Raised by Wolves (Raised by Wolves #1)

Title: Raised by Wolves (Raised by Wolves #1)
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Publication Date: June 8th, 2010
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two.

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?-GoodReads

I can't say that I loved this book. I had a real problem with the romance. Romances where the characters really don't know each other but feel an uncontrollable need to be with each other annoy me. It's just unrealistic and obsessive. Of course when paranormal books are involved you have to give the book a little bit of wiggle room because of outside supernatural influences. I also didn't like how Bryn bossed Chase around. It seemed like she was doing to him what she hated being done to her.

I loved the werewolf world, it feels so realistic. It reminded me a lot of the Mercy Thompson world. As for the characters, Lake ROCKED!!! Who wouldn't love a 15 year old shotgun toting werewolf?! I also loved Devon. Bryn was pretty cool, Chase had a nonexistent personality, and Callum is kinda badass. I loved how his character was portrayed in the last part of the book. I kind of loved him. Speaking of the last part of the book, the ending is epic. It's really cool. If you want to find out what I'm talking about just read it. And another note about the ending,there is no cliff hanger, it feels like a complete book. Everything that the characters set out to do got done. I really appreciated that.

I think this book could have been a bit shorter. As much as I love books, unless their one of my favorites, 400 pages is just too much for me. Overall, besides the puppy dog, brainless romance it was a good book. If you're looking for a werewolf book to read, this isn't a bad one to pick. I enjoyed it despite my grumbling.

Mercy Thompson Series- By Patricia Briggs

Car mechanic Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal, her neighbor is a werewolf, her old boss is a Gremlin (fae), and she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. Oh yeah, and she's a 'Walker'(a Native American shapeshifter who turns into a coyote).

This is an amazing series, everything about it is fantastic. It's got fantastic characters, a good storyline, great writing. Most of the time I hate books that are written in first person; with these books I didn't mind it at all. The story just flows.

Usually I don't get scared when I read books. Vampires and werewolves, just really don't scare me when I'm reading about them. Except one scene in Blood Bound, just thinking about it still gives me chills. It's just plain creepy. So, congratulations Patricia Briggs, you have succeed in writing one terrifying chapter ;)

A couple of times when I was sitting down watching a movie, I kept on thinking 'that person should be able to smell them lying,' or 'they should never had been able to sneak up on him'. I don't know when I started relating werewolf super powers to every movie, but it was starting to get on my nerves a bit. I guess it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

I'm finding it really difficult to describe Mercy's character, I've been trying to write this review since 12/31/09 and I just can't seem to put it in the right words. I might try again when Silver Bourne, the 5th Mercy Thompson book, comes out. I just read on Patricia Briggs' website that she finished it 1/4/10, it' supposed to be released at the end of March 2010.