Scan barcode
tamsinlucycp's review
2.0
The story is cute but the prose is terrible. I really struggled through this book.
foreveryoungadult's review against another edition
Graded By: Megan no h
Cover Story: Orange You a Fan
BFF Charm: Sure
Swoonworthy Scale: 2
Talky Talk: In the Middle
Bonus Factor: Retelling
Relationship Status: For When I Get Tired of High School Boys
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Orange You a Fan
BFF Charm: Sure
Swoonworthy Scale: 2
Talky Talk: In the Middle
Bonus Factor: Retelling
Relationship Status: For When I Get Tired of High School Boys
Read the full book report here.
mandi_m's review against another edition
Wolfborn takes it's central story from a twelfth century book of tales including one about the bisclavret, werewolves. This novel has engaging characters and is one that I will be recommending to teen readers who like a little historical background to their paranormal reads :)
anna_hepworth's review
4.0
Brief summary: In a feudal society that is almost but not quite historical, there are two types of werewolves -- the 'wolfborn', or bisclavret; and those who have chosen to become wolves, usually for bad reasons, and thus owing a debt to the gods. Boy who knows he has bisclavret heritage is fostered away from home as a page, meets cute girl in the woods, learns more about wolves (were- and otherwise) than he ever expects to, gets caught up in major political intrigue (ie. who is the monster here?), gets caught up with the gods, saves his liege (and possibly the king), and eventually ends up on a quest to save the cute girl.
Plot is a slow burn of betrayal and intrigue, with enough personal interaction leavened in that I didn't get really grumpy (all plot and no/cardboard people pisses me off). World building was lovely - there were multiple political entities, where there were different opinions on major topics! Plus, I didn't get thrown out of the story, Because Werewolves.
And the writing is lovely. Understated, but very enjoyable use of language. And when I say understated - there is no one section that I noticed the writing, indicating that it is consistent. This comes out in the characters as well. Apart from the viewpoint character, there are several other major characters, all of whom come across in detail, with more than just a sense of the physical description.
I will say though, that this is not a gripping read. I did not stay up late any of the nights I was reading it for 'just one more chapter/page'. I did keep picking it up, and didn't find that I had lost track of the story, which is a nice change from the usual, where one paragraph is so removed from the next that one has to go back to a familiar point well before the stopping point in order to keep track of the story.
Plot is a slow burn of betrayal and intrigue, with enough personal interaction leavened in that I didn't get really grumpy (all plot and no/cardboard people pisses me off). World building was lovely - there were multiple political entities, where there were different opinions on major topics! Plus, I didn't get thrown out of the story, Because Werewolves.
And the writing is lovely. Understated, but very enjoyable use of language. And when I say understated - there is no one section that I noticed the writing, indicating that it is consistent. This comes out in the characters as well. Apart from the viewpoint character, there are several other major characters, all of whom come across in detail, with more than just a sense of the physical description.
I will say though, that this is not a gripping read. I did not stay up late any of the nights I was reading it for 'just one more chapter/page'. I did keep picking it up, and didn't find that I had lost track of the story, which is a nice change from the usual, where one paragraph is so removed from the next that one has to go back to a familiar point well before the stopping point in order to keep track of the story.
holliereadsbooks's review
4.0
This review was first posted on Music, Books and Tea
I was incredibly excited to dive into Wolfborn. It didn’t seem to be your typical werewolf story, and effortlessly blended fantasy, paranormal and historical fiction into one highly enjoyable read.
Etienne was an excellent main character. At first, I worried I wouldn’t be able to connect to him, but I found him to be a brilliant character who made very few (if any) rash decisions. He took his duty very seriously, and his loyalty to Sire Geraint was admirable. I can imagine that most people in his situation wouldn’t have been as loyal as Etienne was, admittedly, Etienne had a reason to be loyal to his Lord, but I can imagine that even if he had come from a different heritage, his loyalty would have remained. He also connected with Jeanne, the wise-woman’s daughter with a connection to Sire Geraint, and I loved seeing the dynamics of their relationship, particularly towards the end of the book. What Etienne does at the end of Wolfborn shows how his character grew from being a boy into a man without losing the voice that he started Wolfborn with.
The characters in Wolfborn were all diverse and well fleshed out. Sire Geraint was Lord of Lucanne, and extremely loved by his people. One of my favourite scenes in Wolfborn was between Etienne, Armand and Geraint where he teaches Etienne how to fight better. Whilst he was a Lord, he didn’t abuse the power he had been given, and I think that was what made me like him so much. Sylvie and Jeanne were two characters cleverly woven with Geraint’s story, and whilst their connection to Geraint was a little predictable, it really worked well with the entire plot. And the Baron was the villain that every good fantasy needed, and he was definitely evil and had to be defeated!
I think my favourite think about Wolfborn was the way the werewolves were presented. These weren’t the typical werewolves I’ve read about in the past, which I definitely appreciated. Their roots were deeply set in folklore, and the novel itself it based on Lai Le Bisclavret, which I will definitely be checking out myself in the future. The story of Wolfborn is still very much Sue Bursztynski’s, and it was a very good story indeed! She has a great knack of being able to bring each of her characters to life, from Etienne and Geraint to Joyeuse, Geraint’s loyal hound.
Wolfborn was an entertaining historical fantasy that I would recommend to both fantasy and paranormal fans alike. There’s something to please everyone in this book, and it most definitely was a winner for me!
I was incredibly excited to dive into Wolfborn. It didn’t seem to be your typical werewolf story, and effortlessly blended fantasy, paranormal and historical fiction into one highly enjoyable read.
Etienne was an excellent main character. At first, I worried I wouldn’t be able to connect to him, but I found him to be a brilliant character who made very few (if any) rash decisions. He took his duty very seriously, and his loyalty to Sire Geraint was admirable. I can imagine that most people in his situation wouldn’t have been as loyal as Etienne was, admittedly, Etienne had a reason to be loyal to his Lord, but I can imagine that even if he had come from a different heritage, his loyalty would have remained. He also connected with Jeanne, the wise-woman’s daughter with a connection to Sire Geraint, and I loved seeing the dynamics of their relationship, particularly towards the end of the book. What Etienne does at the end of Wolfborn shows how his character grew from being a boy into a man without losing the voice that he started Wolfborn with.
The characters in Wolfborn were all diverse and well fleshed out. Sire Geraint was Lord of Lucanne, and extremely loved by his people. One of my favourite scenes in Wolfborn was between Etienne, Armand and Geraint where he teaches Etienne how to fight better. Whilst he was a Lord, he didn’t abuse the power he had been given, and I think that was what made me like him so much. Sylvie and Jeanne were two characters cleverly woven with Geraint’s story, and whilst their connection to Geraint was a little predictable, it really worked well with the entire plot. And the Baron was the villain that every good fantasy needed, and he was definitely evil and had to be defeated!
I think my favourite think about Wolfborn was the way the werewolves were presented. These weren’t the typical werewolves I’ve read about in the past, which I definitely appreciated. Their roots were deeply set in folklore, and the novel itself it based on Lai Le Bisclavret, which I will definitely be checking out myself in the future. The story of Wolfborn is still very much Sue Bursztynski’s, and it was a very good story indeed! She has a great knack of being able to bring each of her characters to life, from Etienne and Geraint to Joyeuse, Geraint’s loyal hound.
Wolfborn was an entertaining historical fantasy that I would recommend to both fantasy and paranormal fans alike. There’s something to please everyone in this book, and it most definitely was a winner for me!
michelle_e_goldsmith's review
4.0
4.25-4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this. Loved the fey and the werewolves and came to really care about the characters.
It's set in a fascinating secondary world (much of which is based off Brittany) and despite the medieval setting incorporates progressive gender roles and features strong, smart and competent characters of both sexes.
I think I'd also like a longer, slightly darker and more complex adult take on this story as well. (Sue, please write that for me :P) However, it works well as is and has a different style than most of the other YA first person fantasy books I've read, likely due to its medieval romance origins.
More detailed review to come sometime in the future.
I really enjoyed this. Loved the fey and the werewolves and came to really care about the characters.
It's set in a fascinating secondary world (much of which is based off Brittany) and despite the medieval setting incorporates progressive gender roles and features strong, smart and competent characters of both sexes.
I think I'd also like a longer, slightly darker and more complex adult take on this story as well. (Sue, please write that for me :P) However, it works well as is and has a different style than most of the other YA first person fantasy books I've read, likely due to its medieval romance origins.
More detailed review to come sometime in the future.
zitongren's review
1.0
DNF at page 44/284.
I don’t know, maybe I would have liked it if I had read it a few years ago, but again, maybe not? Although it is targeted at YA, it feels that it is better aimed towards middle-grade readers purely based on the context from the first few dozen pages that I have read. Beyond that, many things about the book are incredibly frustrating. If you liked this book, I mean no offence, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
There is way too much info dumping. Now, I’m not one to complain about a well developed world, in fact, I absolute love books with stellar world building. Alas, there is a difference between world building and giving out the names of places, religions, countries and other bits of information on past wars, skirmishes and information about other places when it has zero relation the the story. Let’s say that the characters were talking and right about the conversation, we go into the narrator’s head where we receive loads of information that is both utterly pointless for a standalone novel less than three hundred pages.
