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thegreatbeargod's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
If you can get past bad writing, numerous pop culture references, and extreme tone deafness, it’s entertaining. The author clearly doesn’t have the slightest clue how college works, or decided that pretending it’s just another 4 years of high school would be somehow more appealing for the setting
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Body shaming, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity
crothe77's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Wolf Girl by Leia Stone is a first person-POV paranormal romance novella with a Werewolf Bachelor setup and discussions of trauma from SA. When Demi, an exiled young were, meets Sawyer, the son of the alpha, she’s not really expecting much to come of it. But Sawyer has her exile lifted so she can compete with all the other eligible young weres in Werewolf City to become his mate.
The most interesting thing I found was how this took the fated mate trope and somewhat turned it on its head. The aspect of knowing when someone is The One right away is still present, but there’s more room for werewolves to have had previous partners, to fall in love over time instead of Instalove, and for there to be the potential for a connection that isn’t mutual. A lot of werewolf romances that I have read tend to focus on the fated mate trope in a specific way so it was nice to see it subverted but also played a little bit straight at the same time.
Trauma from SA is very much on the page though we only get small details of what happened. There aren’t any flashbacks, but there is repeated use of the word ‘rape’ and there is a discussion regarding labelling someone a ‘rapist’ when there was consent when we get Demi’s mother’s backstory which is juxtaposed to the people who hurt Demi. Nothing felt like it was there for shock value or to be edgy; it all felt handled quite well and respectfully while also exploring how some people misuse certain terms for their own gain. Trauma is shown via a physical allegory by Demi’s wolf being split from her, which is something I’ve never seen before and I appreciated how it connected to the themes.
Demi and Sawyer’s romance doesn’t reach the possessive stage immediately and we see more glimpses of it over time compared to some werewolf romances where it happens pretty quickly. Demi is given the space to come around to her feelings for Sawyer and to have negative emotions around being part of this Bachelor-esque set up and focuses mostly on how Sawyer is behaving rather than the young women she’s technically competing with for his attention.
Content warning for mentions of SA
I would recommend this to fans of paranormal romance, readers looking for a werewolf romance in a world that includes vampires, fey, and witches, and those looking for a shorter paranormal romance first in a series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
emilyj4de's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It’s kinda if “pick-me _girl/boy_” was a book lol. You kinda get use to it if you decide to push through but it was grasping just enough for me to read the whole series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
lotte5322's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail