Wolfish by Christiane M. Andrews

Abstract

Reviewed by: Wolfish by Christiane M. Andrews April Spisak Andrews, Christiane M. Wolfish. Little, 2022 [416p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780316496063 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780316496070 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-7 A dreamy, aimless young boy becomes king after every person in succession before him is murdered, setting him up as the perfect token leader who can be manipulated by those who hunger for power After the oracle’s apprentice prophecies that the king’s own blood will be his downfall, the king is urged to order the baby of his pregnant mother killed before the child can fulfill their destiny. The twins his mother births, however, are not killed but instead left unprotected in the countryside, where the girl is found and taken in by a loving couple, and her male twin by a wolf mother. Twelve years later, Rae, the girl, is surprised to encounter a wolf that feels more like a familiar comfort than a threat. Meanwhile, Alba, the oracle apprentice who made that grim prediction, has desperately sought the babies impacted by her prophecy, even while she knows that it was simply her own fate [End Page 113] to deliver it. The king, twins, and oracle converge in startling final scenes that are ultimately sympathetic to all four. Fans of Roman mythology will appreciate the nods to classical literature, but fiction readers will gravitate toward the twins and their connection, and they will find this a contemplative and affecting read about the profound loneliness that has shaped each of the four main characters. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois