Don't Call the Wolf

March 9, 2020
Ross’s uneven Polish folklore-inspired debut opens 17 years after a seemingly invincible Golden Dragon kills Kamien´a’s royals and slaughters its military, facilitating invasion by assorted monsters. Lynx/human shapeshifter Ren, 17, endeavors to protect the forest animals who made her their queen but believes the Golden Dragon is causing evil to spread. Enter Lukasz Smoków, 21, who hails from a legendary clan of dragon slayers called the Wolf-Lords. Having nearly died while battling an Apofys dragon, Lukasz wants to return home to the mountains, like his brothers before him, but doesn’t know the way, as he left when he was four. Ren distrusts humans, who have been cruel to her and her friends, but out of desperation, she strikes a deal: if Lukasz will slay her dragon, she will guide him home. Formulaic plotting slows the narrative, and though Lukasz and the beings who accompany them lack complexity, robbing the tale of emotional heft, Ross delivers a fierce, fully fleshed heroine and a richly textured fantasy with a kind heart. Includes a pronunciation guide. Ages 13–up. Agent: Brent Taylor, TriadaUS.

From her first words, narrator Eileen Stevens captures listeners with a story inspired by the Polish fairy tale "The Glass Mountain." Stevens lends energy to the tale of a shape-shifting queen and the last dragon slayer as they team up to protect their forest for conflicting reasons. One of the many benefits of listening to this audiobook is getting to hear Stevens's effortless-sounding pronunciations of monstrous creatures and Eastern European names. Stevens eases the transitions between the present and flashbacks while staying true to the personalities of Lukasz and of Ren in both her lynx and human forms. Stevens enhances the tension in this story, leaving listeners spellbound. J.O � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine