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A review by katykelly
Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
4.0
This has all the makings of a very popular teenage read (and it’s just as good for adults too). A decade after the end of World War Two, a war which the Allies lost, Germany and Japan are the ruling powers, with Hitler still reigning over his new world. Each year, a commemorative race celebrating their great victory is held, a motorcycle race between the best of the youth of the two ruling countries.
Open only to young men, last year a teenage girl won the race disguised as her brother. She was granted access to the reclusive Fuhrer after her victory. In this year’s race, Adele Wolf will be racing again. Or appearing to…
The Resistance has plans to kidnap Adele and replace her with someone trained to win the race and take advantage of the highly coveted audience with Hitler to assassinate him and bring about a worldwide revolution against the ruling countries.
How can they do this? The backstory of Yael, a Jewish girl sent to a concentration camp in the war, shows us the Nazi experimentation that left her with the ability to skinshift into other faces, other bodies, taking on their appearance.
Here it gets interesting – implausible of course. We have elements of science fiction, the backstory of the war and Holocaust, hints of romance (a former relationship that we see glimpses of with fellow racer Luka), and a cross-country battle for supremacy on fast-moving motorcycles.
I really liked the racing, and thought the different aspects of the writing worked well together. The premise is so frightening – what would the world be like if this had really come to pass? It will give readers a lot to think about.
Violent but not graphic, this doesn’t go into depth in the concentration camp or when racers sustain injuries in the race, so is suitable for ages 13 and above. The main character is Yael, a teenage girl, but I don’t think that should put young men off at all. It’s exciting, fast-moving and full of action.
Personally I didn’t really like the ‘wolf tattoo’ imagery – Yael has tattoos on her arms of five people she’s lost, and didn’t really see that the metaphor added anything to the story, with Adele given the surname to fit in with the theme of the lone wolf not needing a pack, but it will probably hit a nerve with younger readers than myself. I also didn’t see why Yael could change her skin, eye colour, etc but not manage to hide the tattoo when she skinshifts. Oh well.
There’s a lot to discuss in this book, a story about identity, loss, revenge, standing up for what’s right, and loyalty.
I sped through it, unfortunately knowing how the story ended already (another reader having given this away), and wanting a follow-up to see where the plot is destined to go.
Great read for teenagers and for anyone who likes dystopian ‘what if’ stories with plenty of action.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
Open only to young men, last year a teenage girl won the race disguised as her brother. She was granted access to the reclusive Fuhrer after her victory. In this year’s race, Adele Wolf will be racing again. Or appearing to…
The Resistance has plans to kidnap Adele and replace her with someone trained to win the race and take advantage of the highly coveted audience with Hitler to assassinate him and bring about a worldwide revolution against the ruling countries.
How can they do this? The backstory of Yael, a Jewish girl sent to a concentration camp in the war, shows us the Nazi experimentation that left her with the ability to skinshift into other faces, other bodies, taking on their appearance.
Here it gets interesting – implausible of course. We have elements of science fiction, the backstory of the war and Holocaust, hints of romance (a former relationship that we see glimpses of with fellow racer Luka), and a cross-country battle for supremacy on fast-moving motorcycles.
I really liked the racing, and thought the different aspects of the writing worked well together. The premise is so frightening – what would the world be like if this had really come to pass? It will give readers a lot to think about.
Violent but not graphic, this doesn’t go into depth in the concentration camp or when racers sustain injuries in the race, so is suitable for ages 13 and above. The main character is Yael, a teenage girl, but I don’t think that should put young men off at all. It’s exciting, fast-moving and full of action.
Personally I didn’t really like the ‘wolf tattoo’ imagery – Yael has tattoos on her arms of five people she’s lost, and didn’t really see that the metaphor added anything to the story, with Adele given the surname to fit in with the theme of the lone wolf not needing a pack, but it will probably hit a nerve with younger readers than myself. I also didn’t see why Yael could change her skin, eye colour, etc but not manage to hide the tattoo when she skinshifts. Oh well.
There’s a lot to discuss in this book, a story about identity, loss, revenge, standing up for what’s right, and loyalty.
I sped through it, unfortunately knowing how the story ended already (another reader having given this away), and wanting a follow-up to see where the plot is destined to go.
Great read for teenagers and for anyone who likes dystopian ‘what if’ stories with plenty of action.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.