I have to say… this book is quite possibly one of the most frustrating books I’ve ever listened to. If miscommunication is a thing that you Do Not Like, then you should avoid this book. It took me forever to finish because I would get so frustrated with the characters I would rage-quit for like a month. And its a long fucking book. So. I think I actually had to sit and read parts of it to get through (since I read much much faster than the audio narration). I like this writer and I like this series. This book, so far, is the worst one.
Synopsis: Timothy Littlewolf comes from some kind of ‘old name’ werewolf lineage but is on the run from his uncle because his uncle’s right-hand man is a pedophile (you should also take this as a TW). He lands in Wolf’s Paw which is basically a refuge for people. In R. Cooper’s universe werewolf mates are an instinctual thing and both parties need to recognize the bond for it to become real. Tim, however, grew up so sheltered that he doesn’t know how to werewolf. So he doesn’t recognize his mate, Sheriff Nathaniel Neri, and Rejects him. Wolf’s Paw has this rule that non-werewolves (which Tim is included in since he doesn’t know how to werewolf) have to be the ones to make the first move on werewolves. The entire fucking book is about getting Tim to recognize that Nathanial is his mate. And the entire town knows it. And no one fucking tells him. Because he should just ‘know’ despite not knowing – at all – what mating is or what its about. His uncle finally tells him when they are finally face-to-face at the end of the book (after the pedophile is defeated).
Not really sure I know what else to say about this book. Its really hard to work past just how frustrating the experience is. Particularly since so much of it feels circular. Almost like the same conversation just happens again and again. This isn’t helped by Robert Nieman’s narration…. I usually like him. Or at least I like his voice. But the fact that he appeared to put very little effort into the voices of the characters often made it difficult to know who was talking. However, I find he tends to do ‘rambling’ really well, so he really works as Tim.
I think the most disappointing thing towards the end is how… easily Tim forgives his uncle. Part of what was compelling about the book is Tim’s slow realization that he grew up in a fucked up, abusive home. And his uncle is a part of that, by keeping him isolated and purposefully ignorant. Tim does come to realize this but… somehow his uncle is just… forgiven or something because Tim misses him? I don’t know.
It’s weird because while the fact that Tim is a survivor of sexual violence and serious emotional abuse is a central factor to his character (its why he Rejects Nathanial and why it takes him so long to recognize the sheriff as his mate), this also seems to be downplayed, somewhat. Like the fact that Luca ’touched’ Tim is treated like a revelation at the end, despite Tim clearly demonstrating a great many signs of it. And the fact that no one in town really seems to take this into account when they make him a de facto human for his ignorance.
Like. It isn’t just that he doesn’t know but that his worldview has been twisted and warped by his childhood experiences. Everyone expects him to figure it out on his own (either by self-teaching or by asking the right questions). His ignorance is so deep that he doesn’t even know what he doesn’t know and, thus, is not really capable of asking questions that would actually help him come to an understading. Worse, because his view has been warped by abuse, his ignorance isn’t ‘pure’ but misdirected. He asks the wrong questions because he expects answers that fundamentally contradict the rules of the universe.
I think this is why the fact that no one just sits him down and tells him what he needs to know is so frustrating for me. Because its pretty clear that he needs help. But he’s left to flounder on his own and he almost loses his mate out of ignorance.
Perhaps this is the other aspect of the ‘miscommunication’ that really got to me. You can see from The Beginner’s Guide to Wooing your Mate that even non-werewolves are expected to recognize their ‘mates’ on an instinctual level. Why, exactly, they’d have this instinct and why they’d recognize a ‘fated’ mate when this isn’t actually an aspect of human culture is utterly beyond me. And I don’t really understand why the werewolves can’t just talk to them. Or even just ask them out on a date. At least with Some Kind of Magic Ray was working with prejudiced notions, rather than just assuming Cal should know.
Anyway, I wouldn’t recommend wasting time with this book unless you really have a thing for urban fantasy, werewolves, or (as was my case) like this series.
ETA:
So… I re-read this review and it’s kind of overly harsh. Like, I’ve re-listened to the book since and I don’t actually think that Tim actually forgives his uncle. A willingness to meet and maybe even reconnect with his uncle doesn’t imply forgiveness. This review was heavily influenced by how frustrating I found the whole miscommunication aspect. But that’s really a personal bias and not necessarily a reflection of the writing.