows sexism is wrong? She would turn right around and hate on a girl just for what she was wearing but complain that girls weren't sticking together. Hypocritical to the max.
The main plot, her and Liam fighting it out with a series of tasks to achieve the title of alpha, was kind of a backburner plot even though it should have been front and center. Not to mention the tasks were ultimately pretty boring and simple. But there are about three other subplots that weave throughout and it all seems so halfhearted that I ultimately wasn't too invested in seeing how any of it played out. The stakes of this book are at a flatline the entire time, never once did I worry or truly care who would win or what would happen.
The saving grace of the story was the werewolf factor, I love the beasts and it's the only reason I kept reading. Overall I give it such a low rating because I feel like the world building and character development was very weak. But I also plan on continuing the series because I hope to actually see the characters finally grow and come together.
Thank you to Twig Publishing and NetGalley providing me with an e-ARC to read and review.
I really, really enjoyed reading A Pack of Blood and Lies by Olivia Wildenstein. The title is certainly an understatement. There is blood, lies, magic, romance, alpha males, and then some. I had a hard time putting this book down, so eager I was to know what would happen next.
Ness is a fantastic, dynamic main character for all her stubborn recklessness. She aims to find her place in the world, prove herself to the pack the denied her, avenge her deceased parents' for the wrongs dealt to them, and avoid the strangely growing feelings for the former Alpha's son, Liam. So much to worry about, leaving in its wake tension, mystery, and countless questions.
This book gets real dark at times. It's a shame what Ness has to do/go through to find her place in the sun. The secrets unfolded are horrendous. I hate the misogynistic assumptions the Boulder pack men have about Ness without really knowing her or getting to know her after her long return. I think this is the cause for most of the problems that happen in the story.
This is a great start to a new series that I can't wait to keep reading.
I loved this book.
Ness is 17 years old and living in Los Angeles with her guardian Evelyn as her mother had died a few months before. She is working as a cleaner when her aunt, uncle and cousin turn up and tell her that they are taking her home to boulder colorado where her family are.
Ness has no choice but to go. Ness however is a werewolf and her father was murdered and her pack do not allow girls, and Ness challenges the elders to not only become part of the pack, but to become Alpha.
Along the way she falls in love and her life changes forever.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and signed up to get the next one.
Solid 5 stars. Thank you for letting me read it!
I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
It has been awhile since I devoured a book in less than 24hrs. I absolutely loved the snarky, cockiness of Ness. She was born into a pack of all male werewolves and she was cast out bc of her gender. She was told she couldn't be a part of the pack bc she was a girl! Well she wasn't going to take that, when she found herself facing said pack 6yrs after she was forced to leave with her mother. She then gives these boys a run for their money! Yes, she can be a little full of herself sometimes, but it's all a facade. She is actually a normal young woman with fears and doubts just like any other person, she is just able to put on a show when needed. She wasn't going to let that pack see her as weak or as less than their equal all bc of her sex! There is action, snarkiness, and romance. All my favorite things. The author doesn't leave us in a cliff-hanger per say, but there is the hint of more to come. Ness and Liams story isn't over and I cant wait to find out what happens!!
Thank you for the ARC
Outstanding story that was impossible to put down. I was so immersed in the story that I didn’t realize the time. Don’t miss out once it’s released.
I feel like I read something completely different than everyone else because of all of the 5 star reviews... but the plot did not hold my attention and I couldn't connect to any of the characters. Especially the main character, I found her really annoying. The themes of the book seemed mature to me but the dialogue and plot felt very juvenile. Just not my thing...
Ce que j’ai aimé dans ce roman, c’est la fibre féministe qui le baigne. Ness est unique car elle ne connaît pas d’autres louves-garous et ayant grandi avec les Humains, elle est une outsider à l’égard du clan. Pourtant, ce n’est pas cela qui la motive. Ce qui la fait avancer, c’est sa volonté de prouver aux mâles qu’elle ne vaut pas moins qu’eux à cause de son sexe. Elle se bat pour montrer qu’elle est aussi forte qu’eux et qu’elle a autant sa place parmi les siens. Alors que dans les romans de fantasy, les clichés des demoiselles en détresse sont légion, c’est un point rafraichissant qui me plaît beaucoup.
L’autre point que j’ai aimé, c’est l’espèce de quête dans laquelle elle se lance pour démêler les fils de son histoire et de son héritage familial. Elle se reconnecte avec ses instincts primaires. On ressent littéralement le plaisir qu’elle prend à se retransformer. On sent que cela fait partie d’elle. C’était la première fois que je ressentais l’action comme si c’était moi qui la vivais.
Plusieurs rebondissements viennent pimenter l’intrigue. D’un côté, il y a le combat pour la place de leader qui donne lieu à de belles scènes d’entraide et d’empathie. C’est la première fois que j’adore me retrouver dans la tête des héros alors qu’ils sont dans la peau de bêtes à quatre pattes. J’ai eu l’impression de voir littéralement les personnages et ça m’a rappelé Croc-Blanc.
Puis, il y a le mystère lié à Aidan Michaels qui possède plusieurs ramifications et qui, à mon avis, se prolongera peut-être dans les tomes suivants.
Enfin, l’entrée en scène d’un clan adverse ajoute du peps à l’histoire car dans celui-ci, il y a d’autres louves-garous et c’est intéressant de voir Ness interagir et se lier d’amitié avec Sarah.
En conclusion, j’ai adoré ce premier volume! A pack of blood and lies signe mon premier coup de coeur de l’année: j’ai été captivée de bout en bout, la romance est amenée à un rythme auquel j’adhère, je suis tombée sous le charme des héros et j’ai tout le temps été surprise. C’était génial!
A Pack of Blood and Lies is a fun take on the story of werewolves. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between characters and the growth that all of the characters went through in accepting the fact that a girl is fighting to be in their pack.
Ness is a strong female character that I think everyone will enjoy getting to know and the classic bad boy to possible romantic interest Liam Kolane is not too bad himself.
The only thing I wish was that there was more of a background on Ness's story. Other than that I recommend to fans of Twilight, and other werewolf books.