The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

Wolf wilding is a dangerous job, and both Feodora and her mother bear the scars. But a far more dangerous presence prowls the wintry forests south of St Petersburg: the belligerent General Rakov…

Justice and revenge in the frozen north

Rakov loves pain. Laughs at misery. Enjoys roasting his enemies and torching their houses. To Feo’s horror, Rakov kidnaps her mother - vowing to kill her as a traitor.

Raised wild in the woods, Feo has the simplest of plans: find the jail, spring her mother. An impossibe mission for a scabby-kneed hungry waif, surely. But she’s not alone. Lapping at Feo’s heels are four wild wolves and a deserter from the army. Together they strike a course north, making allies as they go.

Usually, I melt at the merest whisper of the word Russia, but this time I was left cold. For me, the fairytale-vibe undermined the tension (it begins Once upon a time…); Feo does little wolf-wilding, and the wolves behaved more often like saddle-free ponies. And as a Spanish-speaker, I couldn’t get past her name.

That said, I’m looking forward to reading Katherine Rundell’s The Explorer and Impossible Creatures.

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