Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on
The Wolf Gift delves into the creation of werewolves and presents both philosophical and religious views and questions. The tale, which moved at a slow pace, was beautifully written, but lacked the luster I was looking for. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed it; I just felt that overall it fell flat of my personal expectations.
Ruben, our protagonist, is the youngest son of a successful and educated family. He has attended college and has basically moved through life as “the pretty boy”. He dabbles as a writer and has contemplated writing a novel. His mother gets him a job at the San Francisco Observer. He has success there and is asked to do a piece about an old, historical home. On a weekend visit to the home, Reuben and the owner showing him the house are attacked by her wayward, greedy, brothers. A creature steps in to save them; savagely killing the brothers. The young woman dies, but Ruben miraculously survives. It is at the hospital where he begins to notice a change. His wounds are healing abnormally quickly; his blood work comes back showing high levels of hormones. His hair, hands and feet are growing. The tale that unfolds is fascinating as Rueben begins to learn what is happening to him. The romance between Rueben and Laura; a young woman who has seen more tragedy in her lifetime then a soul should have to bear, is romantic and sweet. I found the sexual side of their relationship slightly creepy. I love Rice’s attention to detail and the way she blends history, science and lore. She beautifully paints an image of the redwoods and the mansion by the sea. I would love to have coffee in the sunroom and enjoy evenings by the fire. The history she provides for the origin of this species is fascinating.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel and while I was captivated by the story, I never became so engrossed that everything else slipped away. It did not give me that rush of urgency to complete that so many books provide. Despite my mixed feelings, if Wolf Gift becomes a series, I will purchase book two.
I want to thank netGalley and Knopf Publishing for providing me with this ARC, in exchange for my unbiased review.
You can find the complete review and others on my blog:http://kimbathecaffeinatedbookreviewer.blogspot.com/