Book Review – Raised by Wolves series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Sorry I haven’t been very active recently. I wanted to get through an entire series before doing a review. Plus, I’m lazy. But anyway, I finished this series the other day so here’s my review! I own the first book in the Raised by Wolves series and read it back when it first came out. I remembered enjoying it, so I thought I’d reread it as well as read the other two books in this trilogy since I never went back to it.

The series includes three books:

• Raised by Wolves
• Trial by Fire
• Taken by Storm

Here is the Goodreads synopsis for the first book to give you an idea of what the story is about:

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it.  That doesn’t mean that she’s averse to breaking a rule or two. 

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian’s basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents’ murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she’s shaped?

My Rating:
Raised by Wolves – 4/5 stars
Trial by Fire – 4/5 stars
Taken by Storm – 3.5/5 stars

 Overall, I enjoyed this series. I liked Barnes’s writing style. It was nice and simple and easy to read. The plot was interesting. I love werewolves so that’s why I picked this up in the first place. Barnes goes into a good amount of detail about what it’s like to live among werewolves and their basic way of living. Although I gave it the same rating as the first one, I actually enjoyed the second book the best out of the three. I liked the plot a bit better than those of the other two books and more characters were introduced. I gave the third one a slightly smaller rating because I had mixed feelings about how the series ended. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t say any more about that. But if you’ve read this series and want to discuss it, definitely let me know and we can talk about it!

So, characters. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Bryn at first, but I did. She’s stubborn, strong-willed, and a bit of a trouble-maker. Okay, maybe a little more than ‘a bit’. But she has to be this way, having grown up in a pack of werewolves. She’s always been the weakest so she has to make up for it somehow. She’s loyal to her friends and will do anything to keep them safe. She has a habit of rushing into a situation before thinking it through, but throughout the series she becomes better at controlling that and learns to think before acting.

Chase is a newly turned werewolf who appears to have a connection with Bryn’s past. He was a likable character, but not much is really known about him except that he is extremely loyal to Bryn. There’s a bit of romance between him and Bryn, which I thought was a little rushed, but it’s definitely not a big part in the series. Devon, Bryn’s best friend, was probably my favorite character. He’s very dramatic and would definitely be labeled as the comic relief in the series. He cares a lot about his appearance and doesn’t give two shits about whatever people think of him. He has a very close relationship with Bryn and they would do anything for each other. Their relationship was refreshing because it’s rare for people of the opposite sex to be so close without any sexual undertones. And no, he’s not gay. Lake, Bryn’s other best friend, is one of the few female werewolves. She’s extremely blunt and is obsessed with weapons. She has a shotgun named Matilda.

Ali, the only other human in a pack full of wolves, joined in order to take care of Bryn. She’s a very caring person but can be quite scary when she needs to be. I like how her character progresses throughout the series. Callum, the pack Alpha, is also an enjoyable character. He can appear fairly laid-back but if you underestimate him you’ll be sorry. Sometimes the things he does are frustrating, so I’m sure it’s not uncommon to have a ‘love-hate’ relationship with this character. I feel that most of the characters in the series are rather likable and they definitely make the story more fun and enjoyable.

And I’ll stop there. This series is a quick, easy read and I’m glad I went back to it. If it’s something you seem interested in, I would recommend checking it out.

Happy reading! :)

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