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pause_theframe's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very enjoyable book. I was wondering, after having a look at some of the reviews, if it was for me, but I am a fan of books that make sure that you are given enough detail to really get you absorbed in the story, but still leave you guessing and thinking about what is happening in the book. This soon became the exact reason why I loved this book.
I found that the author gave us loads of detail about both the characters, their thoughts, emotions, personality and fears, as well as building us the world around them, with details, from the large to the small, making the world very real. I enjoyed having everything at hand to feel as though I knew and was really a part of the world and the story.
I also found the characters intriguing. They were involved in a fair amount of dialogue, but this was essential to build up the intricate struggles that were taking place. We were also given the opportunity to really see inside the minds and emotions of the characters, almost making me feel as though I not only knew them, but was close to them, I was a part of their lives and the story.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I found it was unique and interesting. I liked the fantasy and paranormal take on the story and am looking forward to reading the next instalment of the series.
I found that the author gave us loads of detail about both the characters, their thoughts, emotions, personality and fears, as well as building us the world around them, with details, from the large to the small, making the world very real. I enjoyed having everything at hand to feel as though I knew and was really a part of the world and the story.
I also found the characters intriguing. They were involved in a fair amount of dialogue, but this was essential to build up the intricate struggles that were taking place. We were also given the opportunity to really see inside the minds and emotions of the characters, almost making me feel as though I not only knew them, but was close to them, I was a part of their lives and the story.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I found it was unique and interesting. I liked the fantasy and paranormal take on the story and am looking forward to reading the next instalment of the series.
cindie_kenei's review against another edition
5.0
A bit confusing at first but i fell in love with the story telling.....and then it was too good to stop
ellelainey's review against another edition
5.0
** This review is identical to that contained within the Wolf's Own Bundle. **
Book 1: Ghost
Length: 0-29%
POV: 3rd, multi POV
Star rating: ★★★★★
HOLY COW! It cannot end there!
Thank God this is a bundle, because I'd go stir crazy if I had to end the story there and wait for the next book to be released or to go buy it. I barely have the patience to write this review, before I move on to read the next part.
Okay...
First off, I love the POV. Multi-POV's used is a tricky thing to pull off, but it works perfectly in this story. We get to see events unfold from the POV of: Malick and Jacin, who are the two main characters; Samin, Umeia and Yori, who are all part of Malick's “team”. Then we get Qiri's POV for the flashbacks, to show us the birth of the twins, as well as Joori's POV to show us Jacin's childhood through the eyes of someone who wants to take care of him. We also get the POV of Asai, who becomes Jacin's mentor and puppet-master, and his servant Vonshi, as well as a brief POV for Xari. Shig is another part of Malick's team, but we never get her POV in this story, perhaps because she's the biggest fruit loop out of all of them.
The characterisation is genius. Right from the start, I loved Malick's smartass, worldly wise and devious nature, knowing that there was a big secret about him but never quite sure what it was until the big reveal. Jacin was adorable, to begin with, such a great kid and with a beautiful brotherly relationship with Joori. Their childhood flashbacks made me love them both so much. For me, Shig is the next best thing, in the list of who I loved most, because she is a total nutcase, but a deviously genius one and she just knows how to push all of Jacin's buttons.
I loved the way that we were slowly eased into the complexity of each character, even those who were supposedly 'minor' like Yori and Umeia. Their stories all weave into each other, all having a bigger part to play in the overall picture and the supremely clever storytelling, world building and characterisation all compound together to make sure that we're told their story in the perfect way. Not only does it have balance between detail, showing and telling, but it gives us what we need to know when we need to know it and not a minute sooner. In this way, the flashbacks are perfectly placed.
Almost from the end of Chapter 1, I knew that I'd be stuck to this story like glue. I couldn't put it down to even go get a drink or something to eat, without turning over everything I knew so far, trying to figure out who the Mage was, why Asai set off my Spider senses and wondering just how much more adorable Joori and Jacin could be. Not to mention the seriously lip-biting-good chemistry between Malick and Jacin, or Fen as he's known in Malick's POV.
Most importantly, I loved getting to see Jacin growing up, both as an innocent kid and then again as Asai's student, learning and questioning, slowly beginning to see the light and find his own voice. His journey is just so beautiful that it's unbelievable.
And, of course, the final revelation of who the Mage really was and who Malick really is was mind-blowingly great and everything I'd hoped for.
Overall, I loved every word. I cried, I laughed, I snorted, I melted and I nearly fainted over the best parts. And I'll be coming back to read it again and again, in the future.
~
Favourite Quote
Okay, I had so many. Literally, I marked off nearly ten quotes, so I really had to work hard to choose my favourites.
“He'd never known anything could hurt so badly, so deeply, could raze the core of him and leave it scraped raw and burned to cinders. Like every step he took formed a scar between himself and Joori, wide and malformed, and ugly as the bare, scrubby earth over which he trod.”
“Now d'you feel wooed?”
Book 1: Ghost
Length: 0-29%
POV: 3rd, multi POV
Star rating: ★★★★★
HOLY COW! It cannot end there!
