A Written Rhapsody: Review: Bonds of Fenris by S.J. Bell

Talia Thornwood's life ended one year ago, when she became a werewolf. She survived the attack, and the horrifying transformation a month later, but the life she has now is barely worth living. She lurks about in a filthy, run-down house, with too many werewolves crammed into too small a space. Every day is a struggle against the stress of human contact, the romantic prodding of her obnoxious packmate Pierce, and the gnawing hunger for flesh in her soul.

She's all but resigned herself to a dreary existence on the margins of society when she meets Corwin. Corwin is a werewolf like none other. He walks among humans as if it was nothing, and can keep his wolf under control even when the moon is full. Talia's mind is suddenly opened to the possibilities before her, and the realization of how little she really knows about lycanthropy.

Corwin claims that he can teach her how to cope as he does, even how to transcend her affliction. But it will not be easy. It is a hard education that requires her to question everything her pack taught her, and confront exactly what she has become. And, more amazingly, what she never stopped being.

I'll come out and say I'm not the biggest werewolf fan, but I was a fan of this book. When I first started this book, I expected some sort of action filled story since that's what I've come to expect from these types of books. However, this story was totally different! S.J. Bell not only goes deeper into the world of a pack, but also breaks down the walls of a werewolf's psyche. I liked that it took a different approach by speaking about the struggle of being a werewolf. I also enjoyed the positive messages of self-acceptance in the book.

Characterization in this book was also really different. Since the book is short and there are a lot of characters in this book, there wasn't a lot of character development. However, as a reader I was still able to get a great feel for each characters personality very quickly because they were all different while bringing something to the story. I was very back and forth with liking and hating the characters. I realize how horrible that sounds,but the characters were very real in that sense. They weren't perfect and all had their faults even when you loved them. My only real quip about the characters is that I felt some of the relationships between characters seemed all over the place at times. The two relationships that tended to bother me the most were Talia with Corwin and Marlene. I always felt a disconnect because one moment Marlene and Talia hated each other then were totally buddies a few scenes later. I get they're a pack and are there for each other, but it just seemed odd. I don't want to say too much on Corwin because I liked them together, but I just couldn't root for them since I never really felt their relationship much.

This is definitely one of those stories that makes you think. I had a lot of moments where I'd just reread a passage to truly understand the deeper meaning of it. I feel like Bell put a lot of thought into the precise words he used at times. It's one of those stories that's deep without having a heavy storyline. I will say the story drags a little bit at times because of things happening in the book, but this was still an enjoyable read. I only hope there will be more so I can have a tad more closure to questions I wanted more information on. If you're okay with some mild language and looking for a quick read with interesting characters, I'd give Bonds of Fenris a try. Thanks to the author for providing me a review copy