Tag: the wolves of ruin

Book Review: Fury Bound (The Wolves of Ruin #2) by Sable Sorensen

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 608 pages
Author: Sable Sorensen
Publisher: Requited
Release Date: May 5th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Revenge demands sacrifice. Don’t miss this action-packed, jaw-dropping, dark and romantic sequel to Dire Bound.

CROWNED BY DESTINY. CONSUMED BY VENGEANCE.

Against all odds, Meryn Cooper has inherited the crown—and a deadly war. As the Kingdom of Nocturna splinters under the weight of generations of lies, it is up to Meryn, her bonded direwolf Anassa, and their allies to bring the country back from the brink.

But the commoners, the Bonded, and the nobles are distrustful of their new queen and Meryn is caught in a deadly game of politics. Meanwhile, Meryn’s beloved younger sister, Saela, is more at risk than ever.

Confusingly, the one person Meryn can trust is Stark Therion—the dark, dangerous Alpha she thought hated her as much as she loathed him. Yet, his loyalty is unshakeable. His presence is intoxicating. And with his guidance, Meryn can seize an unthinkable level of power.

With enemies closing in and shadows stirring in her dreams, Meryn stands to lose her kingdom—and her heart.

Blood will spill. Bonds will break. Fate will be tested.

Thank you to LibroFM for the gifted audiobook.

ROUND AND ROUND.

This kind of had book two syndrome? But it was also pretty easy to gobble up? Not to mention that the audiobook is superb so that definitely helped too.

Most of this book felt like a circle. Bad guy does something, there would be some kind of battle/skirmish, a slightly cringy love scene, repeat. And that happened for at least the first 60%. After that point some of the reveals and things finally starting happening and the fallout was needed. I could see how the world had expanded and how this affected Stark and Meryn. I do appreciate that this kept the same tone from book one. It’s dark and you never know who is going to survive the next part of the quest and that also helped the pacing too.

So while not my favorite, I do think it was a solid sequel. I’m excited to see what happens next but I’m also okay not owning these books too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 6ish open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: high blood/gore, the general atmosphere of the book is dark

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Book Review: Direbound (The Wolves of Ruin #1) by Sable Sorensen

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Dark Fantasy Romance
Length: 650 pages
Author: Sable Sorensen
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 26th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them…

Meryn Cooper has never dreamed of being one of the Bonded, the King’s elite warriors who form mental links with massive, vicious direwolves. She’s made peace with her life scraping by in poverty in the shadows of the castle. But then her younger sister Saela is kidnapped, stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting.

And Meryn’s world falls apart.

Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army—only to discover that there are Bonding Trials this year, where all soldiers are forced to risk their lives in an attempt to connect with a direwolf. It’s too late to turn back; Meryn is thrown into the deadly competition against her will.

Now, she’ll need to survive the next four months of training at the castle if she wants a chance of finding Saela. Everything here is a test, from the brutal classes where one mistake means death, to the glittering court parties where every smile hides a knife.

To make things worse, Meryn is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her gorgeous instructor, Stark Therion, is as malicious as the wolves himself.

Everyone is out to get her—everyone but the dangerously handsome crown prince, Killian Valtiere. But if she loses her heart to him, she may also lose her life.

And the castle is hiding dark secrets…

Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games in dark action-packed fantasy series, perfect for romantasy fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses , The Serpent & the Wings of Night , When the Moon Hatched and Quicksilver!

GIMME BOOK TWO.

A friend asked me to buddy read this one with her and we both devoured it over the course of a weekend. It was pitched as a fourth wing but with wolves and I gotta say, that actually tracks (but it is not a copycat, do not fear). I loved that this wasn’t a shifter book, the humans bond with wolves in this military-esque fantasy romance that had me locked in.

I love a complicated romantic plot line. I love enjoying the journey of tiny moments and quiet moments, the angry proclamations and the jaw dropping reveals. I got it all here. If you’re reading this without reading the summary, skip it and just go read it!! Trust me!!

Even more surprising was the fact that I was blindsided by a few of the reveals (a few I could see coming, but wasn’t mad about). ANYWAYS, I loved all the twists and turns. There’s a good level of politicking mixed in with action and there’s a ball??? I mean come on, I had to read this book.

The ending left me without breath and begging for the next book. AHHHHHH.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 4-5 open door
  • Violence: very high
  • Content warnings: high levels of blood/gore/violence, kidnapped children, loss of loved ones, murder

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