Thank God this is a bundle, because I'd go stir crazy if I had to end the story there and wait for the next book to be released or to go buy it. I barely have the patience to write this review, before I move on to read the next part.
Okay...
First off, I love the POV. Multi-POV's used is a tricky thing to pull off, but it works perfectly in this story. We get to see events unfold from the POV of: Malick and Jacin, who are the two main characters; Samin, Umeia and Yori, who are all part of Malick's “team”. Then we get Qiri's POV for the flashbacks, to show us the birth of the twins, as well as Joori's POV to show us Jacin's childhood through the eyes of someone who wants to take care of him. We also get the POV of Asai, who becomes Jacin's mentor and puppet-master, and his servant Vonshi, as well as a brief POV for Xari. Shig is another part of Malick's team, but we never get her POV in this story, perhaps because she's the biggest fruit loop out of all of them.
The characterisation is genius. Right from the start, I loved Malick's smartass, worldly wise and devious nature, knowing that there was a big secret about him but never quite sure what it was until the big reveal. Jacin was adorable, to begin with, such a great kid and with a beautiful brotherly relationship with Joori. Their childhood flashbacks made me love them both so much. For me, Shig is the next best thing, in the list of who I loved most, because she is a total nutcase, but a deviously genius one and she just knows how to push all of Jacin's buttons.
I loved the way that we were slowly eased into the complexity of each character, even those who were supposedly 'minor' like Yori and Umeia. Their stories all weave into each other, all having a bigger part to play in the overall picture and the supremely clever storytelling, world building and characterisation all compound together to make sure that we're told their story in the perfect way. Not only does it have balance between detail, showing and telling, but it gives us what we need to know when we need to know it and not a minute sooner. In this way, the flashbacks are perfectly placed.
Almost from the end of Chapter 1, I knew that I'd be stuck to this story like glue. I couldn't put it down to even go get a drink or something to eat, without turning over everything I knew so far, trying to figure out who the Mage was, why Asai set off my Spider senses and wondering just how much more adorable Joori and Jacin could be. Not to mention the seriously lip-biting-good chemistry between Malick and Jacin, or Fen as he's known in Malick's POV.
Most importantly, I loved getting to see Jacin growing up, both as an innocent kid and then again as Asai's student, learning and questioning, slowly beginning to see the light and find his own voice. His journey is just so beautiful that it's unbelievable.
And, of course, the final revelation of who the Mage really was and who Malick really is was mind-blowingly great and everything I'd hoped for.
Overall, I loved every word. I cried, I laughed, I snorted, I melted and I nearly fainted over the best parts. And I'll be coming back to read it again and again, in the future.
~
Favourite Quote
Okay, I had so many. Literally, I marked off nearly ten quotes, so I really had to work hard to choose my favourites.
“He'd never known anything could hurt so badly, so deeply, could raze the core of him and leave it scraped raw and burned to cinders. Like every step he took formed a scar between himself and Joori, wide and malformed, and ugly as the bare, scrubby earth over which he trod.”
“Now d'you feel wooed?”
kim3100's review against another edition
3.0
I received the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
I liked reading this book, but it was a little bit slow paced for me. It would love it to go a little bit quicker.
I liked reading this book, but it was a little bit slow paced for me. It would love it to go a little bit quicker.
eb00kie's review
4.0
I'm almost tempted to snap one more star because this isn't a novel, it's a serial, a friggin' 390 page exposition.
That is not to say it's not quite good. There is some action, decent world building, a character with an awesome right hook and a mix of Chinese-like calendar gods and minor/fallen gods, mixed with racism, prophecy, a decent romantic subplot and the BATTLE-THAT-SHALL-SETTLE-ALL is going to happen on the tonight of the the day the book ended.
How could you?
That is not to say it's not quite good. There is some action, decent world building, a character with an awesome right hook and a mix of Chinese-like calendar gods and minor/fallen gods, mixed with racism, prophecy, a decent romantic subplot and the BATTLE-THAT-SHALL-SETTLE-ALL is going to happen on the tonight of the the day the book ended.
How could you?
thistlechaser's review against another edition
5.0
Wolf's-own is a fantasy series with a M/M romance in it. While the world/worldbuilding is interesting enough, it's the characters that make the story.
The story focuses on two main characters, one Fen (AKA Ghost, AKA Jacin-rei) and one Malick. Fen is Untouchable -- Ancestor spirits speak through him. Understandably, this tends to drive the Untouchables insane. Malick is something that would be spoilery to explain, but even without that, he's such an interesting character. The two of them together are explosive, in generally the worst ways but sometimes the best ways.
The only thing I initially disliked was that it used multiple third person POVs. I like one best, though I can usually get into two, but in the case of this book, POV jumped to whichever character would best progress the story. Which makes sense, but tended to slightly disconnect me.
If I had only the first book, I might be somewhat unhappy with the ending. It did not end on a cliffhanger, but it sure did leave a whole lot of threads unresolved. Luckily I was able to start the next book with nothing more than a slight flick of my finger.
This book did something I generally dislike: It included a glossary. I only skimmed it at the beginning, and by the end wish I had had read it more closely. Ebooks (or at least my Kindle) make it hard to go back and read something earlier without losing your place, so I never turned back to it, which left me trying to remember what the various [made up named thing]s were.
