Little Red (Big Bad Wolves #1) by Queenie Wise

What a story this was!

I practically devoured it, it was so engaging.

It was a (borderline) neglecting-my-family kind of read where I, when I had to put my Kindle down, was still thinking of the story and counting the hours until I would be able to continue reading.

What’s surprising, however, is that Little Red is actually a Young Adult book – and I still liked it! Generally I try to avoid YA reads (like the plague) because they tend to leave me feeling quite unsatisfied. I mean, they can contain all kinds of gore and violence, but even the smallest bit of shenanigans is a total no-no (hypocrisy much?). But not even the complete lack of naughty diminished my enjoyment of this story. And that’s saying something!

Synopsis: Peter’s a 17-year old, secretly gay boy, living in a small town and minding his own business. Up until one night when he’s bitten by a large wolf. After that, his world is turned upside down, ending with him being kidnapped by a group of strangers led by the impossibly gorgeous Damon. But they claim to be werewolves. So they have to be crazy, the lot of them, and Peter needs to escape. Only he can’t deny the changes to his own senses.

Yes, it’s a slow-burn (which is yet another thing I usually avoid). But it’s totally understandable. Peter’s 17 after all and Damon is somewhere in his twenties. So even if they’re all very young, it would have been too icky for them to get it on before Peter legally became an adult. Even if their werewolf society lives by their own set of rules.

I’ve read a few reviews complaining about how immature Peter is. And yes, he does acts immature sometimes. But hello! He’s seventeen. That makes him immature by default. And on top of that, he was changed into a werewolf against his will, lost his family, were chased by murderers, assaulted and then kidnapped by strangers – all in a few days time. I’d say it’s strange he didn’t act out more than he actually did. In fact, if he’d acted out to the extent that would have been expected after such trauma, it would have affected the book and detracted from the plot. So in my opinion, Peter’s actions and reactions were perfectly balanced in relation to the storyline.

This book is quite event driven. There’s never a dull moment. But not at the cost of the characters. It’s a single POV story where everything is viewed from Peter’s perspective. But there are several interesting, well-rounded supporting characters too. I would have wished to get a bit more insight into Damon’s thought processes, however. He was often distant and a bit of a mystery. Although that’s probably intentional since it makes Peter’s confusion and roller-coaster emotions that much more credible.

So I loved this story. Not because it’s expertly written. There were a few strange word-swaps here and there, where it was obvious the author meant one thing but had written a similar looking word that meant something completely different. But it wasn’t so many as to detract from the story. Oh, and also, that one of the bad guys was named Knave… I mean, really? That’s a bit over the top. Sure, it’s archaic, but I’m assuming Wise is well aware of the meaning. So obviously it’s not perfect writing. But this story just sucked me in and I fell so hard for the characters. And if that isn’t the definition of a great read, I don’t know what is.

In conclusion, if your in the mood for an action packed werewolf read with slow-burn romance, I can’t recommend this story enough. 5 stars. And yes, I’ve already bought the next book in the series; Big Bad.