The book if clearly based on medieval European history, with the addition of myths, something the author confirms in the afterward, which is fine. Places in epics like [b: The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547450792i/33._SY75_.jpg|3462456] have inspirations from the real world. The issue is how blatantly obvious it is. Holy Wars? Holy League verses the Ottoman Empire. Sarzins have harems with young women? Taken directly from the Ottoman Sultan’s harem. It wouldn’t have made much difference if it was set in medieval Europe and it would of made remembering names and places a fair bit easier. World building= quite lazy.
The dialogue is clunky and way to long each time a character speaks they say too many things, making it quite unrealistic. There is already instalove tropes in that upon seeing a girl, there literally say, ‘I feel like I know you,’ and the attraction is instant. Do these things actually happen? How often do people in the real world and upon laying eyes on a person for the first time have an instantaneous connection?
It’s a shame that I’m only a few pages into chapter 3, but I can’t see myself going further as too many things bother me about the writing. Perhaps it gets better further down the road, but I don’t really want to keep going anymore. 2/10
I don’t know, maybe I would have liked it if I had read it a few years ago, but again, maybe not? Although it is targeted at YA, it feels that it is better aimed towards middle-grade readers purely based on the context from the first few dozen pages that I have read. Beyond that, many things about the book are incredibly frustrating. If you liked this book, I mean no offence, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
There is way too much info dumping. Now, I’m not one to complain about a well developed world, in fact, I absolute love books with stellar world building. Alas, there is a difference between world building and giving out the names of places, religions, countries and other bits of information on past wars, skirmishes and information about other places when it has zero relation the the story. Let’s say that the characters were talking and right about the conversation, we go into the narrator’s head where we receive loads of information that is both utterly pointless for a standalone novel less than three hundred pages.
The book if clearly based on medieval European history, with the addition of myths, something the author confirms in the afterward, which is fine. Places in epics like [b: The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547450792i/33._SY75_.jpg|3462456] have inspirations from the real world. The issue is how blatantly obvious it is. Holy Wars? Holy League verses the Ottoman Empire. Sarzins have harems with young women? Taken directly from the Ottoman Sultan’s harem. It wouldn’t have made much difference if it was set in medieval Europe and it would of made remembering names and places a fair bit easier. World building= quite lazy.
The dialogue is clunky and way to long each time a character speaks they say too many things, making it quite unrealistic. There is already instalove tropes in that upon seeing a girl, there literally say, ‘I feel like I know you,’ and the attraction is instant. Do these things actually happen? How often do people in the real world and upon laying eyes on a person for the first time have an instantaneous connection?
It’s a shame that I’m only a few pages into chapter 3, but I can’t see myself going further as too many things bother me about the writing. Perhaps it gets better further down the road, but I don’t really want to keep going anymore. 2/10
tsana's review
4.0
Wolfborn by Sue Bursztynski is a standalone YA werewolf novel. Or I could just as easily call it a straight fantasy novel that happens to have werewolves in it. The fantasy world is loosely based on dark-ages Europe — after the Romans left — with the mythology a remix of a few Celtic and Gaulish ideas, including faeries.
The main character, Etienne, is sent out to be fostered with one of his father's allies when he's in his teens — later than usual because as an only son he was needed at home. While serving with Lord Geraint, Etienne learns that Geraint is what Etienne himself has long feared: a werewolf born. However, Geraint is a good and fair master and quickly earns Etienne's loyalty.
There are two types of werewolves in the Wolfborn universe, however: born werewolves, called bisclavret, who are descendant from creatures created by one of the gods, and the other kind, who made a deal with the Dark One to gain the power of shape-changing. Needless to say, the latter tend to be more evil.
For a short book, there several different aspects of mythology packed in — werewolves, faeries, gods — but not, I think, too many. It's hard to judge since I am relatively familiar with Celtic mythology, but I thought the different ideas were sufficiently fleshed out and tied in well to the story.
I found it interesting that Etienne's journey was not a heroic quest or some other common fantasy trope. Instead, it was about him going from fearing werewolves to accepting them (well, the bisclavret ones, anyway) as a normal part of his world's nature. Oh, also, the blurb suggests it's a romantic story but it's not really. It's based on a romantic story (wriiten by Marie de France in the twelfth century, as the afterword tells me), but the focus is shifted in this retelling.
