The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

The Wolf Road

by Beth Lewis

A debut literary thriller from an incredible new voice. What do you do when the man who gave you everything turns out to be a killer? Perfect for fans of STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel.

Trapper was my family even though I didn’t know a sure thing about him… Trapper was the kind a’ family you choose for yourself, the kind that gets closer’n blood.

He was what I chose and I chose wrong.

Lost in the harsh forest as a child, Elka was taken in and raised by the man she calls Trapper, the solitary hunter who taught her all she knows. So when Elka sees the Wanted poster in town, her simple existence is shattered. Her Trapper – Kreagar Hallet – is wanted for murder. Even worse, Magistrate Lyon is hot on his trail, and she wants to talk to Elka.

As winter sets in, Elka flees into the vast wilderness, determined to find her real parents. But Lyon is never far behind, and she’s not the only one following Elka’s every move. Soon Elka must confront the darkest memories of her past- and end Trapper’s killing spree for good.

Reviewed by readingwithwrin on

3 of 5 stars

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Thank you to NetGalley and Crown publishing for originally giving me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review. I ended up getting it from my library in physical form.


"Trapper was my family even though I didn't know a sure thing about him.... Trapper was the kind a'family you choose for yourself, the kind that gets closer'n blood. He was what I chose and I chose wrong."

This was a book that surprised me, because of how it was a post-apocalyptic western. I wasn't expecting the post-apocalyptic part and that threw me for awhile because I was trying to figure out what exactly happened.
Elka is a young woman who was left with her grandma when her parents went to pan gold, but a 'thunderhead' ended up taking her far far away. This is when she meets 'trapper' who ends up becoming a father figure to her.
Some bad things end up happening, forcing Elka to have to leave, but trapper isn't far behind her and it's almost like he's taunting her.

Elka will now have to survive on her own in the wild with next to no supplies and her mind all confused about what her life has been like for the past few years.

Overall I really struggled to read this book because of how slow paced it was. I just kept wanting to start getting answers or for things to at least make sense for a change. Having said that though, by the last quarter of the book I did start enjoying it. When Pen got involved I ended up like Elka a little bit more as well, she just brought out the best in her. Truthfully I'm still not sure what my exact feelings for this book are. On one hand, I did enjoy it, but on the other, I'm still disgusted about the things that trapper had her doing. Just no. not okay....
I can see the comparison of it to true grit as Elka is a bit like the character from that book, but honestly true grit (John Wayne movie) is so much better in my opinion.

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  • Started reading
  • 21 August, 2017: Finished reading
  • 21 August, 2017: Reviewed