thexwalrus 's review for:

Wolfhunter River by Rachel Caine

4.5

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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before i say anything else, the epilogue of this book punched me in the face with hope and kindness. as someone who's been slowly unpacking and processing 20+ years of trauma, i've always felt closely attached with gwen and her kids, but the way gwen speaks in the epilogue is so poignant and reminds me that no matter what our pasts hold, we can use it to make the world better.

that being said there was so much character development in this book, but it's tucked in between some intense corrupt cop drama so neatly that it feels like you don't even notice it until connor's forgiving sam for something and it hits you that oh, wow, these kids have grown up so much and i'm so proud of them. sam and gwen have some rocky roads and they get stronger, even with all of the bumps. i didn't anticipate loving them as much as i do when i read stillhouse lake, but i do, and that's evident with how proud i feel whenever they make a huge step forward in their healing process.

with the events of the epilogue, i'm super excited to move onto the next book so i can digest that in a day and a half. seriously, i cannot recommend this series enough if you love thrillers - rachel caine is the best of the best at writing them, and i will not hear otherwise.