The book reads like Etienne is telling the story well after the fact, when he's older. There are some moments when he comments retrospectively on the events taking place. This reminded me a little bit of Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice where Fitz is more or less recounting his life story. There was some similarity in setting and themes too, although Etienne is a page, not an assassin, and Wolfborn is much, much shorter. I enjoyed that aspect, but to me it didn't feel quite like a YA book for that reason. Although it's the length of a YA book, however, and the main character is in the correct age bracket, I think it would work well as a bridging step between other YA fantasy books and "grown up" fantasy books like Hobb's or the multitude of others, some of which I've reviewed. Mind you, I was reading Robin Hobb while I was in my teens (before, ahem, YA was it's own category), so i don't see why teenagers wouldn't enjoy Wolfborn.
The book is quite short, coming in at less than 300 pages, and I think in parts it suffered a little for it. There were some aspects of the story which I think could have been fleshed out a little more. For example, there were a few scenes where I thought the characters could maybe have spent a bit more time talking about their predicament on the page, instead of summarising. It's not that thinks weren't thought through, but a little bit more on-the-page world building would not have gone amiss either, in my opinion. In the end, the story spanned about three years (although the last year was sort of an extended epilogue, so perhaps doesn't count) which is a lot of time to squeeze into so few pages. It wasn't hurried, though, and some "and then nothing much happened for x weeks" bits were rightfully skipped, but I still would have liked to stay with the characters longer.
I recommend Wolfborn to fans of Celtic-style settings in fantasy with a werewolf twist. I think it would be enjoyed by both readers of adult fantasy after a quick read and readers of YA fantasy. As I said, it'd make a good gateway dr— book for YA readers to transition into "grown up" fantasy books.
4 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
The main character, Etienne, is sent out to be fostered with one of his father's allies when he's in his teens — later than usual because as an only son he was needed at home. While serving with Lord Geraint, Etienne learns that Geraint is what Etienne himself has long feared: a werewolf born. However, Geraint is a good and fair master and quickly earns Etienne's loyalty.
There are two types of werewolves in the Wolfborn universe, however: born werewolves, called bisclavret, who are descendant from creatures created by one of the gods, and the other kind, who made a deal with the Dark One to gain the power of shape-changing. Needless to say, the latter tend to be more evil.
For a short book, there several different aspects of mythology packed in — werewolves, faeries, gods — but not, I think, too many. It's hard to judge since I am relatively familiar with Celtic mythology, but I thought the different ideas were sufficiently fleshed out and tied in well to the story.
I found it interesting that Etienne's journey was not a heroic quest or some other common fantasy trope. Instead, it was about him going from fearing werewolves to accepting them (well, the bisclavret ones, anyway) as a normal part of his world's nature. Oh, also, the blurb suggests it's a romantic story but it's not really. It's based on a romantic story (wriiten by Marie de France in the twelfth century, as the afterword tells me), but the focus is shifted in this retelling.
The book reads like Etienne is telling the story well after the fact, when he's older. There are some moments when he comments retrospectively on the events taking place. This reminded me a little bit of Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice where Fitz is more or less recounting his life story. There was some similarity in setting and themes too, although Etienne is a page, not an assassin, and Wolfborn is much, much shorter. I enjoyed that aspect, but to me it didn't feel quite like a YA book for that reason. Although it's the length of a YA book, however, and the main character is in the correct age bracket, I think it would work well as a bridging step between other YA fantasy books and "grown up" fantasy books like Hobb's or the multitude of others, some of which I've reviewed. Mind you, I was reading Robin Hobb while I was in my teens (before, ahem, YA was it's own category), so i don't see why teenagers wouldn't enjoy Wolfborn.
The book is quite short, coming in at less than 300 pages, and I think in parts it suffered a little for it. There were some aspects of the story which I think could have been fleshed out a little more. For example, there were a few scenes where I thought the characters could maybe have spent a bit more time talking about their predicament on the page, instead of summarising. It's not that thinks weren't thought through, but a little bit more on-the-page world building would not have gone amiss either, in my opinion. In the end, the story spanned about three years (although the last year was sort of an extended epilogue, so perhaps doesn't count) which is a lot of time to squeeze into so few pages. It wasn't hurried, though, and some "and then nothing much happened for x weeks" bits were rightfully skipped, but I still would have liked to stay with the characters longer.
I recommend Wolfborn to fans of Celtic-style settings in fantasy with a werewolf twist. I think it would be enjoyed by both readers of adult fantasy after a quick read and readers of YA fantasy. As I said, it'd make a good gateway dr— book for YA readers to transition into "grown up" fantasy books.
4 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
More...