“Volchitsa, the old woman used to call her. The girl who was special. The girl who would change things. The girl who was as fierce as a wolf.”
I can equate my reading experience of Blood for Blood with being on a roller coaster. I was extremely invested during the first half, lost some of that interest in the second half, had to force myself to continue reading after losing all interest in the last third and finally became engrossed in the last few chapters after all the action had ended.
Blood for Blood picks up where Wolf by Wolf ended. The resistance is springing into action and our main character, Yael, is on the run. While Wolf by Wolf focused on the “What if?”, Blood for Blood focuses on the aftermath and the questions and emotions that come with it.
Yael’s conflict in Wolf by Wolf dealt with finding her identity, dealing with her past and completing her mission as a member of the resistance. Blood for Blood deals with all of that as well, along with the themes of monsters. Are monsters born or are they made? What does it take to become one? Part of Yael’s identity means coming to terms with the ‘monstrous’ side of her, but I didn’t find this aspect compelling. I’ve read other books that deal with this theme a lot better and I found Yael’s quest for her identity and place in the world a lot more interesting.
I didn’t care much about Yael’s companions, Felix and Luca. Yael bringing them along with her is a lot more trouble than it was worth. I also wasn’t interested in the developing romance between Yael and Luca either. The only characters that I found interesting are Yael’s five wolves and a few main members of the resistance.
I enjoyed reading Wolf by Wolf and I had extremely high expectations for the sequel. I can’t really explain where all the disconnect came from, but I would still recommend the Wolf by Wolf duology. There’s an interesting premise, a wonderful main character and a bittersweet ending.
Blood for Blood is another one of those ‘enjoyable to read, but ultimately forgettable’ books.
““We hope and we fight.”