#BookReview Sword Summer (Wolf Song Saga Book 2)
by Katie Cross & Derek Alan Siddoway
I am finally reviewing a new book instead of cleaning up recommendations previously on my website. I found this book from an author who I adore. I had never read her books, but Katie Cross is a frequent guest on my podcast, The Blasters & Blades Podcast. She writes YA fantasy novels and is the wife of a former US Army special squirrel. After we interviewed her about the first book in the series, I had to read it. I was hooked, so I wrote the review for it here. I couldn’t leave it there, so I read book two, and now here we are!
What is this book about? It’s a fantasy novel about a young woman’s coming-of-age story, but cooler... because– wolves. This novel takes place a year after the first book when the war has finally arrived on their doorstep. This epic fantasy adventure has plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seat. So, grab your coffee, set some Kibble out for the Amorak wolves, and prepare for the thrill ride of a lifetime!
The Story
The fate of the Wolf Riders still falls on the shoulders of Astrid, a Wolf Rider… whose wolf is not an Amarok but is instead a normal wolf. She is able to ride her mom’s old companion, Atka with Maera at her side. I loved seeing the culmination of the relationship between Astrid and her wolf. This journey started in book one and left us wondering what that would look like. Would the wolf grow into an amarok, or would they find another way? Those questions were answered in this novel, but more questions are there to lead us into book three.
Like in the first novel, the main character is Astrid. She is the type of person who would give anything to protect her people and defend her home with her fellow Ulfsark. She dreams of proving that she has lived up to the legacy of her mother. What happened in the first novel wasn’t enough for her drive to prove herself, so she continued to seek bigger and bigger accomplishments. She’s desperate to prove her worth and live up to her mother's legacy. Will it be the death of her? We’ll find out in book three, I hope!
During this romp through the countryside, we meet the old cast of characters from book one and a few new friends we discover in this novel. This story was compelling, keeping you on edge from start to finish. I listened to the book on a road trip, and it made for a most enjoyable ride. It gave you all of the feels, which is all we can ask for from the fiction we love.
Join Astrid and her friends on her thrilling new fantasy adventure in SWORD SUMMER, the second novel in the WOLF SONG SAGA series by Katie Cross and Derek Alan Siddoway.
First, the prose from Katie and Derek was conversationally poetic. In addition, the vocabulary of these two had me grabbing a dictionary. It was fun, like being a kid again and discovering new words and ways to express yourself. This journey was made even more incredible because I listened to Katie narrate it to me. I listened to some sections several times to hear the soothing cadence of her reading the story. It was truly like hanging out with an old and dear friend. Since this is the second novel I’ve read by either author, I can’t tell you where one of their voices stopped and the other began, but it blended seamlessly into a coherent, compelling style.
I could keep going about the quality of their prose, but let’s move on to the other facets of this story.
These two seasoned storytellers also knew how to expertly pace the story so it flowed smoothly from one plot point to another. I thought that it was a one-off when they did it last time, but boy, was I wrong. They kept it up for book two and kicked it up a notch. This book kept my attention while giving me room to breathe and process the various parts of this continuation of an epic adventure. Even better, this novel felt like it was setting up book three to kick the action up a notch, and I’m here for it. I do worry: can these two continue to take us higher into the stratosphere? They nailed the delivery so well on this novel that I wonder where their room to grow and improve is.
Another aspect of this story that is worth evaluating is the audiobook quality. As I previously mentioned, one of the authors, Katie Cross, read this novel. She hit the ball out of the park, telling me a story that I couldn’t put down and kept me going when I should’ve been doing other things. She nailed the various character accents, keeping my ears engaged from start to finish. I honestly hate Katie, just a little bit, for being so good at everything. She’s a business genius, a narration goddess, and an author who we’ll talk about long after her grandkids have grandkids. I predict this series will be one for the ages, and I don’t say that lightly.
Oh, and did I mention that the way that Katie and Derek set up their spiritual world was top-notch? They gave us a sense of the otherworldly better than I’ve seen in a while. From the colors, they chose to describe things to the nature of the creatures seen in this other realm. I would love to see this as a role-playing game so I can experience playing and exploring this setting long after the books have ended. It probably isn’t in the cards, but a kid can dream, am I right?
