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A review by shanaqui
Den of Wolves by Juliet Marillier
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Den of Wolves draws the story of Blackthorn and Grim to a close. I waited quite a while to read it, because I didn't love the direction their relationship was growing in: I adored their bond, but didn't love that it had to oh-so-typically become a romance. Books with strong bonds between adults that are exclusive and necessary to each member without being romantic are rare enough.
Still, by this point I was ready to accept the direction and enjoy it, and I did: it felt natural for Blackthorn and Grim to find each other and get past their traumas, eventually (much of the book is spent with them apart). I do enjoy that Blackthorn's feelings about Grim are a good part of the way she manages to rise above her trauma and do the right thing at the right time.
It was also nice to get some answers about Conmael; that was obviously coming, but it could've been anticlimatic or weird, and it wasn't.
The other story of this book features a young girl, Cara, and her relationship with her father... and his decision to send her away while a wild man, a builder, returns to create something called a heartwood house. Blackthorn meets Cara and begins to untangle that mystery with her; I'll confess that I'd wanted a certain character to be a bit more ambiguous, rather than turning out to be super evil, but mostly other characters around that story had some shades of grey.
It's a lovely conclusion to the trilogy, but I am glad I waited and let the fact of Grim and Blackthorn's coming romance settle before I read it, so I didn't get cranky about it!
Still, by this point I was ready to accept the direction and enjoy it, and I did: it felt natural for Blackthorn and Grim to find each other and get past their traumas, eventually (much of the book is spent with them apart). I do enjoy that Blackthorn's feelings about Grim are a good part of the way she manages to rise above her trauma and do the right thing at the right time.
It was also nice to get some answers about Conmael; that was obviously coming, but it could've been anticlimatic or weird, and it wasn't.
The other story of this book features a young girl, Cara, and her relationship with her father... and his decision to send her away while a wild man, a builder, returns to create something called a heartwood house. Blackthorn meets Cara and begins to untangle that mystery with her; I'll confess that I'd wanted a certain character to be a bit more ambiguous, rather than turning out to be super evil, but mostly other characters around that story had some shades of grey.
It's a lovely conclusion to the trilogy, but I am glad I waited and let the fact of Grim and Blackthorn's coming romance settle before I read it, so I didn't get cranky about it!