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motaki's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Addiction, Murder, and Alcoholism
Minor: Blood, Cancer, and Grief
leahsbooks's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
4.0
So let me start this by saying I have no idea what led me to think that this was going to be a YA book, but it most certainly was NOT. It’s a queer retelling of Peter and the Wolf, but the beginning gave me some serious The Bear and the Nightingale vibes. It’s set in Siberia, and it was the perfect winter story to read while sipping a hot cup of tea while wrapped in a fuzzy blanket.
A chance encounter between Pyotra’s little brother and a tundra wolf sets off a chain reaction with massive consequences for the whole family. Pyotra winds up going after the wolf and playing a game of cat and mouse in the first part of the book, except that it isn’t exactly clear who is the cat and who is the mouse. And Volk, the wolf, isn’t what she appears to be either.
I loved how the perspective shifted between Pyotra and Volk. It kept me from getting bored, even though there wasn’t a ton of action. I still found it intriguing and seeing how their characters interacted. There were some graphic sexual scenes in the story, so be prepared! I wasn’t expecting it, but the queer romance was well-developed and slow-burning.
The second part of the story shifts perspective to that of Pyotra’s brother Sergei. I was truly invested in the story by this time, and was super curious about what was going on with him. But in the third (and final) part of the story, there were some additional POVs added. I didn’t get to know these characters as well, so I wasn’t as invested in them. Those characters and the ending itself all felt a bit rushed, but all in all, I enjoyed the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Murder, and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer
notthatlibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Sexual content, and Child abuse
Moderate: Gore, Death of parent, and Animal death
Minor: Addiction, Cannibalism, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
irl_bookworms's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Pyotra and the Wolf is a book that made me so very happy with all of the choices that were made! It is a queer retelling of the Russian fairytale ‘Peter & the Wolf’ except very sapphic, and very sexy.
Pyotra lives in an isolated village on the edge of Siberia and from the first page the atmosphere sinks into you and never leaves (Never for a moment do you not feel the cold in your mind, or the sharpness in the air.) One night Pyotra, spots her younger brother being attacked (she thinks) by a wolf. She tends to her brother’s wounds and then follows the wolf out into the wilderness, intending to kill it. However, Volk is an Oboroten (a turnskin) and not just any ordinary wolf, and Pyotra only discovers this when they are alone, out in the middle of the tundra.
Naturally, this is the perfect set up for a close quarters romance - we get the tropes of ‘there’s only one bed’ and warming each other up with body heat. An intense intimacy sparks between the two women in such isolated conditions. And now, for those interested, the smutty scenes are very, very smutty, and very, very sexy - not only that, but they are also beautiful and sapphic and intimate and intense.
I don’t want to spoil the second half of the book, but I just want to say, I loved all of the secondary characters that were introduced. We get an aroace masseuse, a giant of a hitman with a soft heart, and his lover who just so happens to be his sly, fast talking partner. When the story reached it’s climax, I literally wrote down in my notes “Team Queer Assemble!”
I loved every moment of this story and my only qualm was that I wanted more. Wanted more of Pyotra and Volk, wanted more of all the secondary characters, and I wanted more of their world. It was fascinating and beautiful and I will be thinking about this story for a long while to come!
**Thank you NineStar Press LLC and NetGalley for the ARC**
Pyotra lives in an isolated village on the edge of Siberia and from the first page the atmosphere sinks into you and never leaves (Never for a moment do you not feel the cold in your mind, or the sharpness in the air.) One night Pyotra, spots her younger brother being attacked (she thinks) by a wolf. She tends to her brother’s wounds and then follows the wolf out into the wilderness, intending to kill it. However, Volk is an Oboroten (a turnskin) and not just any ordinary wolf, and Pyotra only discovers this when they are alone, out in the middle of the tundra.
Naturally, this is the perfect set up for a close quarters romance - we get the tropes of ‘there’s only one bed’ and warming each other up with body heat. An intense intimacy sparks between the two women in such isolated conditions. And now, for those interested, the smutty scenes are very, very smutty, and very, very sexy - not only that, but they are also beautiful and sapphic and intimate and intense.
I don’t want to spoil the second half of the book, but I just want to say, I loved all of the secondary characters that were introduced. We get an aroace masseuse, a giant of a hitman with a soft heart, and his lover who just so happens to be his sly, fast talking partner. When the story reached it’s climax, I literally wrote down in my notes “Team Queer Assemble!”
I loved every moment of this story and my only qualm was that I wanted more. Wanted more of Pyotra and Volk, wanted more of all the secondary characters, and I wanted more of their world. It was fascinating and beautiful and I will be thinking about this story for a long while to come!
**Thank you NineStar Press LLC and NetGalley for the ARC**
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent
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