Direbound (The Wolves of Ruin)

Direbound from debut author Sable Sorenson has been haunting my dreams in the best possible way.I’ve been reading romantasy for a little less than two years, yes Fourth Wing introduced me to the genre. This story has bonding trials like Fourth Wing and direwolves like Game of Thrones. I’m sure there are other movie and book similarities to be found.For the last five hundred years, the country of Nocturna, protected by its infantry and Bonded riders/direwolves has been at war with the country of Astreona, governed by their king Lucian Brightbane, with Siphons also known as vampires as their army. During all of this time, no one has ever truly had an advantage. However, Nocturna has turned into a poor, poverty-stricken county. Most of the lavishes and riches are heaped upon the Bonded families, leaving most commoners barely scraping by.At the age of twelve, Meryn Cooper lost her father to the war. Shortly after, her mother started experiencing mental health issues, which resulted in Meryn dropping out of school, taking care of her infant sister, and taking over her mother’s job to have income. Now twenty-three, Meryn still works at the laundromat and supplements her mother’s medication and her sister’s schooling by fighting in warehouses against men twice her size.For as long as she can remember, kids have been kidnapped from the capital city of Sturmfrost in the middle of the night, while they’ve slept in their own beds. The thought is that Nabbers who are Siphons or working for the Siphons are responsible, and take the children across the border. When Meryn’s ten-year-old sister Saela is taken right from under her nose, Meryn knows she needs to get her back. “If anyone’s fool enough to take the fight to the Nabbers, and strong enough to stop them and bring home our kids, well, it’s you.”In order to get Saela back, Meryn needs to get to the frontlines of the war fast. Her solution is to join the King’s Royal Forces. To her surprise, this season’s recruitment also includes the bonding trials, where every recruit must compete and scale Mount Wolfsbane to see if they will be selected by a direwolf and become Bonded. Those who do not bond with a wolf will immediately be sent to the frontlines to complete their training. But those who do bond will spend the next four months doing intense pack training. The trials immediately begin with the Ascent, where some will not make it. Luckily for Meryn, with the help of her new friends Venna and Izabel, she’s able to make it up. Venna and Izabel immediately bond. Meryn has no desire to bond and is ready to be transferred to the frontlines. But Anassa a powerful-looking direwolf has other plans for her.The two immediately clash in a battle of wills, with neither trusting the other. This doesn’t bode well, as trust between direwolf and rider is paramount for survival. Not only does Meryn have to deal with an irritable (to say the least) direwolf, and other Rawbonds (newly bonded) trying to eliminate her, but she also has to deal with Stark Therion, one of the training instructors. Stark isn’t just an instructor. His normal position is that of Alpha of the Daemos pack, the warriors, which usually finds him on the frontlines racking up Siphon eliminations. He oozes disdain for Meryn and seems to take joy in trying to break her.But Meryn would endure anything and everything if it meant freeing her sister and returning to her mother and the love of her life Lee, her boyfriend of a year and a palace messenger.Direbound was more than I expected and almost nothing I expected at the same time. I loved Meryn who is outspoken, courageous, and brave. Stark is a complicated man who keeps everything close to his vest. His allegiance is to the crown and he makes it no secret. With his direwolf Cratos, they are a force to be reckoned with and inspire fear and submission. Lee is handsome and charming and knows exactly what to say and what Meryn needs. He is just way too good. Their attraction is palatable and their relationship is passionate and spicy.Direbound was captivating from the first to the last page. Every part of this story is important to the overall picture. I so LOVED all the twists and turns. Make no mistake, Direbound is a brutal, gruesomely graphic story. But there’s also beauty in friendship, found family, and coming into your own. This is a story about longing, betrayal, and secrets. So many secrets. I love the “touch her and die” trope. Direbound (shaking my head) has very good t.h.a.d. moments. There are other tropes, but I don’t want to list them and spoil anything. Just know that Direbound is going to be with me for a long long time. I can’t wait to see what happens next in Furybound.~ Favorite Quotes ~“The strongest bonds are selective.”“I’ve never let difficult things break me and I’m not going to start now.”“You are more precious to me than you could ever imagine.”“Friendship can be a strength.”“I give respect where respect is due.”“Leadership requires both knowledge and strength.”“There are different kinds of strength. Different kinds of weaknesses.”“I will never lie to you.”“Family is a blind spot for all of us.”“Trust goes two ways.”**Received a copy of the book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it. Also personally purchased a paperback copy.**

