Review: Mark of the Wolf
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 17, 2012
When I first began this book, I had in my head it was YA.  Not because it was misrepresented or anything, but just because that was in my brain.  For that reason, I was a bit shocked when things took an adult turn in language and content.  Once I got into the mind set that this was an adult book (which it really, truly is), I was completely engrossed in the story.  It was different from many were stories I have read in that it really showed the animalistic nature of weres, even when they are in human form.  This gave the book some different dimensions I really enjoyed experiencing.  There were times I would cringe at what was happening because it was so completely not ok in my world, yet as the scene progress, I would realize that it was acceptable and made sense to the animalistic nature of the werewolves.The character of Maddy was extremely interesting and complex.  In some ways, she was as instinctual and animalistic as the werewolves in the story.  She was old beyond her years, yet very young and innocent.  I tend to find the darkness of man much more terrifying than anything a super natural creature can throw out there, so her relationship with her stepfather was, to me, the scariest and darkest part of this book.  The author held nothing back which,  made the book so much more than simply a were romance, even though that was there, also.  Seeing all that she had struggled through in life made me feel really protective of her and I think that is why I personally wish that she had been a bit older.  Not really older, but out of high school.  I am not sure why those few months make a difference to me, but for some reason they really do.I am very intrigued to see where this series goes from here.  Blood of the Wolf is already out and I need to pick it up.  The structure of her werewolf pack/society is different from what I have read before and I am looking forward to learning about more of the pack members.  This book does have some strong language (it is not abundant, but it is strong)  and some sexual scenes, so this is most definitely not YA even though Maddy is 18.