These two authors also showed their skill as they sired a literary creation that will stand the test of time. I know, I’ve said it before, but I don’t have their skill at expressing the sheer awesomeness of this adventure. So, one aspect of this adventure that I loved was how realistic the fantasy combat seemed. The spiritual warfare was on point and kept me on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what might come. There were spirits, maybe ghosts, and then the mysterious nyx cats that came from this spirit world. Then, we saw the actual fighting in the ‘real’ world. Wow, just wow. It was well-executed and totally believable. We saw Astrid out-smart, more than out-fight, the bad guys. Talk about setting the standard for female heroines!
The next part of the story that I wanted to rave over was the creatures and monsters in this world. From the amorak wolves to the nyx cats, we see animals that are fleshed out and believable. The descriptions were there and allowed me to envision them. I could see them playing out in the movie in my head, as described in the scenes and in print. I really love it when authors make their worlds feel lived in and believable, and these two authors deliver.
Oh, did I mention that they killed it with the descriptions? Normally, when authors describe things, they stick to visual and auditory senses. They ignore all of the smells, the feel of things, and how things taste. That includes more than food; the air in some places has a taste if you pay attention to things. Ever smell a peppermint plant and tasted it in your mouth at the same time? That can be portrayed in writing, too. An old campfire with the remains of dinner tossed in… and you can almost taste the veal? So many missed opportunities here.
What I really loved is how the authors did not skip the rarer sense of proprioception or the sense of space. This sense includes the feeling of our limbs and their relation to the world around us. It includes the feelings in your body as you ascend or descend from or to great heights. We got this as Derek and Katie described their climb into the mountains north of the wolfmoors. It is also the ability to sense force, which was used to describe the combat scenes that I mentioned above. I could go on, but you get the idea!
Finally, I think it is worth mentioning that these authors did an amazing job with the plot in general. It is the curse of the author or the well-read consumer to be able to predict what’s going to happen in a novel. There are only so many plot variations, and the more you read, the easier it is to see the writing on the wall. In fact, you’ll often discover the big reveal light-years before most of your average readers. I’ve found this to be especially true for my author friends. We think about the plot a lot more than most, so we start to see the ghostly breadcrumbs that the author strung along to set up the big reveal. I've accepted the reality that I'm rarely surprised when I read a novel anymore. Happily, Katie and Derek were able to keep me on my toes, and there was one twist that I didn't see coming. That is such a rare occurrence that it's always worth noting when it happens.
The Characters
This novel follows one main character, the Skolvarg named Astrid. She is a 20-year-old young woman who is training to master the life of an Ulfsark. It has been her lifelong dream of Astrid to become one of the mounted warriors who ride Amorak wolves into battle. She got that, sort of, in the first novel when she became in tune with a wolf. Except… it wasn’t an amarok, but the normal, run-of-the-mill variety. But don’t tell her wolf Maera that; she would be devastated! She’s of a small body and a big heart breed. Astrid still wants to live up to the shadow of her mother, but it isn’t displayed as overly angsty. And then she gets a special new power, which she never wanted. She didn’t want to be different; she just wanted to be a wolf rider. A warrior defending her people. Through this struggle with her true nature, we see the strength of her character, which is impressive.
What I like the most about Astrid is that she is a strong woman and a competent warrior. Despite being extremely petite in her society of Amazon-sized people, she is a fighter. She uses her cunning and speed to out-fight and defeat monsters and warriors larger than her in very believable combat sequences. You can tell that Katie Cross relied on her husband’s special skills because these scenes checked out. Furthermore, while Astrid started out a bit of the Joe Everybody Rookie Warrior, watching her grow into the leader we all knew she was capable of becoming was worth the price of admission.
What I liked the most about this character was that she wasn’t a raft floating along the waters of life in this book. Instead, Astrid was both affected by and affected the world around her. This symbiotic interaction added to the superb world-building that made Vigard a fun world to experience. It showed the reader her role in the world and added together to create a three-dimensional experience.
