Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Wolf by Wolf (Wolf by Wolf, #1)

by Ryan Graudin

From the author of The Walled City comes a fast-paced and innovative novel that will leave you breathless.

Her story begins on a train.

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, they host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The prize? An audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor's ball in Tokyo.

Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year's only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele's twin brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael's every move.

But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and stay true to her mission?

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

4 of 5 stars

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Five reasons to grab your earbuds and listen to Wolf by Wolf

  • Set in 1956, Germania, capital to the Third Reich. Ten years ago, Imperial Japan and the Third Reich won the World War. Some aspects of the original history ring true as we meet Yael our heroine. As a child, she was experimented on in Auschwitz. These experiments left her with a unique ability. Now as a teenager, Yael has joined the rebel faction and is assigned a treacherous mission. Each year to commemorate their great victory over Britain and Russia, Emperor Hirohito and Hitler host the Axis Tour. This motorcycle race takes place from Berlin to Tokyo. It is brutal and tests the rider’s limits of endurance.  The winner aside from recognition gets to attend the Victor’s Ball and gain an audience with Adolf Hitler. Yael task is to win the race and kill Hitler at the Ball. To do this, Yael must use her abilities to assume the identity of last year’s female victor.

  • Wolf by Wolf was a fascinating story blending alternate history and fantasy. Graudin breaks the tale into past and present with chapters on the race and darker chapters that shed light on Yael, her tattoos, abilities and the time she spent at Auschwitz.  Her research and attention to detail made these accounts both harrowing and fascinating. The race itself was intense and complicated by friends, fellow participants and snares Yael encounters. It pushes Yael to the edge and I was spellbound.

  • Yael is a character that will immediately capture the reader. She is strong, brilliant and fearless on the surface but her heartbreaking story will rip at your heartstrings. She wears tattoos hidden from view and their symbolism..eek gads, grab the truffles. Graudin weaved in a subtle romance and shared the bonds of siblings and friendship. She gave us a complex heroine who will etch herself into your heart.

  • Narration: Christa Lewis  narration was brilliant. Her interpretation of Yael, allowed me to feel all of her emotions. Sometime the fear was so real, I found myself holding my breath.

  • Ryan Graudin tells stories that shed light on our own tragic, dark history and wraps them in a fascinating tale that grabs the reader and stays with them long after the story ends. Her writing is lyrical and the switch between past and present was seamless. Her characters are unique, strong and leave the reader feeling as if they knew them personally.


Audio provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 10 November, 2015: Finished reading
  • 10 November, 2015: Reviewed