Standalone
Type of Fantasy: Heroic
Synopsis
A man born for war. A bastard raised in contempt. Only together can they defend their tribe from slaughter.
Fierce-hearted Comran is the chief’s son and the favored choice to be the next leader. Then his father chooses Comran’s half-brother Etran for the role, straining the loyalties of the tribe and reinforcing the distance between the two men. When Comran is offered the role of battlewolf, he is ready to do his duty—but expects no friendship in return.
Steady Etran has long been shunned as the chief’s bastard. Becoming the chief brings even more hostility, so he offers Comran the title of battlewolf to maintain tribal unity. But can he trust this reckless warrior as his general when Comran has never stood by his side?
As tensions mount within the tribe, a traitorous act leads to war. Comran and Etran must overcome their inner demons and fight for their brotherhood before the Greywolves fall to their worst enemies.
My Thoughts
I’ve been wanting to read some of C.M. Banschbach’s books for a while, and this was the first one that I’ve picked up.
The first half was about 2 stars, and I wondered if I would be able to finish the book. This was partly because there were some weird expressions like “tossing his hands” and “a grin swerved across his face” that made me laugh out loud and were very distracting. The beginning was also very slow and repetitive about the half-brothers and their broken relationship.
However, once the action began picking up after the first 100+ pages, I’d give the book a solid 4 stars. I flew through the last half and really enjoyed a minor character that Comran meets toward the latter half of the story (but I won’t say more because of spoilers).
I loved that the tribe the main characters hailed from rode wolves. Where is mine?! And that the other tribes they interacted with also rode fluffy huge animals (saber tooth tigers and lynxes). The worldbuilding was phenomenal, and the character building was pretty good too, if a bit repetitive at times. The winter/mountainous vibes were lovely, and it would have made a great winter read cuddled up under a blanket with a mug of tea at hand.
I also really enjoyed that the main relationships in the book were about brothers, which made such a nice change from most of the YA fantasy books that seem to feature romance. There is some of the latter in this book, but just some hints (and it’s all clean and super sweet).
Greywolf’s Heart is such a sweet story, and if you can get through a few bizarre expressions and a slow beginning, it’s definitely worth the time to read!
Trigger Warnings: Uses the word ‘bastard’ quite a bit, but in the literal sense. Some violence, though not graphic.
Would you rather ride a giant wolf or lynx?
