A review by monicalaurette
Wolves of the Northern Rift by Jon Messenger

Did not finish book. Stopped at 69%.
I gave this book more than half of the way to really grab me, and it didn't. This is in no way against the author, but this just wasn't the book for me.

While reading, it felt that the story just followed Simon and Luthor, and I never really felt any danger though they said there was. When the true villain was announced and they were able to escape so quickly and easily, it just felt wrong. There should have been something, a closer call, to really get the blood pumping in that scene.

I chose this book because there was a steampunk feel to it, but there was very little actual steampunk in the story in my opinion. There were the zeppelin and the top hats, and that's like all that I could see of the steampunk.

Also, I was not a fan of some of the ways characters were portrayed. Like the idea that the indigenous tribes outside the city wall were of f**king course the wolves. And how they were called 'abominations' by some of the characters. It just felt wrong to me, or maybe a little too on the nose with how history has gone and labeled them. Comments on virgins and "complaining like a woman" also threw me off and made me annoyed with the story. Didn't read this to be insulted.

If I was able to give this a rating, I'd give it a 1.5 star rating. The idea was good, the premise there, but the execution and the characters in the story just didn't do it as much justice as I would have thought.