Tuesday 4 October 2016

Book Review of Walking Wolf Road (Wolf Road Chronicles Book 1) by Brandon M. Herbert @BrandonMHerbert



Book Title: Walking Wolf Road (Wolf Road Chronicles Book 1)
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Pages: 368
Author: Brandon M. Herbert
Date Published: 25 December 2011 (E-Book)

Synopsis:

Marked by Brother Raven…

Uprooted and dumped in a small town at the edge of the Colorado mountains, Jimmy Walker is at odds with everything. He feels adrift, alienated from his classmates and even his own family. It’s hard enough just being a teenager in a new town, struggling with grades, depression, hostile classmates, and a stepfather bent on making his life hell—

Until a violent collision with fate leaves Jimmy bleeding under the light of a Full Moon.

Review:


Walking Wolf Road (The Wolf Road Chronicles, #1)Walking Wolf Road by Brandon M. Herbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I originally purchased and downloaded this book when I first bought my Kindle in 2012, as the blurb intrigued me, though only read and reviewed it in 2014 due to my large reading list. I was recently contacted by the author this year (2016) saying that this story had been re-written in certain scenes and would I be willing to re-read it? I agreed. However, the original book had been pulled so I re-purchased the newer version as I couldn't update the version I had. I loved it as much as I did the first time.

Jimmy Walker is an intriguing character. I really liked him a lot. He is a teenage boy full of loneliness and angst. Bullied and overweight, he is struggling to find a place to fit in. It's not easy when his family has just moved to a new town. However, a fateful encounter will change his life forever.

I love the idea of shapeshifters - wolves, bears, big cats etc. and have a soft spot for these types of books. I'm glad the author asked me to re-read it as it captured me all over again. The story is an exciting roller coaster ride from start to finish. The story had been a bit hard to get into originally, but on the second reading I became quickly hooked; it was like I was meeting old friends.

I felt for Jimmy as his life unraveled and then was re-built. He is one of the nicest characters I have met in between the pages of a book, and his bravery in embracing his heritage blew me away. This story had me in tears in places (again!), and giggling in others. The interaction between Jimmy and the other characters, especially his younger brother, was extremely touching. Even his new friends and pack members, Fen, Loki and Geri are interesting characters. Their personalities are all different, and they each have their own problems and angst issues. The story is told from Jimmy's point of view, and takes the reader through an amazing journey full of twists and turns. I have always been interested in the spiritual beliefs of the Native American people and the author seems to have the same interest. He also seems to have done a lot of research, or has had some experience in Shamanism. His descriptions of the rituals and practices brought them to life. He made me want to find my spiritual inner animal.

Walking Wolf Road is an intriguing blend of myth and coming of age tale. Unfortunately, there are a few proofreading errors where the scenes were re-written and which were not caught before publication. I have notified the author about them but, they did not detract from my enjoyment of the tale. The end of the book has a slight twist that I hadn't expected originally, but it made an interesting conclusion to a most intriguing urban fantasy.

Brandon M. Herbert has written an exciting urban fantasy that kept me highly entertained. I loved his writing style which, on the second read through, felt more fast paced than originally, and it flowed wonderfully. I would definitely read more of this author's books in the future.
I highly recommend this book if you love YA pararnormal, shifter or urban fantasy genres. - Lynn Worton

View all my reviews


           

About The Author:



Brandon M. Herbert is an author, artist, musician, entrepreneur, and voracious biblioholic. He was born a third generation Colorado native, but his heart and soul belong to the Pacific Northwest.
He wrote his first short story in fifth grade, and hasn't stopped since. He enjoys writing Urban Fantasy, both for Young Adults (Walking Wolf Road, The Wild) and Horror fans (World of Shadows, Tales of the Underground). He is a passionate wolf supporter, and has spent most his life researching the history, mythology, and reality of werewolves, shapeshifters, and therianthropy. Brandon also plays guitar and does freelance graphic design when he’s not kayaking Puget Sound or quaffing inhuman quantities of coffee.
He currently resides in the Seattle area with his girlfriend.

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