Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's website:

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?

Review:

Team werewolf is one that I'm not usually on, but with the nearly spectacular thing that was Raised by Wolves, I think I'm really close to making the jump. 

To me Raised by Wolves is Vampire Academy meets a government of werewolves.

Since with Bryn's feisty, sarcastic, and fearless personality, she's very close to being a young Rose, which made her be one character that I had no trouble liking from the get-go. I loved the fact that she never gave up no matter what almost insuperable challenge came her way... even though I do admit that I thought she was a bit loco for doing so at times. Also, with her friendships with Devon, the most flamboyant werewolf ever to grace the pages of a book, and Lake, yet another fearless, charming young girl, and her relationship with Chase, the new werewolf who loves Bryn to pieces, you have one unstoppable team of teens that would make any subject, no matter how dry, exciting and page-turning fun. 

Adding that to the plot of Raised by Wolves, you have one great werewolf YA, one that I'm sure most teen readers out there will be gobbling right up come June. To me it's always fascinating to see how an author chooses to structure the world paranormal creators, like vampires and werewolves, live in and the one in this novel was no different. I liked the fact that the werewolves created a democracy of different werewolf groups leaving in territories spread out across the US, and how the bonds between them made the pack leader always in charge (of course, young, human Bryn would change that fact..). Plus, this is one story that constantly had me guessing about what would happen happen next: Would Bryn find the Resilient in time? Would she ever find out what the pack was hiding from her? What about Chase did he only mean good or was there an evil side to him hidden? Only further pages would tell me the answers to these burning questions of mine.

The only complaint I really have about Raised by Wolves is the length. It was a bit wordy and too drawn out for my tastes in the middle, leaving me to become uninterested several times, since I felt that some scenes were unnecessary.

Though, boy, oh boy, did I love the ending! Since it was far from lacking suspense and one that has made me officially have a craveing to reading the sequel that drops either next year or the year after!

In all, if you love werewolves, feisty main characters, and fights to death, this is the novel for you!

Grade: B+

Raised by Wolves will be released June 8, 2010.

Source: Around The World Tour