ARC ReadI was so excited to be selected to be an ARC reader for this wonderful book. I have always loved wolf stories, and this one did NOT disappoint!The world building was absolutely captivating. It's rare to find a story that has you excited to learn about each new custom and setting along with the character, but Direbound did this impeccably. I was found myself immediately hooked and enthralled with the characters and the storyline. Meryn is tough and determined, but we also get to see her growth and how she comes into her own. She has been handed an awful hand of cards in her life, but she makes it through because she there is no other choice. She is a great FMC that makes you want to root for her success. There is also a wonderful through-line of familial bonds both with her sister, Igor, and her complicated relationship with her mother - these bonds help Meryn to never seem flat or one-dimensional. We also get to see her bond grow with her wolf, and we get to learn about Direwolf culture alongside of her which keeps you hungry for more, just like Meryn. Anassa is a beautiful character, and single handedly drew me even further into the book. There is romance strung throughout the book, but once you meet the wolves, your intrigue is fueled by the pack and the quests at hand, leaving the romance as a good aside to the plot. The found family within this novel is beautifully written with it's ups and downs, but watching Meryn and everyone else overcome those rough patches only to come out stronger is incredibly heartwarming.From the moment I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down! Direbound held my attention for over 600 pages from the very beginning. Immediately I was pulled into this world and invested in the characters and plot. When the characters overcame something, it felt like I'd overcome it. When they lost something, I felt the loss as my own. It is incredibly difficult to illicit that feeling from a reader in the first few pages but Sable Sorensen has done it beautifully. There is enough detail that you can fall into the story and look around as if you're there, but not too much that you feel bogged down in a setting description. Also, as someone who has read a lot of wolf based stories in her life, I can tell you that this is one of the best I've read. The descriptions of the packs and the connections were well described and thought out. It felt cohesive, and I could tell that wolves and pack structures were something that Sable Sorensen really cared about and thought out.Throughout the read, I was kept on my toes. I am a reader that likes to figure things out before they happen, but I was constantly changing my theories as new information was revealed. There are twists and turns in this book that keep you deeply engaged in the plot, and the ending left my jaw open with me already looking up the release of the second book! After I finished the read, I had such an urge to go back and reread it to figure out all of the foreshadowing that was released previously that I had missed, but kept thinking back to with all of the new information. I almost never find myself itching to reread a novel directly after finishing it, but after this read, it was impossible to just set the book down and walk away from the world until this summer!(Potential Spoiler (if you want to go in with almost no knowledge) Ahead)Finally, I have always loved Throne of Glass and Rowan Whitethorn. I never thought that I'd find another fantasy man that matches his energy, but Stark might just prove me wrong.Overall, if you're a fan of wolves, Fourth Wing, Throne of Glass, all of the above, read Direbound! You won't regret diving into this world for even a second!

This was 5 stars immediately! While I'm super excited that the authors have been picked up by a publisher, I'm so sad that the release date for book 2 is being moved from July to March. When I tell you jaw dropping mic drop bombshell of a cliff hanger was written...I still don't think that accurately describes how I felt when I reached the last page!This book has everything I want in a fantasy world. You have the Siphons (vampires I guess) that are the bad guys kidnapping children from the poorer outskirt villages to the King's castle. The soldiers, mainly from these poorer outskirt villages, on the front lines fighting and dying against the Siphons. Then you have the elite soldiers. The Direbound. These are citizens from around the castle who are born into families of Direbound, raised and trained to be Direbound, and then fight to become Direbound.I am loving all the books that I'm finding now that are more focused on the wolf, be it people shifting into werewolves, being associated with wolves, or, in this case, becoming bonded with a Dire wolf. There is so much that I want to say about this book but I can't give away any spoilers, that's not my style. If you can't get your hands on a copy now, I definitely recommend getting on the author's newsletter because the re-release of this book will have a bonus chapter that I, for one, cannot wait to read!