I enjoy fantasy novels based on deadly trials with a bit of political intrigue so when I came across this book on Instagram, my interest was piqued, considering that several readers raved about it. Written by Sable Sorensen, Direbound is the author's first book in The Wolves Of Ruin series. It's a dark, fast-paced fantasy built around deadly trials, direwolves, political intrigue and a heroine who has every reason to fight for what she wants. It's also a romantasy, that is a subgenre that blends fantasy with romance in equal balance, which makes this book more fascinating.
The story follows Meryn Cooper, a young poor street fighter from Eastern Quarter of Sturmforst who fights to support her family. In their society, there are the common-born and the Bonded, elite warriors, who practically rule Sturmforst. But a common-born can rise to the position of a Bonded if they form mental links with big, dangerous direwolves.
Meryn's life is already difficult and her main concern is keeping her family safe. That changes when her younger sister, Saela, is kidnapped and taken across the border by the immortal enemies their country has been fighting for generations. Desperate to get her sister back, Meryn joins the army and finds herself thrown into the bonding trials. She has to survive a brutal competition where failure is a matter of life or death.
The trial takes Meryn into the castle for months training where almost everything becomes another test. She is expected to learn how to work with a direwolf while dealing with people who would rather see her fail. Unfortunately for her, the wolf she bonds with is not exactly cooperative. Then there is Stark Therion, her intimidating instructor, and Crown Prince Killian Valtiere, whose interest in Meryn jeopardises her safety in the training camp.
As she trains and gets involved in court politics, there are secrets surrounding the kingdom and the war that draws her into a circle with the decision makers. But is this what Meryn hoped for when she joined the army? Who took her sister and why?
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Romantasy, Adventure Publication: February 2025 Pages: 605
My Review And Rating
When I started reading this book, I realised that its plot and some of its content had quite a few similarities to the popular fantasy book The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I have not read this book myself as I only read the synopsis when everyone was talking about it online. I had promised myself I would eventually read it but finding Direbound and going into it blind left me a little upset midway through the book because I felt like it had spoiled Yarros’ book for me. Still, I can say the plot is solid and stands on its own.
The focus of the story is on the disparity in the society and how the commoners must measure up with the elite to survive. Even better, I liked the unique wolf-human bond. These are not cute magical companions. The direwolves have their own personalities, instincts, and pack dynamics. The bond between them and the humans have a rough, almost unpredictable quality that is fascinating. Meryn’s relationship with her wolf becomes one of the most interesting parts of the story because they both didn't hand over their trust easily.
Among all the characters in this book, it's Meryn that pulled at my emotions the most. Though she's the lead female character, she's also the most aggravating for me. I struggled to understand why she made certain decisions that were clearly not in her favour. She is stubborn, rough around the edges and driven to find her sister. The mystery surrounding her is intriguing enough to make her an interesting character but her self deprecation and doubts pissed me off the most.
In the romance subplot, this book presents us with two men, Stark and Killian, competing for Meryn’s affection. Killian gets a major portion of her attention while Stark is merely acknowledged as her instructor but there are sparks flying between them. I'm sure we'll read more of Stark's affection towards Meryn in the second book.
Sorensen's writing is easy to settle into. The prose is descriptive and I enjoyed how the story moves between action, the training, the trials, romance and mystery without losing its focus. There is a bit of humour and the dialogue is sharp enough to give the darker sections some breathing room. The twist and revelation towards the ending caught me off guard and makes it clear that the author still has more to spill on Meryn and the bonding trials. For a first book, I’d say the author did good and gives the series plenty room to grow.
Rating this book, I'd give it 6.5 out of 10 stars. Direbound is a dark, addictive start to The Wolves Of Ruin series. The plot, setting and worldbuilding are compelling. The direwolf bond makes the series especially fascinating and I can't wait to start the second book.
Images generated with Chatgpt using the e-book cover
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Rating: 65/100
Originally posted through scrobble.life/books.
