Book #26: Promise of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst

Promise of the Wolves is the first in The Wolf Chronicles series by Dorothy Hearst. I was not familiar with this series until I saw this book at the BlogPaws conference I attended in Washington D.C. in August. Ms. Hearst left copies of the first and second books in the series on the swag swap table for people to take. Of course, I don't turn down free books about animals so I grabbed one of each!

Promise of the Wolves is set 14,000 years ago. It is a fantasy grounded by research that tells the story of the relationship between humans and wolves. The main character, a young wolf named Kaala, is drawn to humans even though she has been told that she is to stay away from them. We follow Kaala's story from the time she is born, through being a pup and a young wolf. All that time, she struggles with the fact that she is an outsider in her own pack and wonders if she fits with the humans instead. She is taught pack rules but there is a constant pull outside of the pack that she doesn't understand.

Kaala is a very relatable character that I found myself pulling for throughout her difficulties. She is young, but driven and strong. I liked the way time and distance were described using "wolf terms" and how the author was able to immerse me in this long-ago world. I will definitely be reading Secrets of the Wolves to follow Kaala's story. I can't wait to see what the second book brings for her!

Disclosure: I received this book for free, but my review is based on my true thoughts and feelings about the book.