I have been anxiously anticipating Blood for Blood. Its predecessor, Wolf By Wolf was one of my favorite books last year! This one did not disappoint, but it did lose me a little bit in the middle.
AUTHOR: Ryan Graudin
SERIES: Wolf By Wolf, book 2
PUBLISHER: Little, Brown
PUBLICATION DATE: Nov. 1, 2016
ISBN: 9780316405157
PAGES: 481
SOURCE: Edelweiss
GENRE: alternate history, WWII
SETTING: Europe and Japan, 1956
GIVE IT TO: fans of Wolf By Wolf; HS
SUMMARY OF BLOOD FOR BLOOD
Picks up minutes after the ending of Wolf By Wolf. The resistance to Hitler and the Nazi regime continues to fight back after yet another failed assassination attempt.
REVIEW OF BLOOD FOR BLOOD
Let me start by saying that I will be saying little about this book in order to keep this review spoiler-free for the greatness that is Wolf By Wolf. I raved about WBW last year, and I loved this one as well. There are several surprises and a couple of cool twists that I did not see coming. Yael is still tough as nails, yet tender as she continues to mourn and avenge the lives of her five “wolves.” Luka is still 100% awesome. Felix and Adele still drove me crazy.
I love that this is a duology, rather than a trilogy or longer. I am so tired of series and trilogies, and this one wraps up perfectly with just two books. It did lose me a little in the middle for a time–I put it down in favor of another title–but once I picked it up again, I read straight through to the end.
I’ve seen several reviewers who say they cried at the end. That wasn’t me, though I did really enjoy the ending.
THEMES: WWII, family, revenge, rebellion
THE BOTTOM LINE: This duology is a must-read. Well-written and unique with twists you won’t see coming. Easily one of my favorites for 2016.
STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: On order. Because I loved it and booktalk it often, Wolf By Wolf is a popular checkout in my school.
RATING BREAKDOWN
- Overall: 5/5
- Creativity: 5/5
- Characters: 5/5
- Engrossing: 4/5
- Writing: 5/5
- Appeal to teens: 5/5
- Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5
MATURE CONTENT
- Language: mild; some German profanity
- Sexuality: very mild; there’s romance, but it takes a backseat to the resistance. Just some kissing.
- Violence: high; concentration camps, murders, severed fingers, the Nazi SS are appropriately horrible
- Drugs/Alcohol: mild; medical morphine, cigarette smoking