Hm, rereading this review, that sure does sound like I had a lot of complaints, huh? But I really did love it. The characters were so interesting, the story kept zipping right along, and while there was a relationship in the story, it never got close to being a romance book.
The story focuses on two main characters, one Fen (AKA Ghost, AKA Jacin-rei) and one Malick. Fen is Untouchable -- Ancestor spirits speak through him. Understandably, this tends to drive the Untouchables insane. Malick is something that would be spoilery to explain, but even without that, he's such an interesting character. The two of them together are explosive, in generally the worst ways but sometimes the best ways.
The only thing I initially disliked was that it used multiple third person POVs. I like one best, though I can usually get into two, but in the case of this book, POV jumped to whichever character would best progress the story. Which makes sense, but tended to slightly disconnect me.
If I had only the first book, I might be somewhat unhappy with the ending. It did not end on a cliffhanger, but it sure did leave a whole lot of threads unresolved. Luckily I was able to start the next book with nothing more than a slight flick of my finger.
This book did something I generally dislike: It included a glossary. I only skimmed it at the beginning, and by the end wish I had had read it more closely. Ebooks (or at least my Kindle) make it hard to go back and read something earlier without losing your place, so I never turned back to it, which left me trying to remember what the various [made up named thing]s were.
Hm, rereading this review, that sure does sound like I had a lot of complaints, huh? But I really did love it. The characters were so interesting, the story kept zipping right along, and while there was a relationship in the story, it never got close to being a romance book.
scarletine6's review against another edition
5.0
My first ever M/M back in 2014. I loved it and was addicted to the series.
see_sadie_read's review against another edition
I'm not going to write individual reviews for each of these books, because though I understand they are split up to avoid a 900 page epic and each does come to a relatively natural stopping point, it is undeniably one single story and any individual book would be most unsatisfactory on its own. So, they are not stand-alones! But since I read them as a bundle I'll rate/review them as one. Even as I acknowledge that if I'd only had the first I likely wouldn't rate it so high, considering its lack of conclusion.
But as a single story I really enjoyed it. It's tragic and complex and redemptive all at the same time. I loved Fen and Kamen, as well as Kamen's whole team and Fen's family. The world is complex and multi-demential and the peoples are varied.
I did occasionally, especially in climactic scenes, wonder how things that happened happened. I often knew what was happening, but felt I missed the explanation of how it was happening. How someone suddenly had control of another or caused a certain something to occur, etc. Similarly, sometimes things that were meant to be cryptic to the characters were also a little too cryptic to the reader. But all in all I loved it.
But as a single story I really enjoyed it. It's tragic and complex and redemptive all at the same time. I loved Fen and Kamen, as well as Kamen's whole team and Fen's family. The world is complex and multi-demential and the peoples are varied.
I did occasionally, especially in climactic scenes, wonder how things that happened happened. I often knew what was happening, but felt I missed the explanation of how it was happening. How someone suddenly had control of another or caused a certain something to occur, etc. Similarly, sometimes things that were meant to be cryptic to the characters were also a little too cryptic to the reader. But all in all I loved it.
kaje_harper's review against another edition
5.0
This book is very clearly a fantasy with gay characters, brilliant, complex and intriguing, and not primarily a romance. The two (most) main characters, Fen Jacin-rei the Ghost and Kamen Malick, are gay and in a very complicated form of relationship-building, heavily affected by the fact that neither one is quite a vanilla human. However the biggest thing that moves the book away from the romance category is the use of numerous third-person POVs to tell different aspects of the story.
There are at least eight POVs in play here at different points, weaving a very detailed plot with a lot of hidden motivations and a fair amount of flashbacks. There are Gods, and mortals and people who fall somewhere in between, with magic and not a few knives (even leaving out the two dozen or so that Jacin carries.) Jacin caught my heart from the start, and Malick, although twisty and harder to get a handle on, is also already dear to me. Watching them almost come together was painful and delightful. (well, they do connect in some ways, but the chasm between them is still huge.) But the plot also has me in its grip.
If you read this book and love it, you will want the next one immediately. The story ends with some of the complexity explained, but with all the relevant action still hanging in the balance. I immediately started the next installment. Go into these looking for a world-building fantasy, complicated by an unusual romance, and peopled by some very fascinating characters, and you will be enthralled.
There are at least eight POVs in play here at different points, weaving a very detailed plot with a lot of hidden motivations and a fair amount of flashbacks. There are Gods, and mortals and people who fall somewhere in between, with magic and not a few knives (even leaving out the two dozen or so that Jacin carries.) Jacin caught my heart from the start, and Malick, although twisty and harder to get a handle on, is also already dear to me. Watching them almost come together was painful and delightful. (well, they do connect in some ways, but the chasm between them is still huge.) But the plot also has me in its grip.
If you read this book and love it, you will want the next one immediately. The story ends with some of the complexity explained, but with all the relevant action still hanging in the balance. I immediately started the next installment. Go into these looking for a world-building fantasy, complicated by an unusual romance, and peopled by some very fascinating characters, and you will be enthralled.