Title: Wolf Pact (Wolf Pact 1-4)
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Release date: April 1, 2012
Publisher: Atom
Pages: 304
Source: Publisher
Reading level: YA
Once enslaved in the darkest pits of the underworld, Lawson and his pack were destined to become Hounds of Hell. Escaping to Earth bought them a little time, but their old masters soon catch up with them and take away the one thing Lawson is desperate to keep hold of – the girl he loves. Now, Lawson needs to hunt the beasts he was running from if there’s any chance of seeing her again. When Bliss, a mysterious ex-vampire, turns up on her own search for the Hounds it seems she might hold information that will help. But will she be able to trust this insolent, dangerously good-looking boy when she knows that he has a wolf’s soul?
Wolf Pact, while not quite as good as the Blue Bloods series, is a fast read that will give fans of the original series a little more in-depth look at the wolves and their history.
This is said to be Bliss’ story so starting off I expected it to be from her point-of-view and I was really suprised when it wasn’t. The book starts off from Lawson’s point-of-view. Lawson is a completely new character, a wolf in hell who wants to be free. Only once Lawson is freed from the Underworld do we actually get to read from Bliss’ point-of-view. Bliss and Lawson share a common goal. They want to free the wolves from Lucifer’s power so that they can be used instead as weapons against Lucifer in the coming battle with the Blue Bloods. The chapters very randomly alternated point-of-views between Lawson and Bliss and that really annoyed me. There was no rhythm to the switching and sometimes I would have to read a few paragraphs before I figured out whose point-of-view I was actually reading from.
The story almost seems a little too quick. The book orignally started as 4 novellas, I believe, and it’s pretty easy to tell. Things seem almost rushed with everyone and there is very little detail given. It made for a quick read, which I liked, but there wasn’t enough history of the wolves, which I didn’t like. Sometimes a chapter just seemed to end rather abruptly and I would have enjoyed the book better without that.
The characters were all pretty good but predictable. Everyone’s motives were made very clear at the beginning of the book and even if they pretended otherwise, it was easy to tell who was good and who was bad. Nothing really surprised me about any of these guys. The romance between Bliss and Lawson was obvious but sweet. Malcolm was probably my favorite even though there wasn’t actually a lot about him. He was just kind of the runt of the pack and I felt very protective of him. Edon I never really understood. He was a bit of a jerk. Rafe didn’t have much of a personality, at least not that I saw. Really none of these characters stick with me other than Bliss since I have read about her in the previous Blue Bloods books.
Overall, there’s nothing really spectacular about Wolf Pact and I was a little disappointed with it. I’m glad I read it because it does tie in with the final Blue Bloods book. If you plan to read the final Blue Bloods book, maybe check this one out first but other than that I wouldn’t really recommend it unless you’re looking for a quick meaningless read.
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Kind of funny, I posted my reviews of these four books too. So true not much in the surprise factor which I was really surprised about since Melissa always has shocking things that happen. I think the book was better read as the novella’s as I read it because then you know there’s going to be a cut off. Great review, I love how you link other blogs at the end of your review! 8)
I have not read any of Melissa’s books yet but I heard great things about her. I love the cover of this one though!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!
Tt@NeverEndingStoires
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this one. I may have considered reading Wolf Pact…if I had carried on with the Blue Bloods series. =)
I definitely think the abruptness that you mentioned on the chapter endings would have driven me crazy.
I wasn’t sure I should read this series but if it’s not as good as Blue Bloods I think I’ll pass – because I didn’t love that one!
I really liked Blue Bloods but I’m kind of growing tired of the vampire/werewolf scenarios. I’ve been looking for reviews for this one and yours told me what I need to know. I’ll be skipping this one. I don’t like predictable characters. Great review!
Oh wow, I didn’t know that there was a whole book for the Wolf Pack books. I had to get them individually. Great review.
I had no idea she also wrote about werewolves! I know her vampire books are awesome, and from the little details you give here her werewolf lore is just as unique. I know you said there wasn’t much detail, but if you want more of the same world as her other series this seems like a great option!