Astrid, the main character, will make you chuckle at her initial reluctance to admit what she really is. She will make you want to shake her silly throughout this novel, as she misses so many chances to work everything out by trusting her best friend. That was the solution that was so obviously right in front of her, but she was too proud to ask for help. She was written as a cross between Arya from Game of Thrones by GRR Martin and Xena, Warrior Princess with shades of Fedelm and Queen Boudica.
The World
What’s not to love about the world-building in this novel? It was expertly handled by Siddoway and Cross, who know how to tell compelling stories set in beautiful worlds they’ve created. Everything was extremely fleshed out, giving this setting a very lived-in feel. Unlike some authors, this incredible duo didn't info dump all their world-building up front. Instead, they fed it to us in drips and drabs. Seriously, these two were the perfect drug dealers. They expertly strung us along and always left us wanting more. I know that sounds toxic, but trust me, this story was anything but. It was an exciting thrill ride from start to finish. What’s not to like about their already expansive world? This novel was definitely a Tolkien-Esq Master Class in creating fictional universes. Seriously, I'm practically gushing over this novel. I loved that this book, which is different from the first novel in the Wolf Song Saga, explored a different area. We traveled through the northern ranges, where the first book took us south of the Wolfmoors. We also got to learn about the spirit world, the gods and goddesses, and finally, the spirits of nature. It was so amazing the first time we saw a certain wolf seer talk to rocks, trees, and even the river spirit. I truly loved this aspect of the world-building and cannot wait to read book three!
Politics
This novel was apolitical in the sense that it didn't deal with any real-world politics. However, we did see some political struggles from the political parties in this world. It was a background struggle in this novel, though that struggle becomes central to the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist. I suspect that this only kicks up into high gear in future books. What I did love to see was freedom being lionized through the story of the Skolvarg People. The inhabitants of the Wolfmoors are the quintessential everyman, with the benefit of a boon to their natural healing abilities. They’re a nomadic people in a world that is quickly becoming more agrarian. Vigard, where the story takes place, is a medieval setting.
This proto-Europe backdrop is par for the course of a modern fantasy novel, but there were shades of other cultures thrown in, too, which I loved. In addition to the world that’s trying to kill them, the main characters must fight the existential evil of greed, the pursuit of power, and an unthinking quest for vengeance by Queen Rosamund. Predictably, it ends badly for everyone involved. Like in the real world, there are no real winners in war. You’ve probably heard that before; it’s a tale as old as time.
Content Warning
This novel would be appropriate for anyone over the age of 13. The book Sword Summer had zero vulgarities, though one scene hinted at the physical aspects of the romance between the female protagonist (Astrid) and her bard love interest (Ewan). Nothing happened on screen, but it feels worth mentioning, as this can be a sensitive issue for some parents recommending books to their kids. I would feel comfortable letting my boys read this, for whatever that’s worth. Further, this novel is about a young warrioress, so there is violence in this book. It wasn’t overly gory, but it was there, and people died in the battles of this novel.
Who is it for?
This book is for people who enjoyed reading the Dragon Riders of Pern but think wolves are cooler than dragons!
This novel, by the award-winning duo of Derek Alan Siddoway and Katie Cross, has the conversational prose of Neil Gaiman or Jim Butcher and the world-building of David Eddings. Throw in some shades of Xena, Warrior Princess, without the sexy leathers, and you’ve got this story summed up in a nutshell! I also loved that this is a novel where the journey is more important than the destination... but oh, what a trip it was! A wild ride from tip to tail, so dive in if you're brave enough. This one will surely be a story for the ages!
Why buy it
This is the story of the everywoman, an underdog warrior who overcomes her tiny size to achieve greatness. I loved that the authors take into account the reality of size differentials. Instead, they had Astrid use cunning, wit, and speed to triumph against her opponents. Even cooler, we learn that she is more than just a petite warrior; she is something more. I’d elaborate, but this is the spoiler-free zone, so you’ll have to read it to find out. If you love a thrill ride through nature and the spirit world that would make Alexander the Great proud, this is the novel for you!
Seriously, why haven’t you clicked the link and bought this book already? If this tale doesn't make you a superfan of Katie Cross or Derek Alan Siddoway, then you didn’t read the same book that I did! Once you buy and read the book, come back and share your thoughts! Oh, and be sure to leave a review!