The Last Wolf

December 11, 2017
This mixed debut evocatively depicts British werewolves in the Adirondacks, but crudely stereotypes the antagonistic relationships among the werewolves of the Pack, the independent shifter werewolves, and humans. Silver Nilsdottir, a disabled runt who was enslaved by the alpha couple of the Pack after her low-ranking partner was exiled, throws in her lot with injured shifter Tiberius Leveraux, hoping to teach him not to be such a “crappy wolf” so they can apply to the Pack for admission as a couple. Vale’s use of physical disability as a status-lowering device is lazy and thoughtless, and the derisive language used to describe Silver’s limitations is disconcerting. Human–wolf culture clash is a humorous highlight, though some scenes feel like set pieces. Sexual encounters are not centered enough in the story for many romance readers, but they strike a hot balance between human and feral. The climactic conflict between the shifters and the Pack werewolves arises and changes the mood too suddenly, and Vale doesn’t let Silver and Ti work as a team in its resolution, missing an opportunity to solidify the sense of coupledom. This is a capable work, but it does little to set up future sequels.

January 1, 2018
Two lonely outsiders risk health and home to find love amid danger.Shifters and werewolves have been enemies for centuries. While wolves are forced to change with every full moon, Shifters can pick a form at will. As humans earned their place at the top of the food chain hundreds of years ago, Shifters chose to remain in their human forms. They have a history of attacking wolves while they're vulnerable, using human weapons to raid a wolf pack's supply of riches. In present-day upstate New York, the Great North Pack is pairing off its wolves in a celebration, known as "the Daeling," that ushers the juveniles into adulthood. Silver is the runt of the group, and, unpaired, she's destined for the role of servant to the Pack's ruling Alphas. But when a Shifter/wolf hybrid shows up on the land, gored and bleeding to death, Silver recognizes she has a chance to change her future of submission. If she chooses to help the stranger, she'll be exiled from her Pack, but she knows the risk is worth the reward of forging her own path. Silver and the hybrid, Tiberius, are thrust into complicated circumstances in which the elements, humans, and wolves alike are their enemies. Debut author Vale has created a paranormal community in the modern world, and it's a standout, though it would have been helpful to have a glossary for the unique terminology. The romance takes a back seat to wolf-pack dynamics and paranormal politics, but the scenes showing the dark, primal attraction between Silver and Tiberius can become addictive for readers --a dense, gooey chocolate cake in page form.A wonderfully descriptive paranormal romance that breathes some much-needed life into the subgenre.

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February 15, 2018

Quicksilver Nilsdottir, crippled, small, and unmated, has no hope of being anything other than a lowly nidling in her Pack until badly wounded Tiberius Leveraux, a despised Shifter, enters their territory seeking asylum in the name of his late Pack-born mother. Knowing he'll die if she doesn't help, Silver agrees to become his schildere ("shielder"), risking her place in the Pack on the hope that Ti will heal and they'll win the fight that lies ahead. But Ti has a hidden agenda, and if he doesn't set things to rights, the entire Pack may fall victim to the machinations of a corrupt, greedy villain. Penetrating, often hilarious depictions of an outsider learning what it means to be Pack and the playful antics of the wolf pups seamlessly balance the novel's bloodier, more violent elements. Written primarily in first person/present tense, this cleverly conceived and thoughtful story is spot-on for the paranormal YA/new adult market. VERDICT The unique, believable worldbuilding, flashes of humor, and Old Norse references make this exceptional debut of a promising series a solid choice for all paranormal readers and collections. Vale lives in New York.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2018
As Vale begins her Legend of All Wolves series, her outstanding world building makes this sensuous tale of life and love in the Pack, a werewolf society, well worth reading. Silver (short for Quicksilver) was a runt and has a dislocated hip. This gives her the status of the lowest of the low despite the fact her sire had been an alpha and her uncle is alpha of the Great North Pack. As she enters adulthood, Silver's only optionis to be mated to the lowest male in her echelon. But at the ceremony, he is banished and she is made a servant instead of a member of the Pack. Then everything changes again when a wounded shape-shifter stumbles into the gathering. Shifters, who can control their shifting and don't necessarily wear fur the three nights each month of the Iron Moon, are enemies of the Pack. He is Tiberius, the son of a former Pack member, and if she is bold enough, and can manage to link her destiny to that ofTiberius, Silver has an outside chance of changing the course of her life. Spellbound readers will watch for the next installment, A Wolf Apart.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)