Katherine Rundell is the queen of creating fun adventure books. Taking place during the Russian Revolution, The Wolf Wilder is a beautiful story about family, friendship, and the bond between a young girl and her pack of wolves.

Some parts of the plot seemed a little bit odd, but the magic of Rundell's writing kept me gripped throughout despite me not quite understanding parts of what was happening. In places it was a little slow, and a couple of the characters needed some development and diverse views to separate their personalities. It felt at times that I was reading the same character.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a different adventure story that a younger audience will adore.

When this came out, I remember that this got so much hype and a lot of people liked it. Middle Grade isn't normally my jam but I was going to give it a go. Fast forward to five years later and I still had not read it. I can say that I am happy that I did and the hype is real. The Wolf Wilder is a wonderful exploration into middle grade and the wolves will definitely be running to read this one.

One of the aspects of the book that I enjoyed was the Russian elements. I kept trying to tie it to a specific time but this was not Katherine Rundell's intention when I read the author notes and it does encompass a lot of different time periods. This does work and it helps make an interesting and unique snow setting, which is quite nice when it is 25c outside.

I do really like the attention that was played to the power of friendship and family in the book. I really loved the relationship between Feo and her mother. The lengths that she was willing to go to get her back was a little unrealistic but it's fiction so it doesn't matter. At moments, I thought it was going to get quite sticky but all was well and I love a book that gives a little hope. I also loved Ilya and the relationship that develops with Feo. Together are great and it was nice to see their relationship blossom.

Of course, the main part of this book is wolves and I loved this part. The relationship with the wolves especially Feo and Black were really special and it kind of reminded me of the wolves in Game Of Thrones. On the whole, I knew nothing about wolves going in and this taught me so much about them and how special they actually are.

From the first introduction paragraph about the Wolf Wilderings, I knew that Rundell's writing was something special and this is something that pins the book together and makes it so special. Her writing alone is enough for anyone to read this book.

The Verdict:

The Wolf Wilder is a quiet story that shows the lengths that you will go to find home and family.

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell has the style and feel of a children’s classic. I was immediately transported to the magical snowscapes of Russia. A fantastic, fast paced adventure, with a feisty, memorable heroine.

A lovely, wintery read with great world-building. I did have some niggles with this book, but overall it was sweet and fun.