“The fate of the Wolf Riders falls on an outcast.
Astrid would give anything to be one of the Ulfsark—fearless warriors who ride giant Amarok wolves.
Like her ancestors, she yearns for the soul-deep bond with a wolf. The connection. The union. A chance to prove her worth and honor her mother’s legacy.
Yet she’s never heard the Wolf Song.
And with each passing year, it’s likely she never will.
Astrid refuses to accept her fate. Then an encounter with a nature spirit and a foreign princess dashes her last hope and changes everything.
Accused of killing a royal guardsman, Astrid travels to the halls of a mad king to clear her name and stop a war against her people. Though she has no Amarok wolf, Astrid refuses to fail her tribe.
Even if she cannot be an Ulfsark.
There, she’ll discover a regular wolf that opens her heart, friends she never asked for, and a new world far more dangerous—and strange—than she ever imagined.
Will Astrid save a fragile peace and embrace her destiny? Or will her dreams of the Wolf Song fade in distant lands?”
Title: A Spring for Spears
Series: Wolf Song Saga #1
Author: Katie Cross, Derek Alan Siddoway
Page Count: 341
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Date Read: August 12th, 2023
| A Spring for Spears was another selection from my personal SPFBO-9 list. This was another early one that I added to the list based solely off the cover and the blurb. To be honest, I didn’t have this one on my TBR for this month initially. However, since I ended up picking up a copy of the audiobook and it was relatively short, I was able to slide it in. Both of these authors are new to me and I always wonder how authors can work together to put a mutually agreed upon story out to the public. However, they did it, I think they came up with a solid product with A Spring for Spears. I also though that Katie Cross did a great job in her narration of this book. The pacing was done really well both for the story and the narration. This was a very easy going smooth story to enjoy. I didn’t come across any issues with boring parts to get through nor issues with names of any places or characters to trip me up either. The world building was very interesting. We get a solid overview of this world with it’s difference races, regions and cultures. But one of the biggest aspects is the way this story handles the animal companion connection. It was very interesting to see play out. The character development was well done. Astrid is one of those characters you can’t help but care about and grow attached to. Her arc is obviously the most visible in this story. I enjoyed some of the subtle or perhaps not so subtle parts of these characters. One of my biggest takeaways of Astrid is no matter how strong and determined she is, she will always be a hugger! This reminds me that I wanted to mention that is was a story full of hope even if there are plenty of struggles along the way. We get a good representation here that different isn’t always bad and being the biggest isn’t always the best! This runs along side the fact we don’t always make the best decisions on who we can trust no matter how much someone may seem on our side. But the hope still remains through it all! I will certainly be keeping my eye on this series and looking to continue it. As with what I’ve mentioned above I’d recommend this read for fantasy fans looking for a solid feel good story where even though things do get dark at times, there is always hope! I haven’t had a lot of those types of reads this year so this was a bit refreshing for that. World Building 4/5 Pacing 4/5 Character Development 4/5 |
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