Tag: wolves

Unleashed | Book Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: Unleashed (Unspoken, #3)

Author: Celia McMahon

Format: eBook (own)

Pages: 440

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Wolves, Magic

“I will claim my victory with claws and teeth and steel.”

In the wake of her battle to protect the Den, Izzy has crossed back into Stormwall to enact her plan with the former prince, Ashe, to retake the kingdom from within. Only weeks go by with no word from the prince and Izzy is faced once again with Ashe’s betrayal. She is forced to make alternate plans with a group of rebels to kill both king and prince.

But the world has always bent at odd angles for the wolf-princess. On the day of their battle, things don’t go as planned and Izzy finds herself once again fighting for her life and friends. In the chaos that follows, Izzy and her rebels lose Stormwall into the hands of the Gwylis.

When Izzy discovers that the king had been turning children into wolves, she embarks on a journey that will take her deeper into Mirosa to both save innocent lives and continue her brother Henry’s take of breaking the Gwylis curse. While battling her own demons, her friends have continued the path of their own destinies, each weaving together for one final battle. With the Uncanny’s power growing stronger there is more at stake than ever. Amidst demons and gods, Izzy must aim to break apart the world she knew, to build something even better in its place. A kingdom without demons or wolves. A new kingdom.

  • Aesthetics ~ once again, such amazing cover art work for this whole Unspoken series. Consistently beautiful and the color scheme is great.
  • World Building ~ great world building throughout the series and this time we get to know more about the history about the Gwylis curse. We even get a glimpse of the demons and Gods playing havoc with the lives of humans.
  • Friendship and Family ~ Izzy and Ashe’s relationship is everything to me in this story. It’s a story about forgiveness and trust. I think it was my favorite part of the story because I didn’t know what to expect out of Ashe’s role from book two. As far as Fray…he is lost without Izzy and is so stubborn and faithless. He learns to believe in the pack again, but it takes a lot for him to get there.
  • This one is faster paced than book two and darker which I enjoyed. Izzy and Fray are separated but I like that they have their own individual journeys to take, no matter how scary or painful. Izzy I feel grows a lot, and her character needed that growth because I always felt she was kind of selfish – always thinking she could do things alone. I loved the sacrifices at the end that came from Izzy, Ashe and even Fray.
  • Triggers: grief, violence
  • I know Izzy and Fray are fated mates, but honestly, with how much progress she and Ashe go through together in this book, I was team Ashe! Haha…but I know, I know, their friendship is the strongest part about them. Still, I was hoping.
  • I know being a Gwylis was a curse, but I loved that they were shape shifters. Kind of bummed that they were trying to undo it all but I understand why they did it.
  • A noticeable typo that made me pause and reread a sentence near the end.

This was a good conclusion to a creative story about a curse that turned humans into wolves. Izzy goes from a princess to a powerful Gwylis, to someone who realizes what really matters to her in the end. The main characters go through so many experiences in this book, they truly were Unleashed. Overall I enjoyed this series and if you like stories about wolves, you may enjoy this one as well.

🐺 ~ Yolanda

Uncaged | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: Uncaged (Unspoken, #2)

Author: Celia McMahon

Format: eBook (own)

Pages: 402

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Review for Unspoken (Book #1)

Not every queen needs a crown.

After escaping Stormwall, Izzy and Fray have finally crossed through the Archway and into The Old Kingdom in search of allies. But finding a place within Fray’s former pack is harder than they imagined. When Izzy’s father warred with the Gwylis, it made a lifelong enemy of the Rowan name. Fray’s betrayal of siding with Aquarius in the war makes him no less an enemy to the pack. 

Izzy struggles to understand her newfound magic and build a relationship with her new family, but when the new king’s soldiers arrive in The Old Kingdom, Izzy must fight to secure the protection of her new home. With war looming once again, Izzy is thrust back into the life she tried to leave behind.

As danger mounts, past, present, and future collide between kingdoms, and the lines of allegiances are drawn. Izzy must decide who she is willing to fight for, and where her loyalties truly lie. 

UNCAGED is the stunning sequel to Celia McMahon’s debut UNSPOKEN, the first in her fantasy trilogy set in a world of curses, wolves, and war.

  • Aesthetics ~ the covers for the whole series are so good! I love the color scheme and the cover art is just so beautiful.
  • World Building ~ Izzy and Fray have left Stormwall and now they are in The Old Kingdom which is very detailed. I enjoyed learning about this land of Gwylis who aren’t voiceless, the Gwylis history and their way of life. We get a lot more wolves in this book as Izzy meets Fray’s old pack.
  • Characters ~ I like meeting the new characters like Olio (he’s my fave). Sonia is tough as nails too and we learn a little about her. Branch is cool too since he comes off scary in the beginning but starts to train Izzy and she needs training.
  • There is a darkness to Izzy now and I’m sure it will be explored more in the final book of the series. Whatever powers she inherited from the Gwylis, Aquarius, has come with some consequences that she has to figure out.
  • This one was slower than the first one because Izzy is new to the Gwylis and finding where she belongs. She is also busy training and learning her powers. I know Izzy is a strong female and now even more powerful with her Gwylis form but at times I feel like she doesn’t listen to anyone and I wish she would.
  • I’m not sure why Ashe is trailing her and what his role is? To remind Izzy of what she once was? Human? 🤔 I guess we shall see in book three.
  • Speaking about feelings – what is happening with her and Fray? They were tight and now unravelling. They do not communicate very well even though they can communicate through sign and with voice! 🤦🏻‍♀️ I know she’s going through some things though.
  • Triggers: grief, violence

This felt like a second book because how slow the story became and we spent time just watching Izzy trying to find where she belongs and learning all about her new powers. I think it definitely sets up some things to go down in book three where she has to go back and figure out what to do with her home Stormwall. This was a solid sequel but not my favorite of the series so far – but I do enjoy this world of wolves this author has created.

🐺 ~ Yolanda