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A review by andra_mihaela_s
Wolves by C. Gockel
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"Wolves" is a nice start in a long paranormal fantasy series concentrated on Loki, the "God of Mischief".
Although the action starts on Earth, where Amy Lewis is on her way to Chicago for a summer job, it is quite clear that she's more of a secondary character. I must say that I like that...a breath of fresh air!
I'm more than happy to be in Loki's shoes all the time...the way in which the author used the myths with him is really entertanining and brings a well deserved depth to his actions and personna. Throughout the story, several key players allude to Loki's true power/ real identity and I'm intrigued. I like him and the overall portrayal of the whole pantheon...they really have no reason to be better people...Cannot wait to see how he will proceed saving what is dear to him! ^^
I enjoyed a lot Loki's connections to humans, and the endearing way in which he looks upon them...and it served well as an explanations why "God of Mischief" is his moniker. ^_^ I must praise the use of flashbacks here! A nice way in which information/ character traits are shared with the reader without breaking Loki's current self and/or tipping Amy off in regards to him! Loved that! ^^
Now...for secondary characters...I feel there is a good reason why our cop and his cat where introduced....maybe it has something with the way in which the book ended ?(btw...it's a cliffhanger..>..<). And our dear grandma!...Although her name could have been different given the fact that she has a certain heritage...>..> (also..how come she knows all those things? was she some kind of mega fan in her youth or what?...questions, questions...)
As for worldbuilding..I think what we got was just enough to ground us in the story and bring novelty to the genre.
When it comes to Amy...sadly she's kind of flat, but for the length of the novel, I think the decision to expand on Loki was the correct one.
Regarding plot..here I have some minuses that take this story from a 4 star to a 3 star: what's up with the wolf? I really thought that Fenrir will be Fenrir..>.>...what we actually got did not make sense at all! Why use this excuse?...I don't think I'm a fan of any kind of wolf in my stories...>...>
Also,why grandma is so chill with all of the action happening around her??? She even sleeps for the most part....>...>...tell me how's that possible..expecially when the chase scene is happening in Alfheim.
Oh..I just remembered...Amy doesn't know anything about Norse mythology...then, how come she knows a specific name all of a sudden? 0_0..And why nobody notices Loki stealing from places that surely have cameras?...So you see...we have some inconsistencies...I hope they get fixed later on, cause we have here great potential!
In conclusion, this is a short book..a little bit too short in my opinion...that opens, possibly, a new amazing story to us where Loki's the main protagonist. I hope the current pattern of grey morality is a constant in the series and the plot holes are explained later on. I'm not even sure if Amy needs to be involved with Loki..but that's just me..I would be interested in a solid friendship between them..but that's not usually in the cards for paranormal series..-_-
I would recommend giving this a go if you like exploring different takes on Loki and the Norse Pantheon. I noticed some reviewers calling him the good guy, but I'm not so sure about this..so better expect an all-over-the-place guy with a lot of baggage to take you on a journey!
Enjoy
Although the action starts on Earth, where Amy Lewis is on her way to Chicago for a summer job, it is quite clear that she's more of a secondary character. I must say that I like that...a breath of fresh air!
I'm more than happy to be in Loki's shoes all the time...the way in which the author used the myths with him is really entertanining and brings a well deserved depth to his actions and personna. Throughout the story, several key players allude to Loki's true power/ real identity and I'm intrigued. I like him and the overall portrayal of the whole pantheon...they really have no reason to be better people...Cannot wait to see how he will proceed saving what is dear to him! ^^
I enjoyed a lot Loki's connections to humans, and the endearing way in which he looks upon them...and it served well as an explanations why "God of Mischief" is his moniker. ^_^ I must praise the use of flashbacks here! A nice way in which information/ character traits are shared with the reader without breaking Loki's current self and/or tipping Amy off in regards to him! Loved that! ^^
Now...for secondary characters...I feel there is a good reason why our cop and his cat where introduced....maybe it has something with the way in which the book ended ?(btw...it's a cliffhanger..>..<). And our dear grandma!...Although her name could have been different given the fact that she has a certain heritage...>..> (also..how come she knows all those things? was she some kind of mega fan in her youth or what?...questions, questions...)
As for worldbuilding..I think what we got was just enough to ground us in the story and bring novelty to the genre.
When it comes to Amy...sadly she's kind of flat, but for the length of the novel, I think the decision to expand on Loki was the correct one.
Regarding plot..here I have some minuses that take this story from a 4 star to a 3 star: what's up with the wolf? I really thought that Fenrir will be Fenrir..>.>...what we actually got did not make sense at all! Why use this excuse?...I don't think I'm a fan of any kind of wolf in my stories...>...>
Also,why grandma is so chill with all of the action happening around her??? She even sleeps for the most part....>...>...tell me how's that possible..expecially when the chase scene is happening in Alfheim.
Oh..I just remembered...Amy doesn't know anything about Norse mythology...then, how come she knows a specific name all of a sudden? 0_0..And why nobody notices Loki stealing from places that surely have cameras?...So you see...we have some inconsistencies...I hope they get fixed later on, cause we have here great potential!
In conclusion, this is a short book..a little bit too short in my opinion...that opens, possibly, a new amazing story to us where Loki's the main protagonist. I hope the current pattern of grey morality is a constant in the series and the plot holes are explained later on. I'm not even sure if Amy needs to be involved with Loki..but that's just me..I would be interested in a solid friendship between them..but that's not usually in the cards for paranormal series..-_-
I would recommend giving this a go if you like exploring different takes on Loki and the Norse Pantheon. I noticed some reviewers calling him the good guy, but I'm not so sure about this..so better expect an all-over-the-place guy with a lot of baggage to take you on a journey!
Enjoy
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty and Emotional abuse